Share Your Splurge!

Last year, I spent $400 on a Cole Haan leather bag. It was the first time I had ever really splurged on an accessory. Up to then, I carried my belongings around in funky and unusual totes, but I was ready for a good bag. My Irish friends gasped because I didn’t have to spend $400 on a bag; my husband choked (imagine if I hadn’t knocked a hundred dollars off the price before I told him!); my coworkers high-fived me and advised that the bar would be forever raised now (true!); my sister tutted and reminded me of the starving children in Ethiopia; my mother sighed enviously and couldn’t wait to see it.

The first time I wore my new bag, I hugged it close to me on the subway and carefully guided it along the crowded streets of Manhattan, as though it was a pregnant belly. I carried it to the bathroom at the office just to admire it hanging on the back of the stall door. Yes, I felt a little guilty for spending more than I needed to on a bag and maybe even a little shallow, but I also felt happy. Damn, it made me happy! In fact, it still makes me happy.

Do you know what I mean? Have you spent more than you needed to on an item? Tell your tale of excess, be it $50 or $50,000. Maybe it was a pair of shoes or a crazily expensive hair cut? Did you feel any guilt? Did you (like me!) lie about the cost of your splurge? Do you feel you are willing to spend more now that the bar is raised?

Re-live the rush and share just how happy it made you. Click on “WRITE A COMMENT” below to share your splurge story. And come back periodically to support other DivineCaroline splurgers!