Money over Matter

So while in Seattle over the weekend I became enamorate with a hand bag. Not any old hand bag, but a hand bag that was still in the stores selling for full retail price, now marked down to half. It was like one of those moments when the clouds part and the gods of shopping smile upon you...kinda. I mean the original asking price was $700 and now the bag was marked down to $379 which is roughly $400 with tax and not quite but almost half off.

It's the "it" bag of the season no doubt, and with it on my shoulder would I be the "it" girl?

Was it so "it" that no one in my circle would guess I'd spent my car payment, or 3/4 the price of a new set of tires on it? Did it look like flatscreen tv money, or just a silver bag? To be completely honest it was questionable to me and further money I've long ago decided that nothing on earth feels better than money in the bank. I thought about the bag though, debated it and considered it, and although it was HOT it wasn't something that I couldn't live without, and that conclusion alone surprised me.

On the plane home what I realized is that I should have bought the bag and sold it on eBay for full price and MADE some money off of it, instead of spending my good money on it! That moment right there defined my financial reality for me. I mean trust me when I say that it's a hot bag and it would have gone perfectly with my wardrobe, however there's something inside of me that knew if it was almost half off, it was worth what it was retailing for in the beginning, which is to say that it immediately lessened its value.

9 times out of 10 when you see a celeb with a bag she didn't pay for it. She's wearing it to be photographed in it, to make us the average consumer believe that WE should have it...no matter how absurd the cost. I'm literally NOT buying it.

I DID come to the conclusion, however the Longchamp is the REAL "it" bag of the season, having made a HUGE come back it's right at the tipping point and priced to move at $145...more than half of the almost half off See by Chloe bag.

In the end it's money over matter, how you spend your money only matters to you, however how I spend my money is important to me. There are so many things I could do with money I'm saving by choosing Longchamp over Chloe and that right there is the selling point for me, not which celeb chose Chloe....

It's All in the Bag

To quote Malcom Gladwell I noticed something has recently hit the Tipping Point. Longchamp of Paris. What's ironic is that there has been no advertising, none what so ever, and the bag no where near new, however none the less it's on shoulders from coast to coast. My initial reaction to Longchamp was reminiscent of sorority girls with pearls and cardigan sets on the

East Coast, and or Soccer Moms, once again with pearls and cardigans, which is to say that it didn't appeal to me.

What I've seen lately is a trend in the Hip Prepsters, you know the ones...The girl with the less than perfect hair and the decent job, who is looking for the place where function meets fashion. What's awesome about Longchamp is that it makes a statement, subtle but clear. Quality over trend..but now it's trendy.

La Pliage, priced at $145, it's not something that will break the bank, it won't go out of style and it will last until you hit soccer mom status. Now that's a deal!