$205?! Men, sasakalin ako ng asawa ko kapag bumili ako ng ganyan kamahal na pants! One week na yang pambayad sa day care ng anak ko. Hehehe, I'm sure bumibili ka ng Diesel pants but you're just kidding about the price, right?
Nag-file ka na ba ng tax return? Mga classmates sa US, are you familiar with Roth IRA? Ok kasing mag-open ng account na ito kasi your money will grow tax-free. You have until April 15 of this year to contribute to a Roth, kung hindi man kayo nag-contribute last year. --- In [email protected], "spurs" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Arlene,,,, is this some kind of a co-incidence? Coz I just bought > a Diesel denim pants worth $205... lol > > hi to all!!! > > > --- In [email protected], "tribalknowledge" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Luxuries you can live without -- and should > > > > $200 jeans? $800 sheets? Paying a premium now for image and brand > > cuts into our real quality of life down the road. > > > > By MP Dunleavey > > > > Correct me if I'm wrong, but it wasn't that long ago when the mere > > concept of Williams-Sonoma (or Restoration Hardware, Crate & > Barrel, > > et. al.) would have struck most folks as . . . nutty. > > > > Oh sure, I'll pay a premium price to buy upscale versions of > ordinary > > stuff -- replacing functional things I already own -- because my > > lifestyle must reek of affluence! > > > > Thirty years ago, people would have scoffed at such vanity. Today, > > inundated by high-end specialty stores in every corner of the > retail > > market, more and more Americans are succumbing to the siren song > of > > these so-called affordable luxuries. And at what cost? > > > > A case of 'affluenza' > > In his book "Luxury Fever," economist Robert Frank describes the > rise > > of this swankier-is-better mentality -- and the toll it's taking > on > > people's financial lives. "Although it is the mansions of the > super- > > rich that attract attention -- homes of 15,000, 20,000, even > 40,000 > > square feet -- the far more newsworthy fact is that the area of > the > > average house built in the United States is now more than roughly > > twice what it was in the '70s," he writes. > > > > The trappings of affluence are no longer limited to those who can > > afford them. Increasingly, middle-class Americans will pay top > dollar > > just to have the veneer of luxury -- and retailers, wizards that > they > > are, continue to provide the fantasy of wealth, even when all > you're > > buying is a garden trowel. > > > > The things we can't live without > > In case you have NO idea what I'm talking about, please scroll > > through this list of once-ordinary goods and services that now > come > > in versions ranging from the merely overpriced to the truly > > outrageous: > > � Pots: Now known as "cookware." Please think nothing of > paying > > $125 for an All-Clad omelette pan. Eggs not included. > > > > � Jeans: The $200 pair of designer denims is back. Which is > > good, because that pair of $75 Diesels just isn't cutting it > anymore. > > > > � Knives: Still called "knives," but a set of prestige > Henckels > > can set you back up to $1,500. > > > > � Cosmetics: The switch from Vaseline Intensive Care lotions > > ($2.49) to skin-sensitive Neutrogena ($7.99) is a slippery slope > to > > Kiehls ($25) -- but then why not go ahead and splurge on La Mer, > > which starts at $90 for a fraction of an ounce. > > > > � Strollers: There's no limit to what you can splurge on baby > > gear, so I'll just use this brief example: If you invested the > $700 > > you're inclined to spend on the trendy Bugaboo stroller, your > child > > could retire with an extra $100,000. > > > > � Sheets: Now called "linens." It's amazing that people can > > justify paying $800 for 1,000-threadcount Royal Crest sheets when > 20 > > years ago no one had any idea how many threads per inch their > sheets > > had. > > > > � Sneakers: Now called "athletic footwear," and they have us > > paying $150 for a pair of Air Jordans instead of $25 for a pair of > > Keds. But price isn't the only problem. We also expect to own > several > > pairs for all the sports we do. > > > > � Watches: Now they're "timepieces, but it's no longer about > > telling the time. For about $20, you can buy a watch with a quartz > > movement that won't lose a minute in the next 10,000 years. But > even > > without the optional encrustation of diamonds, you'll still fork > over > > $7,500 and up for a Rolex President or pay a couple hundred > thousand > > for a Cartier watch. And we're still talking about a plain- looking > > gold watch -- not something Liberace would have worn. > > > > � Chocolates: It was the humble Hershey Bar that won WWII. > Then > > along came Godiva at $16 a pound. But why not spend $84 a pound on > > Debauve & Gallais chocolates with (note all the place-specific > names > > that make ordinary ingredients sound exotic) Piedmont hazelnuts, > > Turkish grapes, Bourbon Island vanilla and West Indies rum as > > ingredients. Now, try saying that list of ingredients without the > > place names and see if you still want to cough up $84. > > > > � Scotch: I can remember when people used to get excited about > > a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black, which will set you back about > $50 > > these days. How could we have been so pedestrian? Now, nothing > less > > than 30-year-old single malt will do. Price tag: $250 and up. > > > > � Bathrobes: You can get a nice flannel for about $50, or one > > made from Egyptian cotton (what's wrong with Texas cotton, > anyway?) > > for $250. But really, the one we're all secretly lusting after is > the > > $6,000 Daniel Hanson robe constructed (not made) with silk- trimmed > > pashmina. And where the hell did pashmina come from? Cashmere > wasn't > > good enough anymore? > > > > � TV: Sure, you could spend $700 for a 36-inch conventional > TV, > > but that's so '90s. Why not spend $5,000 for a 60-inch plasma > screen? > > It'll only cost you a few thousand more to acquire a house with a > > living room big enough. > > > > � Wine glasses: Now called "wine stems," shelling out $130 for > > a set of six Riedel glasses is just the beginning. Now you need > eight > > sets, each with a slightly different shape to "enhance individual > > grape varieties and styles of wine." And to think I used to > believe > > that what was in my 6-for-$6 Ikea glass was all that mattered. > > > > Many of these examples show that no matter how much you're willing > to > > spend for a little luxury, there will always be a newer, better > > version out there that's beyond reach, taunting you. It's an arms > > race that pits the middle class against the upper-middle, who in > turn > > are striving with the rich, who are struggling to live like the > super- > > rich. > > > > But it's an arms race all but the wealthiest are destined to lose. > In > > the last five years, "the top 1% of earners have seen their wages > > shoot up like a rocket," says economist Chuck Collins, senior > program > > developer at United for a Fair Economy, a research group in > Boston. > > > > Not so for the rest of us, writes Frank: "Middle- and low-income > > families have had to finance their higher spending by a lower rate > of > > savings and sharply rising debt." > > > > Retail therapy > > If all these upscale purchases put the financial screws to the > > average Joe, whose dollar is already stretched, why does it > continue? > > > > It's tempting to buy into the "quality is worth paying for" > rationale > > some would have you believe. But often the difference in quality > is > > all but undetectable. Can your body really tell the difference > > between 300 and 1,000 threads per inch? We like to think of > ourselves > > as connoisseurs, but how many people can really taste the > difference > > between 30- and 40-year-old scotch? > > > > Sometimes, the difference in quality is real, but the price you > have > > to pay for it far exceeds whatever you might gain in durability, > > usefulness or design. A silk-trimmed pashmina bathrobe can be a > > beautiful thing, but $6,000? Please! > > > > In reality, many of us use these splurges, affordable or not, to > make > > ourselves feel better. Paco Underhill, a retail analyst and author > > of "The Call of the Mall," says acquiring various high-end > > lifestyle "accessories" gives a psychological lift to people "who > > have had to compromise on other things," he says. "They'd like to > > drive a Jaguar, but can't afford it, so instead they'll carry a > Coach > > bag." > > > > The price we pay > > Sadly, this cycle of spending on image and brand tends to > escalate. > > What was once a luxury or a one-time splurge quickly becomes a > > necessity. Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert dubbed it a pattern > > of "miswanting" -- because what people want (i.e. a life of wealth > > and luxury) can't be fulfilled just by acquiring the trappings of > it. > > > > And what's worse is that trying to buy the appearance of luxury > can > > become a roadblock that stops you from building up your own, true > > wealth. Because -- as impressed as your friends are by your > > pricey "stems" or $700 stroller -- that's just money going toward > a > > fantasy, instead of being invested in a way that might truly > enhance > > your quality of life someday. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Take a look at donorschoose.org, an excellent charitable web site for anyone who cares about public education! http://us.click.yahoo.com/1gzaND/8WnJAA/HwKMAA/oNXolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Ask our other classmates to subscribe, tell them to send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/4c-math94/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
