So around September of this year, I realized that I had basically worn out my little pleather jacket to little shreds in certain areas and making it close to unwearable (well it's wearable, but it's not professional-looking because of how worn it was). This coat has been a go-to for me all year long for the last three years, so I wasn't surprised that I had worn it down at all, but I was sad at losing such a big-time piece of my regular wardrobe.
This wasn't the first time either. This was actually the second pleather jacket that I had worn down through the pleather cover in about three years of ownership and constant wearing and running around in it.
Basically, a black leather-like jacket is one of the huge wardrobe staples of mine that I can't live without and would style and wear with just about everything.
So I made a decision: I need to bite the bullet and get myself a real leather jacket.
The math behind this decision is simple. Both pleather coats were around $50 - $60 and averaged around three years of regular use each. So all told I spent $120 for six years of use, or $20 spent per year that I owned it. A real leather jacket however, with proper care of the material and provided I don't gain a lot of weight in the ensuing years can last up to 15-20 years of usage. At the right price tag, the savings potential is far greater than me continuing my pleather jacket cycle and it's by far less wasteful as far as rampant consumerism goes.
Two things delayed the purchase however: finding the right style and then finding the right price to go with it. And then there was the issue of setting aside the money necessary to afford said purchase.
I had a leather jacket fund with a modest amount saved within it up until December when I decided to amalgamate a bunch of my planned spending accounts into one big account for planned spending that essentially became my Christmas gifts budget. So technically, I didn't have the money available to buy the jacket this month. But having been severely underwhelmed by the current style of leather coats while perusing the vendors I was contemplating purchasing it from (basically... Danier and just Danier) I had thought I had about two more months before I would find something that would prompt me to make a purchase.
Err... I was wrong.
 |
| Silly rabbit! Consumerism does not happen on your schedule! |
One of the things not enough people know and need to realize in Canada that Boxing Day "sales" are about as big as a sham as Black Friday "sales." Working retail and in malls for most of my university career, I soon realized that Boxing Day is absolutely not the best day in which to score a deal on most of your desirables and even then, what savings that you might be able to justify is utterly ruined by the prospect of having to fight with fellow customers who have flocked to the malls alongside you.
And no, I'm not saying that as a disgruntled former retail monkey who had been made to work one too many Boxing Days.
Truth is, the best times to shop for the deals are right before Christmas and the first week of January following New Year's Day. Seriously. I walked around the mall yesterday and I'd say at least a solid 60% of the stores, particularly the clothing ones, are already advertising and running their Boxing Day sales with amazing deductions before the mad rush of impulse purchasers during actual Boxing week madness.
And guess which store was part of the 60%? Yep, Danier is one of those stores running a Boxing Week sale before Boxing Day, advertising a 50% price reduction on coats. Which prompted me to go in, but nothing more was expected given that I had perused their selection a little over a month ago and walked out thinking I didn't like any of their jackets regardless of the price.
Except on Thursday, On Thursday, I found a style I did like in terms of its classic style and appeal. And it was 50% off, down to $200 from the original $400 price tag.
I don't have the money I don't have the money I don't have the money... And that's how my emergency fund ended up paying my remaining credit card balance for the month of December in order to help me cover the cost of a leather jacket from Danier (and other things, but that's a later story).
My bank account is currently furious at me and I don't blame it. I'm also in for a spot of trouble as far as my net worth and spending for the month as a result of how expensive it has suddenly become as far as covering various large costs to close out the year.
With that said, I did ultimately save $220 (taxes included) on the original price of a leather jacket I really really like and am already fawning over and getting excited about getting to wear. And the money I am saving on this purchase should and will be directed towards my TFSA.
At least they will be once I get my emergency fund out of the black hole that was my credit card expenditures for the month. No lie, that has kind of taken a front seat to well... EVERYTHING now.
Oy vey...
No comments:
Post a Comment