<p>The “safety features” Schmaltz, the SAFETY FEATURES of the Mercedes! Or so my boss insists on telling us, time and again. And she doesn’t understand why we all don’t rush out and get one. In fact, has made me feel like a bad parent for allowing my children to drive older model cars; I suppose only wealthy people can afford to be safe.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, when I see somebody using an item that everybody knows cost 3 times more than something that will do the same job just fine, what conclusion can I come to other than the person just wants to flaunt his/her wealth? People pay $80 for a Northface fleece instead of $30 for a Columbia fleece? I still don’t understand where you can go in a $60,000 Mercedes that you can’t go in a $20,000 Toyota.</p>
<p>You really should read Paul Fussell.</p>
<p>So I have a 100% camel hair coat- it was my grandmas, I love it- I also have a Burberry trench, which I paid $400 for 30 years ago. It is virtually identical to the ones selling for $1,800- should I stop wearing it? On the other hand I get a new cheap & cheaply made jacket at Costco every couple years- buying cheap is really more expensive in the long run.</p>
<p>How about my D? She really scored on practically a whole wardrobe from Banana Republic that she found at the consignment store- virtually unworn & cute as heck ( I suspect someone was overly optimistic of what size they took)</p>
<p>Continuing EMK’s theme:</p>
<p>I drive an Audi … one of the expensive ones … which I bought used for about the same price as a new Camry. I do almost all repair and maintenance myself, and I typically keep a car for at least 130,000 miles. We live in a snowy area, and my employer does not permit absences due to snow. Yes I could have bought a Subaru … but it would have cost MORE. No doubt some people think I’m “showing off” by driving the Audi. But as the OP says in #137 … it’s all about context, isn’t it? And attitude.</p>
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<p>Yikes! You’re starting to sound rather communistic, Schmaltz. Why stop there…we could limit people’s income while we’re at it. That would show them! Why does anyone need to make more than, say, $100,000 a year. :)</p>
<p>Of course I make judgments all the time. I call them judgments though - not observations. I can observe that you are judging other people. I can also judge you for judging other people by saying that you are wrong. Or I can point out that you can’t possibly know why anyone wears anything unless they tell you. You are, in fact, just speculating, guessing, p…ing in the wind, etc. etc. etc.</p>
<p>I have never believed on any level you can assess someone’s motivations or educational background by their clothing, gadget or auto aquisitions. One could make some very bad decisions if they used that as a basis. But then I’m not beautiful and I buy used Volvos and love Goodwill and consignment shops for the thrill of the hunt.</p>
<p>“So I have a 100% camel hair coat- it was my grandmas, I love it- I also have a Burberry trench, which I paid $400 for 30 years ago. It is virtually identical to the ones selling for $1,800- should I stop wearing it? On the other hand I get a new cheap & cheaply made jacket at Costco every couple years- buying cheap is really more expensive in the long run.”</p>
<p>Somebody call an ambulance…Emeraldkity is overdosing on straw men. I didn’t say buy a Chevy Malibu…I said a Toyota. I’ve had 3 Toyotas and they are just about indestructible. I didn’t say buy a cheapo fleece at Wal-Mart, I said a Columbia. I get the point of buying quality because it will be a better purchase in the long run. I just don’t think you have to pay top dollar to get quality. I’m not saying buy a $30 watch at Target, but I am saying there are plenty of $120 watches that do everything those $2000 Swiss watches do.</p>
<p>“Yikes! You’re starting to sound rather communistic, Schmaltz. Why stop there…we could limit people’s income while we’re at it. That would show them! Why does anyone need to make more than, say, $100,000 a year.”</p>
<p>And another straw man. Don’t you folks realize that when you exaggerate my position you are admitting that your own position is weak? No, Momlive, I will let you continue to buy all your overpriced trinkets, as long as you allow me to continue to think you are pretentious for doing so.</p>
<p>“The “safety features” Schmaltz, the SAFETY FEATURES of the Mercedes!”</p>
<p>Yeah, THAT’S why people buy a Mercedes…it has NOTHING to do with showing off or compensating for anything. (We’ve had the expensive-car-compensating-for-substandard-male-equipment discussion several times before on CC.)</p>
<p>^ Have you ever driven one of those things for an extended period of time? You should try it. You might like it.</p>
<p>Interesting,Schmaltz,There may be alot of people wondering why you need a Toyota then when a Kia could also get you from point A to B. A Timex will certainly tell you the time as well as a $120 watch last time I checked. It’s all relative.</p>
<p>I was in an accident involving a Toyota corolla and an older Mercedes. No one was hurt , one car was stopped the other moving abot 10 miles an hr.</p>
<p>Damage to one car was negligible, the bumper needed to be buffed. However the frame to the other car was cracked & had to be totaled.</p>
<p>Btw how is it a straw man to suggest that you have no way of knowing the circumstances by which an individual obtained their possessions and so the meaning you associate with them (which is dependent on your knowledge of their retail value), has meaning only to those with the same (shallow) basis for making judgements.
(& btw both columbia & The north face are local brands and comparative in price/features.)</p>
<p>blankmind - #120 was hilarious!</p>
<p>But please don’t keep us in suspense. What did you wear today?</p>
<p>Today I am wearing a BEARS! sweatshirt. Is this bad since I never played on the team? </p>
<p>Schmalz: I have a stupid toyota SUV I bought a year ago, Stupid-toyota-SUV is all one word in my house. The darn thing is so light it practically gets blown across the expressway in the wind. I will never buy anything besides an American truck or german car ever again.</p>
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<p>Sounds like somebody cheated on their partner!</p>
<p>teriwtt, I’m so glad you asked. It appears that I am cured of my obsession with ivy-wear. It’s a freaking miracle!! </p>
<p>See, yesterday I was driving around, all stressed out about which ivy to flaunt, when I saw this drive-up therapist/palm reader kiosk thing. I almost passed it up, I mean, they don’t even have a couch, ya know? But anyway, I took a chance and got in line. It was weird, everyone in front of me was in a Mercedes, I mean how pretentious can you get, right? (thank God I took the Toyota that day). Well to make a long story short, the guy cured me. I went straight home, threw all my ivy-wear in the trash, and put on a sweatshirt from my real alma mater, Hamburger University (shout out to Ronald!! You rock dude.) </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I am still ugly.</p>
<p>Stop teasing the poor young adult! Will they never learn to stay off the parent pages?</p>
<p>ps my former boss and I both went to Hamburger U ( no kidding) and we are convinced if more college grads did maybe they would have a better work ethic.</p>
<p>Of course it’s all relative. Someone who makes $150k a year can obviously afford higher priced goodies than one making $50k. Of course, The higher wage earner should be smart in their purchases and find value…or they can spend on high priced toys and complain later that they can’t afford college tuition because their EFC is too high…</p>
<p>Schmaltz, I sure hope you are posting from a library computer instead of being all showy with your own computer and wireless Internet. </p>
<p>You sound like Andy Rooney.</p>
<p>Speaking of brand-name products, there are some that provides enough features/benefits for what you pay. Some do not. Mercedes does have nice safety features that can save your neck in an unlikely event of an accident. I consider that as an insurance. Sorry, can’t afford it even with my 6-figure paycheck:)…On the other hand, If you were trying to sell me a pair $200 Nike shoe, I would ask you to take a hike. Don’t see any value in it to justify for it.</p>
<p>Now this comes back to OP’s original post: My self esteem does not worth that much to even bother to go to garage sale for a shirt with HYP on it. Not even worth the gas spent on the trip.</p>