Investment Pieces

I used to have an aversion to spending too much money on anything. I was never poor growing up, but my parents were very frugal and taught me the appreciation of the dollar and not to spend it frivolously. Everything that I needed in life (food, a roof, education) was taken care of, and all of the superfluous (fancy clothes, eating out, hanging out with friends, going shopping) was my responsibility.

I was expected to take care of anything that I wanted which wasn’t necessarily needed to survive. I’m the type of girl who really likes to shop (I’d probably say that I have a shopping addiction to some extent), and in order to satisfy that need, I became financially independent and began working as soon as I was legally able to.

I was lucky enough to score a job with the city working as a lifeguard – which paid pretty well compared to my other friends who were working retail and fast food (not that I didn’t hold those positions throughout my highschool and undergraduate years).

Growing up, I was never given an allowance and the only money that I was ever given was for my birthday, Lunar New Year or Christmas. Almost all the money that I spent came out of my own pocket. I learned to appreciate what I made, always considered the amount of time I put into making my money before making any purchases. Working for my own money as opposed to being given it taught me to be frugal and to hunt for bargains. But these bargains came with a cost.

I spent my teens and undergraduate years “saving” money by only shopping at fast-fashion stores like H&M, Forever 21 and beelining it to the sales racks whenever I walked into any store. I started buying more and more into the trends, spending money on what was popular and getting bored of it quick since it was so cheap – I could just afford more whenever something new came out.

I started to appreciate my belongings less simply because they weren’t “worth” that much to me, and because I knew that I’d probably be replacing them pretty soon anyways – there’s always something newer and better out there. But one day I ran out of hangers in my closet (I know, it’s a pretty lame way to finally realize) and realized that I needed to purge it all. Over half of the things that I owned were no longer considered “trendy” and I didn’t want to wear them anymore. What a waste of space.

I sold off the things that I no longer cared for and changed my outlook on fashion. Instead of constantly buying new and trendy pieces, I’d invest more money in quality classics that would last me longer and would promise to give me indefinite wear (as long as I kept them in good shape). I didn’t write off trendy clothes completely, but limited myself to how many I’d actually buy. Although I may now spend more on my clothes, they’re pieces that I can almost guarantee that will never go out of style.

Last year I made the dive from switching out my cheap and trendy purses over to investment pieces as well. Sure, it may be a little excessive to jump to a Chanel, but when you happen upon the dream bag, you don’t walk away from it. If you guys are interested in a further in depth review of the bag, let me know and I’ll definitely do one!

Although Chanels come with quite a hefty price tag, they actually appreciate as opposed to depreciating. Each year, Chanel announces a price increase at least once or twice. A couple years down the road from now, my bag will be worth more than what I paid for it. And if I really need to sell it, I can guarantee to at least break even with what I paid for it in the past, or even make a profit. Thinking in terms of investments, this bag is worthy of one.

Top – Garage Clothing | Shorts – H&M | Blazer – H&M | Shoes – Converse | Purse – Chanel | Ring – c/o The Exhibit | Hat – New Era