Skip to main content

the value of a dollar

Last year we gave our summer kids an allowance. The deal was that we would provide the necessities and they would buy the wants with their money, but everything was subject to approval. (In other words, no rap CDs or skull covered t-shirts!) And it became very interesting to see how we valued things differently.
For example, at the cash register in Michael's are these ugly, small, kid-appealing in pens for $2.99 At first, the kids all wanted one, and I told them they would have to use their money. They thought that was a very reasonable price. I told them it wasn't. My "faulty" reasoning was that you can buy a whole pack of pens for that price! Their line of thinking was that this was a really cool pen, PLUS ice cream at McDonald's only costs $1. I guess if ice cream at McDonald's is a $1, then a small, fancy pen should certainly be more than that.
Had the boys had the money, they would have gladly plunked down $200 for a cell phone, or an i-pod. I would never pay that for either one, but yet I wouldn't think twice about spending that same amount on a sewing machine or a nice camera. Granted, a camera and a sewing machine should last me the rest of my life (or at least half of it!), whereas a cell phone or i-pod will most likely be dead or extinct within 10 years. But it's still interesting to stop and think about why we place value over certain items, and how our mind determines why things are "worth it".
I want to say the price of a car is not worth it, but when i consider the alternatives (horse & buggy, walking, bicycle) then I think maybe it is. After all, as expensive as a horse would be in care & feed and time, I think the car might actually pay for itself. Note the word might. There's nothing like car problems to sink you deep in a financial abyss. But that's another blog for another time. And now I have my curiosity peaked...what items do you feel are worth splurging on?

Comments

Lydia said…
First of all- my kids LOVE those pens from Michaels, they got them in their stockings at Christmas:)

Next, I would definitely splurge on a good sewing machine, good kitchen appliances and cookware. Nothing like a cheap pot to make you dislike cooking:)I could care less about cars as long as it hold everyone.
Carroll said…
What a great post! Definitely something to ponder. I would splurge on travel, food, and electronics.
Unknown said…
It depends on when you're asking me. For instance, I will go to Lowe's to buy milk a few cents cheaper than Wal-mart (where I do most of my other grocery shopping), but today, as a post-birthday afternoon treat, I bought one slice of marbled pound cake at Starbuck's for $1.95. When I think about it now, I realize that was scandalous. I've never been to the Starbuck's in Clayton before today, and the cake was certainly delicious enough. But... it was a big splurge! So I think my splurging changes with my context!
I'm also more likely to splurge buying something for someone else than me. It justifies it a bit in my mind, somehow! Ha!

Popular posts from this blog

things we do for love

Saturday we had a baby shower for Bobby's niece. As I was making the mints, Bobby asked what else was on the menu. After I recited off the litany of items, he responded with "No peanut butter?! This shower is for Hannah! What's she going to eat?" (Hannah has had stomach problems over the years and has been unable to tolerate many foods, but peanut butter has been her staple.) Despite my assurances that she would enjoy the foods we were having, he was adamant that I needed to make peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for the shower. Even though I protested that NOBODY took that to a shower, he persisted, and informed me I could make them dainty with my little cutter. And so I did. To my surprise all but 3 were eaten. Who'd a thunk it?

get your house in order

My grandmothers were very clean people. My mother thoroughly enjoys cleaning, though she doesn't quite hit the same level my grandmothers were on. I don't enjoy cleaning, but I do like things to be clean. I've almost given up on neatness. One thing that they all instilled in me is the crazy concept that your house must be in order before you go somewhere big - like a vacation or something. After all, you could die in a car crash or have to go to the hospital, and then people would go into your house and find it in a terrible mess. Who wants to be remembered by that? So up until this past year, I would sometimes be up almost all night not only trying to get things packed up, but also trying to totally clean house as well. Or should I say, make the house presentable? The Chinese had a horrible superstition that my mother and grandparents would have enjoyed. Spring Festival (the Chinese New Year based on the lunar calendar) required EVERYTHING to be cleaned top to

Wait...it's almost March?!?

 10 more months 'til Christmas. This last month has been an absolute blur. Cleaning at Mrs. Bryan's house, cleaning at our house, lots of thinking and brainstorming and rearranging, appointments upon appointments, sinus infection/allergies, Bobby's surgery, meeting with surgeon and finally agreeing to future outpatient surgery for me, ongoing updates from my parents, garden tilled and snow peas, potatoes and beets planted (and yes I left several rows empty between the potatoes and beets for something else to go later as a buffer), chickens are laying, we may have a broody hen..in FEBRUARY!!!, we have two roosters that need to disappear, lots of family have been in from out of town to assist with the sorting and cleaning at Mrs. Bryan's house, and somewhere in the midst of it all I've found time to pay bills and catch up on a few emails. While I no longer feel like our house is a disaster zone, it is still overwhelming. Years ago a friend posted a quote by Martin Lut