Anonymous wrote:
Your primate brain knows that your lizard brain desire for the bag is wrong, and you won't be happier having bought it. Maybe you're subconsciously embarrassed about the image it puts out of you as a superficial status-chaser. It's moments like these when you decide who you really are. It's a little bit of self-discovery and a little bit exercise of free will, as the angels and devils of your nature struggle for control.
This is exactly it. It's an existential problem.
Who are you? Are you a person who carries a $3K bag? My net worth is higher than yours, and I am not a person who carries a $3k bag. But I am a person who spends $600 on a Bottega bag from the Real Real, because I like the quiet luxury and classic quality. This is why I don't have breast implants. Because I don't want to be (or rather I am NOT) the person with breast implants.
I think this primate brain/lizard brain dichotomy is false. Your primate brain has been conditioned to believe that buying a $4K+ designer bag is "wrong" because it's "wasteful" and "bad" to spend a lot of money on something "trivial."
Okay - have you ever been on vacation and spent more than 4K? I sure have. There's tons of people who share their budgets on DCUM stating that they spend 50K+ on travel because they "value" it and no one bats an eye. But if one person said they bought 5 Chanel flaps that year, because they "value" luxury, people will go insane.
The only difference is that that society has conditioned us to believe it's "wasteful" to spend too much money on a bag, but it's "good" to value "experiences" [as if wearing something you love isn't an experience].
Ultimately, OP, you're entering the final phase of your life [retirement, not that you're going to die], and you want to own a designer handbag. If you don't ever own a designer handbag in your entire life, would you be happy?
For me, the answer was no. I wanted to be someone who had a designer bag. And I realized that the sooner I buy a bag, the longer I get to identify as someone with a designer bag. As long as I take good care of my bag, it will last and I will get a lifetime of opportunity of wearing it. Thus, I purchased one over the holidays and I have no regrets. As I was buying it, I definitely thought to myself, wow this is so much money. But honestly, I have had zero regrets since owning it. Only excitement!
Have fun OP picking out your new bag!