A year ago last July I went to Honolulu with my college friend Sheri. This was a special trip for us as we were celebrating the 30th anniversary of first meeting as college freshman at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

The years have really zoomed by since then and this was an opportunity for us to reminisce about the past and plan for our futures. Of course, any good trip involves shopping.

One day, as a lark, I said that we should go in the Louis Vuitton store. I see people carrying expensive Louis Vuitton purses all the time and I was just curious to see how expensive they were.

I was surprised at the prices. How on earth do people afford such expensive purses????

One thing led to another and before I knew what was happening I fell in love with a Louis Vuitton bag named Beverly. Quicker than I could say "let's get the heck out of here" the clerk was packing it up and handing me a chic Louis Vuitton shopping bag containing my newly purchased purse.

At first I felt a little giddy and excited. By day 3 I was sweating bullets. What on earth was I thinking? This new purse named Beverly cost more than our sofa in the family room!

When I returned home I showed it to my husband Jeff. He asked me how much it cost and I wisely told him "too much" . I think he knew better than to prod for more details.

I must admit it has been difficult to enjoy this purse as I've been plagued with guilt over spending so much money. That is, until I walked into the new Louis Vuitton store near our home. I was curious to see if they were still offering Beverly.

Sure enough....there she was in all her Louis Vuitton glory. And, it was priced $230.00 higher than what I paid just one year ago.

Wow, the guilt over owning the purse is now gone. This wasn't a frivilous purchase after all! My Louis Vuitton purse is a financial investment.

In one year's time my purse has appreciated 23%. That's an impressive return by anyone's standards and makes me think that instead of putting my money in the bank maybe, just possibly, I should be buying more purses.........