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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that you are really not that much affected by the 'credit crunch' if...........

76 replies

cordonbleugh · 03/10/2009 19:17

......you can afford to spend over £100 on a cardigan!!

Seriously, the style and beauty threads of late are just ridiculous, someone asks for help finding, say, a coat, and what follows are links to coats similar to the OP's description.......mostly over the £100 mark!

Is it just me who thinks spending that much on clothes is silly?! My top budget for a coat this winter is £30! And the clothes that get linked to are not that dissimilar to what I can get for a fraction of the price!!

OP posts:
saltyseadog · 03/10/2009 19:50

CB - they may well be budgeting, and making priorities, just with a far bigger budget than average! Also - you don't know whether the £100 cardi is a one off treat.

I think YABU; however I certainly wouldn't spend £100 on one of those long 'cardi coats' - they are bloody hideous .

mwff · 03/10/2009 19:52

less than a month ago

muggglewump · 03/10/2009 19:52

I just spent £15 on a new coat. It was in M&Co sale in the kids bit (I'm a shortarse).

new bargain coat

But if others have £100 to spend, then why shouldn't they?

bluejeans · 03/10/2009 19:54

YABU not everyone is affected by the credit crunch, as a previous poster said, mortgages have come right down and circumstances change - DH and I are better off than we were a couple of years ago. DD is now at school so childcare is less for us. I don't feel guilty about having some spare cash. Some of the people we know who are most arffected by the credit crunch are the ones who were rich before before and are now the same as us - we've endured years of hearing about their exotice holidays etc so it does make a change

Also everyone has different priorities when it comes to spending money. I don't spend lots on clothes myself and would not buy a £100 cardigan however I treat myself in other ways - eg today DD and I had breakfast at Starbucks which cost £8 - sure many would judge us on that!

BecauseImWorthIt · 03/10/2009 19:54

I think YABabitU. It's all up to individuals, isn't it?

We've just gone through a really bad period of expecting DH to be made redundant, and my work drying up (I run my own business). Thankfully DH has kept his job, and my business is suddenly really busy. So I've had a dividend, and have recently splashed out on myself.

It was a treat. I don't usually spend much on clothes (actually don't really enjoy clothes/shoe shopping) but it was a way to make myself feel good for a while, and to enjoy spending the money I didn't think I would have. (And before you accuse me of being profligate, the rest has been used to pay all my outstanding bills, leaving a little bit over that has been put away in savings!)

flowerybeanbag · 03/10/2009 19:55

Llareggub it is lovely, very cosy. Have worn it out instead of a coat today and am keeping it on indoors as well because it's so cosy and the wind's getting up outside.

G'wan g'wan g'waaan!

Original poster
cordonbleugh · 03/10/2009 19:56

fair enough mwff, that one must have slipped through my radar, but thanks for taking the time out of your saturday evening to find it

Ok, so I'm at the point where I'm agreeing that you money is to spend as you like, and if its in your budget then why not? BUT I still think that such items are VASTLY overpriced!

OP posts:
mwff · 03/10/2009 19:57

why care what other people spend their money on?

bodeniites · 03/10/2009 19:58

flowerybeanbag id be much more jealous if you tell me you are sitting in front of a real/log burning fire

Original poster
cordonbleugh · 03/10/2009 20:00

Well my financial situation is stable, but limited.......I agree that if I unexpectedly had some extra money, I would treat myself to some new clothes/shoes, but still, not at silly prices.

OP posts:
flowerybeanbag · 03/10/2009 20:01

Sadly no, bodeniites, wouldn't that be nice?! We do have a real flame gas fire, does that count? It's not on though, so probably not!

I did switch my Aga back on today though after its summer break.

Original poster
cordonbleugh · 03/10/2009 20:02

ok mwff, lets look at it from a different angle......why do shops/designers charge such ridiculous prices for clothes?

OP posts:
Original poster
cordonbleugh · 03/10/2009 20:03

actually sod it, im going to watch xfactor this is getting much too serious for a saturday nite!

OP posts:
CaptainNonentity · 03/10/2009 20:32

Why would it need to be their husband's high earning job? Can women not earn money of their own?

In either case, I probably woudn't spend £100 on a cardigan though... it would only get yacked on!

chickbean · 03/10/2009 20:50

I fell in love with a £70 cardigan a few years ago - it looked fantastic in the shop window. I was delighted when I tried it on and it looked terrible.

TrickOrNinks · 03/10/2009 21:02

DH thinks that the description, "Boyfriend Cardigan" is hilarious because if he were single he'd feck right off if a GF of his turned up wearing such a thing

He's only joking of course, but does dissuade me from knitwear. It's OK for him not having to do the bitterly-cold school pick-up with a stroller

Jajas · 03/10/2009 21:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SycamoretreeIsVile · 03/10/2009 21:03

YABU - it's all relative to your lifestyle. How do you know that those people might previously have been buying 500 quid cardigans and are now reduced to only spunking a tonne on them???

scottishmummy · 03/10/2009 21:15

if you can afford it why not?

Clary · 03/10/2009 21:19

yeah you do get what you pay for. My Boden cardi from last year is sooo lovely, cost £49 (not to me with offer, but still).

It's just a whole lot nicer than cardies I have that cost £20, sorry.

I personally wouldn't spend £120 on a cardi, but I would certainly spend that on a winter coat I will wear every day for 5 months, prob 2-3 years.

Penthesileia · 03/10/2009 21:20

Maybe £120 for a cardigan is too much.

But have you thought that maybe £10 for one is too little? Ever asked yourself how clothes these days are made so cheap? Someone, somewhere is paying the price so that people in the UK can buy cheap clothes.

mellifluouscauliflower · 03/10/2009 21:20

My theory is that if you have a good body you can look fantastic in the cheapest of clothes. It also helps to be young. The oldies, fatties and saggies among us require better quality fabrics and more flattering cuts to look good. And that unfortuately costs more. Luckily being an oldie/fatty/saggy means it is too depressing to go shopping for clothes very often

MoonlightMcKenzie · 03/10/2009 21:28

yabu Just because there is a credit crunch doesn't mean that people who are rich have to pretend to be poor all of a sudden.

melliflu Do you know that the makers of the £120 cardis are paid well, because afaik they are paid just as badly, but the company just makes far more profit, which imo is actually much worse behaviour because they can afford to pay decent wages.

Penthesileia · 03/10/2009 21:32

Moonlight - I think you meant to address that comment to me.

No, you can't take it for granted, but you can check. I generally try to make sure that the clothes I buy come from decent sources. And a consequence of this is that you frequently pay more for them. Cost of labour + cost of materials + shipping + profit for company + other things = £££££

Extremely cheap clothing from supermarkets and Primark is less likely to come from reputable sources, I'm afraid.

sequinedsteaknife · 03/10/2009 21:41

There will be a big difference between the quality of a garment that costs £20 in Asda that is similar to something that costs £100. Quality of materials used, quality of design, cut, detailing and finishing. This translates into how well it will fit, flatter and last.

This is why if I had it I would spend it on higher end clothes.

HAving said that I look at the difference between say a cardi for £70 and £700 and I do wonder how the price is justified. As quality has to top off somewhere - if you follow me.

As to the S&B threads, if someone states a budget I think people try and suggest something in that. But otherwise I think it is fair to link to something that is lovely to show an idea no matter the price.