Expensive Items

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I was admiring my neighbors dish rack. Looked great, turns out it's $70 simple human. And I was admiring a friend's changing pad patemm, turns out it's $60 plus shipping.

I'd love to have both, but i can't justify spending that much stuff. Am I way off base? It's not the price, if I really wanted it, i'd get it. But is this normal?

Have I completely gone insane? I live in a HCOLA and I know people work really hard and make a lot of money, but it still seems like a lot of money.

[creditcardfree]

Uh yeah...those are a lot of money. I'm more drawn to the changing pad because of the bright cheery fabrics. I don't know why it is so hard to position a baby on a rectange or square!

You could make your own cover for any changing pad in a cheery fabric, if that is what is most appealing. Much cheaper.

I've never used a dish rack. I just dry our dishes, that we wash by hand, on a towel to air dry. Works for me!

[disneysteve]

$70 for a dish rack? It isn't you who has gone insane. We don't even use a dish rack. We put the dishes on a towel on the countertop as we wash them and then we dry them. We used to use a rack but it has been years. Back then, it was a Rubbermaid set that probably cost $5-$10.

As for the changing pad, we changed our kid either on the changing table top on her dresser if we were in her bedroom or on a blanket or little pad on the floor wherever we happened to be.

This is why people have no savings and tons of debt.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Those things would not be for me, either. I was amused to see that the dish rack and accessories are dishwasher safe. Duh, hand wash your dishes but put the dishrack in the automatic dishwasher?

Avoid excess babyage! I just visited a family with a newborn. They had five, --five!-- versions of baby-carrier-car-seats-bouncy-chairs on their living room hearth, plus a bassinet in the room. Baby was only being arm held.

[Slug]

For me it comes down to derived value. How much joy can you extract from the item? Is it really worth it to you to have a $70 dish rack? For some, maybe so. Maybe they use it everday and it is so astonishingly dependable at holding and drying their dishes that they feel it was a good investment.

An example for me is my Crocs with a slipper lining. They were $20 (on sale at Dick's). I work from home and wear them most of everyday. They are so comfortable and keep my feet very warm. I've had them a month and feel I've already extracted full value from them. But, to me $20 slippers is a luxury item. It took me 3 months to finally pull the trigger and buy them.

[MonkeyMama]

Yikes!

You'll notice that kind of stuff a LOT more when your baby arrives.

The thing for me is I live in a moderate cost area, and most of my mommy friends were young and broke. But I mean - they buy the same crap.

Things that come to mind were Petunia Pickelbottom diaper bags for $250. (They were very pretty, but I found a similar design for $20-ish, myself. I Can't speak to their usefulness besides looks, anyway).

Bumbo seats also became the rage when my second was born. I never quite *got* those. (I just peeked to refresh my memory - $40).

Those are just a couple of MANY examples.

Anyway - in the young baby days - if anyone wanted to know why they were broke, and we weren't, a quick inventory of baby crap would be VERY telling.

I've also said a few times - I never quite understood the "cadillac strollers" that everyone seemed to have. I found them awfully impractical, myself. I often felt like the only parent with a compact car, a petite stroller, and a non-designer diaper bag. As a mom I always identified with more wealthy people. They were the ones shopping thrift and keeping things modest. While my broke friends would write me off as a cheapskate. Interesting how that works.

[MonkeyMama]

Yikes!

You'll notice that kind of stuff a LOT more when your baby arrives.

The thing for me is I live in a moderate cost area, and most of my mommy friends were young and broke. But I mean - they buy the same crap.

Things that come to mind were Petunia Pickelbottom diaper bags for $250. (They were very pretty, but I found a similar design for $20-ish, myself. I Can't speak to their usefulness besides looks, anyway).

Bumbo seats also became the rage when my second was born. I never quite *got* those. (I just peeked to refresh my memory - $40).

Those are just a couple of MANY examples.

Anyway - in the young baby days - if anyone wanted to know why they were broke, and we weren't, a quick inventory of baby crap would be VERY telling.

I've also said a few times - I never quite understood the "cadillac strollers" that everyone seemed to have. I found them awfully impractical, myself. I often felt like the only parent with a compact car, a petite stroller, and a non-designer diaper bag. As a mom I always identified with more wealthy people. They were the ones shopping thrift and keeping things modest. While my broke friends would write me off as a cheapskate. Interesting how that works.

(Literally, in the years since, many of the people I am thinking of have lost their homes, etc., etc. These were people who used to feel sorry for MY kids? Because I wouldn't spend $250 on a BAG!?! Pffft. But that is precisely the result of spending WAY beyond one's means).

[disneysteve]

For me it comes down to derived value. How much joy can you extract from the item?

I think this is a valid point. Those of us saying this is crazy wouldn't derive any value from this item that we couldn't get from a $2 dishtowel.

I'm sure all of us can think of things we've spent money on that others may think is extreme. For example, our pots and pans (Calphalon stainless) cost $400. We've had several cheap sets over the years and they've all performed poorly and worn out quickly. We do a lot of cooking and use these pretty much daily. We've had these for 3-4 years now and they cook very well, clean up easily and still look brand new. We think they were well worth the cost even though many people think that was a crazy amount to spend on pots and pans.

[ScrimpAndSave]

When I first started teaching, I made around $36,000. I bought a coach purse and wallet with my very first paycheck. EVERYONE had them so OF COURSE I had to.

I realized right away...what and insane purchase that was ($500). To this day (6 years later), I still carry the same wallet and purse every single day. It's small and black and has held up very well...and even though I have used it just about every day since that day - I still don't think I used it enough to justify spending that much money.

Haha!

[Broken Arrow]

An example for me is my Crocs with a slipper lining. They were $20 (on sale at Dick's).

Oh you lucky. I just saw them last night, and my Dick's store still wants $30 to $40, depending on style.

On a related note, I did see this jacket at Kohl's that I thought was pretty snazzy. Yeah, it's weird for me to about thinking of clothing I guess, but cold weather will do that to a man. I haven't bought a jacket since in ... 1995 to 1997 I think. The one I'm wearing is still holding up, but the zipper is broken, which means I can't zip up when it gets cold or rainy. It's quite the bummer when it's both cold and rainy.

MAYBE I will buy new jacket. But the one I want will cost $70, so I don't know yet. Kind of dragging my feet....

[LivingAlmostLarge]

MM< that's it exactly. I can't afford the petunia picklebottom diaper bag. And I'm the only person with a tiny, old comparct car. Although I feel kinda bag because it doesn't have all the latest safety features.

Slug good point. I bought my DH a parka for his birthday present. I think it was $70, which is a lot of money to spend on clothes for us. But I know he loves it.

So I can understand the idea you pay for what you value, but is there a line?

[disneysteve]

So I can understand the idea you pay for what you value, but is there a line?

There is a line, but it is different for each person and each item, and even different in different situations. For example, restaurants. How much I'm willing to spend for a meal out varies based on the occasion. For a casual family meal, I might not want to spend over $40. For a special occasion like a birthday, I might be willing to pay more like $60 or $70. For something particularly momentous, like a significant anniversary, I may spend $150-$200.

Everybody's sense of value is unique and flexible.

[elessar78]

As for the drying rack, it says it all in the copy... to paraphrase, basically why would you get caught with a $5 drying rack in your state of the art stainless steel kitchen.

It's not a drying rack. It's a status symbol!

[disneysteve]

As for the drying rack, it says it all in the copy... to paraphrase, basically why would you get caught with a $5 drying rack in your state of the art stainless steel kitchen.

It's not a drying rack. It's a status symbol!

That's pretty much the problem with upgrades. Your $5 Rubbermaid rack would look pretty out of place in a high-end kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel everything. And if your family room has a beautiful new 52" plasma screen, it can't be sitting on that beat up old table you've had since college. You need the new glass and chrome one. And of course the ratty sofa has to go. The snazzy new leather one will look much better. It becomes an endless cycle of spending.

We'll stick to keeping things simple and basic even if that means we don't have all the latest, greatest highest tech stuff. We also don't have the bills that come along with all of that stuff.

[PrincessPerky]

After 4 kids I can tell you the changing pad is a waste, just change the kid, on an old diaper, towel, cheap 'pee pad' that is washable, or just the floor, once you get good at it, no one will know the difference, and you can pack a LOT lighter.

And babies need some germs so relax, let them be on the floor, let them be around the real (non baby colored) world, and enjoy some extra space in the living room.

Oh and my diaper bag is my backpack, why would I need a special baby colored item? (my cousin used her purse, that shrank with each baby she had!) there is no reason why a couple diapers some wipes and a change of clothes should have a special bag, surely you have a free one somewhere in the house that can be stuffed and left with kid as needed? Though I do recommend a backup bag in the car at all times, with a water bottle, and spare shirt for mom/dad. (plus diapers/change of clothes, for all ages)

As to the dishrack....If you didn't have a dishwasher...umm it is prettier.....I guess.