I will confess that brand names really don’t do anything for me when it comes to food, clothing, or pretty much most things. We buy usually generic because we’re on a budget. I don’t get all excited about fashion trends or labels when i buy clothes for myself. If it’s comfortable and flattering while being in my price range, awesome! Those are the attributes I look for in my purchases but the name on the label? I really don’t pay attention to it.
However, it dawned on me last week that there’s one area where I’ve indulged in name brands without being intentional about it and that is quality purses. I was swapping purses from a firmer sided purse to a soft sided purse as we were going to a baseball game and the stadium rules about purses was it needed to be soft sided. I have a box in my closet for my purses. If I included the one I am using at the time, I have three available to me.
For the baseball game, I needed to switch from my butterflies to the brown leather. I like to joke that my butterfly purse is one of my best purchases as far as value. I saw it on a local consignment shop’s Facebook group and they were having a 50% off sale. I really liked the butterflies on the fabric and to be honest, was needing some retail therapy. I struggle to spend money on myself. I can buy my kids stuff or my husband without feeling guilty but for me? It’s always been a “Should I? Do I really need this?” mental conversation.
In my funk at the time, the pattern made me smile so I zipped over on my lunchbreak and it was still sitting on the shelf. It was brand new, original tag still on it and pristine condition. It was also a Brighton. I didn’t know Brighton made purses; I knew they were a higher end brand but always thought of them selling belts.
The original consignment price was $180 but it had a small red sticker that marked it 50% off that day. You talk about a real mental battle of want versus need going on while I looked it over, peeked into pockets, and hesitated on handing it back to the clerk. I finally thought, “I’m going to do!” I handed that clerk the cash and walked out with a beautiful purse that I spent (to me) SO much money on. My go-to purse purchases have been Walmart handbags for $20 so this was a HUGE change from my normal buys. I couldn’t believe I had dropped so much money on a non-necessity item but I am glad I did.
I will tell you something. I bought the purse in 2017 and I still get so many compliments on that purse to this day. It’s a bit dingier at times when it’s in use but a good cleaning and it looks like new. I also looked it up when I got home. The retail value was $280. I about choked because I thought $90 was a bit ridiculous for a purse. Now, here I am five years later and that purse has done an amazing job while still looking great.
That Brighton was my first name brand purse to buy. My second was a cute little denim Kate Spade purse I picked up at a local garage sale for $10 about three or four years ago. A little vacuuming out of the inside and it was good to go! It had been used but the wear isn’t really noticeable. My third name brand purse was a supple, brown leather Coach. I also bought it used for $20. It has some scuff marks on it but I think that adds to its character. It is buttery soft when you hold it and it’s big enough to carry everything I needed for the trip to the ballpark.
I bought all three purses second hand and the last two were loved and used by previous owners before me. However, they continue to be great purses for me to rotate through as needed and have held up well over the years. They aren’t falling apart nor are they showing their age with frayed edges or splitting seams.
My Walmart purses would last about a year before just kind of falling apart on me. I remember one particular quilted purse I bought that developed a hole in the lining. I thought my kiddo was stealing my loose change. Nope! It was disappearing into that hole between the exterior fabric and the liner! I think I found about $5 in change when I went to throw that purse away. No wonder it was so heavy. Anyway, I digress.
I wanted to share my purse story for a couple of reasons. Yes, being frugal is important for meeting our financial goals but sometimes you get what you pay for. Paying for quality is not a bad thing. My $90 purse has lasted me 5 years and has a LOT of life in it to go. I may easily get another five to 10 more years of use out of it. That averages out to about the same or less per year than all of those Walmart purses I had before. Plus, I’ve got butterflies on my purse! How awesome is that?
Another note is that I still get joy and emotional fulfillment when I use my purses, particularly the Brighton. I appreciate how well they’ve lasted while really appreciating the affordability of these quality items. If only everything provided such a good return on investment!
Financial freedom isn’t just about being diligent with our budgets but also using our money to buy things that last. My three quality purses mean I’m not buying – and tossing – cheap quality bags into the trash every year.
Stay green, my friends!
Going Green In Texas 