I’ve got some news for you – I’m a new mum! By that, I mean I am the owner of a beautiful Mulberry Bayswater satchel. Isn’t she just gorgeous?! I’m over the moon!

Let me guess, some of you (not *you* obviously – you’re cool), will be thinking – ‘but Charlotte, I thought you were a money blogger – I didn’t think you’d waste money’. Well, guess what Bozo, you can be savvy with money without dumpster diving and wearing potato sacks! 😉

That said – you KNOW I got a deal.

I’ve wanted a Mulberry bag FOR YEARS

When I got my first proper job at MoneySavingExpert.com, my boss at work had a Mulberry Alexa (not Martin!) and I thought it was the most beautiful thing ever.

After a really hard few years, I was starting to make money (hardly any, mind you!), and I decided I wanted to buy one in the future – when I had ‘made it’. It represented success to me.

There was a table for the ‘cheap’ bags under £300. I circled that room about three times, and each time I passed that table, new bags were being added.

That said, the idea of spending £1000 on a bag seemed more than unlikely – ever! I knew I’d have to get a discounted Mulberry – so kept an eye out for sales and discounts over the years, but either didn’t have the money, didn’t find the perfect bag in the sale, or couldn’t part with the cash!

Mulberry sample sale

I was so sure I was going to buy one when I started my job last year. I had been blogging for a couple of years and was making decent money – I thought I could treat myself because as a ‘well done to me’ kind of thing.

The men’s section

I went to the sample sale, saw the Alexa, but it wasn’t the colour I wanted, so couldn’t part with £800. I didn’t have enough in savings (what if I lost my job that week!?), overthought (or thought the right amount – depends on what you think!) and left empty-handed.

Once you sign up to a Mulberry sample sale, you will get an invite once or twice a year, inviting you to a sample sale.

The current one is in Regent Street (you can sign up here), but you know, they aren’t super exclusive – just stick in ‘Mulberry sample sale’ and the year into Google and you’ll be able to sign up.

Tackling a Mulberry sample sale

A Mulberry sample sale won’t be in a Mulberry store, or necessarily in the same place every year. Last year it was in a gloomy basement, but this year’s one is in Regent’s Street.

You’ll need to pay £2 in cash which goes to charity, actually RSVP to the invite (they check) and choose the time you attend very carefully.

If you don’t go during a quiet period (from about 2:30 – 4:30), there will be a lot of people there and the odds are you will need to queue to get in. That said, you may want to get there first thing on the first day to get the hot items (the black Alexa bags sold out within 30 minutes apparently) – so toughing out the crowds might be a good idea if you have a certain bag in mind.

Mulberry sample sales are a lot calmer than other ones I’ve been to. There is a lot of stock which often gets replenished. There’s no pushing and shoving and grabbing whatever you can before it gets stolen by others. The problem is there isn’t a lot of room, and a lot of people – so it’s not easy to navigate.

Thought a lot about buying this bag – especially as the discount was pretty massive. I

I also really like how many attendants are around, tidying up and willing to answer questions.

There aren’t only just bags in the sale, but clothes and accessories too – with shirts starting from £40. It’s not a load of junk either – there are iconic bags there, in the colours you want too.

I saw bags from £199 – £799. Most bags were at least 50% off, but saw some stonkingly big discounts too.

Make sure you CHECK that bag

My sample sale game-plan is to circle the room, picking up anything I like the look of, because if you leave it behind, there’s a good chance someone else will pick it up.

I take a look at the price, get on the free WIFI and google how much it costs brand new, whether it’s in the sale and how much they sell second hand on eBay etc. I just want as much information as possible when deciding to spend a lot of money.

This was the only Alexa in the sample sale, and I carried it around for a bit – but just didn’t *love* the colour.

I kept putting the bags down until I saw THE ONE. I fell in love straight away and started to get nervous because I knew I was going to do this.

I know it might sound silly to some of you, but spending that much money on a bag, when you’re so careful with cash or are not used to spending money like that is seriously nerve-racking.

I went into the corner of the room and inspected it really carefully because once you buy it, it’s yours. There’s no returning it if you change your mind or there’s something wrong with it, so you need to find any defects before paying.

The bag I bought is £895 on the Mulberry website, was initially reduced to £590, and then £395.

It was perfect. I circled a few more times to make sure I was doing this and went to pay! The second I joined the line, I started smiling like an idiot. I knew I had made the right decision.

I know there will be people out there who think it’s stupid to spend that kind of money on a bag (including my mother!), but the heart wants what the heart wants, eh? Plus, if you look after it properly, they have a high resale value.

My belief is, that it doesn’t matter how you spend your money, as long as you can afford it/have savings/will use it – life is short – enjoy your money.

Since posting about buying it, I’ve had HUNDREDS of women message me about the bag, and I feel like a new mother!

Have you ever forked out hundreds for a bag? Do you regret it? Love it? Let me know!

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