stories of high-end handbag shopping are, by their very nature, normally those of wealth as well as indulgence. Not lots of people who make normal, five-figure livings are getting four- or five-figure bags at any type of significant clip, as well as saving up for things can be hard to do. Today, on our most current edition of closet Confessionals, we’re talking to someone who beat the odds: a 29-year-old who gotten a Birkin after several years of diligent saving, in addition to other designer bags that she’s bought, normally at the rate of one per year. She’ll tell you all her secrets below.
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Share Your own Confessional!
Cele elementare
Age: 29
Gender Identity: Female
Location: Toronto
Occupation: financial analyst as well as CPA student
Industry: Healthcare
Income: $57,700 (household)
Pungile
Are you a PurseForum member? da
How lots of bags do you own? 16
How much is your collection worth? $30,000
What is your a lot of expensive bag? My Hermès Birkin 30cm
What are the most crucial brands or pieces in your collection?
– my very first designer bag, which was a Gucci tote
– my Hermès Birkin, because I have never worked so hard to save up for as well as chase a bag
– my Chanel classic Flap Bag in black, because it was purchased on a very special family trip in Paris
– my bags all have a story behind the purchase as well as remind me of very certain moments in my life, which is why I love designer handbags as well as likewise why I love hearing about other people’s bag stories
What age did you get your first designer bag, as well as what was it? I was 17 years old when I got my first designer handbag, as well as it was a Gucci tote with light gold hardware. My family was going on a trip overseas as well as planning on stopping over in Milan along the way. When I found out we would be stopping in Milan, I started planning out a designer bag purchase because some of my friends had gone on a trip to Italy the year before as well as purchased Gucci because considering that they were more affordable there. I started saving up my weekly allowance every week about five months before the trip. Also, each time we travelled as kids, my daddy would give us a $100 to use as spending money on whatever we wanted. I religiously saved my allowance money as well as banked on getting $100 for the trip to cover the tote bag. I still have the bag today as well as have always kept it for special occasions because at the time, I didn’t know when I would purchase my next designer bag, so I kept it in excellent condition.
Cumparaturi
How often do you get new bags? I get a new bag once a year; I tend to save up all year as well as then treat myself to a new bag at my birthday. There have been a couple of years where I gotten a couple because I managed to score great deals on bags I was eyeing as well as had enough to do two as a result, because of the money I had set aside.
Which stores do you frequent the most? I love browsing around Chanel, their bags are so girly as well as beautiful. I likewise love browsing Fashionphile because you can often find bags that have been on your wishlist forever, or a great deal on a bag or accessory you have been eyeing. In Canada, we likewise have a department store called Holt Renfrew that has a bunch of designer collections under one roof.
Do you ever get second-hand bags? Where do you get used? Da cu siguranta. I’m all about finding the best price for a handbag in great condition. I have gotten from Fashionphile, eBay, as well as local consignment shops in Toronto as well as Montreal, such as Haute classics as well as own The Couture. Both of which have web sites as well as ship worldwide!
Do you sell old bags to pay for new purchases? I have done this, but rarely because I put a lot of thought into the bags I buy, so I rarely feel like I’m not getting a ton of use out of a bag. When I wanted to get an Hermès Birkin, though, I knew I would have to let go of a bag—since a Birkin is so expensive, I couldn’t justify not letting go of at least one of my less-used bags. I like selling my bags on eBay because I can control the selling price as well as which uses I’m ready to accept. I have likewise sold items on Fashionphile when I don’t want the hassle of managing a sale myself.
Who influences your getting decisions? I get I influenced a lot by my much-loved bloggers as well as Instagrammers. I first started falling in love with designer bags during the pre-blog times, as well as I got influenced a lot by what I saw other people wearing about town. For the longest time, I have had this running list of designer bags that I have deemed as classics that every girl must have, somy getting decisions were mainly based on this at first, as well as now I’m a lot more influenced by bags that fit a certain purpose or activity type.
Are sales associate relationships instrumental to your shopping? At a lot of brands, no, because I don’t feel I have the personal income to support getting a bag every few months or so. Where I live, I feel like sales associates are not interested in maintaining a good relationship unless you plan on shopping with them often. However, at Hermès, having a good relationship with a sales associate is crucial to getting your dream bag as well as I love my sales associate there, I could chat with her for hours about anything as well as she genuinely enjoys helping all customers!
Why do you take pleasure in shopping, beyond just acquiring something new? I take pleasure in shopping because I love being able to walk around as well as see how stores display merchandise as well as style different looks. I love enjoying what people get drawn to as well as how others style their purchases. I love hitting the malls at the start of new seasons, especially fall, because every store gets reset as well as it’s such a great chance to scope out what the trends of the season will be.
Banii
Who pays for your bags? At the start of my collection, I got a couple of bags as gifts from my parents, such as my Louis Vuitton Neverfull as well as my Chanel classic Flap, which was a gift for graduation. However, every bag considering that then, including the Birkin, I have paid for myself!
Do you set aside a budget for your bag purchases? yes I do, I tend to figure out the price of my next bag, including the tax, if I were to purchase brand new, as well as then will divide that up by 52 to save up for it over the course of a year as well as treat myself at my birthday! My Birkin was the exception, I saved up for about 2.5 years considering that it comes with a large price tag, but it goes to show that you don’t have to get your dream bag ideal away, it’s absolutely possible if you plan it out as well as are individual to wait for the results.
The Taboo Topics
Have you ever purchased a counterfeit because you couldn’t pay for a designer item? Yes, when I was much younger, I purchased a bag when I was checking out new York. Now, looking back, I would not purchase a counterfeit because I understand that there are so lots of negative aspects to getting a counterfeit. Not to mention, the good ones are still pretty expansive, as well as you can never sell them to recoup your cost. It’s better off to save a little a lot more as well as get the real thing.
Do you ever hide purchases from your significant other? Not really, I tend to talk about bags I want to acquire to my friends or family as well as my husband, so he normally knows about an impending purchase. often when I get something but don’t plan on wearing it ideal away, then I might. For some reason, I always like keeping things new until I can debut them for a special occasion, so I normally I reveal to him at that time as well, if I haven’t already told him.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to pay for a bag? When I was saving up to get my Birkin, I cut out getting almost everything I didn’t necessarily need to divert all my disposable income to my Birkin fund. I likewise set up a separate savings account as well as titled it “Birkin Fund.” I pretty much cut out all frivolous purchases; previously I would go to the mall monthly as well as get a couple of high-end makeup products or some new clothes, but didn’t really need any type of of these items, they were gotten a lot more for fun as well as want. This would typically amount to a few hundred a month, as well as once I cut this out, I was able to save for a bigger goal much a lot more easily as well as it added up pretty quickly.
I likewise cut out eating out as frequently as well as started packing my own lunches. I would still go out for dinner/treats a couple times a week, but packing lunch in advance helped likewise save about $200 a month.
All these little changes allowed me to save up for a Birkin as well as likewise helped me not get things that I would toss after a couple of seasons. As I have grown, I have realized I would rather have a few good quality investment items than stuff that will only last me a few months.
Do you think your shopping is ever a problem? When I first got my first full-time big girl gig, I thought, “Wow, look in any way this money,” as well as gotten a lot of stuff, as well as then I swiftly smartened up as well as realized I was an adult with responsibilities as well as couldn’t pay for to continue doing that if I wanted to hit other goals in life. I then started becoming a lot a lot more severe about my shopping as well as spending habits.
The rest Of It
Any other expensive hobbies or passions? Momentan nu. I’m currently studying to get my CPA (accounting designation) in addition to working, so don’t have a lot of timepentru a dedica altor hobby -uri sau pasiuni. Cu excepția cazului în care contezi să fii foodie. Îmi place să încerc noi restaurante, precum și locuri de mâncare, dar nu aș spune că este un hobby scump, deoarece mă bucur să mănânc în orice tip de loc, indiferent de preț, atât timp cât mâncarea este bună, precum și în mod normal să iau în considerare în mod normal O masă care este de peste 40 de dolari pentru a fi scumpă.
Altceva?
Sfatul meu pentru femeile tinere care visează să obțină o geantă de designer ar fi să înceapă doar economisirea, chiar dacă este doar 10 $-20 $ pe săptămână-aceasta este oriunde între 500 și 1.000 $ pe an, precum și veți putea cumpăra geantă de mână mai devreme decât crezi! Încă o perspectivă este să vă gândiți la asta: câteva cafele pe săptămână sau un articol în care veți putea să vă bucurați pentru anii următori? De asemenea, acest lucru funcționează pentru orice tip de alte obiective de economii, cum ar fi un fond de pensionare sau un fond de urgență. Odată ce te simți confortabil cu ideea de a economisi, devine mult mai ușor să faci mai mult!