Monday, July 13, 2009

Other Weekend News

I bit the bullet and bought a wheelbarrow. I feel good because it's an 8 cubic footer that I got at Tractor Supply for $40 less than the exact same thing that they've got at Lowe's. Win.

Ohhh, but the one at Lowe's is a name brand. True Temper! You get what you pay for.

I assure you, oh great skeptic, they are the exact same thing. EXACT. SAME. THING.

So, what made me bite the bullet? My old one with the busted wheel that I intended on fixing I found out is older than my father. Time to visit the great scrap yard in the sky. It's earned it.

Also this weekend its become apparent to me that I need a new pair of brown shoes. Despite being inclined to fix them with Gorilla tape, I allowed myself to be dragged out to a couple of shoe stores.

I have this long standing rule to not spend more then $50 on a pair of shoes. Sometimes I go slightly over, say $54.95, but never more than that. The problem this time is the shoes that I liked best, Clarks Nebulae (pictured) were $70. So, as of now, I don't have new shoes. What do you do when your brain is fixated on one particular pair of shoes and one only but it won't release you from the shackles of your own $50 rule? Stupid brain.

I told this story to a guy at work and he basically told me I am an idiot (in a nice way). He broke it down for me like a high school teacher would try to teach his students the value of money. How long did your last pair of brown shoes last, he asked. Three years, I said. So, if you spend $70 on shoes that last you 3 years, they are only costing you roughly $2 a month. And, he added just to rub it in, with the higher quality of shoe that that extra $20 will allow you to buy, the shoes will probably last you longer than 3 years. Understand, 'tard?

Yes sir. I understand.

8 comments:

Pete said...

just find an outlet store.
people make fun of me because i have 5 pairs of pumas. But 4 of them cost under $30.

Nathan Gagne said...

People make fun of Pete cause he buys his Pumas in the kids section.

gagknee said...

i dunno if we have outlet stores here.

people make fun of pete.

Big A said...

I'm not as nice as that guy. I'll tell you straight out - you are an idiot. Shoes are one area where a little bit more money usually gets you a lot more quality. And Clark's are pretty good shoes.

Furthermore, how long have you had this rule? If you don't adjust your rule for inflation, then someday you will be wearing nothing but plastic bags on your feet (especially considering the way the current administration is printing and borrowing money).

For example, let's say you adopted this rule when you became an adult. $50 in 1992 is the equivalent of $75.81 in today's dollars. If you were willing to spend $50 then, you should be willing to spend $75 now. Buy the $70 shoes and take your kids out for ice cream.

gagknee said...

you're very angry today.

Big A said...

arbitrary rules that have no basis but are rigidly applied for no apparent reason anger me.

gagknee said...

it makes a more interesting post than "i went to one shoe store and found a shoe i really liked but it was $70, which is more than I usually spend, so I went to a different shoe store to see if I could find a cheaper pair. That store had the same shoe for the same price, but they didn't have my size. I would have gone back to the other shoe store to buy them but it was time for dinner. So I went home."

Big A said...

good point. Boring blogs are no fun either.