Savvy Supermom Outfit of the Day - $236 Balenciaga City Bag Babe

Today's outfit is another casual run-around outfit and yet by the total amount you can tell something is different. I don't think I've gone over $200 for any of my outfits to date. The reason is my Balenciaga City Bag, a purse splurge in the last year.

Of course, as is the case for any of my purse splurges, it starts with selling a couple of my other purses so it's more of a "trading up" rather than a new expense. So 3 Coach bags later, I had my first Balenciaga. It's one of those bags that will last forever. The leather is super supple and soft (goat's leather) and though 4 years old, shows no signs of wear at all. I bought it from a reputable seller on eBay and made sure it was authentic before paying. There are TONS of replicas on eBay so you have to be careful! I'll post more on buying authentic on eBay later.

The Breakdown.
A Byer blouse (bought when Clinton Kelly was in town at Macy's for just $13/ARP $50), black tank top ($3 For Love 21/APR $3), B. Laguna jeans ($15 Macy's/ARP $50), Gianni Bini plum shoes ($4 thrift store/ARP $80), Balenciaga City Bag ($200 eBay/ARP $1200), Amanda Smith belt ($1 thrift store/ARP $20).

Grand Total: $237
Approximate Retail Price: $1384
Savvy Savings: $1147

I ran out of the house without a belt for this outfit. I've got tons of wide belts, but not many skinny ones and felt this outfit needed a skinny belt. The solution? A quick trip to the thrift store and $2 later I had a new belt. The thrift store is a great place to find belts. I mean, who wants to spend $20-$50 on a belt???? You know me, I'd rather spend it on a purse...

Speaking of which, a handbag that originally cost $1200. Can you believe it? I can't afford to spend $1200 on a purse and though it's really a lovely and well-made purse, there's nothing so much better about it that would warrant breaking my budget. I bought it because I wanted to see if I could find one for an amazing price with some savvy shopping, and I did. It's a challenge for me to see what savvy shopping can get when it comes to luxury items, but in the end it's about balance for me.

If I want to buy something "new", I will sell off several of the bags that I am not using to fund the new purchase. The longer I've been doing this, the more apt I am to get rid of 3-4 bags in order to get one high end purse. I also know that if and when the day comes that I no longer fancy this Balenciaga, I can sell it for at least (if not more) than what I paid for it!

Shop Savvy Y'all!