With all the fashionistas surrounding us on Faceboook, Instagram and Snapchat, we cannot help but gradually fall into a trap of branding everything we wear. From the “Beach Essentials” bag that costs $1,000 to the Tori Burch diaper bag that we must buy to bury our baby’s be-pooped diapers! I follow many Social Media accounts of influencers who happen to be fashionistas at the same time, and I cannot help but feel that I have this big wardrobe that has nothing as expensive. Well, I may have been able to afford one nice bag, but that’s as far as my financial capabilities go. How about the others who would stretch their credit card limit and perhaps borrow money to afford a Prada?
“have you asked yourself about the amount of things that you can do with the price of two designer bags?”
No one can deny that it is nice to carry a designer bag and act like there is no tomorrow. However, have you asked yourself about the amount of things that you can do with the price of two designer bags? With the dollar value rising, inflation rates increasing, we are definitely in an economic stretch. As we all sin differently, we choose to stretch ourselves differently. So why would a girl choose to pay 20K for a bag (that is probably second hand) than travel to three exotic countries? Why would she drive the same old car that has exhaust gas tickling ozone with more greenhouse effect that it needs while she could have fixed it with that extra money? It is all a matter of perspective, there are usually two voices inside each one of us. Of course that’s unless someone hands me 50K monthly just to spend on shopping.
“I see girls in my social circle who would put a whole month’s salary for a pair of shoes”
Back to the voices. There’s the “spend it now and worry later” voice. Actually, sometimes this voice does not even worry later! I see girls in my social circle who would put a whole month’s salary for a pair of shoes. And that would make sense, had we any security in this reality we are living in; security of unforeseeable family wealth, a vault with a self-sustainable ATM, or maybe a brand that believes in how awesome I am so they would send me freebies on a monthly basis hoping that I would hashtag them in one of my posts. However, given our actual reality, what they are doing is more than a stretch; it is more like financial suicide! Not only because her wallet is empty before the middle of the month, but also because she is portraying an image of someone she is not. Someone who can spend unlimited thousands on fashion would be someone living in a different reality, surrounded by different conditions and having different expectations from the partner she might commit to. I would also like to say that she should be careful what she wishes for, because if the abundance is money is her target so she can afford all this brand thirst, then maybe money is all that she will end up with!
The other voice is the “wake up, you can live without it!” voice, this is my own voice 90% of the time. Yes, I admit sometimes I fall into the trap too. We are all guilty as charged here, but I was able to find a real good trick that has heloped me cut down my expensive shopping addiction quite a bit. If I see something that I like, I never buy it on the spot. I go back home, re-think my financials, compare it to other similar items that are at a fraction of the price, and put some thought into the actual value add of this item coming to live inside my wardrobe. More often than not, I end up disregarding the fact completely! And I go on like nothing happened, feeling thankful that I decided to put my brain and the well-being of a stuffed wallet that I badly needed for my 30,000KM care maintenance visit!
“One branded bag can give you a couple of years’ subscription at a really nice gym with spa facilities and exotic skin treatments. That is the real investment here”
To be honest, I know that brands are a trap, and once you start buying them it is very hard to stop! I mean, if your underwear is branded, why wouldn’t you brand everything else in the process? It takes a lot of courage to understand why you shop so much. It is not a surprise that women who are depressed go shopping more often than others. It may cause you a quick burst of happiness to buy something new, but it is sad when you think that you only bought an object to make yourself temporarily happy! Remember that there are long term commitments that you can make towards your well-being that go beyond objectifying your happiness. One branded bag can give you a couple of years’ subscription at a really nice gym with spa facilities and exotic skin treatments. That is the real investment here. Invest in your spiritual and emotional well-being, while also investing in your wardrobe. Always remember which of those are you putting first.
Regina Inani
HR Guru and Savvy Mother
Twitter: @GinaInani