Way back when, I asked how much everyone would pay for:
- A purse
- A winter jacket
- A pair of (dressy) boots
- A casual dress
And here are the results:
This is the average of ALL the readers.
Taking out the outliers in the calculation, the limits dropped quite a bit
Difference between total average and without the outliers:
Some great dialogue came out of it, and I just wanted to point out some insights I learned.
Taking currency exchange into account..
Way back when the Canadian dollar was down low, I remember that each U.S. dollar was $1.25 – $1.30 CAD.
So when I see your super low limits at $50 for a pair of jeans, I mentally convert it to around $65 CAD.
I do this for everything I see online. I up it by a little bit.
I know the Canadian Dollar has been doing better, but the retail prices haven’t really changed from their price gouging ways.
I still see books priced at $2 – $3 CAD higher than it should be, taking into account the exchange rate.
:\
We also live in areas that have varying levels of choice
I can tell you that living here in Canada, we simply don’t have the breadth of choice, quality and price available in the States.
When I cross the border, I am like a kind in a candy store.
Especially living in Montreal (versus Toronto), they don’t seem to stock what I want taking into account style, quality and price.
Toronto is a bit better for shopping, but we are a long ways away from the States.
Americans have Ann Taylor, Target and J. Crew to name some of my favourite stores!
We Canadians don’t have those awesome here.
It all depends on our climate
Many of you lived in warmer places, and were like: “$300 for a winter coat!? Girl are you out of your mind!?!?!?!”
Well, in all the Canadian cities I’ve lived in it has been VERY COLD and snowy in the winter.
Not all Canadian cities are like this, Vancouver has a pretty mild climate, but I’ve always been near the East Coast of Canada.
With that being said, I am currently sporting a wool jacket for $15 (thrift store!!), and the most I’ve ever paid for a winter jacket made out of cashmere and wool, has been $200.
I am still resisting buying a new 3/4 length winter coat, because my long-term goal IS to move to Texas.
And from what I’m hearing, what I own is more than enough for the climate there, and I don’t want to “waste” $300 on a winter jacket that I won’t be able to wear in the long term.
Spending Limits doesn’t mean it’s what we spend to purchase on a regular basis
Revanche astutely pointed out that these are limits of what she’d spend every 10 years or more, and I agree.
When I bought that cashmere-wool winter coat for $200, that was 8 years ago.
I still fit into it, and I still love it.
It’s just that it’s ivory, so it gets dirty, fast, hence why I was searching for an alternative.
But I’ve given up the search, unable to justify $300 USD for what I want, considering that my future may be living in a hot climate and will not require such a jacket.
I also paid $300 for my brown boots.
But I am not planning on ever buying another pair until I need to go on the hunt for them again.
Many also noted that it was a LIMIT, not actual cash spent
Those were your ceilings, your ultimate limits, but they weren’t necessarily the amounts you have already spent.
They’re just the limits you felt were reasonable.
We have three distinct groups of readers
And it has never been more apparent than when you check out the spending limits!
High Rolling Helens: Limits start at around $150 and go up to $1000
I’m in this category, apparently.
But with full disclosure, I’ve never paid more than $200 for a purse or winter jacket, and $300 for a pair of boots.
And I only own one of each.
The rest have been around $50 or less, but they aren’t leather purses.
Mostly cloth, canvas, etc.
Honourable Mention to Miss Becca who would spend $1000 for a purse, because she loves Marc Jacobs and wants one badly.
Appalled Annies: Limits start at $10 and go up to $50
These are the ladies who have grown up extremely frugal and cannot imagine spending more than $50 on dress anything.
Mostly students, but there were others like Jaka who were just amazed at the limits.
Hats off to you!
(I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’d love to spend less, but thrift stores are scarce in good product here, and when you find something you have been searching for, for years, you buy it!!)
Little House was in disbelief that anyone (like me) would need a $200 purse.
My answer is that I don’t NEED a $200 purse, but the one I wanted badly, cost $200.
Does that make any sense at all?
I also don’t buy $200 purses every month, or even year.
It’s once every 5-10 years or more.
I am also not into designer anything, but when I see a unique, independently designed purse that I am positive almost no one else will have, I wrestle internally for half an hour before I purchase it.
Rest of the Rachels: Limits start at $50 go up to $200
I am not calling you all average, but your spending was about the same across the board.
$200 seems to be the limit for everything.
It seems like a reasonable limit to me, but you’ve all also mentioned that you like to score things on sale.
But sometimes when you’re shopping for an actual event, forcing a sale of great dresses to come up, is a bit out of our powers.
Thanks for commenting and giving in your answers.
It was insightful for me, and a great exercise!
So, does anyone want to go shopping now?
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Little House
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 2:49 PM:
I think it's terrific that you purchased a coat from the thrift store, especially since you may be moving to a warmer climate. However, depending on what part of Texas you move to, it can get quite cold there in the winter too. Alternately, it will change dramatically and become hot and humid in the summer.
Thanks for the mention on your post. Yes, I'm still baffled by the $200 purse thing. But, I am so not a shopper.
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 10:11 AM:
I’ll be in Dallas. Apparently it’ll be fine?
At least, here’s to hoping!
If not, I have sweaters.
And no problem re: mention
But you are also not a shopper so, I understand…!
Investing Newbie
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 3:24 PM:
Rest of the Rachels is such a perfect category for me since my name does begin with an R. $200 is the perfect price though!
Lynx
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 4:09 PM:
I used to buy and ship a lot of things for my Canadian friends. The invention of Paypal made things so much easier. Ironic but now I need to find someone to do the same for me, I'd been wanting to see that One Week movie all year and it never came to the US. After it went to DVD, Amazon eventually got 30 or so copies of it at $38 each for the US market. ?! Meanwhile I see it on amazon.ca for $18 Canadian, not fair!
Its funny what you say about exchange rates, lack of choices, and mentally adjusting prices. Its the exact same for me but in my case the things that I want to buy are only available in Europe.
With my vintage German motorcycle, aftermarket parts that stoped being sold in the US 25 years ago can still be found in Germany and the UK. Similarly with my newer midsize Yamaha some of the nicest stuff made for them are only available in Europe or Japan. In the US theres the bigger is better mantra but everywhere else in the world taxes, graduated licensing, smaller countries and crowded streets favor smaller to midrange bikes. So here in the US parts makers favor the $20-$30K behemoths with more horsepower and cost more than my car and other countries make more things for sensible ones like mine.
It didnt used to be so bad with 1.30 dollars to the euro and 1.50 to the pound but with the dollar tanking lately I cant afford to buy anything.
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 1:04 PM:
Most winter coats go from $180 – $200 depending on the softness of wool on the coats, etc…
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 1:08 PM:
Still, even for a couple of products that we get breaks on.. the majority of stuff I want to buy is cheaper across the way
*sigh*
The USD hasn’t been doing so hot lately, that I agree with. I am just hoping it all picks up
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 1:09 PM:
I think $200 is a good price limit for most women.
Not to say we’d spend that, but $200 seems to be a comfortable limit. $300 is if you’re kind of picky about things (*raises hands in oath to her boots*)
Rest of Rachels haha.. I like how it fit with your name.
Lynx
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 10:13 PM:
Well each day the dollar drops a chunk all my stocks adjust up by the same amount, so its not all bad. The value doesnt change but it looks like it does LOL. I think much of the market rally is artificial with the dollar tanking at the same time. So the dropping dollar has been a huge help to my net worth number and makes us feel better even though its probably worth about the same.
I think the dollar has dropped too far and will start correcting the other way in 2010, I'm thinking most likely in Q1 maybe as late as Q2. I need to start hedging
Amanda
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 10:39 PM:
I am SUCH an Appalled Annie.
The most I ever paid for something was a $200 winter coat – stock standard, black, woollen, double-breasted (http://jing-wen.com/2009/06/11/i-spent-too-much/)... A real investment piece. Otherwise, the rest of my wardrobe tends to fall in the $10-$30 range. As an example, today I'm wearing:
1. My messenger bag (big enough to hold everything I need for work!) I've had since my second last year of high school. Seven years and going strong – cost me $50! Plain black – once this one's wears through (I've got maybe six months left), I've already got one as a backup. I bought the backup about five months ago when I saw I didn't have long to do – the backup cost me $40, and again, it'll last me about seven years.
2. A plain black dress (see here: http://jing-wen.com/2008/10/23/typical-melbourne-... Simple, classic, wear-it-anywhere. Cost me $20. Two weeks ago, I was browsing eBay and I saw the exact same dress in charcoal grey – managed to buy it for $13, brand new with tags. That's my backup dress for when this one becomes unwearable.
3. Black pointy-toed flats. Cost me $30 – been wearing them pretty much every day for work for about a month (I can't stand wearing heels all day – heels are a night-time only thing). Going strong – I'll get a good year and a half out of these.
4. Red cardigan (http://jing-wen.com/2009/06/23/red-for-variety/). Cost me $29, but I wear it at least once a week throughout the whole year – have done for two years.
I shop pretty much exclusively on sale – and when I say sale, I mean no less than 50% off. All my clothing is fairly good quality too – they're not the disposable type of items you get every season. They're all pretty much three-to-four-years-worth-of-wear type of items.
And yes, I know I'm a stingy bitch.
HighClassLowIncome
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 5:47 PM:
Yeah.. looking at this I was like "$180 for a winter coat? And I thought $90 was pushing it!" But I live in California so my need for a really high quality or extremely warm winter coat is not that high. I think I'm in the High Rollin Helen's category for purses.. but probably not for anything else. Like you said it all depends and is definitely a limit and may not actually represent the actual total spent.
Kristin
on Nov 26th, 2009
@ 2:26 AM:
I live in Florida and I love the heck outta my J Crew coat, even if I only get to wear it a couple times of year. Ah ha. I lived in Houston which is right on par with Florida weather. I don't think Dallas gets much colder.
Des
on Nov 26th, 2009
@ 3:39 AM:
I think that I definitely need to tap into those thrift stores more. Any pointers on where to start in Toronto? Have you any experience with the thrift stores around Kensington Market when you were in Toronto?
I think that as I started to work, I became for comfortable with spending a bit more on a higher quality item. I agree $200 is a pretty good number to work with.
Susan
on Nov 26th, 2009
@ 3:40 AM:
Listen, after living in Canada you will be warm all the time in Texas, even north Texas. At least for the first few years. . . We're military, moved to San Antonio from Fairbanks, Alaska, and there are items of clothing that never ever come out of the closet. Down here you can almost make it through the winter without a heavy coat as long as you layer . . . . 5 years into our time here, though, I found myself needing a light fleece layer INDOORS this evening, and the themostat says that it is 66 degrees. . . .
Alexandra
on Nov 26th, 2009
@ 1:05 PM:
Yup! I'm with you. I would spend a larger amount of money on a thing that would last for 5 years.
And yes, the thought that the Americans have Target and J Crew makes me weep.
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 26th, 2009
@ 12:57 PM:
That’s what I figured. So I am not spending money on a winter coat at all if I am going to move to Texas
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 26th, 2009
@ 12:58 PM:
I have no idea where to start in Toronto, but give Goodwills and Value Villages a try!