This common 'shopping mistake' is costing you money in your wardrobe.

Picture this scenario.

An influencer you follow posts a photo on Instagram wearing a pair of shoes you absolutely love at first sight. You hit the tag button. The shoes are Miu Miu.

Bugger.

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You really want the shoes. They live rent-free in your mind for weeks, taking up headspace. But you can't… can you?

You do the maths. The shoes cost two weeks' rent; a mortgage repayment; a fortnight of childcare fees.

You take a look online and see if they're on sale anywhere. Nope.

So you do some Googling, see a decent-looking dupe on a questionable overseas website offering you a spinning wheel of dirt-cheap discounts… and you strike.

They're fake leather. Not very comfy. The shoes go unworn, gathering dust.

You can't stop thinking about the original pair. So you go back to the drawing board and start researching nicer options on the high street.

At the end of this little exercise, you've spent a few hundred bucks on shoes you're not really sure you wanted.

You've fallen for the lure of the "consolation prize".

I've made this costly mistake with budget shoes and blazers. I've spent more than I care to admit on "affordable" pieces that shrunk after one wash and left me with buyers' regret. All in the name of trying to replicate a style I loved, without splurging on the actual thing.

Honestly, I think I even did it on a subconscious level.

When I shared my "consolation prize" theory in a Reel on my Instagram page, so many women could relate.

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"All I ever do in this situation is wish I had the original item," Elena commented.

As another user put bluntly, "I end up buying the more expensive thing because the cheap one is shite."

Gemma is currently in this exact predicament. "I've been lusting over a pair of boots that are now $800," she told me.

"I've been trying to fall in love with cheaper boots, but I've had my heart set on these. I know that I'll wear them for the next five years and I'll get my value based on price per wear, but I'm a mum. Responsibly, I should spend more wisely."

But what's the wiser option, in reality?

The high street bargain or designer dupe might scratch the itch, but will it pay off?

One of the reasons sites like Shien and Temu exist (and even, while we're being self-aware, the likes of Zara) is to bridge the gap between desirability and ownership. To make fashion accessible.

Access to affordable clothing is essential in this economy — no question.

But often, fashion's "quick fixes" don't add any real value to our wardrobes.

The bigger problem is the throwaway mentality that comes with them — these items rarely possess much staying power. We don't associate them with quality, so we don't tend to value them.

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I'm not suggesting we spend all our cash on high-end fashion.

But if there's a style you really want and can't stop thinking about, it may be more financially responsible in the long-run to actually purchase it, instead of a handful of cheaper alternatives approximating the real thing.

As Jana commented on my video, "this has happened so many times (to me). The pieces I invested in I still love and wear, and the quality is amazing. Worthwhile saving and waiting for the real thing."

"I try to laybuy [expensive] items, it's a great way to budget for them," another follower suggested.

A larger outlay on a quality designer piece will give you years of mileage, and you'll almost certainly get your money back on cost-per-wear — because you'll really want to justify the purchase.

It might take time and a few sacrifices to acquire, but if it's truly wardrobe gold, it'll be worth it.

Do you buy consolation prizes? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Feature image: Supplied.