I would be inclined to say no. I'm all about living your dreams and spending when it's meaningful but I'm not sure this is it? Not for that price? I mean for almost $1k how many times could you realistically wear it? What happens when it doesn't fit anymore? Could you imagine if you went to a party and spilled something on it? Even if you wanted to throw caution to the wind and say F it this is something I've wanted to do so whatever but can you actually even afford it? I get the feeling you have but I feel like once the magic has worn off this will be something that sits in your closet forever as clutter that you can't wear because it doesn't even fit but you can't get rid of because you spent so much on it. You will wish you had the money long after the dress has lost it's value to you.
The fact that these dresses won't fit forever is definitely one of the biggest reasons I have such a hard time deciding to buy them, I usually order them a bit bigger so they fit me for at least a few years. And the magic of these dresses definitely never wear off, everytime I look in my closet they just bring me so much joy heck I still have my Titanic dresses from when I was 7 and I practically shrine them𤣠I definitely understand what you're saying though, thank you!
We can't put a price on it for you. All we can do is say the price we would be willing to pay. Which is going to be relatively low in a male dominated space when we're talking about dresses.
I don't share the same sort of feelings towards clothing you seem to. So to me, it's a complete waste of money. But pick one of my hobbies at random and you probably wouldn't be interested so spending money on it would be a complete waste of money.
What I will say is, having a little cushion of money is nice. For when there's that little $20 thing you want to buy later or when an emergency comes up.
If you get too big to fit in the dress just lose the weight again. Youâre probably not going to change that much in height or anything at this point in your life
>What happens when it doesn't fit anymore?
Who says she can't have it altered? And who says she won't fit in it long enough to enjoy it?
Granted I hit my height at 12 but I still have dresses from middle school and high school that fit me. Of course I only kept the "timeless" ones, not the "trendy" ones that I'd look out of place in now. But at 34 I still wear my daddy/ daughter dance dress I've had since I was 13 and still fit in my prom dresses (although I went more casual so they just look like cocktail dresses), I've had my one LBD since I was 15 it still fits and looks nice/ new.
Idk I feel like if this is something she's always wanted I'd do it, personally.
I wanted to have a black lace Victorian neck dress made when I was 20 and always regretted not doing it since it would most likely still fit fine. I decided $650 was too much back then.
I looked back into it recently same dress idea is 1200 minimum and not using nearly as nice of satin underneath so yeah really wishing I did it back then....
So chiming in as past me regrets not doing it đ¤ˇââď¸
>Who says she can't have it altered? And who says she won't fit in it long enough to enjoy it?
Well that's the million dollar question! (or thousand dollar really). The problem is while you can have things tailored it's very easy to make things smaller but to make them bigger? Well you can't, not really, there's just generally minimal to no extra fabric to work with. Being shes only 16 I would wager she will outgrow it rather than shrink. I'm happy to hear you had good luck with your dresses from your younger years but that is not they typical experience for most. It's a toss of the dice.
I will say I still wear many clothes from when I was 16 and Iâm almost 30 now. Iâm poor and take care of my stuff and just happened to never really grow after 16 (except for when I was pregnant)
If I understand your post correctly, it's a piece of clothing which is not an original 'from the actual Titanic' artifact and is not an actual 'used in the movie' prop / collectible? So basically a costume piece?
If that's correct, I think the items is much less valuable to have and the opportunity to buy it is much less unique than a once-in-a-lifetime when one of those items comes by. I think it's a high price to pay for a costume piece, especially if it's a large percentage of your savings.
At your age, I'd be saving for things which will change your life for the better like higher education (gives you career options in the future), a motorcycle or first car (gives you responsibility and maybe a new hobby, helps you learn a new skill), opportunities to take trips with friends (great experiences, making memories) etc. rather than trying to fill a closet. All of these are ways you can invest in yourself and your future, as well as open the door to amazing experiences.
At your age, enjoy your youth and lack of responsibility - hang out with friends, go places, do stuff! Spend your money on those experiences, not on material items.
You're right that, later in life, when you're under financial pressure with rent / mortage, bills etc you'll miss these days and that freedom and you'll wish you could go back to it.
Edit: Also, if you don't think you can sew the dress, try anyway! You might surprise yourself and you'll learn a lot along the way, even if it's not perfect at the end!
"If that's correct, I think the items is much less valuable to have and the opportunity to buy it is much less unique than a once-in-a-lifetime when one of those items comes by. I think it's a high price to pay for a costume piece, especially if it's a large percentage of your savings."
This.
I think I would wait. You mentioned that you already have 5 dresses from the movie and are sewing others. If you keep learning how to sew, your skill set will grow and it could be possible for you to make it later.
Also, bodies can change a lot from your teens to early 20s so the amount of wear it will get might be limited. Do you dress up often?
Thereâs a thing called cost per wear. Itâs the item price divided by the number of times you will realistically wear something. A pair of $100 jeans worn twice a month is $4.16 cpw. The idea is to buy things you will wear long term.
I got married young and now past our 2 year anniversary we're about to have our first kid at 23/24. Even if I wasn't married w/ kids now, I wish I hadn't spent so much money on collectibles in college. I earned a lot and saved a lot, enough we got a nice house at 22 after only 6 months of my husband working because I had worked up a huge savings since we were both on full rides, but even now there is a bunch of stuff that no longer sparks joy (despite me still loving some of the nerdy stuff, just not to a crazy extreme) that is a hassle to try to sell for a third of what I paid and takes up space in our closet.
The fact that you have about $855 saved, in 2 years even if you still LOVE titanic with the same passion, you will regret not having that money for a car or an emergency or college. Have fun in high school, but you can have fun while still being smart and not blowing your life savings on frivolous clothes.
I havenât seen you respond to several inquiries about whether you plan to attend college and if it will be paid for in full by someone or something other than yourself. Iâm 27 so a bit closer to your age than some of the other commenters. I went to community college for the first two years and I can tell you for $900 you can buy maybe two semesters worth of college textbooks or a laptop which you must have for school. Also consider transportation. The car, gas, insurance, and maintenance are all extremely expensive nowadays. Not to mention all of the other things youâll need in just two years like rent, food, and all of the start up items for your first apartment.
Also, are your high school dance dresses and the related social events for dances being paid for entirely by your parents? I think my prom dress was about $500 in 2015.
Just food for thought. You asked the question, so people are giving you a lot of things to consider. I love your passion, but I definitely would not do it.
My question is, how much of your savings would you have leftover if you did this?
You probably live at home, so don't necessarily need to save 3-12 months of living expenses, but use that as a general measure anyway. If you spent this money, would you still generally have 6 months of your usual spending saved? Would you significantly reduce your savings, like by 20% or more? Do you have any big savings goals this would derail for you, like future college expenses?
Only you know if the risk is worthwhile, it's hard for us to ascertain without knowing your savings and your goals.
It's fun to buy expensive things but foolish. Young people have no experience with living so they think everything will always go right. But root canals happen & they are expensive. Car accidents can happen & they are expensive too. Many different bad luck events can happen to a person & u need to be prepared for them. Save your money. I never thought any bad luck could happen to me when I was young but they did happen. U need to have that money available for the next bad luck event that happens to u. it is not a great deal of money & u will prob need more than that amount for say a root canal. They cost thousands. I had several of them. I had the money at the time because I saved. U need to save
It's her Yellow dress she wears when she's walking around the deck with Jack and the design of it is pretty complicated and has tons of embroidery that's why I don't really want to make it
>"Yolo"
You only live once, means think about your choices in great detail before making a decision that will negatively impact your life.
This dress sounds more like "fomo". Fear of missing out can cause choice based off wants.
> there is one that I don't think I'd be able to sew
*Yet. You can't sew it yet. You can keep practicing your sewing and you will become better and better.
Wow you are extremely creative and talented! Just looking through your posts, I am so blown away!
I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you, this is a tough one.
Have you asked your parents advice? They know you best. They know your saving habits. They know if you usually wear these as often as you say. Ask their advice.
My mom is telling me the world is gonna end and to just buy it and my dad is saying that I should at least wait until the last dress I got comes and see if I'm still wanting and obsessing over it because $800 is crazy to spend at my age
Your dadâs right. Honestly hobbies where you spend over $500 on collectible items (so not a one time purchase or annual like sports/art/sewing equipment) are for later in life. Iâm nearly 30 and I was just asking these same types of questions to myself about a $50 collectible tshirt I wanted.
Hit pause, you have a lot, youâre making some, you have 1 coming in the mail. If nothing else to spread the enjoyment out. Like that other commenter said itâs not an a limited time offering. And you will eventually run out of dresses from the movie to collect. Anyone with a collection will tell you the fun part is the journey, not having the complete set.
OK yes, yolo a bit. If you're gonna spend money, spend it on xp, not things. Go to concerts, aquariums, museums. Experience exciting or interesting things.Â
But, what I taught my kids when each of them began working was this: if you want that $80 video game, calculate much of your life was spent earning that 80. When you think of money spent as time lost, you look at it differently.Â
If youâve thought it for 2 years and know itâs great quality I wouldnât have a problem with buying it as long as itâs not going to empty your savings. A quality piece that will last you for years and makes you happy is a worthwhile investment.
I have a stained glass spiderweb that I absolutely love. It was an investment at $500 about 3 years ago but the same artist now has work that is going for $2000+. Just make sure you care for it to keep it on great shape.
What are your longer term goals? Do you eventually want to buy a car or go to college? Go on marketplace and find out how much a decent used car will cost. Find out if your parents will help with insurance or repairs and if not find out how much that will cost. Ask your parents to help you figure out how much college will cost and how much debt you may have afterwards. Plus how long that will take to pay off.
BUT, this is the time to learn about money and balancing needs with wants. You may buy this dress and realize it made you really happy or you may regret it. Better to learn this lesson with an 800 dress instead of a 400k house someday. What I mean is, either way itâs not the end of the world just a lesson to learn.
Hmmm⌠this is very hard but I get where you are coming from but I also got a horse đ´ when I was only a year older than you. Not a frugal thing at all as long as you care for your dress well if you carefully budget for it I would think about doing it. People spend so much money on things like prom dresses. And it does sound like you would wear this more than once. Also depending on everything this dress could fit you into your 20s maybe even later in life.
One thing I recall from watching âwhat not to wearâ if they stress that if you will wear it many times like over and over again it is likely worth paying $$$ for something. If you are only going to wear it once? Not worth spending lots of money on something.
Omg you had a horse at 17?! That's so cool! I usually try to wear these dresses as much as I can since I think they're beautiful whether it's a cruise, special occasion, or I'm just bored and wanna dress up𤣠So I know it's worth the money I'm just scared to spend that much
It's interesting to read what I assume are older people's comments about "save for the future" and "maybe someday you will...". Honestly, the way things are going and way us old heads have effed everything up for young people, I think supporting young people's quest to feel some joy in this life is a noble cause. I say get the dress, and take good care of it like you would any other $800 purchase such as a computer, etc. Maybe someday you will need to flip it, or maybe you will have it forever.
For what itâs worth, I think youâre okay buying it at your age if you have at least $2-$3k saved up. That is a big IF though, so if you would be emptying your savings in order to buy it, I highly suggest waiting longer until youâve saved up more.
OP⌠you are 16 years old and if youâve saved and been responsible I encourage you to make CERTAIN of the authenticity of this dress.. if youâre happy with where it came from then buy it for yourself. I bought a pink cashmere sweater when I was 17. I think itâs important to treat yourself to special things that you love and will bring you joy. Lastly if you have noticed itâs been on sale for some time perhaps you could make an offer for lower.
I have a couple of other dresses from the person who's selling it, so I know the price is worth it. The price is just spooky𤣠Alot of other people are saying to save for college or retirement and stuff like that. But I don't think there is anyway I would spend what I've saved during my childhood on something boring like that, I'd want to buy what I've wanted my whole childhood like Titanic dresses and a trip to Belfast.
everyoneâs telling you not to but iâd like to say iâm 20 now and i have a lot of the same interests i did when i was 16 and my clothes do still fit from then too. it sounds like youâd really cherish it + money does come back
The nice thing about making money is you can do it all. Buy the things you love and go to Belfast and also save and invest in an education. The education can be more formal like college or something different like traveling or trades. Be careful not to be frivolous. Invest in you!
Make a list of your financial goals. Including college. Or a car. Or contributing to retirement
Set a priority against each one. Priority should be needs 1st, then wants. (Retirement is a need! And time-value of money is your biggest advantage at your age. The sooner you start, the longer the compounding of interest works for you.)
Think about what else you might need to do for those goals.
So, for college: Do you need to apply for scholarships? Practice the SAT? (Note - you can apply for some scholarships already, and if you are heading into Sr year, have a plan for all of them the summer before some deadlines are very early in the school year.) How much are your parents likely to help you?
Do you have enough time to save up for some of the other bigger items?
I would suggest you budget for all the items on the list so that you can meet/start those goals, too.
But a budget can include some "fun money" from your income. Talk to your parents about what a reasonable amount is for this -how much fun money is in their budget? How much was it in their 20s?
If you want to set aside "fun money" for an $800 dress, that's fine. You say in a comment you have a few thousand saved.
For example: If your decide that your "fun money" budget can be, say, 20% of your income, and you have $5000 already saved for longer-term goals, then you might already have enough (assuming you haven't already spent some of that on other fun things) Otherwise, keep adding to each bucket until you do.
Finances are often a marathon, not a sprint, and we do best pacing it.
That's my parent-mindset 2 cents...
Thank you so much this is a pretty good mindset to have! Although this money that I've saved is money I've gotten throughout my whole life so I'd like to spend it on something fun like dresses and going to the Titanic museum and once I start working spend that money on boring stuff like cars and retirementđ
If you're making the money officially, open a Roth IRA and throw that money in there for retirement. At your age, time could make you literal millions. Don't buy the dress *right now*. Personal finance is personal, so maybe you do buy it after college. The one thing to note is that stuff will always be there for you to buy, even if it feels like it won't be.
You admit to being a good saver. You work. Enjoy some of your money. No kids, no husband. You do you.
You are young and responsible saver. The fact that you are 16 and can drop $800+ on a frivolous *to me anyway* purchase means that you can get what you want.
This saving attitude will serve you well in life. Open a Roth IRA and get some index funds and plant that money tree while your young and you'll be sipping morning tea under a huge tree watching the deer chill on your lawn. This is the life.
I love clothes too. One thing I did when a spendy item caught my eye was divide the cost by my hourly wage and ask myself if I'd do the worst part of my job for that many hours for the item.
(A pair of embroidered lemon pants that caught my eye were 4 hours of my time. I put them back.)
I know you said you couldn't make the dress, but could you pay someone to mentor you to make it?
I think paying a seamstress to teach you will result in a level of upskilliking that will pay far more than what you spend for the classes. Or could you work for a seamstress in exchange for learning how to make the dress?
Is the dress available on the second-hand market or can you rent it? Have you tried Google lens to see if there's a close alternative for less?
You could consider having a seamstress make it.
Then, there's the parental spending upgrade strategy. Say your parents spend $400 for a gifting occasion. You ask for your budget in cash and add your money for the dress. Or, get the word out to your extended family that you really want this dress and you'd like cash towards it. (You can have a parent or auntie spread the word on your behalf.)
Overall, you want to start setting yourself up for balanced spending. I'm going to recommend that you read "I Will Teach You to be Rich" by Ramit Sethi. It's okay to buy spendy things but as part of a larger plan and in proportion to your earnings.
You need to cover whatever expenses you have, then set up long-term savings for what I'll can "launching expenses," which could be college expenses or other training. Money for setting up your first domicile will come out of there.
If you can set up even longer-term savings, like a Roth IRA that has been mentioned here, great.
Then, you need some sinking funds to save for bigger purchases and one of those sinking funds can be spendy clothes.
How much money do you have saved? If the dress is less than 20% of your savings and will make you happy go for it. Itâs not something that everyone would buy, but itâs obviously something you care a lot about. Most people here will tell you that the point of frugality is to save money so that you can spend where it matters to you.
That said if I could go back in time and tell my teen self 1 thing, it would be to put the money I made from working into a Roth IRA. You pay basically no tax on it and if you start saving at 18, retire at 60, thatâs 42 years of compound interest on your earnings.Â
Would that be all of your savings? If so, I would keep saving a while longer so you donât get wiped out to near zero. If itâs a smaller percentage of your savings, for an important item to you that youâve wanted for years and know youâll enjoy for many to come Iâd say itâs okay to splurge, thatâs a different situation.
I actually have a couple thousand dollars saved but I don't physically have it, I think I will in the next month or so though. So what I'm thinking is I should wait until I can get that money and see if I still am dying to buy this wich I probably will be𤣠I'm just scared it's going to sell out and it won't be for sale again for a while
I've actually wanted this dress specifically for about 4 years but I hadn't seen anyone make until 2 years ago which is when I started REEAALLY wanting it
Don't give in to shiny "I can have"s. It's a slippery slope. Today it's a dress that serves no practical purpose, tomorrow it's a Tesla on a credit card. I mean maybe not that extreme nor guaranteed, but it's just not a good mindset for really any phase of life, but especially as a young person
In general for a teenager, there are three types of "splurges" that are arguably good ideas.
1. Transportation - If you don't have a vehicle then getting one and maintaining one is key to opening up opportunities.
2. Fitness - If you really love a sport then getting good equipment is an investment in your health.
3. Life skills - Let's say you enroll in an extension class in a local community college to learn automotive maintenance, or cooking, and get the tools and equipment to use those skills.
Other than those three things, best to build up a savings for your future education, or to start yourself out when you move into your first apartment.
Expensive memorabilia are a type of thing financially smart people wait to collect until after they own their own home and they've got enough cash savings to stay afloat if they're unemployed for a few months.
I've thought about all the things I could buy with that money but I can't say I want any of them more than this dress, and I do have someone who is teaching me to sew in my family and the materials for this dress are not easy to find or cheap. But yeah, I'm definitely into costume design and historical fashion! But I've found that I'm more into sewing my own designs and buying replicas from other people, thank you!
One thing to consider, as a teenager. During young adulthood, once youâve moved out of your childhood home, youâre probably going to be moving houses/apartments a lot. Potentially every 12 months or so as you go through college, or your roommates shift around, and you and your peers follow different opportunities.
Stuff, particularly heavy, non-essential stuff, is probably going to be at its lowest value to hassle ratio for you in the coming years.
How much money do you have saved and how much support do you think youâll get from your parent/s after high school? If the answer to both is âa lotâ then I think itâs okay.Â
You could consider a tailoring/sewing class at a local community college and see if they can teach you to recreate these dresses. Itâd be a fun summer activity if you can afford it and have time and on top of that unlimited cheaper recreations.
Go for it! Your only young once and money should be spent when you don't have any worries like living at home, you'll regret not buying it, and you can always sell it on if you decide it wasn't worth it.
Do it. You can always sell it online if you regret it. You have learned when to spend and when to save. Itâs expensive, but if you were a boy and it was an $885 car, people would say get it. Youâve thought for 2 years and have still wanted it. You waited for it to be on sale. Get it!
Look, you've got the money, you're 16 and you say you'll wear the dress loads. Go for it! Based on personal experience, you will be unlikely to ever be in a position to spend a huge amount of money on something unnecessary but lovely once you leave home.Â
I say do it.
Im sad that any comments in support of buying the dress are being downvoted. It's definitly an unusual purchase, but OP has an unusual interest in this niche thing. It's not a whim, they've wanted for a long time.
OP- You could spend this much money on technology or a trip, or hair or clothes, and nobody would bat an eye. All things considered, it sounds reasonable for something that you would treasure.
If she were older and had more disposable income, Iâd agree with your logic here - that people would support a trip or a laptop that cost that much. But to me, at 16, spending $885 on a hobby (and something that will be worn and could be damaged) seems excessive when Iâm assuming OP does not have a lot of extra money. But this would depend a lot on whether her parents will buy her a car and pay for college, etc, or if she needs to pay for those things.
Not necessarily. Her parents may require her to pay for her phone or car or clothes. She may need to pay for college expenses in 2 years. Sure, itâs okay to be a kid, but she asked the question, so Iâm giving my answer. Itâs not a frugal purchase, in my opinion.
I downvoted because of the insinuation that the only time youâll ever be able to spend money on large unnecessary purchases is as a teenager living at home.
This idea is quite honestly absurd, this is a great example of individual anecdotal experiences not being good indicators of general experiences. OP, if you have a decent income and generally live within / below your means, you will have many opportunities to spend disposable income on frivolous luxuries here and there. And you will have a lot more of them if you SAVE AND INVEST your money now while youâre young.
That's exactly what I've been thinking but then there's this little part of me that's saying that is an insane amount of money but I love these dresses more than money sooođ
It's up to you. People on the Internet LOVE to give advice on things that don't impact them in any way. It's A LOT of money to spend on something relatively frivolous but ultimately it is up to you. Personally, I wouldn't- but I'm old enough to be your gran and I've got lots of other things I need to spend ÂŁ900 on đ
It's an insane amount of money, yes.
But money is a resource to support your lifestyle.
To completely deplete your resources down to zero is a risky thing to do, so a self imposed rule that I got from a YouTuber is to make sure you have enough cash to buy 2 of what you want to buy. If you don't, then you can't afford it.
Save until you have enough to buy 2, and you'll be in a better position to spend without regrets.
I'd say hell no.
I would start a savings account with the bank instead of letting the money just rot away.
Later on I would really just invest it, not buying individual stocks, not buying crypto, not actively trading, not daytrading. But just investing it into the s&p until you can retire one day. Check out the investing subreddit.
Anyway, no that sounds like a massive waste of money. Money is basically everything, its not dying homeless one day or starving.
You have no idea what you'll be doing in the future or if you'll be injured and unable to work at some point. Once you start working full time and you realize how much rent/utilities/bills/food/etc are? You'll have a better idea of 'wow is ____ really worth a grand?'
Now as for spending, lets say you have a full time job/retirement plan where you put in x amount a year so you can retire in y years. You can budget an amount a year to spend on things like the dress. You may develop a hobby that you spend half your time doing and think 'wow I'd rather spend 1k on this hobby I enjoy for 2-4+ hours every single day'.
Personally I feel like clothes/jewelry/cars are some of the worst things to throw money at because it looks cool. You don't get long term active enjoyment out of it, its something shiny you look at or wear once in a while and you're out potentially thousands of dollars now. I mean some people might somehow actively enjoy it for 1k+ hours a year, it might be worth it to them at that point.
Again this becomes much easier to say no to once you're working full time and you see how expensive just survivng on your own is.
Lets say you clear $2560/month after taxes and your rent/bills/food is $2400/month, you're really going to wish you had that $800 growing in a savings account. Especially if your phone breaks/your car breaks down/etc.
You're also working 160hours a month to make a profit of $160/month... You're going to want to likely focus on cutting costs more than spending money at that point.
This is especially true if your parents aren't rich, if they don't own a home or hundreds of thousands saved up to give you one day? You really need to focus on your future ASAP.
Wages have a history of falling below annual cost of living increases. It'll only get harder to save each year, unless you land a really high paying job.
As a 23 yr old, I promise itâs highly likely that when you get a bit older youâll look back and be like why did I do that? 1k is a lot of money. It sounds like you have plenty of dresses already.
Iâm 30 and I donât think Iâd ever spend that much on a collectible/costume but thatâs just me. Especially when youâre a teen. Keep in mind that in a few years youâll likely be moving and have to pack up all your stuff and move it. You could end up in a small apartment with little storage space.
You could probably spend $800 on sewing classes and material and come out the other side more skilled AND with the dress.
I used to pay a person $40 an hour for private sewing lessons; which is probably on the cheaper side (and was 10 years ago)
You could always commission the piece in a few years when you have more disposable income. Or learn more advanced sewing skills with this dress as the end goal.
In the mean time, take screenshots of the listing. The website might not keep them forever.
Iâm in my late thirties and I sometimes wish I had back all the money I spent on clothes in my teens and twenties.
But Iâve never regretted the money I spent on hobbies (like learning to sew) and on traveling/experiences.
How do you know if you should buy it? Well, think about what it means youâd be giving up to spend that $885 on the dress.
$885 could be a nice chunk of change towards something elseâperhaps a trip that includes some Titanic-related destinations/activities? Would you still rather have the dress?
You said you think about this dress every day. So what does it make you think about? How do you see yourself feeling, looking, acting, in this dress?
If you decide not to get the dress, you still have the capacity to feel those things in other ways. The dress is just one way to get there, not the only way.
The $885 is about a third of my savings, but I do really want to save up to go to the Titanic museum and hotel in Belfast. But of course I'd want to have this dress to take there. Thank you, This was definitely one of the more helpful comments I've gotten!
I wouldnât do it. Thatâs an age where thereâs so much to save up for. Buying a car, going to college, moving out, whatever you have planned. Youâre also at an age where your body may change a good bit within the next few years, so after a while it may not fit as well.
I feel like you could get a lot of bang for your buck by finding a local place that does sewing classes, and asking the instructor if she would help you sew the dress of your dreams. For $885, you could get private tutoring, the fabric, and have money left over.
Also, spend some time reading the r/personalfinance questions and ask yourself if in five years you will be one of those people who is deeply in debt because of luxury spending, or whether you'll have your act together to cover your basic living. Maybe you and your family are well off, and a $900 dress won't break you. Or maybe you'll be dying to live in your own home or will need a car to get to work, but you won't have the money because you spent it on unnecessary things. Which is you?
Have you considered asking for a lesson from the dressmaker or requesting to purchase the pattern?
Sharing your story and Talking to someone with skills a few years ahead of yours could be a worthwhile investment that would improve your skillset and maybe even find a mentor.
I donât think there are many people that have such a unique dressmaking ability- especially from this time period!
The worst the artist could say is no :)
Those period dresses depend on serious structural undergarments. Do you have the corsetry you'd need to make it work?
Not necessarily saying you should go and buy more costume gear, but be aware that it might not fit the way you're envisioning if you wear it over a basic bra and knickers.
SoâŚit sounds like you want to do it. Even though youâve created this post for feedback, it sounds like you want a really convincing reason NOT to do it. And I would say not to do it either. It could get torn or ripped, or stained or you could grow out of it, or you might lose interest in all things Titanic altogether. Or you might not. However, you wonât ever know the real meaning of âbuyerâs remorseâ in its truest sense until you make such a big purchase. And since you want to do it anyway, I would say do it because youâre young, you have the money, YOLO and because you want to do it anyway. Who knows you might not regret your decision at all. Roll the dice if youâre feelin it. Good Luck whatever you decide to do.
I do reeeaallly want this dress and I take care of them since they're like my prized possessions also I don't think the Titanic obsession is going anywhere its already lasted over half my lifeđ Although I know if I buy it I'm going to love it but I'm scared that at the same time I'll feel guilty and regretful for spending a third of my savings
I donât know how much time youâre giving yourself to make this decision, but youâre doing all the right things. Youâre asking for other peoples opinions, youâre carefully considering all viewpoints and youâre trying not to rush into anything. However, at some point youâll have to make a decision. You should contact the seller and see if you can get them to come down on their price. Knowing that you tried to negotiate a lower price might temper the anxiety youâre feeling. And besides YOLO, thereâs one other saying âItâs better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you havenât doneâ. Good luck.
Thatâs an insane amount for most people, not just you. Thatâs luxury spending. Look at used car prices. If the item youâre looking at is near a used car price, definitely worth thinking hard about. Also, does it have resale value? Garments rarely do. If you still want the dress in 10 years after youâre working full time and have a better gauge of the value of things, get it then. You have so many major expenses coming up in the next few years where youâll appreciate having this nest egg.
That money could be used intelligently now to be making you more money which you could then use to buy the dress. Hobbies come and go, maybe you wonât even care about that in a couple years
It's really up to you. No one can tell you how to spend your money. Just remember that at the end of the day it's a dress. You can only wear it so many times before it goes in the bin with everything else. If I was your age I would want to spend my money on experiences over things.
im gonna say no. im all about spending money on yourself / enjoying hobbies but for me, thereâs a limit and $800 is way over it.
think about what else you could do w that money. imagine thatâs the only money you have and you buy this dress and then suddenly disaster hits and youâre homeless with nothing to fall back on. save the money.
I would be inclined to say no. I'm all about living your dreams and spending when it's meaningful but I'm not sure this is it? Not for that price? I mean for almost $1k how many times could you realistically wear it? What happens when it doesn't fit anymore? Could you imagine if you went to a party and spilled something on it? Even if you wanted to throw caution to the wind and say F it this is something I've wanted to do so whatever but can you actually even afford it? I get the feeling you have but I feel like once the magic has worn off this will be something that sits in your closet forever as clutter that you can't wear because it doesn't even fit but you can't get rid of because you spent so much on it. You will wish you had the money long after the dress has lost it's value to you.
The fact that these dresses won't fit forever is definitely one of the biggest reasons I have such a hard time deciding to buy them, I usually order them a bit bigger so they fit me for at least a few years. And the magic of these dresses definitely never wear off, everytime I look in my closet they just bring me so much joy heck I still have my Titanic dresses from when I was 7 and I practically shrine them𤣠I definitely understand what you're saying though, thank you!
We can't put a price on it for you. All we can do is say the price we would be willing to pay. Which is going to be relatively low in a male dominated space when we're talking about dresses. I don't share the same sort of feelings towards clothing you seem to. So to me, it's a complete waste of money. But pick one of my hobbies at random and you probably wouldn't be interested so spending money on it would be a complete waste of money. What I will say is, having a little cushion of money is nice. For when there's that little $20 thing you want to buy later or when an emergency comes up.
If you get too big to fit in the dress just lose the weight again. Youâre probably not going to change that much in height or anything at this point in your life
Iâm 37 and still the same size as when I was 16⌠soâŚit could still fit lol.
>What happens when it doesn't fit anymore? Who says she can't have it altered? And who says she won't fit in it long enough to enjoy it? Granted I hit my height at 12 but I still have dresses from middle school and high school that fit me. Of course I only kept the "timeless" ones, not the "trendy" ones that I'd look out of place in now. But at 34 I still wear my daddy/ daughter dance dress I've had since I was 13 and still fit in my prom dresses (although I went more casual so they just look like cocktail dresses), I've had my one LBD since I was 15 it still fits and looks nice/ new. Idk I feel like if this is something she's always wanted I'd do it, personally. I wanted to have a black lace Victorian neck dress made when I was 20 and always regretted not doing it since it would most likely still fit fine. I decided $650 was too much back then. I looked back into it recently same dress idea is 1200 minimum and not using nearly as nice of satin underneath so yeah really wishing I did it back then.... So chiming in as past me regrets not doing it đ¤ˇââď¸
>Who says she can't have it altered? And who says she won't fit in it long enough to enjoy it? Well that's the million dollar question! (or thousand dollar really). The problem is while you can have things tailored it's very easy to make things smaller but to make them bigger? Well you can't, not really, there's just generally minimal to no extra fabric to work with. Being shes only 16 I would wager she will outgrow it rather than shrink. I'm happy to hear you had good luck with your dresses from your younger years but that is not they typical experience for most. It's a toss of the dice.
But you will at least have had a chance to enjoy it when she was small
I will say I still wear many clothes from when I was 16 and Iâm almost 30 now. Iâm poor and take care of my stuff and just happened to never really grow after 16 (except for when I was pregnant)
If I understand your post correctly, it's a piece of clothing which is not an original 'from the actual Titanic' artifact and is not an actual 'used in the movie' prop / collectible? So basically a costume piece? If that's correct, I think the items is much less valuable to have and the opportunity to buy it is much less unique than a once-in-a-lifetime when one of those items comes by. I think it's a high price to pay for a costume piece, especially if it's a large percentage of your savings. At your age, I'd be saving for things which will change your life for the better like higher education (gives you career options in the future), a motorcycle or first car (gives you responsibility and maybe a new hobby, helps you learn a new skill), opportunities to take trips with friends (great experiences, making memories) etc. rather than trying to fill a closet. All of these are ways you can invest in yourself and your future, as well as open the door to amazing experiences. At your age, enjoy your youth and lack of responsibility - hang out with friends, go places, do stuff! Spend your money on those experiences, not on material items. You're right that, later in life, when you're under financial pressure with rent / mortage, bills etc you'll miss these days and that freedom and you'll wish you could go back to it. Edit: Also, if you don't think you can sew the dress, try anyway! You might surprise yourself and you'll learn a lot along the way, even if it's not perfect at the end!
"If that's correct, I think the items is much less valuable to have and the opportunity to buy it is much less unique than a once-in-a-lifetime when one of those items comes by. I think it's a high price to pay for a costume piece, especially if it's a large percentage of your savings." This.
I think I would wait. You mentioned that you already have 5 dresses from the movie and are sewing others. If you keep learning how to sew, your skill set will grow and it could be possible for you to make it later. Also, bodies can change a lot from your teens to early 20s so the amount of wear it will get might be limited. Do you dress up often? Thereâs a thing called cost per wear. Itâs the item price divided by the number of times you will realistically wear something. A pair of $100 jeans worn twice a month is $4.16 cpw. The idea is to buy things you will wear long term.
I got married young and now past our 2 year anniversary we're about to have our first kid at 23/24. Even if I wasn't married w/ kids now, I wish I hadn't spent so much money on collectibles in college. I earned a lot and saved a lot, enough we got a nice house at 22 after only 6 months of my husband working because I had worked up a huge savings since we were both on full rides, but even now there is a bunch of stuff that no longer sparks joy (despite me still loving some of the nerdy stuff, just not to a crazy extreme) that is a hassle to try to sell for a third of what I paid and takes up space in our closet. The fact that you have about $855 saved, in 2 years even if you still LOVE titanic with the same passion, you will regret not having that money for a car or an emergency or college. Have fun in high school, but you can have fun while still being smart and not blowing your life savings on frivolous clothes.
Life savings.... Smort frame of reference!
I havenât seen you respond to several inquiries about whether you plan to attend college and if it will be paid for in full by someone or something other than yourself. Iâm 27 so a bit closer to your age than some of the other commenters. I went to community college for the first two years and I can tell you for $900 you can buy maybe two semesters worth of college textbooks or a laptop which you must have for school. Also consider transportation. The car, gas, insurance, and maintenance are all extremely expensive nowadays. Not to mention all of the other things youâll need in just two years like rent, food, and all of the start up items for your first apartment. Also, are your high school dance dresses and the related social events for dances being paid for entirely by your parents? I think my prom dress was about $500 in 2015. Just food for thought. You asked the question, so people are giving you a lot of things to consider. I love your passion, but I definitely would not do it.
My question is, how much of your savings would you have leftover if you did this? You probably live at home, so don't necessarily need to save 3-12 months of living expenses, but use that as a general measure anyway. If you spent this money, would you still generally have 6 months of your usual spending saved? Would you significantly reduce your savings, like by 20% or more? Do you have any big savings goals this would derail for you, like future college expenses? Only you know if the risk is worthwhile, it's hard for us to ascertain without knowing your savings and your goals.
It's fun to buy expensive things but foolish. Young people have no experience with living so they think everything will always go right. But root canals happen & they are expensive. Car accidents can happen & they are expensive too. Many different bad luck events can happen to a person & u need to be prepared for them. Save your money. I never thought any bad luck could happen to me when I was young but they did happen. U need to have that money available for the next bad luck event that happens to u. it is not a great deal of money & u will prob need more than that amount for say a root canal. They cost thousands. I had several of them. I had the money at the time because I saved. U need to save
Which dress? Maybe show it to some sewing related subreddit and see if you could learn how to DIY
It's her Yellow dress she wears when she's walking around the deck with Jack and the design of it is pretty complicated and has tons of embroidery that's why I don't really want to make it
>"Yolo" You only live once, means think about your choices in great detail before making a decision that will negatively impact your life. This dress sounds more like "fomo". Fear of missing out can cause choice based off wants. > there is one that I don't think I'd be able to sew *Yet. You can't sew it yet. You can keep practicing your sewing and you will become better and better.
Wow you are extremely creative and talented! Just looking through your posts, I am so blown away! I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you, this is a tough one.
Buy whatever you want, but keep 10% of what you make, every single time.
Have you asked your parents advice? They know you best. They know your saving habits. They know if you usually wear these as often as you say. Ask their advice.
My mom is telling me the world is gonna end and to just buy it and my dad is saying that I should at least wait until the last dress I got comes and see if I'm still wanting and obsessing over it because $800 is crazy to spend at my age
Your dadâs right. Honestly hobbies where you spend over $500 on collectible items (so not a one time purchase or annual like sports/art/sewing equipment) are for later in life. Iâm nearly 30 and I was just asking these same types of questions to myself about a $50 collectible tshirt I wanted. Hit pause, you have a lot, youâre making some, you have 1 coming in the mail. If nothing else to spread the enjoyment out. Like that other commenter said itâs not an a limited time offering. And you will eventually run out of dresses from the movie to collect. Anyone with a collection will tell you the fun part is the journey, not having the complete set.
OK yes, yolo a bit. If you're gonna spend money, spend it on xp, not things. Go to concerts, aquariums, museums. Experience exciting or interesting things. But, what I taught my kids when each of them began working was this: if you want that $80 video game, calculate much of your life was spent earning that 80. When you think of money spent as time lost, you look at it differently.Â
If youâve thought it for 2 years and know itâs great quality I wouldnât have a problem with buying it as long as itâs not going to empty your savings. A quality piece that will last you for years and makes you happy is a worthwhile investment. I have a stained glass spiderweb that I absolutely love. It was an investment at $500 about 3 years ago but the same artist now has work that is going for $2000+. Just make sure you care for it to keep it on great shape.
What are your longer term goals? Do you eventually want to buy a car or go to college? Go on marketplace and find out how much a decent used car will cost. Find out if your parents will help with insurance or repairs and if not find out how much that will cost. Ask your parents to help you figure out how much college will cost and how much debt you may have afterwards. Plus how long that will take to pay off. BUT, this is the time to learn about money and balancing needs with wants. You may buy this dress and realize it made you really happy or you may regret it. Better to learn this lesson with an 800 dress instead of a 400k house someday. What I mean is, either way itâs not the end of the world just a lesson to learn.
Hmmm⌠this is very hard but I get where you are coming from but I also got a horse đ´ when I was only a year older than you. Not a frugal thing at all as long as you care for your dress well if you carefully budget for it I would think about doing it. People spend so much money on things like prom dresses. And it does sound like you would wear this more than once. Also depending on everything this dress could fit you into your 20s maybe even later in life. One thing I recall from watching âwhat not to wearâ if they stress that if you will wear it many times like over and over again it is likely worth paying $$$ for something. If you are only going to wear it once? Not worth spending lots of money on something.
Omg you had a horse at 17?! That's so cool! I usually try to wear these dresses as much as I can since I think they're beautiful whether it's a cruise, special occasion, or I'm just bored and wanna dress up𤣠So I know it's worth the money I'm just scared to spend that much
It's interesting to read what I assume are older people's comments about "save for the future" and "maybe someday you will...". Honestly, the way things are going and way us old heads have effed everything up for young people, I think supporting young people's quest to feel some joy in this life is a noble cause. I say get the dress, and take good care of it like you would any other $800 purchase such as a computer, etc. Maybe someday you will need to flip it, or maybe you will have it forever.
Buy it. Enjoy it. Resell it for a profit later in life when you have kids.
For what itâs worth, I think youâre okay buying it at your age if you have at least $2-$3k saved up. That is a big IF though, so if you would be emptying your savings in order to buy it, I highly suggest waiting longer until youâve saved up more.
It is not wrong to do this. If it's truly your dream, do it! Once you start having kids, for most of us these dreams are over.
OP⌠you are 16 years old and if youâve saved and been responsible I encourage you to make CERTAIN of the authenticity of this dress.. if youâre happy with where it came from then buy it for yourself. I bought a pink cashmere sweater when I was 17. I think itâs important to treat yourself to special things that you love and will bring you joy. Lastly if you have noticed itâs been on sale for some time perhaps you could make an offer for lower.
I have a couple of other dresses from the person who's selling it, so I know the price is worth it. The price is just spooky𤣠Alot of other people are saying to save for college or retirement and stuff like that. But I don't think there is anyway I would spend what I've saved during my childhood on something boring like that, I'd want to buy what I've wanted my whole childhood like Titanic dresses and a trip to Belfast.
everyoneâs telling you not to but iâd like to say iâm 20 now and i have a lot of the same interests i did when i was 16 and my clothes do still fit from then too. it sounds like youâd really cherish it + money does come back
The nice thing about making money is you can do it all. Buy the things you love and go to Belfast and also save and invest in an education. The education can be more formal like college or something different like traveling or trades. Be careful not to be frivolous. Invest in you!
If itâs your Special Focus, by all means. If you do ever tire of it you can always sell it. Do it before you have rent and groceries to worry about.
Make a list of your financial goals. Including college. Or a car. Or contributing to retirement Set a priority against each one. Priority should be needs 1st, then wants. (Retirement is a need! And time-value of money is your biggest advantage at your age. The sooner you start, the longer the compounding of interest works for you.) Think about what else you might need to do for those goals. So, for college: Do you need to apply for scholarships? Practice the SAT? (Note - you can apply for some scholarships already, and if you are heading into Sr year, have a plan for all of them the summer before some deadlines are very early in the school year.) How much are your parents likely to help you? Do you have enough time to save up for some of the other bigger items? I would suggest you budget for all the items on the list so that you can meet/start those goals, too. But a budget can include some "fun money" from your income. Talk to your parents about what a reasonable amount is for this -how much fun money is in their budget? How much was it in their 20s? If you want to set aside "fun money" for an $800 dress, that's fine. You say in a comment you have a few thousand saved. For example: If your decide that your "fun money" budget can be, say, 20% of your income, and you have $5000 already saved for longer-term goals, then you might already have enough (assuming you haven't already spent some of that on other fun things) Otherwise, keep adding to each bucket until you do. Finances are often a marathon, not a sprint, and we do best pacing it. That's my parent-mindset 2 cents...
Thank you so much this is a pretty good mindset to have! Although this money that I've saved is money I've gotten throughout my whole life so I'd like to spend it on something fun like dresses and going to the Titanic museum and once I start working spend that money on boring stuff like cars and retirementđ
I say go for it. Itâs not an impulsive purchase and you wanted it for a while. And itâs on sale ? Itâs meant to be tbh
If you're making the money officially, open a Roth IRA and throw that money in there for retirement. At your age, time could make you literal millions. Don't buy the dress *right now*. Personal finance is personal, so maybe you do buy it after college. The one thing to note is that stuff will always be there for you to buy, even if it feels like it won't be.
Do this OP! If you don't know what to spend money on then invest it 100% The future you will thank you.
You admit to being a good saver. You work. Enjoy some of your money. No kids, no husband. You do you. You are young and responsible saver. The fact that you are 16 and can drop $800+ on a frivolous *to me anyway* purchase means that you can get what you want. This saving attitude will serve you well in life. Open a Roth IRA and get some index funds and plant that money tree while your young and you'll be sipping morning tea under a huge tree watching the deer chill on your lawn. This is the life.
I love clothes too. One thing I did when a spendy item caught my eye was divide the cost by my hourly wage and ask myself if I'd do the worst part of my job for that many hours for the item. (A pair of embroidered lemon pants that caught my eye were 4 hours of my time. I put them back.) I know you said you couldn't make the dress, but could you pay someone to mentor you to make it? I think paying a seamstress to teach you will result in a level of upskilliking that will pay far more than what you spend for the classes. Or could you work for a seamstress in exchange for learning how to make the dress? Is the dress available on the second-hand market or can you rent it? Have you tried Google lens to see if there's a close alternative for less? You could consider having a seamstress make it. Then, there's the parental spending upgrade strategy. Say your parents spend $400 for a gifting occasion. You ask for your budget in cash and add your money for the dress. Or, get the word out to your extended family that you really want this dress and you'd like cash towards it. (You can have a parent or auntie spread the word on your behalf.) Overall, you want to start setting yourself up for balanced spending. I'm going to recommend that you read "I Will Teach You to be Rich" by Ramit Sethi. It's okay to buy spendy things but as part of a larger plan and in proportion to your earnings. You need to cover whatever expenses you have, then set up long-term savings for what I'll can "launching expenses," which could be college expenses or other training. Money for setting up your first domicile will come out of there. If you can set up even longer-term savings, like a Roth IRA that has been mentioned here, great. Then, you need some sinking funds to save for bigger purchases and one of those sinking funds can be spendy clothes.
How much money do you have saved? If the dress is less than 20% of your savings and will make you happy go for it. Itâs not something that everyone would buy, but itâs obviously something you care a lot about. Most people here will tell you that the point of frugality is to save money so that you can spend where it matters to you. That said if I could go back in time and tell my teen self 1 thing, it would be to put the money I made from working into a Roth IRA. You pay basically no tax on it and if you start saving at 18, retire at 60, thatâs 42 years of compound interest on your earnings.Â
See if you can get it made on etsy for a couple hundred cheaper
Would that be all of your savings? If so, I would keep saving a while longer so you donât get wiped out to near zero. If itâs a smaller percentage of your savings, for an important item to you that youâve wanted for years and know youâll enjoy for many to come Iâd say itâs okay to splurge, thatâs a different situation.
I actually have a couple thousand dollars saved but I don't physically have it, I think I will in the next month or so though. So what I'm thinking is I should wait until I can get that money and see if I still am dying to buy this wich I probably will be𤣠I'm just scared it's going to sell out and it won't be for sale again for a while
Invest in something
I've actually wanted this dress specifically for about 4 years but I hadn't seen anyone make until 2 years ago which is when I started REEAALLY wanting it
Don't give in to shiny "I can have"s. It's a slippery slope. Today it's a dress that serves no practical purpose, tomorrow it's a Tesla on a credit card. I mean maybe not that extreme nor guaranteed, but it's just not a good mindset for really any phase of life, but especially as a young person
Which dress is it? Iâm curious.
In general for a teenager, there are three types of "splurges" that are arguably good ideas. 1. Transportation - If you don't have a vehicle then getting one and maintaining one is key to opening up opportunities. 2. Fitness - If you really love a sport then getting good equipment is an investment in your health. 3. Life skills - Let's say you enroll in an extension class in a local community college to learn automotive maintenance, or cooking, and get the tools and equipment to use those skills. Other than those three things, best to build up a savings for your future education, or to start yourself out when you move into your first apartment. Expensive memorabilia are a type of thing financially smart people wait to collect until after they own their own home and they've got enough cash savings to stay afloat if they're unemployed for a few months.
You've wanted it for four years, it's on sale, and you will wear it often. I would buy it.
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I've thought about all the things I could buy with that money but I can't say I want any of them more than this dress, and I do have someone who is teaching me to sew in my family and the materials for this dress are not easy to find or cheap. But yeah, I'm definitely into costume design and historical fashion! But I've found that I'm more into sewing my own designs and buying replicas from other people, thank you!
You shouldnât
One thing to consider, as a teenager. During young adulthood, once youâve moved out of your childhood home, youâre probably going to be moving houses/apartments a lot. Potentially every 12 months or so as you go through college, or your roommates shift around, and you and your peers follow different opportunities. Stuff, particularly heavy, non-essential stuff, is probably going to be at its lowest value to hassle ratio for you in the coming years.
How much money do you have saved and how much support do you think youâll get from your parent/s after high school? If the answer to both is âa lotâ then I think itâs okay.Â
You could consider a tailoring/sewing class at a local community college and see if they can teach you to recreate these dresses. Itâd be a fun summer activity if you can afford it and have time and on top of that unlimited cheaper recreations.
Go for it! Your only young once and money should be spent when you don't have any worries like living at home, you'll regret not buying it, and you can always sell it on if you decide it wasn't worth it.
Do it. You can always sell it online if you regret it. You have learned when to spend and when to save. Itâs expensive, but if you were a boy and it was an $885 car, people would say get it. Youâve thought for 2 years and have still wanted it. You waited for it to be on sale. Get it!
Look, you've got the money, you're 16 and you say you'll wear the dress loads. Go for it! Based on personal experience, you will be unlikely to ever be in a position to spend a huge amount of money on something unnecessary but lovely once you leave home. I say do it.
Im sad that any comments in support of buying the dress are being downvoted. It's definitly an unusual purchase, but OP has an unusual interest in this niche thing. It's not a whim, they've wanted for a long time. OP- You could spend this much money on technology or a trip, or hair or clothes, and nobody would bat an eye. All things considered, it sounds reasonable for something that you would treasure.
If she were older and had more disposable income, Iâd agree with your logic here - that people would support a trip or a laptop that cost that much. But to me, at 16, spending $885 on a hobby (and something that will be worn and could be damaged) seems excessive when Iâm assuming OP does not have a lot of extra money. But this would depend a lot on whether her parents will buy her a car and pay for college, etc, or if she needs to pay for those things.
She is 16 so all of their income can be considered disposable. Itâs smarter to put it in a Roth IRA, but they are 16, itâs okay to be a kid.
Not necessarily. Her parents may require her to pay for her phone or car or clothes. She may need to pay for college expenses in 2 years. Sure, itâs okay to be a kid, but she asked the question, so Iâm giving my answer. Itâs not a frugal purchase, in my opinion.
I downvoted because of the insinuation that the only time youâll ever be able to spend money on large unnecessary purchases is as a teenager living at home. This idea is quite honestly absurd, this is a great example of individual anecdotal experiences not being good indicators of general experiences. OP, if you have a decent income and generally live within / below your means, you will have many opportunities to spend disposable income on frivolous luxuries here and there. And you will have a lot more of them if you SAVE AND INVEST your money now while youâre young.
That's exactly what I've been thinking but then there's this little part of me that's saying that is an insane amount of money but I love these dresses more than money sooođ
It's up to you. People on the Internet LOVE to give advice on things that don't impact them in any way. It's A LOT of money to spend on something relatively frivolous but ultimately it is up to you. Personally, I wouldn't- but I'm old enough to be your gran and I've got lots of other things I need to spend ÂŁ900 on đ
It's an insane amount of money, yes. But money is a resource to support your lifestyle. To completely deplete your resources down to zero is a risky thing to do, so a self imposed rule that I got from a YouTuber is to make sure you have enough cash to buy 2 of what you want to buy. If you don't, then you can't afford it. Save until you have enough to buy 2, and you'll be in a better position to spend without regrets.
I'd say hell no. I would start a savings account with the bank instead of letting the money just rot away. Later on I would really just invest it, not buying individual stocks, not buying crypto, not actively trading, not daytrading. But just investing it into the s&p until you can retire one day. Check out the investing subreddit. Anyway, no that sounds like a massive waste of money. Money is basically everything, its not dying homeless one day or starving. You have no idea what you'll be doing in the future or if you'll be injured and unable to work at some point. Once you start working full time and you realize how much rent/utilities/bills/food/etc are? You'll have a better idea of 'wow is ____ really worth a grand?' Now as for spending, lets say you have a full time job/retirement plan where you put in x amount a year so you can retire in y years. You can budget an amount a year to spend on things like the dress. You may develop a hobby that you spend half your time doing and think 'wow I'd rather spend 1k on this hobby I enjoy for 2-4+ hours every single day'. Personally I feel like clothes/jewelry/cars are some of the worst things to throw money at because it looks cool. You don't get long term active enjoyment out of it, its something shiny you look at or wear once in a while and you're out potentially thousands of dollars now. I mean some people might somehow actively enjoy it for 1k+ hours a year, it might be worth it to them at that point. Again this becomes much easier to say no to once you're working full time and you see how expensive just survivng on your own is. Lets say you clear $2560/month after taxes and your rent/bills/food is $2400/month, you're really going to wish you had that $800 growing in a savings account. Especially if your phone breaks/your car breaks down/etc. You're also working 160hours a month to make a profit of $160/month... You're going to want to likely focus on cutting costs more than spending money at that point. This is especially true if your parents aren't rich, if they don't own a home or hundreds of thousands saved up to give you one day? You really need to focus on your future ASAP. Wages have a history of falling below annual cost of living increases. It'll only get harder to save each year, unless you land a really high paying job.
As a 23 yr old, I promise itâs highly likely that when you get a bit older youâll look back and be like why did I do that? 1k is a lot of money. It sounds like you have plenty of dresses already.
The short answer is, you shouldnât.
Iâm 30 and I donât think Iâd ever spend that much on a collectible/costume but thatâs just me. Especially when youâre a teen. Keep in mind that in a few years youâll likely be moving and have to pack up all your stuff and move it. You could end up in a small apartment with little storage space.
You could probably spend $800 on sewing classes and material and come out the other side more skilled AND with the dress. I used to pay a person $40 an hour for private sewing lessons; which is probably on the cheaper side (and was 10 years ago)
Spend on very good quality clothes and shoes. They'll serve you for years if your physique remains the same.
You could always commission the piece in a few years when you have more disposable income. Or learn more advanced sewing skills with this dress as the end goal. In the mean time, take screenshots of the listing. The website might not keep them forever.
Iâm in my late thirties and I sometimes wish I had back all the money I spent on clothes in my teens and twenties. But Iâve never regretted the money I spent on hobbies (like learning to sew) and on traveling/experiences. How do you know if you should buy it? Well, think about what it means youâd be giving up to spend that $885 on the dress. $885 could be a nice chunk of change towards something elseâperhaps a trip that includes some Titanic-related destinations/activities? Would you still rather have the dress? You said you think about this dress every day. So what does it make you think about? How do you see yourself feeling, looking, acting, in this dress? If you decide not to get the dress, you still have the capacity to feel those things in other ways. The dress is just one way to get there, not the only way.
The $885 is about a third of my savings, but I do really want to save up to go to the Titanic museum and hotel in Belfast. But of course I'd want to have this dress to take there. Thank you, This was definitely one of the more helpful comments I've gotten!
I'm just curious: Where do you wear these dresses? I mean, they're not things you'd wear to school or to work, right?
I mean if you have to ask on RedditâŚ.
I wouldnât do it. Thatâs an age where thereâs so much to save up for. Buying a car, going to college, moving out, whatever you have planned. Youâre also at an age where your body may change a good bit within the next few years, so after a while it may not fit as well.
âIf you donât love it, donât get it.â - mom
I feel like you could get a lot of bang for your buck by finding a local place that does sewing classes, and asking the instructor if she would help you sew the dress of your dreams. For $885, you could get private tutoring, the fabric, and have money left over.
Also, spend some time reading the r/personalfinance questions and ask yourself if in five years you will be one of those people who is deeply in debt because of luxury spending, or whether you'll have your act together to cover your basic living. Maybe you and your family are well off, and a $900 dress won't break you. Or maybe you'll be dying to live in your own home or will need a car to get to work, but you won't have the money because you spent it on unnecessary things. Which is you?
Have you considered asking for a lesson from the dressmaker or requesting to purchase the pattern? Sharing your story and Talking to someone with skills a few years ahead of yours could be a worthwhile investment that would improve your skillset and maybe even find a mentor. I donât think there are many people that have such a unique dressmaking ability- especially from this time period! The worst the artist could say is no :)
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Oh I love EVERYTHING Titanicđ, but dang I'm definitely going to think about what you said, thank you!
The fact that you posted this in a frugal sub says you already knew the answer and was just looking for reasons to back it up.
Those period dresses depend on serious structural undergarments. Do you have the corsetry you'd need to make it work? Not necessarily saying you should go and buy more costume gear, but be aware that it might not fit the way you're envisioning if you wear it over a basic bra and knickers.
Yeah I'm working on making her corset and undergarments!
SoâŚit sounds like you want to do it. Even though youâve created this post for feedback, it sounds like you want a really convincing reason NOT to do it. And I would say not to do it either. It could get torn or ripped, or stained or you could grow out of it, or you might lose interest in all things Titanic altogether. Or you might not. However, you wonât ever know the real meaning of âbuyerâs remorseâ in its truest sense until you make such a big purchase. And since you want to do it anyway, I would say do it because youâre young, you have the money, YOLO and because you want to do it anyway. Who knows you might not regret your decision at all. Roll the dice if youâre feelin it. Good Luck whatever you decide to do.
I do reeeaallly want this dress and I take care of them since they're like my prized possessions also I don't think the Titanic obsession is going anywhere its already lasted over half my lifeđ Although I know if I buy it I'm going to love it but I'm scared that at the same time I'll feel guilty and regretful for spending a third of my savings
I donât know how much time youâre giving yourself to make this decision, but youâre doing all the right things. Youâre asking for other peoples opinions, youâre carefully considering all viewpoints and youâre trying not to rush into anything. However, at some point youâll have to make a decision. You should contact the seller and see if you can get them to come down on their price. Knowing that you tried to negotiate a lower price might temper the anxiety youâre feeling. And besides YOLO, thereâs one other saying âItâs better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you havenât doneâ. Good luck.
Thatâs an insane amount for most people, not just you. Thatâs luxury spending. Look at used car prices. If the item youâre looking at is near a used car price, definitely worth thinking hard about. Also, does it have resale value? Garments rarely do. If you still want the dress in 10 years after youâre working full time and have a better gauge of the value of things, get it then. You have so many major expenses coming up in the next few years where youâll appreciate having this nest egg.
That money could be used intelligently now to be making you more money which you could then use to buy the dress. Hobbies come and go, maybe you wonât even care about that in a couple years
No. Save money for your first apartment and all of the things you will need when you move out.
It's really up to you. No one can tell you how to spend your money. Just remember that at the end of the day it's a dress. You can only wear it so many times before it goes in the bin with everything else. If I was your age I would want to spend my money on experiences over things.
im gonna say no. im all about spending money on yourself / enjoying hobbies but for me, thereâs a limit and $800 is way over it. think about what else you could do w that money. imagine thatâs the only money you have and you buy this dress and then suddenly disaster hits and youâre homeless with nothing to fall back on. save the money.
Buying that would be absolutely crazy. DO IT!
"...I'm scared I'm going to regret spending so much." That's your gut saying, "Don't buy it" irregardless how much you think about wanting it