Can You Help Me Justify Spending This Much?

The Saddleback Leather Company sells leather bags. Everybody sells leather bags. The Saddleback leather bags are expensive, tough and look great. Did I say that these leather bags are expensive? Very expensive. So how do they compete with Prada, and Tumi? Their bags are also expensive and look great. And they have the name, the brand. They have massive advertising dollars. The Saddleback Leather Company is small without the millions of dollars in advertising.

Somehow, they still manage being noticed by the right people. How? They are doing things “right”. One of them is a great website and being cheeky has given them a reputation. They answer the questions that will be asked before they are asked. One of the stumbling block is the high price of their leather handbags, when they are not a brand known like Prada or Tumi.

Can you help me justify spending this much on a piece of leather?

Buy the best, cry once. It's all about the cost per year. In college, I bought a pair of very expensive shoes for my job as a waiter. I couldn't afford them, but I bought them anyhow. They were really light and comfortable and took me through two years of waiting tables and one year as a limo driver and another year of occasional use. And then they still looked good for a month of Sundays. Cost per year was about $25. Most of the other waiters bought a new pair of $55 heavy and uncomfortable shoes every 6 months because theirs wore out and looked ratty by then. One of the principles the successful in the world understand is this: If one buys quality from the start they save money. Don't be penny wise and dollar foolish. This will be one of the most savvy investments and inexpensive leather pieces you'll ever have. And remember, you must truly love yourself before you can love others. A couple of other things to think about you'll be more popular. Everybody isn't buying one. I'll invite you to my birthday party. What's wrong, you chicken? (their words, my emphasis)

Isn't it great?

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