Poor = ugly?

originally posted by: MEDIKATED
poor = lazy, plain and simple,,,

You obviously didn't come from a poor home. Both my parents worked 2 jobs my entire childhood and we were still poor. Poor doesn't = lazy. Your comment does = ignorance though.

If you want well tailored, good fitting and attractive cut clothing -- you have to pay someone good money to design it. If you want the garment/clothing to look right and fit right, you have to use higher quality fabrics. If you use higher quality fabrics, you need to ensure high quality stitching and construction, as no one will pay high prices for clothing that falls apart after a few washes.

If you wan a good looking car, you have to pay people who have years of experience designing cars and an eye for aesthetics a lot of money. You have to use more expensive paints and materials to make the design come to life. Robots and automated assembly lines sometimes can't perfect the attention-to-detail needed on high-end sports cars and luxury cars like Bently or Rolls Royce.

There *IS* a reason some expensive things are expensive and look "better". Some of the time though you just end up paying for a brand name. Usually though, that brand name got famous by having quality products that looked awesome.

I second the idea of visiting thrift stores. I found a Brooks Brother's dress shirt for like $10. That shirt new would be around $100 new. I also go to Burlington Coat Factory now and then and see what they have. Usually it's stuff Macys and the other stores didn't sell so they don't have my size...

I did, however, find a really nice grey Joseph Abboud suit for $55. I checked and it was still selling at the department store for over $300. After I paid my tailor (get/find a great tailor, trust me its worth it) -- I think I paid $120 for all the alterations* to make me look like a million bucks.

*Protip: Men's Warehouse sucks unless you're renting tuxes. Don't use their tailors unless it's free. Even after they do the alterations, go find a tailor that specializes in suits that's reputable in your area.

Instead of getting 6 pairs of cheap shorts in different colors, why not get 2 pairs of high quality ones that fit and look better that'll last you 10-15 years? Why not buy ONE high quality merino/alpaca wool sweater instead of 8 cheaper acrylic ones? Instead of buying 3-4 pairs of Walmart tennis shoes a year, why not get ONE pair of high quality shoes that look awesome, and will last you 3-4 years?

I'm wearing a pair of Dansko shoes that I've had for almost 4 years. I wear them every. single. day. They're still in good shape if I throw a little leather conditioner on them. Sure, they're $120 instead of the $9.99 Walmart special -- but in the 4 years I've had them, I probably would have spent just as much and not looked as nice/stylish.

What I'm saying is ... your rant isn't totally unjustified, but it is misguided. Find alternatives, get creative and value quality over quantity.

EDIT: Valuing quality over quantity is something wealthy people do. If you want to be wealthy, you have to think like a wealthy person. No one ever became wealthy wasting money on mass quantities of crappy clothing and products.

There are three things... Quality, Quantity, and Cost. You can only pick two.

I like finer clothes and other things. I've come to accept that if you want nice things, you have to be willing to pay for them. Once you experience what it like to have nicer clothes, etc you won't go back to the cheap stuff if you can afford it.

Not all my clothes are super expensive. I usually buy cheap undershirts, boxers, t-shirts, etc. However, if you've ever had the pleasure of having quality made shoes, dress shirts, suits, etc you will know the difference even if an untrained eye may not be able to tell.

There is a world of difference between a pair of say Gucci loafers and Kenneth Cole. Or a fine tailored suit and a Mens Wearhouse one. A nice dress shirt wears a lot better than a good enough Banana Republic one.

Part of the problem is that consumers no longer understand value. Everything has been commoditized to save money.

The thing that REALLY concerns me and pisses me Off no end,as a mom who sees it as my responsibility to make sure my children grow up as healthy as possible-is the discrepancy in the prices between healthy food and sheezy that's hardly fit for human consumption.

In my country,and i suspect in many others,especially America,a Big Mac,crisps,candy,soda and all manner of take-away foods and frozen meals costs Much less than healthy fresh foods and produce.

In my country a 2l Coke and a big packet of crisps costs Way less than half of what you'd pay for a 2l 100% fruit juice and some fruits for a salad,eg.

In my country a lot of that can be ascribed to thousands of productive farmers being massacred since 1994,but that does not explain the discrepancy in other countries.

If i didn't know better,i would almost think it's like the corporations who rule the world WANT people to not afford healthy food as readily as unhealthy crap

So what i do,is stock up on the culinary basics to make Really sumptuous food on a reasonable budget. We buy only 100% fruit juice,and fresh meat,veg and fruit,which can be Very expensive in my country,especially the juices. All that health has to be made as unaffordable as possible,apparently

I make sure i have these always in the house:

Peanut oil
Sesame oil
Coconut oil
Thai fish sauce
Soy sauce
Fresh ginger
Good quality masala and spices for curries
Parmesan cheese (freezable)
Fresh cream (freezable)
Tomato paste (in my country we have a 100% tomato,super-healthy tomato sauce at a still reasonable price,thank Ctulhu,so i use that instead of the more expensive tomato pastes)

Fresh herbs like coriander,parsley and oregano etc (these can easily be grown by oneself)

In this way,by investing in the genuine culinary basics for Chinese food,Italian food and curries-one has the basis for making genuine tasting restaurant quality food. I use cheaper cuts of red meat,a curry or oxtail or stew can be casseroled in the oven till it's soft.We eat a lot of chicken,in my country that is much cheaper than red meat,and it's great for curries,Oriental stirfries and Chicken lasagne or a pasta dish.Often we just have veggie stirfries-still tastes good because of the Chinese ingredients i put on the list.

We even just have french fries/potatoe wedges sometimes in summer,we fry that in coconut oil too,and with the super-healthy tomato sauce we have here,it's not an unhealthy meal.I cook pasta,let it cool off+add stirfried veggies,freshly ground black pepper,sea salt+some parmesan cheese+put it in the fridge for a while for great pasta salads in summer too. Add some fresh parsley+oregano and an extra shake of Parmesan before serving. One can add some stirfried chicken too,or some ham and avo and some diced pineapple for a Hawaian style pasta salad. We eat a lot of chinese stirfries,with or without meat,in summer,or chicken burgers.

In winter,of course,plenty of Soups. I love butternut soups,veggie soups,and seafood chowders.Soups aside from the seafood chowder,which is an occasional luxury,is cheap to make and super healthy.We also make sticky ginger pumpkin fritters,it's a South African classic. You cook pumpkin,still done but still fairly firm,you do not cook it to mush. Then you mash the pumpkin,add some flour to it,and a bit of sugar and ginger spice. Heat up some oil-we use coconut but sunflower oil is fine for this too,of course.Dish it out in the pan of warm oil in the shape of round cookies,not too small.I fry no more than 3/4 at a time. The oil must not be too hot.

When done,i put it into a flat dish filled with cinnamon +ginger sugar,and i layer more of this sugar on top.Then the next batch out of the pan,you put on top of the first layer,and add more cinnamon+ginger sugar on top while they're still hot-that causes the crusty stickiness.I also add fresh ginger to the oil i fry these pumpkin fritters in.It is healthy and heavenly-and even in my country,one can still afford pumpkin.

a reply to: Raxoxane

Ah...here's another member of the po' folks population! Early on I learned to sew. I designed my own clothes and where I couldn't take pieces from ready made patterns to make what my design called for, I learned to make my own. I loved it and could be stylish without the ridiculous price tag. Unfortunately I didn't have daughters or daughters in law who were interested-(they'd rather spend the money) whom I could teach this to. Sewing's not rocket science for anyone willing to learn and it can SAVE a ton of money, and give one the opportunity for self expression...

Just my thoughts!

My two cents with regard to fashion and patterns/style:

I have to disagree that the 1% is TRYING to make us look ugly. (TO a degree)

By the time you get to the cheap shirt, it's a knockoff of a knockoff of a knockoff of a knockoff.
It starts with the more "abstract" concept pieces on the runway, that morphs into an expensive "marketable/wearable" version in haute couture luxury stores like Oscar de la Renta, Louis Vuitton, Vera Wang and in fashion houses like Bourdon House in London and Loewe Barcelona. THEN they will get cheaper and *slightly* different as they are produced in larger quantities with nice but cheaper materials and distributed to Madison Avenue NY department stores like Barney's, Oliver Peoples, etc, then cheaper (and slightly different) still and on to Macy's, Bloomingdales, and Nordstorms, and cheaper still to GAP, H&M, Banana Republic, cheaper still to Old Navy and Kohls, and cheaoer stillll to WalMart, Target and JCPennys, cheaper STILL to those retail outlets in strip malls, and finally a tent by Sonic or some guy's van down by the river.

Not ONLY are the garments getting cheaper, they have to be slightly different (different enough) EACH time to avoid violation of counterfeit laws. Materials get cheaper and cheaper as the profit margin widens and the product has to be made in larger runs and distributed farther which eats into the profit and budget for nice materials, hence slightly less quality each time.

Imitation is expensive (and sometimes unfortunately ugly) when done lawfully. Even done illegally (like a knockoff purse) it's done in such a small run that the materials and construction have to be CHEAP to make any money at all (they want more profit because it's more risky).

Fewer expensive shirts make the same profit as hundreds of middle quality shirts and the same profit as thousands of low quality shirts. People want to imitate what the see on the Runway or TV or up the fashion food chain, but at a price they can afford. It's a trade off quality for cost.

Like it or not, that "plain red tee-shirt" IS a part of the system and very likely started off it's life as a very weird concept burnt sangria boxy reverse collar zippered vest with sheer pockets and nipple clamps that has been translated several times by function, cost, supply and demand.

Go check out GoodWill for real. AMAZING finds for a few bucks.

Jax

If you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. If yer ugly, doesn't matter what clothes you wear because nothing can be done. just look at me! Do you think a tux would make me into one of the Beautiful People?

Oh definitely shop some second hand shops! Not only can you find good quality, but many items are brand new and still have tags on them. The styles are endless. I have seen things that might normally go for a hundred dollars or more for like 6 and 8 bucks sometimes. Some items for 2 or 3 bucks. These stores also have half off sales often. I love nice clothes and jewelry, not to impress anyone, but because I love these things. I once bought a long wool coat for 8 bucks and like new! It's like a treasure hunt and you never know what you might find.

I have found musical globes still in the original box, tons of books, china, crystal glassware etc. for sooooo cheap!