Frivolous Spending
Would ya lookie lookie. I think this lunch bag is sooo cute. But umm…why does this lil bitty thing cost $30.00??? I know it’s Dooney & Bourke, but it’s just a lunch bag. And it’s plastic! A plastic. lunch. bag. for. $30.
Think I’m kidding? Look.
And you know what? In less than 10 seconds, I convinced myself to buy it. LOL! Here’s the conversation I had with myself . [y'all gone think I'm coo coo for cocoa puffs! LOL]
I said, “Self. That lunch bag sho iz cute.”
Mmm Hmm, we’ve determined that already.
Then I said, “Self. If you had a cute lunch bag, maybe you’d pack your lunch more often.”
Ha! Believe that if you wanna.
Then I said, “Self. D&B is a quality brand so it’ll last years - even if it is plastic.”
Hmm, ok. Got anything better?
Then I said, “Self. How about this? If you pack your lunch at least 3x per week, you’ll save $30 in about a month, which means the lunch bag would practically pay for itself.”
Ha! That’s a lie, but it’s a good one!
Then…I clicked ORDER. LOL! I can’t wait to use my overpriced plastic bag! 
Have you ever convinced yourself to buy something that you KNOW you shouldn’t have bought? What was it? And how much did it cost?
Work to achieve, not to acquire.
And as always, BE FABULOUS!
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LMAO. Please do not show that bag to my wife, PLEASE!!!
It’s colorful and nice for the summer, but I don’t care for D&B. I do carry a Coach patchwork purse, but for my lunch I use a $.99 recycled, also colorful bag, from Whole Foods. Now that’s a deal to me!
I convince myself everyday to buy things that I don’t need…LOL! But the most significant had to be my iphone. Here’s the conversation.
Self, that iphone is really nice
Sure but it’s $400 dollars
But self, I don’t have an ipod (last person on earth) and I really want a new phone. So if I get the iphone I can have both and it will be cheaper.
Mmmm hmmm…but you don’t have an ipod because you know you will never ever use it…it’s not like you ride the metro or go jogging.
But I’m saying Self I can get my emails all the time, get on the internet, and send text messages….and did i mention it’s TOUCHSCREEN!!!! AND…I already have AT&T so it’s not like I have to switch anything over
*Side eyeing myself and then rolling my eyes*
I proceeded to ask the salesman for my phone and I’ve never been happier. It’s the ABSOLUTE best phone and since I don’t see myself buying another phone until they make another iphone (and not the one coming out in July) I don’t feel I wasted my money.
LOL……that bag is cute. Have you seen the metrocard case…..$20, so I’m ordering itin a few weeks after all I’d like to appear stylish as I pull out my smart trip card when I ride the metro. Now it won’t pay for itself , but it’s cute. LOL
Of course I convince myself to purchase things I don’t need. Example, these suede booties from Nine West. They were on clearance for 29.99 and they actually had my size. So that was a win, win……but I’ve worn them three times since I bought them two years ago…..LOL
Sure there’ve been countless other occasions, but that’s the only one I could think of where I really didn’t need or use the item purchased.
I would have to say when I saw the new Blackberry Curve 8330. I had a perfectly good (less than 6mths old…shhhhhh) Moto Q so it’s not like I NEEDED a new cellphone. I did however NEED that Blackberry. I work for the Federal government and figured, ok if I get the BB, I can do a lot of work related stuff from it too(if need be) and I can’t really do that on the Moto Q(Ok, I could have but I didn’t want to learn how to..lol). The BB was originally $400(I got it the hour it came out..9am SHARP) but I got a rebate for already having a data plan and then some sort of instant rebates(swear I don’t think the sales girl was supposed to give me that!) I only paid $199 and I plan on keeping this thing for a very very very long time. No phone..(iPhone included.hmmph) can measure up to my BB(in my so humble opinion) LOL
Hmmm… shopping justification - guilty. as. charged. My crack is basically shoes. I will convince myself that I need a pair of gorgeous orange peep toe platform shoes and have YET to wear them. (They are going back… never shop when mad). I have some other shoes that I don’t love and rarely wore (if ever) that I’ll be putting up on eBay this weekend. Lesson learned. If I don’t love it, use is on the regular, etc. - I’m not buying it.
You are a trip! Happy not-brown bagging!
My best friend’s brother works for Gucci. They had a big black tote bag on sale from $1,000 to $500. And since he is an employee he got it for my friend for half off of that. The bag was too big so she gave it to me for free. So since it was free and I had already saved so much money, I decided it was completely reasonable to spend $125 on overstock.com to buy a matching pair of sunglasses. And look at that…I even saved money by buying them on overstock!!!
Well, now that I’ve been reading your blog, I hear YOUR voice when I am confronted with frivolity. But of course, who doesn’t have that “self” conversation. Mine are usually shoes because “I’ll feel confident and my bosses will recognize that and I’ll get a raise which will totally pay for these shoes”.
It is cute—admittedly. $30 I cannot justify no matter how cute for a lunch bag. Me, I am a used Walmart bag sort of girl. But then again, I received a nifty FREE SmartSource insulated lunch bag in the mail this week. That would work very well if I had a real world job and needed to take a lunch. LOL
Now Candace and I have something in common. Electronic toys. I can get very excited about new toys. I’m waiting for my current cell phone contract to die and go to contract hell so I can go shopping for a new phone with all the bells and whistles. I also do not own an iPod, MP3 player & my current phone is w/o a camera. The time has come and I am doing my homework. I am going to look for a deal but I am betting I will have to spend $300 to even sort of get what I want even with a deal. Maybe that $30 bag isn’t such a bad deal after all!!!!!!!!
That is a darling bag. But you had your pros and cons. Definitely D&B your lunch, see how it will pay for itself. Tell everyone else it is a knock-off so they can keep their little grubby hands off. Sometime we can have a little guilt, but the pleasure is so worth it.
I like the one you have instead of the zebra one. Nice taste, Single Ma!
@Candice - I had the exact same iPhone conversation with myself (the only difference was that my iPod was stolen, so I needed to replace it).
Nice bag, Single Ma. If you just take your lunch a few extra times this summer, it will be totally worth it.
My most recent such spend was on a pair of $30 sunglasses (I ususally stick to Target cheapies because I tend to misplace and break most pairs within a couple weeks of purchase). But they are so cute!
I SEE YOU NETTIE!!!!
Ummm hold on.. did someone say a D&B Metro card case? for the smarttrip???
I’M DONE.. *sneaking off to site* LOL
Ummm damn you Gina.. I made the mistake and clicked on that site.. that metro card case would be ever so cute and match my purse!! sigh..
of course!
Yup - a car. Financed for 72 months so I could afford the payments. Traded it in at 72K miles after 3 1/2 years - too expensive to maintain.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Oh yeah, ct mom reminds me of the worst one we did so far - a truck to haul our boat. Justified by “How can you put a price on our children’s summer memories???” Yeah, well, I know will have the memories of gas pump horror.
Adorable bag! I also have a weakness for purses, so here’s one of the “justifications” I used: for months I had been wanting this particular Coach purse, but I just couldn’t bring myself to actually lay out the money to buy it. Then, I went on a trip to Chicago, saw it on Michigan Avenue, and bought it as my “souvenir”! I know it sounds silly, but two years later, I still carry it and think of that trip when I do. I know that it’s just a mind game, but it works for me!
SingleMa - I can get you a plastic ziploc bag, draw on it and only charge you $5…LOL
Just kidding! It’s good to treat yourself sometime and $30 is not that bad.
D&B hmmm let me see what is might stand for
Dazzling and Beautiful?
Determined and Brazen?
Delicious and Big? (lunch that is)
or
Duped and Broke?
and the list goes on and on and on…….
I am trying to justify purchasing Ziplock bag with only two letters of who knows what adjectives and paying $30 for it
well, I forgive you, it could have been worse-you could have bought a nylon Prada lunch bag for close to or even over $100 or Fendi or something like that
Some of these European companies have lost their minds - nylon bags with little triangles or letter F upside and down or something similar to that are like over $1000 and that is on discount sites like Overstock and Smart Bargains, imagine how much they cost in the real world (I mean like Bergdoff and Bloomies and Neiman, etc, etc)
one bag can pay for fill up of your car for a few months if not a whole year
How’s that a lunch bag? It is isulated? Dooney or not, I think if you keep your food in it, it will spoil.. It’s cute though.
*insulated
I want this one
and it is not $30 (sigh)
Any way I can justify this one
http://www.shoebuy.com/anuschka-large-shopper/245938/527228
You work hard ~ and the only person you need to justify it to is yourself!! Case closed!!
Love it!! Of course we all have frivolous purchases…
My $150 Coach sunglasses (they are -always- in their hard case & I do not break/lose sunglasses) - plus I have a small face so they look great!!
My $160 Michael Kors wallet - I “needed” a new one & it called my name while I was at Macy’s. Plus it’s leather & baby blue color…
Enjoy the adorable lunch bag!!!!!!!
I was thinking Single Ma, if you skip few trips to that Crackbucks that is near your office then your bag is literally free
when it hit me that I was spending more money in Javabucks than in cafeteria, I bought a pound of their Estima blend (yummy) and a bottle of the coffee creamer with the flavor like White Chocolate Mudslide (something to that effect) and voila! problem almost solved as I do miss foam in my used to be latte and now just cup of coffee
however, I save $5 a day and I have two Bucks around my office, no, make it 5 within one mile radius (don’t they restrictions on locations for franchises?), and it has been a reeeeaaal struggle not to go in
I convince myself that lines are too long and I am too impatient to wait
Works like a charm!
Girl, please. You wanted it and you bought it. A cute lunch bag is not going to get you to take your lunch if rising food and gas prices haven’t done it. I say this with love as I stare at a closet full of purses that I did not need to buy. Trust me, all cost much more than $30. I refuse to add it up…I am sure there is a nice vaca (or two) in there.
Yes, thanks to this post, I bought the tiny east/west purse.
I love it!! Hope you have your little personal fridge at work… I wouldn’t keep it in the one that everyone uses
I had my one frivolous spending item for the summer. I only allow myself one and count it toward my birthday present to myself. I bought a BabyPhat halter/sweater thing. I thought I had to have it. But now that I have it, I wonder if it could have waited a few more months.
I just bought a lunchbag recently as well! Mine’s black with large colourful polka dots on it though - $12, and $5 for the matching insulated drink holder.
First, I saw the lunch bag and thought, “that’s awesome and I want it”. Then I left the store. After my jello melted on the subway ride to work (from all the hot bodies crammed in together) though, I decided “want” had changed to “need”. So I justified the lunch bag (though I’m not really saving anything, since I only ever take my lunch to work) … but the drink holder was a definite impulse buy, and I’m still thinking it wasn’t really required. But very cute, nonetheless!
Oh, and a grocery cart. I spent $20 on a grocery cart, thinking “oh, good, it can save my arms when I buy groceries!” In reality, it simply holds SOME of my groceries, not all of them, and I’m still stuck lugging bags plus the cart. Kind of a waste of money in the end.