Today I saw this Fossil handbag, in “Stripe” as shown here, for $30 (down from $88) at T. J. Maxx. I did not buy it, even though I need a new purse and was in fact shopping for a purse, and I had three reasons:
1. I have never spent $30 on a purse. I’ve always bought them at, like, 75% off at Target for less than $10. And right at the expensive holiday season didn’t seem like the right time to grow as a person in this area.
2. I worried it wasn’t….Swistleish.
3. I wasn’t sure if I LIKED IT liked it, or if I just felt I SHOULD like it.
The question is: Did I make a mistake? Should I go back for it?
That is exactly the type of bag I would totally admire when I saw someone else carrying it, but have a really difficult time convincing myself to carry – I always end up picking really plain bags. And I usually just have one until it completely falls apart. I feel like encouraging you to buy it, but the truth is that I probably wouldn’t. Please consider that I care/know little about fashion so I’m not really someone you should look to for advice.
Also – growing in the area of purse spending made me snort my drink a little. Ouch, and, Ha!
Tough call. I think it’s cute but can’t see myself carrying it.
I really like it. If I saw you with it, I might even ask where you got it – and I have a really hard time finding purses I like…
Honestly, I am not a fan. I think that was a good call. It’s a little patchworky, somehow.
However, as someone who spent mucho dollars on her last purse, I may not be the person to be asking.
Style-wise, I don’t really know you well enough, but I bet you could do it. It’s a beautiful purse, very vibrant, and I get that vibe from you.
That said, I support your decision financially. I wouldn’t spend $30 on a purse right now either. It’s a tight month all around and there are other things to be spending that money on.
Wait a few weeks. If it’s still there in January, and if you’re still thinking about it, pick it up. If you’ve moved on to other loves, then pass. :)
I vote for GO BACK AND GET THAT THING! Make it an early Christmas gift to you. Or wrap it and put it under the tree. To: Swistle From: Santa
I’m a purse snob. Did you try it out? Did you sift through all the pockets and zippers and snaps and spaces? Which makes you look like you might be trying to steal it, but did you?
I never buy a purse without sifting through it and judging it based on it’s inner functionality. No matter how cute it is.
I definitely think it’s “Swistle”. The one I have in my head anyway. Which may or may not be accurate. But I think you could do it.
I LOVE the colors and patterns — it would be really versatile, and would look great with jeans. I’m not wild about the shape, and I like a shorter strap, but overall: totally cute. It might be the sort of thing that kind of elevates a blah task like grocery shopping or whatever, because you think, oh goody, I get to take my spiffy new PURSE — and that’s well worth $30.
if you’re not feeling it, don’t buy it. i bought a giraffe purse last week and thought i liked it, but wasn’t really sure…i don’t like it. and i think i’m gonna take it back.
Looks like you to me, so I say go back … But I bet in the end you have a gut feeling to go with.
I just paid $40 for a new purse … a lot for me … but I LOVE it. So fun.
If you are still thinking about the purse after having left the store, and apparently you ARE, you should totally go back for it.
You are totally worth a $30 bag, but I say—it’s fugly. Leave it behind. Find one you LOVE and then you’ll have no regrets and, like Sundry says, you’ll feel like a million bucks at the grocery store.
If ya love it, buy it. If you don’t — you know you won’t carry it, so why waste the money. Like what you like and not what you think you should like. And I’m with you on the cheap purses :)
Out of curiosity, do you really believe the “department store price” when you see them on the tags?
While I don’t know you, I don’t love the bag…but I agree with the comment that said the bag should be functional for you (pockets, strap style, etc.) Wow, my comment isn’t really helpful, is it? Either way- good luck with your purse hunt :)
big mistake! i have been looking everywhere for this purse, and i can only find it at scheels here for full price
BUY IT NOW!
I love it. Go get it RIGHT NOW, and if you don’t use it, mail it to me. I’d totally buy it from you!
I always choose plain bags and nothing fierce like this one. I say why not? Go back and get it and if someone else is picking it up, YOU FIGHT!
Go back. GO BACK NOW.
I would go back for it, and here is why: not only is it a cute bag at a great price, but the bags I get at T.J. Maxx last so much longer than the ones I get at Target! For every bag or purse I get at T.J. Maxx I probably go through 4 Target purchases. In fact, a few weeks ago I bought a tote bag that I’m using for work at TJ Maxx — $27 down from $8 and I love, love, love it! Which is saying a lot because I don’t even really like carrying a purse but I need too much stuff on a daily basis to be able to just stuff it all in my pockets.
I own a Fossil purse and I LOVE it. I get complimented on it where ever I go. Your T J MAxx find is a good one. It’s a great looking purse. I’d say go back for it.
GO BACK NOW! If it turns out you don’t love it, send it to me :)
Here’s a few purse related questions I never used to ask myself until I was a mom:
-Will I ever be required to let my kids throw up in it?
-If so, is it easy to clean?
-Will I be forced to stuff sticky, messy, dirty, (insert any child toy/equipment/clothing here) into it?
Sometimes I know that it will be an every day purse in which case I won’t spent more than $10 because the answer to all of the above is YES. However, if I know that it will be more of an “only when I’m going out alone or with adults purse” then I might consider paying more particularly if I will use it for a long time or it is a good brand.
So I think it depends on usage. Although, all the money advice people do seem to say that you should wait a day and see if you still want it then go back and buy it. So if you still want it then even the budget wise experts would be saying to go get it. :-)
I was with Swistle at TJ Maxx, and I thought it looked totally Swistleish. Her shirt- and jacket-colors pulled out two of the colors in the purse — I admit that influenced me, too — but maybe that just shows the purse is definitely in Her Colors. I think she’s going to be One Sorry Swistle when she and I rush back to get it, and it’s gone, gone, gone!
I like to put the purse over my shoulder and walk around the store with it for a while, checking out the shoulder slip factor. Other than that, I love the print, but not the shape.
I don’t think you should “overspend” for a purse that you aren’t totally in love with. If in retrospect you would be very depressed if you didn’t have this purse, then go get it, but otherwise wait for a purse you don’t have any doubts about. xo
Pretty, but again not something I would buy myself. Too many colors. Good price though.
I am totally with you on not spending much money on bags. I mean, I tote around sippy cups and cheerios and stuff in my purse on a regular basis. Am I GOING to buy a D and G bag? I am not.
However, my sister recently forced me to allow HER to buy me a more expensive purse at the mall because she apparently hated the one I was currently carrying. And it’s very shiny and has buckles and is just way more gaudy than bags I usually carry, but I had had a cocktail beforehand and was easily talked into it. And now, sober? I still like it. So maybe take a chance on that bag. It might suit you better than you think.
You should only rush back if you’re thinking, “oh, that purse…it could have been (sharp intake of breath) MINE.” Not if you’re thinking, “hmmm, that purse. Should it have been mine?”
My last favorite purse I bought when I was out shopping with a friend. The purse, it was red. Rrrrooowll red. The friend, she was all eyebrow-a-raised. “Red? What does a RED purse go with?”
I stood there and pondered that purse until I had my answer. MY HEART. That is what my red purse goes with. MY HEART.
Only buy a purse that matches your heart.
It’s cute but I probably wouldn’t pay thirty dollars for it either. Still, if it’s calling your name – go back!
If you like it, go back. However, I would not carry that bag if Gianni Versace himself came back from the dead and gave it to me. Fugly.
I like the bag but probably wouldn’t get it myself. I am also a plain bag kind of person. If it is calling you then go back.
Michelle- I am never sure. I don’t like to believe the ones that say “compare at!” because I think, “Yes, but WHO sells it for that much?” This one has the original store tag on it, which says $88, and I see Macy’s has it on sale for $60-something, so I’d think it might be one of those purses that’s ALWAYS on sale for $60-something.
I have spent more than $30 on a purse but that doesn’t mean I liked doing it.
I don’t like this purse- too much going on and if you aren’t dressed right it could be clash city!
I like it… I think. I don’t know if I would have bought it either. But I’d like to say this: The cheap purses at Target definitely do not last as long as a better-quality purse. Now. This can be a pro OR a con, because if you are sick to death of this purse in five years but it is still in perfect shape, will you be able to justify buying another one? My mom once had a really nice designer purse for YEARS until she finally accidentally spilled bleach all over it and was SO RELIEVED. (It really was an accident; she could never sabotage her stuff on purpose.)
But how about this: If it is still there in mid-January, after Christmas is over, then it is meant to be yours.
my rule is that if i’m still thinking about it 24 hours later… it means it would have been worth it to get, and i am justified going back for it :-)
I used to be a “only plain”, “only practical” purse kind of girl. And I would only buy cheaper purses…
Then I bought a finer-brand purse…
I am a convert. On both counts.
Buy better brands. And be more adventurous, because purses are FUN!
I like the fun of this purse. I like that it would be great with jeans and an Old Navy T. AND, it would be great with a nicer pair of pants and oxford.
I’d buy it. $30 is a good deal. The colors really look like the person I think you are (though admittedly, I don’t know you from Adam). And stepping out with something fun can be really refreshing!
Merry Christmas!
I think it’s perfect for you, in that:
1. You don’t totally love it, so…
2. You can wait until after Christmas, when…
3. It might be further discounted, or
4. It might be gone, but that’s okay because…
5. You don’t totally love it.
I love circular logic.
I think that it *is* you, but for $30 I might wait for a sale unless you REALLY love it, which actually posting about it after the fact kind of suggests. I recently sprung for a purse at about that price, and I really love it, so I’m glad I did it. Is there any chance that hubby isn’t done Christmas shopping for you yet?
Here’s my two cents on spending money on a purse: I never spent more than about $20-25 on one, until I fell and love with and purchased the Coach Basic Bag. It was actually on sale (30% off), but was still around $150.
That was 7 years ago, and I still have the purse, and it still looks almost new, and I still carry it every day. Yes, it was a lot of money, but the strap is still perfect, the outside and inside are perfect, and I plan to carry it for at least another couple of years. So right now, we’re at about $20 a year for purse spending, which is perfectly reasonable.
I say these things because when you’re looking at something like a purse, or shoes, or a clothing item, the tag may have a number on it you’re not comfortable with….but if the item is something you will get a lot of use out of, look at the cost vs. use rather than just the cost.
That was a lot of TL;DR. However, I LIKE the purse. And $88 probably is the retail….I like Fossil bags. I just haven’t found one I like more than my Coach, and I’m a one-purse-at-a-time kind of girl. :D
I love brenna’s comment. And goingloopy beat me to the “items you use daily are worth the extra money because you get a lot of use out of them” point.
That purse isn’t my style, although I do like Fossil designs. But if you love it, it’s totally worth $30. I’m as cheap (OK, “frugal” sounds better) as they come, but I totally love the Queen Bee Creations bag I bought for $72 plus shipping (Chirp, here). Plus – handmade in the USA!
Keep us posted on what happens!
It fits the Swistle model I have in my head but I don’t know if that’s really you in real life. I hate being unsure about a purchase like this but if it didn’t grab you and say “take me home!” then perhaps you were wise to pass.
My sister-in-law has a very similar bag from fossil (a little bit more square and green) that I’ve coveted forever, so my first thought was BUY IT.
But, I truly understand why you wouldn’t.
But – I’m going to see if our store has one…just for the record.
have no idea what I like anymore either. Do I like it because I think I should like? Do I NOT like it because I think I shouldn’t? And in the case of yesterdays hat, Do I like it but worry that it’s too Brittany Spears to purchase a pink newsboy hat but then buy it anyway, wear it for a few minutes but feel self conscious and so take it off and feel like an ass.
I’m with brenna — wait and see if it’s still there, because it seems clear that you don’t really love it, which is fine, but then there’s no reason to rush back in a frenzy for it. If it’s still there after Christmas, great, and if not, then you have money to spend on something else.
It is possible that I’m biased, because the purse is not to my personal taste at all, so it’s easier for me to think I’m objective. But I still do think I’m objective!
Go back and get it! Or buy it for me and I’ll pay you back lol It’s sooo pretty I would buy it in a heart beat :-)
Love it. Go get it.
I like it a lot, and I might be making a big assumption here, but I think it’s very swistleish.
I have a fossil purse and I love it. I bought it at an outlet store after leaving the Coach outlet. I was completely unable to spend the kind of money on a purse that Coach required, even at outlet prices.
I love it! I looked on ebay and cannot get it for less than $50. GO BACK!!!
So did you get the bag? I’m dying to know . . .
Money on a bag is WELL SPENT! You carry it every day and it has to last a long time. To me, it’s like buying good shoes. You get what you pay for.
I didn’t go back for it! I decided I’m willing to pay that much for a bag, but I want it to be one I feel like I Must Have.