So Cheap. Part One.

Like the majority of people milling about on the earth's crust, I live on a fixed income; within the bounds of   tight purse strings. Not outrageously tight, like so many others, but just snug enough that I have to keep an eye on things.  I don't have to collect cans in order to afford a cup of coffee, yet I do not blow my nose using a new Hermes scarf each time. I recycle. I reuse, I thrift, I am money conscious. But I do not think that I am too cheap.

This brings me to my point, how cheap is too cheap? How do you live within financial boundaries without fucking over your fellow worker half the world away? Or even in the same community? I think the answer lies with our grandparents. Not with the boomers. Fuck no. They got us into this mess. All of this 80's conspicuous consumption and bad credit is a direct result of them being a bunch of manic fuckups on a grand scale. Multiple cars, multiple homes, multiple lines of credit, mortgages; triple bypass.

Let's bring it back to our Nan's.
Let's use their sensibility to live. And SAVE!
Let's also use our empathy and consumer literacy.

For instance...
If you see a wrap dress at a big box store for 9.99$...score, right?
Wrong?
Let's see...
A ten dollar dress gives the retailers ( my absolute guess, based on nothing but hunches ) next to nothing,  maybe a couple of dollars. Same to the wholesaler. Let's give them 2.00.  That is 6.00 left.  It costs to ship, so let's skim that off.  Let's give 5.00 to the manufacturer. Fabric...shave another 2.00 off.  That is 3 dollars. You can bet the owners and the managers are making the majority of that 3 dollars. Not much left to the sewers, warehouse people, quality or designers.
Can you imagine the sort of pride and culture of  fine workmanship that making pennies an hour would cultivate. You would be getting a garment made of passing grade fabric, made by grindingly poor workers that squeaked by quality control.

Most likely the last hands that touched your garment were not of happy couturiers, pleased with their work and lovingly folding your dress for shipping.

Isn't that experience that our demand instigates,  worth having less to create/preserve?

Wouldn't it be worth it to save and buy something well made and fairly priced, rather than to have a pile of clothes made by near slave labour?

I think so.

Why not support merchants that stock quality, not quantity.

Why not save for a dress that one can wear for years rather than for a season?