What things do you buy generic, thrift, or cheaply as possible?
What items do you spend more money on, either because of brand loyalty or you value it enough to spend the extra cash because it's worth the value?
What things do you buy generic, thrift, or cheaply as possible?
What items do you spend more money on, either because of brand loyalty or you value it enough to spend the extra cash because it's worth the value?
Last edited by oxyjen; 01-12-2015 at 09:50 PM.
Food. I have terrible eating habits so I go through long spells of eating very unbalanced meals. But when I actually buy food, I don't get the inferior brands. Similarly, I don't like going to restauraunts unless I think they make excellent food.
Leather shoes. I don't rotate my wardrobe much so they have to be good or they'll break in a month.
Skin creams, make-up, wax, perfume and shampoo. I'm kind of uptight about using bad products on my skin and hair. Oh yeah, and haircuts.
I also don't save on transportation. I can't own a car (and have no desire to), but I give a lot of importance to my security so I am ripped off by taxi drivers on a regular basis.
I don't care about brands in general, aside from all that. I don't care about technology, I'm happy with just a functional yet outdated phone or computer, I don't care about brand names in clothes (except for bras), I don't care about electronics or furniture or interior design in general. I'm perfectly content to live modestly and don't get any special satisfaction from buying fancy items. I also don't care how modest my living space is as long as it's in a relatively safe neighborhood and near the metro. I'll take a shoebox downtown over a palace in the suburbs any day.
Originally Posted by Hephaestus
I splurge on things like computers and things I collect (ie, toys).
I tend to seek out whatever's easiest/cheapest in everything else by default. That includes things like food, clothes, toiletries, etc.
Basically, if its fun, I'll splurge. If not, not.
Clothes. Especially shoes.
Books, provided they don't have somebody else's scribbles in them.
Household appliances, as long as they're not entirely hideous-looking and don't combust spontaneously.
Violin strings, bird feed, whisky and out-of-print books.What items do you spend more money on, either because of brand loyalty or you value it enough to spend the extra cash because it's worth the value?
Seconded.
Of all things, I wouldn't have expected you to smell of Old Spice.
I actually would expect Ptah to smell of Old Spice. xD
(Wait, is there something wrong with Old Spice?)
Yes. I often am confused by how obsessed people are with gigantic houses that the kill themselves over to earn enough to afford and sacrifice everything else.
In general, I guess the main things I splurge on are food and drink. I do travel cheaply. Occasionally technology if something really captures my mind. Books I generally get second hand.
Die Logik ist keine Lehre, sondern ein Spiegelbild der Welt. Die Logik ist transcendental. - Wittgenstein
Heh. Actually I use some cologne called "Egyptian King". It happened to be inexpensive. Regardless, it serves its purpose (as in: it seems to work well for whom I care it to), and so it has become the de facto/default. Otherwise, I honestly couldn't give a damn to use cologne whatsoever. Inessential, non-fun, etc. Hence, the budget for such things shall remain at what is deemed "minimally necessary".
Food: I will eat poorly at work (either provided food or whatever is available to buy), then have healthy stuff at home. I try to buy the cheapest good-quality stuff I can, wait for sales on things like pasta or other pantry items. I buy some organic stuff if the price is reasonable, good coffee, good cheese. I don't buy meat.
Grooming: I spend money only where I've found it makes a difference, so I have very short list of fancy department-store things I buy. Everything else comes from Target or the drug store, though I tend towards unscented/sensitive-skin items, which can sometimes be more expensive. I rarely get my hair cut--it's always pulled back.
Clothing and shoes: I try to have a handful of good quality clothes and shoes because I tend to wear a few things a LOT and repair them if needed. I typically wait for sales or go to "high-end" consignment stores or places like T.J. Maxx. Always leather shoes, and I take them to the cobbler often.
Books: New if I am looking for a particular translation or something unusual, otherwise used.
Electronics: I just need stuff that works. I use a smartphone because it makes my life simpler, and I have a lightweight laptop that I can travel with easily.
Housing: I value location over space, and I don't care about decoration or fancy furniture--I will make things work with what I have.
Travel: I tend to go where I know people, and I either buy cheap tickets or use miles for flights. Simple and clean hotels or hostels are perfect if I'm not staying with friends. I will buy tickets for museums, maybe a concert or play, etc., but I'm typically a bad tourist, and I don't really buy souvenirs. I might plan for one or two nice meals, but I really like trying whatever stuff is being sold on the roadside.
I think ostentation must be a big factor. It's one of those things that they want to show to people, like their car.
I don't know if there are actually people out there thinking, "I am happy as long as my house is beautiful." You're not really living life inside your home, so I find that logic even more disturbing than that of people who simply want to prove some kind of point about their social status - superficial, but at least something I can wrap my head around.
What if you just really really like staying in and you also happen to work from home?
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks