Story Of A Purse

I’ve never thought of myself as a purse lover.  When I look through magazines, I don’t really get excited about the new “it” purses.  I never aspired to own designer purses.  I have exactly 3 purses for work — 2 in black, and 1 fabric/brown for summer and spring, plus a few smaller ones for weekends but my “collection” would certainly not peg me as a purse aficionado.

Now for the confession which you probably could guess was coming… I splurged on a beautiful black leather bag. This is now one of my 2 black work bags.  I bought it partly because my other black bag had seen better days and I thought I needed another option.  I also loved the design and quality of this $400 bag*.  And it was on sale. And I had gotten a small bonus which I promised to use for a splurge rather than saving it as usual.

I had been eyeing this purse for weeks (months) and it was not going on sale.  It had gotten excellent reviews online regarding its quality and versatility.  I had small hopes that it would go on sale or if it did, my color would be sold out.  Of course I think that the purse may become a permanent part of the designer’s line-up as it seems quite popular. 

I’m glad I bought it.

The reason for my lack of expensive purses is not that I can’t afford one or that I don’t sometimes admire nice-quality purses.  It’s just that other than the workplace, I can usually be found running errands at decidedly normal places like Walmart, Costco, Target, CVS, and the occasional fast food joint.  I have seen women carrying expensive purses into McDonalds, for example, but it seems like an odd juxtaposition to me.  I feel like I should be dining at a nice restaurant, not throwing my beautiful leather bag on a vinyl dining booth seat.

In other words, my beautiful bag doesn’t seem utilitarian enough for my simple lifestyle (and one that involves messy toddlers, too!)  I’m wondering if others have this same thought as I do.  Do expensive purses fit your lifestyle, or do you not even consider this?

* After a 20% discount and some credit card rewards, the total was about $330 including taxes.  Shipping was free. Still high for me!

Frugal Opposites?

I’m beginning to think that my husband and I are frugal opposites, not in the classic saver vs. spender situation, but we’re frugal in such opposite ways that we still somehow disagree on spending (and saving) priorities to some extent.

First off, we are both fairly frugal.  However, I am more willing to spend money when I think it saves time, like on like housecleaning, moving or computer tech help and the like.  My husband is more of a DIY-er especially related to household things like dishwasher installation, property fixes, etc..  even if it can take him a lot of time and it’s not always easy to figure out. And I guess since he’s more of a DIY-er in aspects that he’s good at, he’s also hesitant to spend money in areas just to save time (since in theory we could tackle housecleaning, for example, on our own).  After having kids, he did come around to hiring housecleaning help and I guess he was never completely against it; he just saw less reason for it than I did/do.

If any spending is remotely related to career or career-advancement, he will spend the money (or want to), while I still like to weigh the return on investment.  This is a tough one because there are countless job-related spending opportunities from books to classes to conferences.   As for measuring ROI, how do you know if that networking event or conference will result in leads and work? I tend to give it one-shot and that’s it.  Say, I attend one conference but if I don’t get much out of it, I won’t go to ANY ever again. My husband wouldn’t rule out all conferences that way; he would look into another conference or would still be open to returning to the same conference after some time has passed.  Since work-related events are often costly, this can become  a sore point.  I think I usually “win out” but I wonder if I’m holding him or myself back from true career opportunities.   He’s been creative at networking on the cheap (with real results) and I do try to be open-minded about pricier opportunities but I still have a hard time justifying that spending.

I have a harder time pulling the trigger on purchases in general.  My husband doesn’t really pay attention to small-item purchases but hesitates on big item purchases (like furniture or appliances).  I guess I believe that little things add up and this is why I still use coupons, look for  sales to stock up on household items, send in rebates, and pay attention to recurring expenses/bills.  I know that my husband doesn’t really understand why I call our internet/cable/phone provider every year.  However, one year, I knocked down $40+ per bill ($480 annually) and I’m pretty proud of that!  

Our different spending habits haven’t been a contentious issue, however, because we do always talk about big purchases.  Even if we don’t always agree, both of us have a say.  I also think that it’s been a fairly even split in terms of who “wins” in the final decisions.  In many cases, we reach a compromise by setting a budget that we both feel comfortable with, delaying the purchase a bit, or not spending at all, without the other one holding a grudge.

Are you and your significant other opposites in terms of spending/saving?  Are you both frugal yet still have different spending habits?

A Rebate Hack

Okay, this sounds totally crazy but I actually set up Google Alerts for a few of my favorite brands/products.  Since setting these, I’ve been notified of rebates from brands such as L’oreal and Olay.  These rebates are often $10 or higher and make a big difference if you stock up when there’s a rebate, sales and manufacturer or store coupon.   If you’re not a coupon master, you’ll save money even if you buy the product at Walmart’s regular low prices and then send in the rebate.  (Yes, you have to be willing to actually mail in a form!) Anyway, it’s super simple to set up and worth it for certain brands that regularly offer rebates.

Lowe’s Blows..or Adventures in Customer Service

I just have to say this…Lowe’s Customer Service blows..and here’s why:

I had placed an online order on the last day of an appliance promotion.  For some reason, my credit card issuer blocked the charge. I had to call and confirm that it was a valid charge; however, they could not re-authorize the charge. I had to go back online and redo the transaction.  At 9:00 pm pacific time, I tried to re-do the order but the price had jumped back up because it was past midnight eastern time (where the business HQ or warehouse was located I guess?).  This makes zero sense!  The sale was supposed to end that day but I assumed, rightly so, that it would expire midnight at my local time.  No where on the site did it say the sale would end at eastern time! If anyone has ever experienced something similar, please let me know!

Anyway, I contacted Lowe’s customer service and explained that I would like to get the sale price. Plus, and more importantly, I had an additional 10% off coupon expiring in a few days.  That extra 10% off plus 10% off sale price had already been applied in my shopping cart earlier, and would have gone through if not for Visa blocking the charge on their end. 

The first service rep refused to honor the sale price but said they could accept my 10% coupon on the regular price. I responded saying that Home Depot had the same sale price and could they honor the price as a competitor match, plus honor my 10% coupon code considering that the price should not have changed before midnight pacific time.   Another rep replied that it was not possible to do both.  Since I’m pissed about their website pricing change, I’m going to order the same item from Home Depot instead.

Contrast this to Macy’s…I purchased a few things from them but used the wrong coupon code, getting a 10% discount instead of 15%. After placing the order, I emailed them asking if they could let me use the 15% despite it being an error on my end.  They quickly credited my account for the difference.  I wouldn’t have been mad if they said no but I was very happy that they were so nice!

I think most businesses are and should be much more accomodating to their customers, if demands are reasonable.

Things I Let Go When Low On Cash

With a newborn in the household, Grumpy Rumblings (#1) asked “What do/have you let go when something new takes a lot of your time?“  Answers varied from socializing with friends to exercising to reading/writing blogs.   For me, lack of time often equals spending money as an attempt to gain back time, or just keep sane!

Here are some ways I spend more money during time crunches:

1) Hire house cleaning help!

2) Hire gardening help

3) Get car washed

4) Eat out more often (since I’m too tired/busy to make lunch or go grocery shopping

5) Shop online for convenience (although I still check prices)

6) Stop comparison shopping, counting on Target/Walmart to have fairly decent prices

7) We have also hired a nanny to help us during busy or transition times.

Although I would argue time is always scarce, there are times when saving money becomes more important.  It doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition of course.  However, I think many of the things I let go are the direct opposite of my earlier list.  Here are things I give up when low on cash:

1) Eating out at work

2) Snacking at vending machine (bring my own snacks instead)

3) Online Shopping for clothing, shoes, purses etc..

4) Hair cuts (this gets delayed until I can’t stand it any longer)

5) Car washes (Dusty brown is the new black)

6) Netflix (or some kind of media/cable)

7) Expensive gifts (I really stick to my budget at times like this)

8) Going out with friends/family (I decline get-togethers or suggest cheaper options)

9) Less organic foods

10) Expensive fun like international travel, massages or amusement parks (truth be told, I haven’t had facials or massage or travel in years…but these are things that I gave up in my 20s/30s when necessary.)

11) Tech upgrades (computers, phones, etc..)

12) Gym membership (home DVDs are good enough…)

13) Mindless spending (like walking out of Target with excess stuff not on my list)

I do still stock up if I catch a really good sale on household goods or needs.  So far, I’ve never been at the point where I didn’t have a big enough cushion for stocking up but I’m sure that can happen.

What do/have you let go when you’re low on cash?

This Is What Shopping Lists Are For..

A pair of black pumps I had on my Amazon.com wish list just went on sale for 41% off, and I have a 20% coupon code.  I am so tempted.  The only thing that keeps me from hitting the “buy” button is I recently went through my closet and assessed my needs and wants.  At the top of my replacement list is a pair of brown pumps.  I also would like a leather purse.  Another pair of black pumps is not even really on my shopping list and if I buy it, I would probably have to wait out the upcoming Labor Day sales.  As one of the commenters said in my wardrobe revamp post, it’s smarter to shop strategically!

I must stay strong…

Wardrobe Revamp..Or Choosing Material Things Over Experiences

Right after I “saved” money on my summer vacation, I spent money on a wool sweater that I won’t be wearing til fall or winter.  I can run through all the justifications…big sale, good brand, free shipping, merino wool, polka dots…but it really makes no sense.  If it fits as well as it looks online, I’ll be happy.  However, it did make me set a clothing budget budget.  I’ve held off replacing many items over the past year and it’s been getting hard to find work-appropriate summer clothes. It’s also time that I replaced some worn-out shoes.  For what it’s worth, I haven’t bought anything for myself since January 2012 and have gone up a size.*

Despite my desire to revamp my wardrobe, I did imposed some guidelines to keep my spending in check:

1) Keep A List: I assessed my clothing needs and decided to keep a list (with budget next to each item) in my wallet at all times.

2) Really Assess Your Closet: As I mentioned in #1, I actually looked inside my closet to see what I needed/wanted.  After my first assessment, I came up with a fairly long list plus a target spending amount in each category. For example, I am willing to spend more on shoes than blouses.   However, I quickly busted my budget on one pair of shoes!  I re-examined my closet and realized that I didn’t need to buy everything on my list.  I could boost my summer work/play wardrobe just by using what I got.  1) I have two summer-y items hanging in my closet for months because they need ironing; and 2) I should finally wear a summer dress that I bought last year!

2) Work/Play: In the past, I had a clear division between casual and work clothes, which definitely increased my spending. Since my workplace is fairly casual, I’m spending on clothes and shoes that are good for both work and play.

3) Frugal Substitutes: Rather than replacing every item that is now too small or past its prime, I’m trying to figure out if one item can do 2 jobs.  Example:  Three of my work skirts were no longer presentable – a dark denim skirt,  black pencil skirt and gray A-line skirt.  I replaced all items with a more basic straight gray/navy skirt.  It’s very versatile and something I can wear to work or for a night out.

4) Remember that higher price doesn’t always equal higher quality! While I do think some designer brands look and feel better, it doesn’t always mean that their items will last longer.  Pricing also reflects brand perception and higher store mark-ups. Plus, I’ve found that many items I have from Target and Old Navy have hold up for years when taken care of.  Update: I do have to give kudos to my one pair of high-end designer shoes, a brand I never heard of but just looked up and realized that these cost on average $400-500.  I got it for close to $100 and you can definitely find them on sale or online for the $200 range.  Anyway, it’s an Italian brand, great-quality leather, comfortable, well-made and beautifully designed and has held up extremely well over 8+ years. My only concern is that this has become my go-to heels now that others have come and gone. I need to get a second pair just to give these a break and get another 8+ years out of them.  Or try to find the same pair on Ebay.

5) Buy What You Love: I spent a day mulling over the purchase of those cute shoes.  It went on sale so I took it as a sign to buy even though it was still above my original price point.  I made adjustments to my budget by cutting out other wants.   At the end of the day, if you don’t love it, it’s not a bargain.  Tip: Some retailers offer price protection so if you’re not sure you got the best price, go to the www.priceprotectr.com and sign up for a notification if the price drops within 7 days on the item you just bought.

* It’s strange to be a bigger size  on pants and skirts only, while still being smaller for blouses and tops.

How do you manage your clothing budget?  Do you set a budget or just buy what you want/need?