So, back in July I posted about the fact that I have learned that getting things cheaper is not always better.
Let me elaborate. I used to be of the mindset that if something was a good deal then I should go ahead and purchase it. What I have learned now is that is not always the case. Of course, everyone loves a good deal, me included, but it should be something you really needed/wanted instead of buying something just for a good deal.
An example of this for me would be purses. I LOVE purses. This goes way back. I have worked since I was 12 years old and I have always had fun spending my paycheck on purses. Over the years I accumulated quite a collection but I found a problem with my collection. The purses that I had bought had been “a good deal” and “ones I liked” but not exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a purse so I would settle for something cheap instead of the something I really wanted. I also found that my cheap purses wore out really fast and I always felt the need to get a new purse.
Disclaimer – I am not suggesting that buying cheap purses is bad in any way. I’m just sharing my personal experience and something I learned.
Enter Coach purses. My family and I were on vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC and we decided to go to the Coach outlet store. I found a purse and fell in love with it. I was hesitant to spend the money even though it was at the outlet and a very good deal compared to full retail price. My husband talked me into buying it because he knew I liked it a lot. This is when I fell in love with Coach purses.
I made a promise to my husband that I would not buy any purses anymore since I now had a very nice, excellent quality purse. At first I found it a bit hard because I still had the urge to buy purses. However, something I learned is that I felt bad about wanting to carry any of my other purses I had because I knew I had this nice purse and it somehow just felt wrong neglecting it. :-)
It was at this point that I went through my closet and got rid of all of my other purses and now only had the one Coach purse.
This of course was several years ago. Now I have several Coach purses. Do I need Coach purses? No. Do they make me happy and save me money at the same time? YES!
Let me explain. Let’s take this purse below.
This purse costs $700.00 in the retail Coach Boutique. Sorry Coach but I am not willing to spend $700 on a purse. So I wait. I wait for it to go to the outlet store or the online outlet sale. Then I buy the purses I like. I take the chance that they may never make it to the outlet and I would miss out but it is a chance I am willing to take. For being patient I am happy to report that I paid $212.00 for the beauty. That is a huge discount off retail.
Now I know $200 if still a high price for a lot of people to spend on a purse. When it comes to me though I know that this is a purse I will be able to use for years and years to come. It is made very well and is a classic staple item in my wardrobe. I am also very blessed with a husband who not only supports my Coach habit but also encourages it.
I have even purchased a few purses at the boutique and paid full price but I wanted to point out the deals you can get in case you were not aware. Buying purses like this has actually saves us tons of money. I never had a problem dropping $50 on a purse before just to have it fall apart in a few months. Then I’d want a new one. All of that money added up. Now if I only buy one or two purses a year I come out ahead.
Besides….. I get to shop with the cutest purse shopper around. He is going to make a great husband someday, don’t you think?
I’m not really sure.
