Buying Best & Buying Less

Anyone who knows me even fairly well knows that I love purses. They don't have to be fancy or pricey or trendy, they only have to catch my eye. Of course, most of my pricier purses (handbags, shoulder bags, wallets, etc.) have either been gifts or bargain buys. As I already said, I don't love bags that have highly visible branding. Most of those items come off and tacky looking. It's like the owner is shouting, "Look at me! Look at the name on this bag!" 

Since I don't live among the wealthy, whenever I see someone with a loudly branded bag (or piece of clothing), I think "show me you are broke and tacky without telling me you are broke and tacky".  Call me Judgmental Judy, but, it's one thing to want a quality bag and another to want just anything that you think will impress people. (And most people with any sense are not impressed; they just feel bad for you.)

Paid $25
(from $170-$210 originally)

That tote up there is so far my all-time favorite. When I first saw it, I didn't know it was a Coach and didn't really care until (I saw the description and checked authenticity). Like that mattered! I loved the color and that front pocket and knew it was perfect for my laptop and notebooks. I paid a whopping $25 for it, and it's the sturdiest tote ever. All I have to do is wipe it down every now and then with mink or jojoba oil, and it looks brand new. I rock that bad boy to the library every time! The straps hold up under an incredible amount of weight. I have lugged that thing in the heat, rain, and snow back and forth to the library and just look at it. On the other hand, I had a really cute pleather bag that lasted a year or so, still looking mostly good, but the stitching on the straps started getting dangerously weak. The bag cost maybe $12 off and end cap at Fred Meyer but it would have been more expensive it my laptop had hit the ground...

Back to speaking of brands, I have talked about the Coach bags I inherited from my late sister (and my flea sale "Foach" bags!), but I have been carrying one of my favorite purses for the past couple of months. It is a Liebeskind Berlin bag that I absolutely freaking lucked out in finding. Once again, I was too ignorant to realize what I had (and still can barely pronounce or correctly spell the name). I got it off Poshmark for (~let me go check again~) $28. After I bought it, I looked around, I realized that these bags are sort of on the pricey side - not just for ego points but because of the materials and workmanship. Talk about quality.

As I said, I didn't know anything about the Liebeskind brand, but I loved the bag right away. For me, spending almost 30 bucks on a non-necessity is a big deal, but, boy, am I glad I did. If need be, I can sell that purse for at the least $100. But I had no idea. That was a lovely and lucky purchase.

I recently fell in love with another bag, and it's from Berliner. Unrelated to the Liebeskind brand, Berliner has been described as being more rugged while Liebeskind is more, maybe, "sophisticated" (?). I like the Berliner brand for the same reason I like Liebeskind. I like the look and quality. 

I slowly tanned it with sun & mink oil!
Paid $28 (approx. $200-$400?)

The only thing I was tempted to buy during this year's Prime Day was a Liebeskind or Berliner backpack purse (or "convertible" purse/bag). I have been wanting that kind of bag for forever. The problem is that the cheapest of either brand was around $150. Yeah, that ain't gonna happen. The best I could do was pull together about 75 bucks - if I cut back on the month's groceries and did not get the 3 or 4 pairs of pants I was planning on. That would be worth it, but just thinking about spending $150 on a purse gives me a fit of the vapors and makes me clutch my non-existent pearls ...

Instead of spending the money, I was going about life, celebrating that there are less than 80 days til January (the month I get my teeth, should the good Lord be willing.) Yay!!! 

Anyway, One morning, I was talking with one of my neighbors at the mailbox. I kept admiring the gorgeous tote she was carrying. I mean, this thing was of some kind of beautiful, soft as silk, distressed-looking leather material. It was a medium-sized tote and she was carrying it as a purse.

Now, I do love a leather bag, and this particular material one was really different from any I'd ever seen. When I asked, she told me she'd gotten it when she lived in Illinois - which is practically next door. She's liked the tote so much that she'd gone back to get a briefcase for her college-graduate son.  She hadn't robbed a bank for the money She said she got both from a place called Komal's (actually, it's Komal's Passion Leather) when she lived in Illinois and it was super-affordable. This was one of those "tell me more" moments.

Now, "Affordable" means different things to different people. To Bezos or Gates, a Rolls is affordable. I'm not hating, but there are times when a good bag of coffee beans are off the table for me! As does my neighbor, a lot of us have to do quick math to figure out if we are getting brand name or generic food items... 

Passion Leather has a website, of course, so I did a little browsing and, hot dog, was my neighbor telling the truth. Her bag, which was a type of tote (like one used to carry light books or a smaller laptop), was similar to one I saw for under $65. Not only are the bags affordable but, if they were all as nice as the neighbor's, they were my kind of affordable (mostly).

Lodis wallet w/RFID $15
(approx.. $70-$80)

The impressive thing is not just that the bags (I didn't really look at anything else, but there are lots of other items) are affordable, but that the quality is amazing. Seeing my neighbor's purse and getting to touch the leather and hardware, I'd have sworn that she'd paid at least $100 or more. I mean, the bag is made of water buffalo. What?!?!? That was a first for me. My cow skin Liebeskind bag will last forever, but I'm sure water buffalo just might outlast it.

And, guess what, while I was looking around, I saw a backpack purse - just like the one I've dreamed about. And it was a flat $80. Not $80 plus shipping or taxes. It was $80. And I could get it personalized for free. 

I almost hurt myself going over to rearrange my monthly budget! I mean, I can do without paper towels. I can use the cheap laundry and dish soap this time. I can make my coffee last for the next several weeks (it's a good time to drink more water!). 

By the time I finished, I was still hesitant to spend the money on a bag - even a good bag - so I put the backpack on my "wish list" and went about making dinner. I told my sister-in-law about the bag and that I'd had to leave it where it was. She got all excited and reminded me that I had finished paying off one of my bills recently. Guess how much that bill was? Sixty-some dollars.

Long story short, I ordered the bag. Even though I managed to have the money, I still cheaped out on the paper towels, soap, and coffee. No need in losing all the ground saved by paying off that bill...

Again, like with the Liebskind and Coach, the Passion Leather bag has no loud and tacky branding. I'd rather not be a walking billboard for a money-hogging designer. We all know that there are HUGE profit margins on cheap-to-make designer bags. I'd rather have something with obvious quality and workmanship - no matter what name is on it. And I like having something from a smaller business.

By the way, my SIL reminded me of something else. She said it's better to pay more for a bag that will last than to pay to replace one every year. That makes so much sense. And I do tend to keep good things for a long time. That Coach bag from my sister is at least 20 years old. My Liebeskind is never going to not be good. That thing will probably get passed down as long as there are descendants in my family. And I already told my nieces to make sure their kids get my new backpack and the other purses I've been collected over the years.

I have a new saying, "Buy best to buy less". 

Peace

--Free

P.S.: Of course, I will do an update to show the bag and talk about it a bit! I will probably even do a review.