a high-quality leather bag than $150 for a cheap polyurethane

I’d rather pay $300 for a Hermes Birkin 35CMhigh-quality leather bag than $150 for a cheap polyurethane one. No polyurethane is going to age like real leather. Then there’s the quality of the stitching, design, hardware. A high-quality bag will not only look better when you buy it, it’ll age better, which means you’ll ultimately get more use out of it.

as there’s definitely expensive junk-quality items out there. But I do think that high quality often requires a higher price range than many people (Americans in particular) are willing to shell out because our market is so flooded with cheap crappy alternatives.

Most major cities have amazing consignment and Hermes Birkin 40CMvintage stores, and whenever I browse the higher-end ones I always see some Chanel pieces. I think paying $1000 or $2000 for a classic bag that is barely used because it sat in some wealthy woman’s closet or graced the hermes outlet store online of a model on a photo shoot is completely reasonable. I’ve only just started working at my first job after university so I can’t afford it right now, but when the time comes I fully intend to buy a purse like that without going into the Chanel boutique and paying the retail price.

We have lived below our means for years, retirement funds and college funds are taken care of and now that I have some discretionary income it is time to treat myself to something that I have always wanted. I figure that if I live at least another 40 years or so, the bag will only cost me about $100 per year (not adjusting for time value of money)! Also, things like Chanel bags, Hermes scarves and Rolex watches are classics that can always be passed down to your daughter or favorite relatives. All this said, I would not sacrifice basic needs to buy luxury items–first things first!