Ha.
The Frugal Hostess begs to differ. For the most part, you can find a cheap alternative to almost every top quality (and top dollar) purchase out there. If you are patient and have no shame, every single stinkin' thing in the whole wide world shows up at the thrift store (or in the garbage) sooner or later.
And on the "some clothes never go out of style" point? You couldn't be more wrong. Not that it matters to TFH whether you are stylish or not, but there is no such thing as an "investment" piece when it comes to clothing. Aside from the obvious decay-prone fibrous texture of said subject, why in all hell would a clothing company want something to last longer than a few seasons? You are better off finding things that look good on you and wearing them come hell or high water, fads be damned, because that so-called evergreen style piece does not exist.
So, what are some things that are worth paying more for?
Thus far, The Frugal Hostess has come up with the following list.
- Local, organic produce. It's actually not more expensive dollar-wise to buy local organics, but it usually takes more time because you have to source it.
- Non-C A F O meat. Seriously. If you won't pay more for it, you don't deserve to swallow a life. Sorry.
- Fair trade coffee. You're gonna drink coffee every day, and it's one of the largest cash crops in the known universe*, so make it fair. (*Statistics provided by www.itotallymadethatup.com and www.pulledoutofmyass.net.)
- Front row seats for your favorite performer. Which better be Paul Simon. Just kidding. Maybe.
- Pet food. Does that sound so yuppie-ish? TFH and FruHubs like to feed their pets organic food made out of meat and other recognizable foods, and if that makes them yuppies, then welcome to the revolution!
- Knives. Don't know why. But it's true - they cut better, stay sharp longer, and give you fewer repetitive stress injuries.
- Chocolate. This assumes that you like your chocolate like you like your women. Which is to say, brainy, with a touch of wildness in the eyes. Umm, no. Dark chocolate improves as the percentage of cacao increases, but that's more expensive. Make sense? (Bonus points for fair trade, BTW.)
- Ice cream. This is FruHubs' contribution. He believes, and FruHo concurs, that the pricey pints of Ben and Jerry's are a lot better than the gallon drums of imitation vanilla. One exception? Publix brand Buckeye Surprise (or something like that).
That's it, as far as The Frugal Hostess is concerned. What say you? Can you think of anything else that is better when it costs more? Leave your ideas in the comments.
The Frugal Hostess is currently running a give-away that no one wants to enter. Because it involves butts. Please enter the freaking give-away, already. Thanks.
Posts
you're awesome.
ReplyDeleteBeer. Life is too short to drink shitty beer. But for some reason drinking cheap wine is A-OK.
ReplyDeleteLast year I bought some cheap bras at Grocery Outlet, two for eight bucks. They didn't last. The elastic stretched out and the bras were quickly unusable. I would have been better off buying, like, the two for $23 bras at Costco, which would have lasted far longer. And the cups wouldn't have been like cardboard. Not that cardboard cups aren't flattering.
ReplyDeleteToilet paper--trust me on this. The Frugal Dad once bought generic. This was unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteCheese. Who wants cheap cheese which is usually really oily (greasy), doesn't melt and has no texture. This is not to say that the more expensive it is the better it is. Just buy a decent quality.
ReplyDeleteYou are all right! Except maybe Anonymous, who is actually The Frugal Mom. The store brand recycled TP from Publix is just fine by us. But maybe you're referring to that super-thin stuff that takes half a roll just to get started. Hmm. Yeah, that sucks.
ReplyDeleteUnderpants. I hate it when the elastic wears out before... well, before they are otherwise unuseable and I have to keep reaching (discreetly of course) into my pants to pull them back up.
ReplyDeleteForgive me if that is inappropriate. I'm not well.
haha, I love it when blog moms comment 'anonymously'! And I'm with you FH, Publix recycled TP rocks!
ReplyDeleteShoes - any time I buy cheap shoes for the kids they fall apart one day after the 30 day money back guarantee expires. Where do they get a glue with such an efficient time lapse on it?
ReplyDelete