I Bought a New Bag, Before I Needed One

So, I bought a new handbag. I don’t need a new one quite yet, however it’s always been my practice to have one in reserve for when my current one is no longer usable. Now, I’m well aware this doesn’t appear frugal, nor minimalist. However, I have very strong reasons for doing exactly what I’ve done and thought this was an excellent forum to explain.

My new bag happens to be designer. I didn’t go out looking specifically for a designer bag, but it turned out to be exactly what I wanted. This also makes it expensive (even though it was on sale). However, I use a handbag every single day and as a result not only do I need it to be stylish I need it to be practical. As a result, I have very specific needs that I want a handbag to meet in order for it to be workable for me.

Qualities as follows:

• Leather- As this is an item I use every day, I want it to be made of quality materials that will last several years.
• Colour- I prefer coloured handbags. I tend to wear a lot of neutral coloured clothes so as a result my handbag is often the only colour I have in my outfit.
• Multiple side pockets- I like a bag that has multiple smaller inside pockets to store things like my phone, sunglasses etc so I can have them in easy reach
• A large zipped compartment- for security reasons, I don’t like bags (eg tote bags) that don’t have zip closure to the main compartments
• Large in size- I need a bag large enough that it can hold a pair of shoes or a cardigan if need be (usually for work purposes)
• No metal chain- a lot of handbags for women tend to have metal chains as part of the straps. I find these annoying and uncomfortable
• Soft- handbags tend to either be hard or soft and for my day to day bag I prefer something that’s soft and not firm in shape

As you can see, I have some very specific requirements and as a result in the past I’ve found it difficult to find handbags that meet my needs. This is why I tend to buy one in advance, or at least when my current bag starts to show the early signs of ageing as I don’t like being caught out.

I don’t mind paying a bit more for something that meets all my requirements and for something that will last many years (as opposed to something that is cheap and will only look decent for a few months before it starts to age). If I could find what I wanted for less (so not necessarily designer) I would have bought that something else. As it is, I seem to have limited opportunities to purchase exactly what I want. So when I happened to walk past something that seemed perfect, I jumped at the chance.

Yes, it’s frustrating that I have to store it. But it would be far more frustrating for my current bag to wear out and not be able to find a suitable replacement and having to settle for something else. Then on top of that, spending more on finding what I need (especially if this didn’t fall during a major sale period).

What items do you find difficult to buy? What are you willing to spend that little bit more on?