Sunday, 18 October 2009
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"Poor People Can't Afford to Buy Cheap"
My dad has used this expression on several occasions and I truly understand what he means now. I was raised in a home where, yes, you do look for a bargain. When it's winter buy your summer clothes, and when it's summer, buy your winter clothes. Everything's on sale. But I was more so encouraged to believe "poor people can't afford to buy cheap," and "you get what you paid for." He was raised in a poor family growing up and found that sometimes it's better to spend the extra money and get better quality products.
For the longest time, I'd never buy pants over $20. I felt there wasn't a reason to buy pricey clothes. My thoughts on this changed when my uncle came to visit. In return for letting him use my room during his stay, he presented me with a $50 gift card to Macy's, a place I 'd come to accept as overpriced and overrated. But since it was "free" money, I decided to take advantage of it. And there they were, those $80 blue jeans. Lucky for me they were on sale for the great price of about $50 bucks -still way over budget. That was three years ago. Just a month ago I wore those same jeans to work and a co-worker took notice. "Are those new?" she asked. I laughed and realized that these pants were in great shape. Still had the nice dark color, still fit the same, no fraying or worn parts.
I've also noticed the same with my car. I drive an '04 Saturn Ion Quad Coupe. I love my car to say the least. But what I love even more about it is it's durability. I haven't had to have any major maintenance done to it other than the usual oil change or tune up. My dad used to buy older cars and I'd see him struggling to keep it going. I also noticed this with my ex. His mindset was to always look for a bargain, but in the end would have to continually fix up his car or replace something. I'll admit, the car loan payment takes a chunk out of my paycheck, but in the long run, it's worth it. Like with my silly pants. They've lasted through the years unlike a black pair I bought for $20. After the first wash they went from black to gray. I've seen this trend with other household items such as towels and kitchen utensils and not just clothes.
Not everything that's a low price is low quality. There are many products that are durable and very affordable. I shop at the Dollar Store, or Factory 2 U, and Target and all over for products. But in some cases I feel it's better to pay upfront. "Pay me now or pay me later." If you have to replace something inexpensive several times due to poor quality, wouldn't it be better to pay the larger price first and get better quality?
Do you look for a bargain all the time or do you go with my dad's motto of "Poor people can't afford to buy cheap?"
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- From: emra_cadaver@xanga
- Name: emra_cadaver
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Comments (15)
I have to say I'm tit for tat. Some things I buy new at a cost, others I like to get the cheap stuff. Clothing, I usually get at Target or WalMart, though my shoes I bought online for a hefty price. Electronics, I usually research and pick the best bang for my buck and have come to know what brands are good and which ones aren't. My car is a family hand-me down and with just 500 dollars I was able to revamp the motor and it runs great. Plus, I'm a mechanic is some respects.
The best solution is thrift shops. There you might find a great article of clothing for real cheap.;)
I agree with that regarding big ticket items, items that you will need to use for a while. Like a car, computer, furniture. For clothes, things like jeans, shoes, and coats count as well. I would also put jewelry in this category, as I would definitely prefer a few nice, real pieces of basic jewelry to having drawers and little boxes full of junky jewelry that wears out, breaks easily, and discolors. My example would be the pearl studs I bought with gold posts. Real pearls will last you forever, unless you try to break them. The gold studs will never turn my ears green, and just look nice.
However, there are some day to day things that can definitely be bought cheap and you will not suffer any. Toiletries. Most foods. Underwear :)
Agreed! When I look for a purse or something, I would go for a leather purse and make sure it fits my style. I'm still using the same one I bought in February and haven't regretted spending the extra $30 on it. When it comes to jeans and shirts, I usually look at discounts, like what you wrote in your topic. Before I go shopping, I usually write down what I need and go out and do exactly that... Otherwise, I would end up with extra clothes I don't need and feel bad about it. hehe :) Target is a great place to buy clothes and once in awhile, I would go out to Nordstrom and buy a nice dress shirt that I know will last me for awhile. For electronics, I try my best to stay up the day after Thanksgiving for Black Friday. All the electronics at Fry's or Circuit City come extremely cheap and are super durable. I'm still using my Sony CD player I got in 2004.
My family is a big fan of Costco, so when it comes to purchasing toilet paper or things in bulk, we're there!!
When it comes to electronics, I only buy brand names like Sony, HP, LG...etc. Brands that I have had good experiences with. I need things like a computer, TV etc to last for a long time.
I bought a $500 car, and have about $2000 into it, but it all the bugs work out and it is is a fraction of the cost, and my bf has one similar (Geo Metro) and the motors are bulletproof...the Metros have never left us stranded. My mom had a new Mercedes that wouldn't start first try and was all messed up...so I found that today's cars are crap no matter what.
I buy clothes at Walmart all the time and they are great! I have yet to have a problem with them. I buy clothes from mall stores like Aeropostale and all, and the clothes shrink and get misshapen so easily. The Walmart stuff lasts much better.
AGREE. Six months ago my vaccum broke. I was sick and my husband decided he would go buy a vaccum and clean for me. He came home with the cheapest one he could find. About 5 days ago I had to go buy ANOTHER vaccum. It was a perfect lesson for my husband that sometimes its worth spending the money to get quality products. Now for kids clothes I always go cheap. I cant see spending tons and tons of money on something my daughter is going to grow out of in 3-6 months. Clothes for myself I usauly end up spending a little more on, but they last me much much longer.
A bargain to me isn't buying something cheap. It's buying something of quality at a lower price than what it is being sold at in many other places.
I've gotten a pair of Diesel jeans for $11 at a consignment shop. I've also gotten jackets that aren't brand names but they fit me and my shape like a glove and I look sophisticated. I spent about $25 on each instead of running into a "brand name" store and grabbing the sales jacket for $20 (IF it even goes that low).
ditto with tigerdauphin
I look for good quality at a bargain price. I wanted a rainbow vaccuum clearner for years and found two at yard sales for pennies on the dollar for what they are worth. Sometimes peope are too lazy to clean up a car,house,boat, stove, etc and you can get a bargain because you are willing to do some cleaning and buy it clean it up and keep or resell it!
@jeepgirl0385@xanga - very interesting take on this. so the expensive brand name clothes shrank, but then the affordable ones at wal mart served you better? and same with the cars? we used to have a Hyundai that my dad got from a car rental place, i remember, and it lasted for a good while. that thing did not want to go down haha.
@tigerdauphin@xanga - thank you for defining bargain. i didn't really consider that when i wrote this. i should have also said, what is a bargain to you? to me, a bargain is also what you just said. something of great quality at an affordable price for your standards.
People often confuse good value with good price. Cheaper is not always better. There comes a point where it's actually worse for you.
I agree for the most part. I will pay money for good quality but I also am always looking for a bargin. I love yard sales and second hand shops. A lot of times those clothes still have the tags on them. For my daughters clothes- I trade with friends and buy cheap because shes going to grow out of them- or stain them up anyway.
I always read consumers reports before making any big purchase. I will spend the money if I know its going to last and I need it to last- like appliances or cars. I will not finance anything except a car or house. If I dont have the cash- I wait until I do.
@emra_cadaver@xanga -
Yeah, I find brand name clothes to be awful...they don't fit well or anything, and wash awful. I do much better at Walmart and Target. It has always been like that. My mom said when I was little she found the same thing to be true.
As for cars, it depends on the vehicle, luck, and who you know! But right now, I feel my 92 Geo Metro is more reliable than my 03 Jeep Liberty. Cars today have too much crap in them that causes them to be unreliable. How often does your computer crash? Now stick a computer in control of your car? Not a good plan...
I have an Inexpensive wear shop that sells cheapest Shirts and accessories with the wholesale price.
http://www.wearbuyers.com/
Apart from the occasional splurge that I justify to myself because it's something I can get a lot of use out of, or something to support a hobby of mine (most recently, I bought a Martin guitar, and though it was expensive, it was completely worth it; I also buy nice makeup, because it looks good and lasts a very long time), I buy what is cheap, especially for clothing, which is disposable anyway. I try to get plain, functional clothes that won't go out of style.Â
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