Maybe if enough people keep saying "poverty is expensive" it'll start to sink in.
This is exactly where I differ from my mother in terms of my way of thinking about material objects. Despite my parents' having far more money than I'll likely ever have, my mother is the consummate Wal-Mart shopper -- give her lots of whatever, so long as it's cheap. Me, I can't stand Wal-Mart, for reasons other than the political reasons, even. I don't see the point in buying cheap, shoddy crap that's just going to fall apart the second time you use it. I've had a running argument with her for years about Christmas/birthday/whatever presents -- I would rather have one expensive, perfect thing than a whole pile of mediocre junk, but I guess in her eyes I'm still a little kid who wants a mound of presents or something...
The other part of that is that even if you're going after the best one you can afford, you still don't have to pay retail. In the past year, I've bought a set of KitchenAid stainless steel cookware (on sale for 70% off), some very expensive designer curtains (75% off), a wool/silk blend Persian rug (90% off), and a Fender guitar ($300 off the list price). It is possible to own beautiful things if you haven't very much money, but you have to be prudent and watchful.
(no subject)
This is exactly where I differ from my mother in terms of my way of thinking about material objects. Despite my parents' having far more money than I'll likely ever have, my mother is the consummate Wal-Mart shopper -- give her lots of whatever, so long as it's cheap. Me, I can't stand Wal-Mart, for reasons other than the political reasons, even. I don't see the point in buying cheap, shoddy crap that's just going to fall apart the second time you use it. I've had a running argument with her for years about Christmas/birthday/whatever presents -- I would rather have one expensive, perfect thing than a whole pile of mediocre junk, but I guess in her eyes I'm still a little kid who wants a mound of presents or something...
The other part of that is that even if you're going after the best one you can afford, you still don't have to pay retail. In the past year, I've bought a set of KitchenAid stainless steel cookware (on sale for 70% off), some very expensive designer curtains (75% off), a wool/silk blend Persian rug (90% off), and a Fender guitar ($300 off the list price). It is possible to own beautiful things if you haven't very much money, but you have to be prudent and watchful.