How much for a handbag? - YouLookFab Forum

Sometimes thinking in terms of cost per wear makes a pricey item easier to justify. Using a $300 handbag everyday for a year comes out to less than $1 a day - does that help?

6 years ago

Jules

Veteran

I am (was) also fairly frugal by nature, and I used to carry one bag until it wore out. I did always prefer decent quality and real leather so say $60-$200 (but the $200 ones lasted for 2-3 years).
I spend a lot more money on clothes in general now, but in particular I’ve really come to appreciate how much the right purse elevates even a basic outfit. If I look at cost per wear, purses would come out very low - way less than $1/wear for my main summer and winter purses; more for special occasion or just ‘special mood’ purses, but these have a very high happiness factor. As a practical person, I also have come to really appreciate how purses combine form and function - I won’t buy even the most adorable purse if it isn’t the right size with the right pockets and strap options for its intended purpose (day or evening etc). Purses are the fashion items that I actually use for practical purposes. And every time I open a well designed purse I appreciate it.
A lot of my purse love has developed out of allowing myself multiple purses. I think if I still wore just one purse I would probably still be in the $100-200 range. These days I have considered purses up to $400. But they have to be just right!

6 years ago

Anonymous

I normally start looking at comparables. If I can’t find one that’s as nice for less, I just buy the more expensive one. My upper limit is around $300 for a medium sized bag, because that seems to be the best value (you get really nice leather but not super inflated designer price tag). If I waited around, I could get these bags for less probably, but my time is worth something too.

I remember buying my blush bag. I was looking around for pink bags and I was very picky about the shade of blush. Finally I found one that was the right colour. It was a reasonable price and is what I wanted and liked. No compromises!

You’ve gotta get what you like. If you find something that’s lower priced, well bonus!

6 years ago

jussie

Veteran

I usually spend somewhere between 200-300 on a bag. I’d go up to $400 if the one I really want was that price. I think that’s fine as you use it almost every day. My main bag at the moment I’ve had for 4 years plus, it is worn most days and I think it was in the low $200’s.
My parents were incredibly frugal too, however my mother always said two things: you need a good leather bag and leather shoes!! Lol.
Also if you are using the bag for work, I think you can consider it part of your work attire, which at a corporate level needs to be decent quality. I also look at hair maintenance that way, it’s almost a work related expense, if you’re in a public facing, conservative professional level job then you need to be well groomed.

6 years ago

Sal

Veteran

I also struggle with bags- the price range is so huge.

I did get one for my birthday this year for about $300 NZD and this is the most I have spent.

Three of my five recent bags over the last four years I have purchased second hand from Ebay (actually Trade Me but works like EBay) - I have paid around the NZD $80-$90 for these and they have been very lightly used. This has suited me well.

I am relatively hard on bags - especially the handles or straps. I think this is because I am a bit careless.

6 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

My parents were children of the Depression, and so very frugal also. However, they also believed in buying quality. I have quite a few nice bags. Most of them I did not pay full price for. They tend to be quality bags. I either bought them on sale, or from thrift stores. The one that I didn’t buy on sale was bought with birthday money.

6 years ago

kkards

Veteran

Do you have the $300? Is it earmarked for something else? If the answer to the 1st is yes and the answer to the 2nd is no...buy the bag and enjoy it

6 years ago

Greenjeans

Veteran

There are beautiful bags in all price ranges.

I hear that due to growing up with frugal parents it's felt hard to spend money on yourself, but that you've mainly gotten over that except for the handbag category.

Do you know what your aim is with the new bag? What problem you are aiming to solve?

Is the goal to break free from parental expectations about money and frugality? How about the handbag itself? What are your thoughts/feelings re: the different ranges of handbags? What do you need in a bag? What does thrift/frugality/value mean to you? How about pleasure in owning something special or beautiful . . . Something else?

6 years ago

cindysmith

Veteran

I'm a sale shopping fiend, really good at hunting down deals. While I was in university ('06-11), I broke down and bought one expensive (for me, anyway) handbag. I was making really good money as a part-time stagehand, so I could definitely afford it, but it hurt to spend that much on a bag when i was so used to hunting for deals. It was a $400 leather tote (got it for half off) that held almost everything I could possibly need in a day of school and then work, including laptop, a textbook, tools, makeup, cigarettes, snacks, pens, and a sodapop or two. That bag lasted me about a year and a half of daily heavy abuse (seriously, the abuse that bag suffered was criminal), and it completely changed my thinking about how much was ok to spend on a bag.

I replaced it with the blue Splendid bag in finds and that bag is still serving me very very well after several years of heavy abuse. I no longer carry it daily because I don't need to haul as much junk around with me, but I still have it for when I want it.

A good bag and good, comfortable shoes are the 2 things I will splurge on because they make that much difference in how my day goes. Everything else, I still hunt for the deals, which helps me be ok with spending on a bag or some shoes.

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6 years ago

Anonymous

I hear you and totally understand. Sometimes I feel guilty when I spend more on a particular item. I am slowly getting over it- kind of.
I do find that over the years, I have become more conscious of paying for quality that lasts for years versus having to spend money over and over for lesser quality. I particularly found this true in handbags and scarves ( and even my very few belts). I have spent a handsome amount for great leather purses which serve me well season after season and it makes me smile when I use them. I have also bought an occasional cheaply trendy number that doesn’t even last the season and I just get aggravated.
Like jewelry- there is a place for a great pearl necklace.....then if you want a cheap trendy bobble, you won’t be upset when it’s out of fashion by the end of the year.

6 years ago

binkle

Veteran

My initial gut reaction to reading "wear every day for a year then replace," was "buy a less expensive bag.". A business-appropriate Dooney & Burke is about $300, can go higher of course depending on model, and would provide long use.

But I am presuming about your own usage, so please disregard if incorrect.

I'm thinking of a business bag you use maybe 250 days a year (5 days a week). Maybe sits in a desk drawer all day (don't know if you have lots of offsites). One you wouldn't use on the weekends for kids activities, wouldn't want to be scuffed, spilt on, grass-stained. So for $300, it should last over a year. If you plan to just be sick of looking at the same bag everyday, you can always get two - winter and summer. If you think you will be so rough on the bag that it'll be trashed in a year, no matter what quality/material it is, I'm not sure of the answer.

I think of frugality as knowing the value of a dollar and getting one's money's worth. No shame in having that one good bag that lasts and lasts.

And your overall family finances should be considered. Don't know if you budget or have savings, education, retirement goals (Not my business of course!!!) Once those targets are somewhat clarified, sometimes the "spend" for less critical items can become shockingly clear (or be put in a better perspective)

6 years ago

Runcarla

Veteran

I was independent of my parents and married DH while we were at uni. We had 10 years during which we were quite poor because we didn't want to be in debt, were pay as you go, and were trying to assemble a nest egg for a house. My first splurge as a professional was a beautiful suit (navy jacket, red, white and blue houndstooth pencil skirt - it was the 80's!). I'm still super frugal, but I also know that I'm worthy of beautiful things as well. It is hard to break habits built and reinforced over a long time. Sounds like you have a specific bag in mind and reasonably long term plans for use.

I do agree with jussie about the importance of a nice bag as part of your professional presentation.

I also agree with kkards that if you are fiscally responsible all around, a $300 bag isn't going to put you at financial risk!

Most $300 bags are well made and really should last more than a year.

Oh! Please share a picture of the bag you have in mind.

6 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

So... I grew up with old fashioned notions of wealth. $1000 is ok for a bag, but that bag is meant to last forever, be used forever and passed down to your grandchildren, like the furniture. Because that is how wealth is conserved and grown.

For something that will be replaced in a year, $300 would be a lot. But I add a new caveat that folks didn’t used to have to consider... if it won’t poison the environment when you get rid of it, then that is something to pay for.

6 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Following, because I’m trying to decide this too. I think part of the equation has to be opportunity cost/what you would do with the money otherwise. And I agree with Rachylou that sustainability is worth paying for.

6 years ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Thank you Tammy for bringing this up. I have still struggled with spending money on bags. Some of it is being the child of older ( Mum was 40, Dad 38 when I was born) frugal parents who were also children of the Depression. I have been happy to spend money on other items, as I now earn well, and I think there may be other issues. I think bags have been associated with "designer" even more than shoes. Everyone must wear shoes, but handbags, although most women use them, seem somehow a bit less necessary to me.And there is just no way that I would be seen carrying a Louis Vuitton or Prada or Gucci or Dior handbag ( I think). I cannot see that spending so much money is necessary or sensible. I would be the same with shoes from such brands. However... I'm not a "bag girl", I'm a "shoe girl". So I have spent the most $ 359 I think on shoes ( tall boots), and they are actually worn less often than a bag which I usually carry every day for 2 years- for which the most I have paid is $ 159. So it doesn't really make sense. Over 600 wears on the bag and about 60 wears on the boots? That's why I say there is something else going on, something psychological. Willing to be seen as frivolous on my shoes since they're my thing, but not on my handbags?
I am also fascinated with recent developments in society, where "vegan" bags and shoes are now seen as desirable, where previously if you bought polyurethane bags or shoes it would either be because you were being cheap or couldn't afford leather ones. I've had both and it depends for me more on style than on concerns about 1. animals or 2. the environment. But I am much more aware of environmental and particularly ethical concerns than I once was, so I honestly don't know which is better. I do eat meat so it doesn't make any logical sense for me to object to the use of leather.
I'm amused by your brain feeling deep down that anything more than $ 25 is too much for a bag. I wonder if there is a bit of unreality there, remembering what you might have thought you should spend on a handbag in say the 80s or 90s? And we've moved on 20-30 years since? I can't give you a price range, but I'm wondering if you should think about the likely wears and calculate similar to your more expensive clothes or shoes to give you a ballpark figure.
Looks from the responses that quite a few of us think about this or find it difficult and I hope I haven't inadvertently offended all the Louis Vuitton/Prada/Gucci and Dior owners on the forum!

6 years ago

anne

Veteran

I'm no help here. I'm rather frugal of upbringing and spending too and wouldn't really class myself as "comfortable". Also, I'm not a bag person, I just don't go into raptures over them, either in RL or here on YLF.

Nevertheless YLF has advanced my bag purchases from pre- YLF where I bought a black bag from target every few years, followed by black backpacks when I had babies. Now I buy more fashionable ones in better colours - but I still only spend about $50 a time. My last bag has lasted 21/2 years though is starting to look shabby now, It probably lasted that long because 3 days a week I don't use it and instead take (a rather shabby) backpack because I go to the gym too.

I have thought about buying a more expensive leather bag that would last longer, but haven't got there yet.

Not much help to you, I'm afraid

6 years ago

SarahD8

Veteran

I can relate to the difficulty of knowing what is a reasonable price range, and having maybe a too-low price "set point." I've noticed that I will buy, say, 5 items in the $30 range but balk at purchasing one $150 item -- when in fact the single more expensive item might have done more for my wardrobe than the same amount of money spent on multiple cheaper items.

I would not pay $300 for a bag I merely liked. I can see being tempted for a bag that I love love loved.

Like JenniNZ, I am a shoe girl, not a bag girl. So, I've not had the experience of falling for a bag in that price range. But, I've been coveting a pair of $138 Kate Spade sandals all summer -- more than I would normally spend on a pair of shoes, particularly not super practical ones. So I get the idea of a coupe de coeur.

I do expect my bags to last longer than a year. Partly that is because bags that I really like do not come around that often and I hate being constantly on the hunt! Partly it's because my taste changes relatively slowly and I just tend to hang on to wardrobe items for longer in general.

If you are used to passing on a bag after a year of use, it might be worth thinking about why. Is it because the bags you have been buying are not great quality and start wearing out? Or because you have been buying good-enough-for-now bags that you weren't wild about? If that's the case maybe something higher quality that you really love will have more longevity. But if switching out your bag once a year is sort of integral to feeling like your style is refreshed, that's different.

6 years ago

DeAnna

Active Member

My parents were very frugal also, lucky for me we have a coach outlet store here, but I wont spend over 100.00 for one. My hubby gets me one for Christmas every year.

6 years ago

AviaMariah

Veteran

I can relate to what you're saying; especially about handbags. What I've had to do is just make a couple purchases that are out of my comfort zone and then time tells whether they were worth their price. I've purchased a few cashmere sweaters that were way over my comfort level (even on sale) and those didn't end up being worth it to me. Lesson learned. But I've also purchased a few handbags (again on sale but still over my comfort zone) and I've been surprised at how much joy using a quality handbag has given me. So I think sometimes you just have to take the chance and see how it goes.

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6 years ago

Gretchen

Veteran

I think this is a really important question, and one I question as well. Why am I ok paying $250 for a work blazer, but that seems high for a purse? Part of it for me, is that a blazer is part of the expected corporate uniform, so it's a reasonable expense. But a purse is more individual, not as required...so how much should it be?

I changed my point of view by looking at the other women in the office. Not so much looking at brands (although I did look at that too) but seeing what they wore, what style of purses, and what attitude they projected helped me rethink my approach. I started with a plain kate spade black leather tote. It was simple, more than I had spent before, and I used it like crazy (and got compliments on it too).

The other thing i think is worth noting is the care needed for these bags (and when to retire). If you buy the higher end bag, you want to be sure it looks good. I'd rather see a lower end bag that adds polish to an outfit than a wornout LV bag that looks like it went through baggage handling.

Following this thread with interest!

6 years ago

Jules

Veteran

Good point Gretchen - I have experimented with a higher price point for various types of items. I have not found it worthwhile for statement items or trendy pieces. For jeans, which are my uniform and will get worn out, totally worth it if I can get a great fit. For purses, I have had no regrets and lots of love.

6 years ago

bj1111

Veteran

I’m with @rachy. The $300 range for purses is problematic. For that price, I’d rather save my pennies and get something that my nieces will fight over to inherit. Or spend much less.

Thinking about value rather than price, my best value bags have been two $99 10-20 year old clutches that are my go to for anything remotely dressy and a Chanel 2.55 on the other end of the spectrum.

6 years ago

LaPed

Veteran

It all depends on priorities. I don't blink at spending $200-300 on a technical pack for backpacking, and do so every 5-10 years (my current bag is 8 years old and has a lot of miles on it) but have never spent over $100 on a "town bag". I only have one leather bag (convertible crossbody in case of dressy evening events) and am happy with canvas bags (synthetic or natural fiber) for daily use. Between dogs and kids, the "it lasts longer" rationale flies out the window. I had a puppy chew the strap off one bag, and my kid has spilled food on/in my bag more times than I can count. Why would I put a high-end leather bag at risk when I can beat up a cheaper -- and more washable -- bag and feel less remorse when I inevitably destroy it?

6 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Besides my life being hard on my bags (but not as hard as La Ped’s), I also think I just lack the appreciation for expensive bags. The satchel I got on the Plaka in Athens may have been made for tourists, for all I know. But it was exactly the right size, had exactly the right pockets and handles, was just what I needed. I carried it daily for years, full of books and papers, and eventually my laptop, before the thread started to fall apart. Probably paid $30 for it. I don’t know what more I’d expect from a $300 bag. More than a decade of use before the first repair? Flying my books to the place I needed to go? When I pick up an expensive bag, I don’t see a thing of beauty. I see a use object, valued according to its usefulness.

6 years ago

anchie

Veteran

Most of my handbags are in 300$ range, but I never paid for them more than 150$. And I keep them for very long time, they are the most difficult category to edit and part with.

6 years ago

Preppy Pear

Veteran

I don’t think 300 dollars is too much to spend on a bag for many of the reasons already mentioned here. But I do think it is too much money to spend on something that doesn’t bring joy, even if it’s mostly about function.

6 years ago

Joy

Veteran

Most of my handbags were originally $200-400 range but I look for big sales and consignment, so spend half or even less, but I switch out bags almost daily. If you use the same bag daily, I think you should buy a bag you love even if pricey. The cost per wear will be low.

6 years ago

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Preppy Pear, that’s the perfect response.

6 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

It depends on a few factors for me personally. Organized Emotions sum it up. Does the item bring joy? Can you afford it? Are bags your thing? Will you wear the bag?

A yes to all those questions when it comes to bags and my personal style. That reasoning makes them of great value to me - but maybe not to you, and it’s all good. I swap out bags regularly. They are by far my favourite accessory. I love them all and have 30 of them. None are orphaned.

My Furlas are more than $300 a bag. I save up for them, or get them as gifts. That makes them even more special.

I have a very hard time spending money on sports gear and workout wear because I absolutely loathe wearing it. I don’t like the look of it either. These items bring zero joy - and are much cheaper than my Furlas.

6 years ago

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