I have two purses I really like and they are about10+ years old. I got them in Quartzite AZ and they are homemade in US by women in a cottage industry and really would like another one. They can be washed in the machine and have zippers and pockets. My wallet I got at JC Penneys and I love it as it holds credit cards and has a coin purse and 2 sections for folding money. It is a Buxton and usually on sale and lasts forever.

You're much more extravagant than I--LOL! I need a new purse desparately--the one I have, love, have been using for about 5 years now, is falling apart. I have been looking everywhere. Can't find anything I like, and anyway they all seem to be $16 or more. That's WAY too much, IMO for a purse. I don't like to spend more than $8-12.

No wonder we're in a recession--the prices of everything are through the roof these days. I find even Walmart is charging an arm and a leg for things I used to get much cheaper.

No--I can't see spending money on a designer bag. Doesn't make sense to me. Not for something that gets taken into public restrooms, could be stolen off your arm, gets dumped on the floor here and there, etc. I personally see a purse as a utilitarian item, rather than a fashion accessory--which is why I can't see spending loads on one.

I've even been looking at contractor's bags--if I found one of THOSE I liked, I'd buy it--LOL and use for a purse!

I think the most I've spent is about $80. I recently got a Vera Bradley for about $35. I have about 4 purses. Some women have many. I don't like to change that often.

It depends on how much I liked the purse. I have spent as much as $200 on a purse. But I carried it for years. I am not one to change my purse daily...I just carry the same one all the time. I got a purse I really liked for Christmas...so I ordered another one for when that one wears out.

Don't even get me started on finding a purse at a descent price. I guess someone can afford the outrageous prices but it isn't me. And even if I could afford upwards of $100 I can think of a lot better ways to spend my money. I have been carrying around the same leather purse for close to ten years. It has held up great - even got it on sale. Figured when the time came I'd find an equal replacement. What a joke!

Apparently a purse is used as a status symbol. I don't want to impress anyone - just myself - by finding a great purse at a great bargain.

When I'm browsing Goodwill, yardsales or thrift stores, I can usually find one new (or very nearly new) for little or nothing, and if I like it I'll go ahead and buy it regardless if I 'need' it at that time or not. That way I'm never without one and having to try and find something I like at a decent price. If forced to buy new, I probably wouldn't go over $15, unless it was really, really special.

Sue

The most I ever spent on a purse was $70.00. It is one of those shoulder bags designed to relieve back/neck stress. I have carried it for about 4 years now. I won't buy a new one until this one falls apart! When I bought purses prior to that it was usually once every two years or so and I never spent more than $20! I am not that into purses I guess.

Trish

Purses as a status symbol??? I put that is the same category as someone paying mega-bucks for designer jeans because it has someone's name on the a$$. Please!!! I have enough self esteem and pity those who need these kind of crutches for theirs. I know, pretty harsh, but it is how I feel about this kind of stupid extravagance. Dottie

I don't think that I've ever spent more than $10.
I don't care about name brand stuff! Even if I
could afford it. It just doesn't make any sense
to me.

Socks1234, where did you get a Vera Bradley for $30? I have one which I love and paid around $60. I LOVE VB and would encourage anyone to buy one. They are pricy but hold everything. I used mine so much that he strap wore out. They have so many colors and patterns. Just wish they were a little less expensive.

I don't even own a purse any more. Put them all out in a yard sale a few years ago.

When I shop I wear a fanny pack. Safe and secure. Holds every thing I could possibly need. When I "dress up" which is rare, I wear a jacket with pockets and carry the bare necessities there.

Here is the fanny pack I got a while back. I love it. Cost $8.00.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Fanny pack

I have a couple of very expensive leather bags. I do not consider them to be a "status symbol", nor do I consider them to be a "stupid extravagance." I bought them because I like the smell, feel, look and quality of the bag. I take very good care of these bags and will carry them for many years.

I'm a Kohl's or WalMart purse person!

Several years ago I paid $80 on eBay for a designer purse that someone from the KT was selling. I use it every summer and love the way it looks. I have a black leather purse I use in the winter, I must have bought it 9 or 10 years ago when it was on sale for $50 which was 1/2 the price on the tag. It still looks great. I don't care for the look of vinyl bags and they don't last long. I get my money's worth by buying genuine leather. That is just my preference.

I never spend more than $20.00 on a purse! Guess I'm cheap but I have several nice purses and they didn't cost over twenty.I can't see spending even $50.00 (and probably wouldn't) on a purse,much less $300.! So called "name brands" mean nothing to me.I'll just carry my junk in a Wal-Mart special! If it does the job,that's all that matters to me.LOL I have purses that I have carried every day for a whole season that still look nice and I recycle them for another season.I also don't change my purses out according to what I'm wearing.I know a lot of people do.Can't see the need for that.I do buy genuine leather if possible but not always.

If you Google "coach outlet online" you'll see plenty of Coach bags for under $100--I just took a quick look and saw a whole page of $55 ones. I would pay that for a purse of that quality.

The purse I'm using now is by Stone & Co.--used to be Stone Mountain. It'd been $80 and was on sale for $40. I like a leather bag. They seem to last a lot longer.

Well, I own a Coach purse that I spent about $200 on ... in about 1986. I love the look, feel and smell of it, and I use it all the time. Amortized over 24 years, that's $8.30/year, and there's not a thing wrong with it. I expect to use it for another 24 years, at least.

I checked out several Vera Bradley websites and their purses are cute. Because they are made of material I wonder how dirty they would get. Have you ever washed your Vera Bradley purse and if so, how did it hold up? Also do they have inside zippered compartments? Or are they just inside pockets?

Only purse I buy is aigner. Bought my first one in 1982 and still use it. During the early years, you could take it in to Belk and they would sent it to the factory and it would be polished and buffed at no cost . Did this for years, when they stopped providing this service, they gave me the leather cleaner and cloths for the cleaning and buffing. Not sure how much I paid for the original in 1982 but it still looks brand new and I carry it everyday. During this time I have bought two smaller aigners and use them occasionally. I like the quality of the leather and also the signature color of burgundy. I don't change bags to match my shoes. So whatever I spent for these purses, they have really lasted. Daughter gave me a Vera Bradley and I carry it in the summer. She gave me a Kate Spade but it soiled very easily.

Check out the Coach outlet if there is one in your area. I have a bit of an addiction. You can't beat the quality. To answer your question, the most I have personally ever spent on a non-briefcase bag is about $250 (for a $450 Coach bag), but I have a LV that cost much more than that, it was a gift. The outlet deals can be unreal, at Christmas I found a beautiful bag, perfect for my SIL, for $90...it was originally over $250. There is nothing wrong with it, they just made too many and needed to sell off the overstock. Right now the winter colors are cheap, in September the summer colors will be.

Don't ask how many pairs of shoes I have....

I noticed that someone stated above that it's a "status" thing.
I never look at other ladies purses. It just isn't my thing. I have a darling purse I bought from Target and I have had several comments on it and it surprises me because it's not something I notice. Nor do I have purses for the winter/summer. My sister carried a brown or black one during the fall and winter but during spring and summer she carries lighter colored purses.
Simple black has always worked for me...can't notice all the stains on it! :0)

I'm generally pretty frugal but I spend quite a bit on good handbags. I've bought lots of cheap ones over the years but once I bought a nicely designed, quality leather handbag I could no longer go back to cheap. I figure it's something I use every day for many years so it's worth it to me to get one that's very functional for my needs and one that I enjoy using.

I don't consider handbags a status symbol either but I do enjoy nice design, quality materials, etc. I work hard and can afford to treat myself to a few nice things like this so I do.

Some people just like nice things and can afford it. If they want to buy a nice purse, I don't think they should be accused of wanting it as a "status symbol", just like I think it's equally fine to just get one at Wal Mart, like I usually do. I have enough self esteem to not make judgements as to how others spend their money- it's a personal choice and nobody needs to justify it, or get approval or be "pitied" for their decision either way.

As to the original question, I will probably start buying more expensive purses than I have been, because mine haven't lasted as long as I've wanted them to. I don't know how much I'll spend, purses aren't my thing.

I only like sturdy leather bags, so I've spent $50 but never more. I buy about 2 purses a year. And I'm cheap.

I use the smallest possible purse I can that will hold what I actually need. I never spend more than $20.00 on a purse. I also have a little Eastman fabric mini messenger bag I use for travel. It's about 8" tall and 6" inches wide. I've had it about 20 years. It holds everything I need for a day out. I think I paid 3.99 for it.

I am right up their with Lilliepad.

I wholeheartedly agree with Dotmom on the status thing.After a certain price point it IS status.

I think women who lug around huge designer handbags look silly. I call them adultery bags because you can pack a weekend worth of stuff in them. LOL

Lots of Vera Bradley purses on E-Bay for under $100. Some cute ones.

I will spend more on shoes than I would a purse.

There are many other thing I would rather spend that kind of money on. Actually I hate purses and carry the smallest that I can that will fit my check book, Pen, phone and glasses and occasionally tampons and aspirin. It is hard to find a small to medium size purse in a style, price and color that I like. All they are selling now are gigantic purses. WHAT do ladies carry in those humongous things anyway? Seriously, I don't know.

uh oh!!I very seldom see something I got to have but I got a purse at Maceys 180.00 about a month ago.2 girls at dialysis said if you have a yard sale call me another said if I ever want to give it up call.Another nurse looked at it today said she likes it.

I don't spend much on purses but it's not because I think it's a status symbol. It's mainly because I like to change purses frequently. There's no way I'd carry around the same purse for 2 years let alone 10. It's just the way I'm wired.

I had a beautiful Coach bag for close to 20 years - a gift from my then BF, now my DH. I carried it for at least 3/4 of each year, just switching to a small cloth tote during summer/swimming season.

I was heartbroken when it died an untimely death at the teeth of a neighbor's puppy.

Would I buy another? - possibly, but I haven't been in love with any of the styles I've seen.

I don't change purses to match anything. I carry a basic purse just large enough for my wallet, cell phone, and glasses. Right now it's a $20 Walmart bag with the perfect outside pocket for my cell, and another for my keys.

It'll do. It's going on 6 years now. I may replicate it in leather or possibly ultraseude if it dies. I have the tools and sewing machine to work in leather if I choose.

The most I ever spent on a purse was for a Vera Bradly, and I got that at half price.

I'm really picky about a purse. I have all these requirements. But the last one was $7.88 because it was cute and not an everyday purse.

My sister bought the one I have now because I couldn't justify spending that on a purse. So she surprised me.

I'm looking for a new one, I told SO it could take a year. He said yes, I know.

Kim, you sound like me. I'm really picky about my purse.

I believe the most I've ever spent is around $100 on a leather backpack purse. I carried it for several years, until it literally fell apart. I don't mind spending $50-$70, but it has to be one I really like. If I can find something I like for less money, I'm very happy. I generally carry my purse for several years. I only have one basic purse that I use. The only other one I own is a small evening bag. I don't like shopping for purses. Because I'm so picky, I get frustrated quickly when I shop for a purse. So, I don't mind spending maybe $100 to get one that I really like & then I don't have to deal with it again for several years.

Uh oh, Vera Bradley? Where would I be without KT gals to let me know whats up? Sounded familiar so I ran downstairs to check. Sure enough, I got a Vera Bradley tote/purse for my birthday from a relative. Its still in the box. Had no idea until just now that it was anything other than a cute plastic tote bag--a token gift, which is all it should have been. It's material encased in plastic! Are they all plastic? Sure don't look expensive.

Oh, and I don't carry a purse anymore. Changed to a fanny pack years ago for a trip and loved it so much I never went back to a purse. Hung on to my good leather purses for a few years before taking them to Goodwill.

I have 2 Sak purses, the ones that look like they're tight crochets (one from QVC, the other from TJMaxx or one of those discount stores)--I like them for summer. I have a few other bags, 2 leather ones, 2 black nylon/microfiber types. But for some reason I always end up using the same small 9West bag I got from Kohls (on sale, of course--I'm getting really cheap in my "old" age! I won't buy full-price. Unless I realllllly love it! LOL!).

I have a handful of purses destined for a tag sale (someday). Bought them in the late 1980s/early 1990s--now that I look at them, I think, "Tacky!" Bright colors, some "studs." What was I thinking. They ALL still have the tags on them. I didn't spend a lot of money--got them either through Home Shopping Network or the flea market that I sometimes went to in Port Chester, New York (anybody familiar with it? It was near the old Caldor and art-supply store, can't recall the name of it).

Anyway, between purses and shoes and clothes, I always seem to gravitate to just one or two and leave the others in the closet. Oh if I could have had a fortune teller's ball!

But I must add this: Over the years, I have divested myself of many closet items, donating them to Salvation Army or another local thrift store. So they will not go to waste.

I spend a LOT on purses. I love burberry, and have been toying with reselling my purses on ebay. I love purses and shoes. I also buy matching wallets, and sometimes the wallets are just as expensive. But these purses last for years and years. I have some dooney and bourke purses that DH bought me when we were newly married that were probably in the 300.00 range, and they still look as good as new (except the one where the dog chewed the leather strap, grr).

I have started going to the coach outlet because it is on the way to where my kids go to school. If you sign up for their email notices they frequently send you 20 and 30% coupons. I bought my mom a gorgeous purse that was tagged 500.00 for around 180.00, and everytime I see it I am envious. I wish I would have gotten one.

When we moved from MA to Tx, I went to the mall in New Hampshire and bought me a travel purse. It is a fanny pack thing similar to the one posted. It was marked $12 and to my surprise, rang up $6.00 on a half price sale...That was 5 years ago and I am still carrying it. It holds just the right amount...the keys, phone, checkbook, coin purse, cards and there isn't room to junk it up with everything in the house. When I see the purses that some people carry I just wonder what in the world they have in them that they might need just to run from their home to the grocery store. I will never ever carry another big purse. I actually have bought two or three purses since we got here trying to convince myself that I should change and nothing feels as good as the little fanny pack purse. I don't very often wear it fanny pack style, but it fits over my shoulder and fits my body so good that it is the perfect purse for me.

I would never be sucked into the designer bag thing...If you have that much money and want to spend it on a purse, I certainly don't have a problem with it, but I admit that I could easily go and spend that amount, but it would be on something that I wanted and that wouldn't be a purse...but I'm not a purse person ...but a doll or sewing something so I don't think it's a money/status thing...it's an "I want" thing.

I once spent $75 on a leather backpack. :0) A few weeks ago I spent $3 at a thrift store on a purse, a hobo style, soft as butter, leather....yum! My wallet is a fold and zip model, on sale for $40. I just buy what I like...."IF" I worked in an office....had to dress up & impress clients.....then I'd spend more. :0)

Oh!Oh!Oh! Purses are my "thang"! lol I just wish there was someway to "get to know them" before I enter a relationship with (buy) them! With me, I either love a purse or I hate it! The most I ever spent on a purse was probably $35.00..and it was a FOSSIL (off eBay). I love soft leather purses and mine has to have 2 handles that will fit on my shoulder..and be comfortable. I don't like "shoulder" bags/purses, because I'm short (4'11") and the strap on them is usually so long, they hang to my knees!

Few years ago, I bought a Brighton purse at a yard sale ($5.00). It was stiff/hard and uncomfortable to wear..but I'd use it now and then just for a day or two. I recently attended the funeral of a friend, and knowing I wouldn't need much more than my keys/wallet/phone and cigarettes..I used the Brighton. The deceased guys sister fell in love with it...and I liked hers. She told me hers was a Kathy Van something or another (like I'd be impressed)! We ended up swapping purses on the way to the cemetery!! Brand name or not, I hate that sucker almost as much as I did the Brighton! lol

I'm more like ruthie g. I quit carrying a purse when I got a clutch wallet for high school graduation. A couple of times I've tried carrying a purse and they hurt my shoulders. So...I wouldn't pay anything for one. I do need a new clutch wallet...saw one at a thrift shop for $6 and decided that was too much.

My truck is my purse. I keep my hairbrush and incidentals in there and when I get out and go in some place, I just carry my wallet. When I go someplace that I need to have both hands free...like a flea market...I use a fanny pack.

I bought a brand new ( looking ) Kenneth Cole purse at the thrift for $4 and found a five and four one dollar bills inside.

I bought a brand new ( looking ) Kenneth Cole purse at the thrift for $4 and found a five and four one dollar bills inside.

[IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/90vmnl.jpg[/IMG]

I don't spend alot of money on purses. I'm very hard on them. I have purchase a few knock offs a few times. lol!!