My First Super Splurge

Apologies if this post may offend anyone. I am not by any means trying to brag, just wanted to share my experience about getting my first high end designer item.

APPRECIATING HARD WORK

Everyone has their own way of appreciating their hard work. It can be with a vacation, dinner at a fancy restaurant, movie night, or splurging on expensive items. I don't normally celebrate achievements by splurging because I'm pretty much a frugal spender all my life, but once in a while I do have desire to own nice things (blame this on Youtube review videos).

I know it may sound very materialistic, but I did put one goal in my 2015 goals which is to obtain an item from this one particular designer. The items that this fashion powerhouse sell is not cheap at all, so if I were to get something from them, I must have worked my a** off and have real achievements to be proud of. I think for the hard work, charity donations, and the frugal spending that I have done in the past 2-3 years, I deserve to splurge a bit this time.

CHOOSING THE 'RIGHT THING'

I have always wanted a high end designer 'thing', but not sure what 'thing' I should get. I did a lot of research here and there, and put a lot of thoughts and considerations into it. I asked myself several questions:

           "what type of item are you going to purchase? is it a bag or SLG (small leather goods)?"
           "what brand are you getting?"
           "how often are you going to use it?"
           "how are you going to care for it?"
           "what size are you going to get? and what colour?"

From early on, I have decided to get an item from Chanel instead of Louis Vuitton, because it is still difficult for me to see their monogram print as something beautiful. I knew that if I'm going to spend a lot of money on something, I must use it often and I'm not going to 'baby' it. So, I was thinking of getting a card holder/wallet (not a wallet with cash compartment) because that's pretty much the 'thing' that I use most often (in fact, almost everyday). Why not a wallet? Because I hardly need to bring cash and I'm happy just carrying my cards. I checked Chanel's website and saw that their prices have recently rise. The card holder that I was eyeing was around $560. I was ready to spend that much money in the boutique until I found something else in Reebonz website.

PRELOVED DESIGNER GOODS

After deciding what I wanted to get, I contemplated on the options whether to get brand new or preloved. I actually wanted to feel the experience of actually going into the Chanel boutique and coming out of the store holding the black Chanel shopping bag for my first ever high end designer goods, but then I thought "if I'm gonna use the item so often that I may leave scratch marks here and there which will quickly decrease the value, might as well just get the preloved one." So, on the basis of that, I tried to find a preloved Chanel.

Finding preloved Chanel items is difficult! I have tried eBay, but I won't risk of getting scammed by a seller, so I turned to Reebonz. Surprise, surprise, when I was checking their website, they had a Chanel small wallet in pristine condition with the price tag close to the original card holder/wallet that I have been eyeing but it's almost 50% off the original price of a new small wallet. I thought this might be a better option: small, wallet, pristine - except for the type of leather, because I was initially looking for a caviar, but will settle for a lambskin as well. I asked my husband for the final approval (although I'm paying with my money, I have developed a habit of asking for his permission every time I'm making a 'big' purchase). We had few disagreements, but he finally gave the sign off!

And here it is, my 'new' preloved Chanel small flap wallet...

TIPS ON GETTING HIGH-END DESIGNER GOODS

• Use it as an incentive to encourage yourself to work hard. I don't recommend getting high-end designer goods when your brain said "I just have to have it". Remember, don't get trapped in debt just to appear like you live a life you can't afford.
• When deciding on what to get, reflect on your lifestyle and do a lot of research before spending your hard earned money.
• Preloved items are just as good, if you can find the 'right' one and you're on a budget. Many people buys preloved items as well. You can find preloved on websites such as Reebonz.com, Yoogi's Closet, or Fashionphile.com.