4 Items Always Worth Splurging On
Let’s say you’re out shopping on a Sunday afternoon at Saks or Nordstrom. You’re looking to revamp your wardrobe, but your budget says otherwise. While you may love luxurious, high quality, expensive clothing and accessories, those items don’t always fit in the price point you might have—but at the same time, you need to get a few items to polish up your look a bit.
For some, this situation may lead to the question: what’s worth splurging on?
Honestly, I can justify pretty much any purchase you want to make, but that’s a different post for a different time. For today, I’m going to break down 4 of the clothing items or accessories I know are worth breaking the budget for.
Purses
As dramatic and superficial as this sounds, if you want to show others that you value yourself and what you have, you need to go out and buy yourself a high-quality, on-trend purse. Your purse is what you carry everything in throughout the day—your money, phone, makeup, pens, business cards, etc—so why wouldn’t you want to treat your things nicely? For me personally, I feel like your purse says a lot about who you are. A cheaply made, faded purse with a broken strap from Forever 21 that you got two years ago tells me that you don’t value your lifestyle and that your life (much like your purse) is falling apart. A structured, thoughtfully made purse shows me that you’re organized, clean, and pulled together.
Personally, I recommend buying a designer bag (do not buy a fake, we all know it isn’t real, and it’s going to fall apart quickly). I have multiple Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and Rebecca Minkoff bags. I buy these brands because they’re trendy, dependable, and nice quality for a reasonable price.
If you choose to buy a designer purse, choose one that is a neutral color, a practical size, and has a nice shape to it. By purchasing a designer purse with these specifications, you allow yourself to actually use it everyday. If you buy a tiny purple clutch with fringe, you’re probably not going to carry that with you to the office or shopping. Find a purse that can do it all, unless you can afford to buy multiple.
Shoes
Probably 90% of the time, you’re either going to be in your bed or in your shoes, so you might as well invest in a pair that you feel comfortable in and will last. High quality shoes for affordable prices are easy to find. Steve Madden and Sam Edelman make amazingly comfortable, stylish shoes that you can definitely squeeze into your budget. They last so long and won’t be hurting your feet after two hours.
Coats
Being a naturally cold person, I’ve found that it’s critical for me to invest in really good coats. I used to run to H&M each season and pick up those pea coats they have every year for $39.99, put them on, and still be freezing—just to go back the next year and do the same thing because buttons fell off or the fabric got weird. Finally, I listened to my mom and purchased an expensive, but high-quality wool coat from Guess. I’ve worn that coat every winter for 4 years now.
Over the years, I’ve bought more and more coats—different occasions call for different styles—and I’ve made sure to buy nice ones. I haven’t regretted it at all because they’ve lasted and look the same as the day I got them.
Another type of coat I really urge people to invest in is a leather jacket. I like to rock that whole “model chic” look almost every other day in the fall and spring—you know, black pants, fitted black or white tank, heeled booties or heels, sunglasses, and a black leather jacket. Leather jackets are always in style and they last forever. They go with anything black and just add a really cool, edgy but effortless vibe to any look.
That Item
That item that you’ve been wanting for months or years is the one that you shouldn’t be afraid of treating yourself to. Don’t go overboard with it—maybe only give yourself one or two “treat items” a year—but don’t live your life wanting for something. If it’s an item that’s in your head for 6 months or more, there’s a reason for it. If it’s something you really want and have thought about, then it’s one that you will get a lot of use of out because you’ll appreciate it more.
The long and short of splurging is knowing what items you’re going to use the most. If you constantly find yourself repurchasing an item, buy a higher quality version of it. It’s obviously something you use enough and you’re probably spending the same amount of money in the long run.
4 pairs of $50 low-quality, nameless heels = 1 pair of $200 high-quality, designer heels.
See what I mean? Choose your investments wisely and you’ll be just fine.
