OT - Xmas Shopping

[T i m]

Bizarre ...

T i m

[T i m]

It is. :-)

Hmmmm ...

T i m

[clumsy bastard]

to us, yes.

[T i m]

I know we are all different etc but I wonder what it is in people that makes them feel good by being (or thinking they are being) better than someone else just by buying certain stuff?

Maybe if I had more money I would think the same way, but I doubt it.

I buy what I want and need for *me*. It's not always the cheapest (but is rarely the most expensive) but more_often_than_not, bought on it's actual merits rather than any badge etc. However, if you don't know a particular field, going with one of the generally respected badges can be a safe move (spares / sh value etc) but may not always be the best VFM move. You aren't buying the badge per -se in that case, you are hopefully buying the practical facets you hope it represents (reliability, performance etc). I don't think that is the same thing as buying say a Prius, simply to make yourself look 'green' (as some of the celebs seem to have done).

Don't get me wrong though, there is a part of me that enjoys knowing I have a 'nice thing', however I can generally only afford such by buying it cheap / broken and repairing or restoring said myself. "That's nice, someone's done a nice job on that" means a whole load more to me than "you must have paid a bit for that ...".

Horses for courses though, without those who can't do, most of us here would have nothing to do! ;-)

Cheers, T i m

p.s. I worked with a lad who spent a fortune on clothes. Whilst chatting to him once (with me standing in my Tesco jeans and market T shirt) I asked him to try to explain it all to me. He said summat like:

"I paid 60 quid for this shirt, 80 quid for these jeans, 100 for these trainers, 200 quid for this watch and 50 quid for this belt. I know that when I'm walking down the street people will see me and think 'He's the dogs' ..." ??? So it appeared he wasn't buying this stuff only for himself. To me, value , comfort, practicality are what I think about when buying clothes (on the rare times she can get me to do so) not what other people might think (and why she often says "If you think we are going out with you looking like that ..!"). However I guess he could be right, there must be a group of people, similar to him where it would all be important.

[clumsy bastard]

I'm certain of it. Why do city workers buy watches that cost thousands? They only tell the time, talking of time..........

[PeterMcC]

Perhaps he'd read this newsgroup and realised that some people use suggestions of homelessness and poverty as insults. Maybe he just wanted to make sure that he wasn't subject to the same sort of name calling.

[T i m]

Well it could be I suppose (in concept) and is it a pity that there are people that may do that sort of thing (the name calling) that allow those bothered by such to do what they do (be 'flash')?

We have a local 'homeless guy', sleeps rough, collects weird stuff but has (apparently) more money than most. I have spoken to him several times (once in the local Internet Cafe where he was checking his emails (and he always pays his way)) and he appears to be a very lucid and well educated chap.

Ironically, quite a few of the 'flash' people don't have a pot to pi$$ in?

Cheers, T i m

[Lobster]

I think they're called 'teenagers'

[T i m]

LOL

Well, sometimes possibly. Luckily the teenager that lives here isn't motivated by such things (yet anyway). The other day she was interested to calculate that she was about to go up the pub with her mates wearing 19 quids worth of clothes, and trust me she wouldn't leave the house if she didn't look 'ok'.

Nope, she comes back from a raid of the charity shops with a couple of bags of very nice (as in made rather than label) clothes and change from £20. ;-)

That's not to say all her clothes are cheap though ... like her Stihl trousers and Haix boots but they don't often appear in the charity shops. :-(

Cheers, T i m.

[The Natural Philosopher]

If you have a lot of money, the last thing you want to do is advertise the fact.

You will never be sure who your friends are, and will constantly have to fend off people trying to take it away from you.

People's reaction to someone with apparently more money than they have, is that about 10% smile, shake your hand and say 'well done, you deserve it' about 25% smile and say 'well done, you deserve it' while gritting their teeth and working out how to get their hands on it. 25% just look pissed off and 50% will key your car out of pure hatred.

[T i m]

And apparently some of that attitude is a 'British' thing?

In the States I'm told 'doing well' is something they applaud, along with treating tradesmen and/or engineers with respect?

Our daughter thinks she is seeing a pattern since doing the Arb work.

People in the big houses shout instructions from the top window while you are working in their garden covered in dog mess and send your money by cheque 30+ days later (on the third time of asking).

The old couple in the bungalow feed you tea and cake all day, *ask* "if you get some time would you also mind tidying up the end of that other hedge, we don't mind paying extra" and you get paid the same day.

Cheers, T i m

[Tony Bryer]

Back in my BCO days my patch included Kingston Hill, private roads with very expensive houses. One afternoon I got drawn into conversation with the owner's wife who said that they had been able to move there after receiving a legacy, but they were just ordinary people. "We are the only people in the road who look after our own garden and the neighbours never let us forget it". After that I never hankered after having enough money to live in a road like that.

[T i m]

Shame isn't it. Along with seeing a 4 week old and very expensive kitchen being 'publicly' thrown in the skip, "because it's what one does ..."?

We have always enjoyed the simple things in life and consider ourselves very lucky that we do (especially during a credit crunch).

I have a good mate who's entire focus in life is to earn money but not seeming to spend much. What he does spend seems (to us) as frivolous, £300 on a meal for four or £1500 for a long weekend in a 'nice' hotel.

He can't understand why anyone would want to sleep in a field or pee in bucket. ;-)

For us (Me, Mrs, Daughter), motorcycle / cycle / camping is a change, seeing the sights [1], doing something completely different to sleeping between 4 brick walls and having everything on-tap. A hotel for us would be like staying round someone else's house, eating when they eat ... ! ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[1] When we tell people the things we have seen and done in two weeks, even in England, they think we would need another holiday! ;-)

[PeterMcC]

The type of thing that goes "What's it like, Xmas down the soup kitchen I mean? Will Stinky and Gobby be there again " or "you gonna tell Matron the nasty man was making fun of you again"?

Might it be worth reflecting on?

A genuine wish for a Happy Christmas to all - and please, I do mean the sig's contents if I've gone too far in the above.

Cheers

[T i m]

Indeed it might, if that was the sort of thing you were likely to come out with in the real world! (and a story I have related to myself more than once).

Not at all, if you can't take it you shouldn't give it out eh? :-)

All the best ..

T i m.