The true value of a bargain.

In case you hadn't guessed I spend a lot of time in shops.  I love them but ironically, I hate shopping in terms of what it means to many people, the idea of aimlessly searching through rails fills me with dread.  Maybe because I do it for a living, I have a plan- execute the plan, evaluate and discard choices quickly and move on.  Things tend to fall into 3 categories when it comes to my own purchases, I either don't look at the price because I want the item so much I will find a way to afford it, I need an item to replace something I've had to admit decency no longer allows me to wear in public or lastly I find a little Golden Nugget of sartorial elegance that is so much better for being 70-80% off the original price.  If the item hits bracket 1&3 you can be sure that every time I wear it, I'll be smiling.

So what is a bargain?  Is it the sequinned dress you bought for £20 in the Topshop sale and wore once? Is it the jumper that was 50% off, that you bought as an experiment but never wore because you got caught up in the excitement of the first day of Sale, when people were pushing and shoving and baying for the hunt?  Or is it the Joseph coat you found in the middle of January at the end of the Sale, that just happened to be in your size for 70% off, (that still cost you £200) but that you pull out every year with the first frost and smile not only over the quality but also at how much of a bargain you got?  I would argue that this smile is the value of a bargain.  I say it all the time: Price, does not determine value.

You determine the value of an item by how well it works for you.  I'm not a fan of the one hit wonder, a dress so memorable- you can only wear it once.  I'd rather spend my money on a dress that I can wear in 10 different ways and always look a little different, thereby creating value and adding to the merit of owning it in the first place.  I like my clothes to accumulate joy, "this is the top I wore when...", "these are the jeans that always make me feel...", I know it sounds silly, but that's me.  I don't know about you but I don't have money to waste, so I try and ensure that I'll get some serious bang for my buck.

So maybe tomorrow isn't the day you'll find your Joseph coat, but wouldn't you rather save your money until you find it?  As I always say it's not the size of your wardrobe, its what you can do with it.