BlingBling: Mulberry Alexa and Tips on Saving

Hi everyone! I want to introduce you to my latest addition to my purse collection: Alexa. I've been eyeing the Mulberry Alexa for over a year now after falling in love with the relaxed yet chic schoolboy look to it and the fact that you have the option of wearing the bag two ways. It comes with a long strap so you can wear it as a cross body bag and if that doesn't suit you, you can tuck it away and wear it as a hand purse. I personally love cross body bags because it's more comfortable for me when I run errands to have two free hands and the weight of a purse isn't emphasized on one shoulder.

I initially saw this snakeskin purse at the Intermix store in D.C. about a month and a half ago and fell in love with the texture of it. The Alexa's I've encountered up until that point all had the smooth, soft leather texture which I really liked but then I saw this snakeskin bag and it was game over for me. I loved the fact that it was a bit different. It is more expensive then the traditional leather so I was hesitant about purchasing it and I walked away.

A couple of things I consider when purchasing designer purses or high end jewelry is that I ask myself, is it a classic item that I can see myself wearing years down the road and is the the price worth it. I personally don't like spending money on trendy or cheap accessories because to me, it's sort of a waste of money. I'd rather save that money and spend it on one big investment piece that I know I will absolutely love. Classic Chanel, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton bags will never go on sale BUT there are ways to go about saving money on them and I want to share with you some tips on what I've done in the past.

1. Look for special events such as Friends and Family or gift card events. Usually high end department stores such as Saks and Neiman Marcus will have biannual Friends and Family events where designer items will be included and a 20% discount will be given. This is the prime time to buy those designer items you've been coveting. Sadly over the years, I've noticed less designers have been included in these events but it never hurts to check/ask. I know that David Yurman will participate ONLY in charity events held at department stores, so that would be the best time to buy Yurman jewels (all of my David Yurman jewelry have been bought during the charity event). Another event to look out for is the gift card events. There will be times when department stores will announce a "spend some give some" event where for example, if you spend $1000 on an item, they will give you a $200 gift card. That is another way of saving money on an item because you can see it as a 20% discount. These are way better then walking away paying full price for that item and not saving money in some way.

2. Choose shipping over tax. Whenever you go to an actual designer store versus finding the item at the department store, check to see if that store exists in your state. This Mulberry bag I bought happened to be in NYC. I wanted to check out the store while visiting my sister because Mulberry isn't sold at Saks or Neiman and there isn't a stand alone store in the DMV area. I wanted to window shop while in NYC and I happened to see the SAME snakeskin bag I saw at Intermix and on top of that it was on SALE. Needless to say I was overcome with joy and bought her on the spot. I knew that the DMV area didn't have a Mulberry store so I asked the sales associate (SA) how much shipping would cost and she said $20. Now NYC has about a 8.8% sales tax rate and the tax on a bag over $1000 is way more costly then a $20 shipping, so if you can, just have that item shipped. I was able to avoid tax on the bag and saved money because she was discounted to 20% off the ticked price. Patience is key. I didn't think the snakeskin would go on sale (the SA said the traditional colors such as brown and black will never go on sale) but it did and I am so happy that I waited.

Hopefully these tips have helped you and given you insight on ways to save if you're on the search for a designer item. I would love to hear you share any tips/suggestions on how you go about saving money on big purchase items.

Have a great weekend.