Book Of Likes Faces

Excellent theory. So is it best to go without boots then, for a period of time, in order to save up for a proper pair? Or perhaps this is why the payment plan system was implemented, the poor can now afford those boots, paying just $10 a month for... every single month forever.

It's a FOREVER being the trap word!
Gloria It is almost exactly... once you’re hooked into the system it’s very hard to escape and a charging interest that keeps them in debt.

Too many people have to settle for poor quality as between wages and prices if they buy higher quality they don’t get to eat. A no win situation. Capitalism only works for the few and brain washes the rest.

Completely agree with you. It’s all relative when someone has to choose between putting food on the table and buying their 3 kids quality shoes. Capitalism is out of reach for some.

If it gets to this then it means you cannot afford three kids.. or lets say that if it gets to only affording to buy kid’s shoes at Walmart, you can’t afford 3 kids?!!

A mix of Democratic socialism like FDRs philosophy.
One sign of a republic in decline is extreme income inequality. This is the condition of the USA Today.
So what works better?

So you like stealing the labor of your neighbors? How much of your neighbors life should be stolen for you to feel it is fair to you?
And show data to prove stealing labor benefits a society.

Apparently y'all agree theft is ok if we call it capitalism..
How does real capitalism steal. Give facts, not opinions.

It depends on the situation. For this exact reason, sometimes being frugal doesn’t mean spending the least amount of money in that moment. It means investing more up front knowing it’s going to save you the most in the long run.

I completely agree! Buying quality is being frugal!! Quality brands last the most and the fit is always better. I just buy expensive and high quality products, for the record.

Which is only possible if you have it in the first place. You can't invest more if you don't have more. That's the entire point

I’m perfectly well aware of that, however OP asked if buying quality was more frugal than buying the cheapest. So that’s what I would like to address. I’m aware that when you don’t have the money to invest in quality, you buy what you can and call it a day.

Thing is in today’s time, we want it now! and we do not save my grandparents lived through tremendous economic struggles and many tribes because they “pinched “ pennies they worked hard they could grow a garden and hustle and they passed that on to their children who knew how to save today we don’t know how to save and we want immediate satisfaction.
This is so true. Immediate satisfaction = debt usually. Debt free and frugal is the answer!

In my Grandma’s time, they would stick cardboard in their shoes when it wore a hole. Sometimes kids would show up barefoot at her little country school. If something had mold on it, they would just scrape it off,  and eat the rest. She lived when people were just coming out of the Depression, but it was still pretty bad in rural areas. She remembered kids taking her teacher’s orange peels out of the trash, because even that was a real treat. They were in desperate times.

This is so so true!! We were poor when raising our kids. My Gf. worked mainly outside, in all weather. I started buying “good” boots off eBay for a fraction of the price new. I’d pay about the price of the cheap Walmart work boots. And, even though the boots off eBay were used they STILL would last him a few years & were way more comfortable.

Yes, this was a thing long ago. but now, there is no “best”.  It is all made in china, very cheaply made, and we have been conditioned to be OK with this by the big box stores such as Walmart. live more, pay less. when it falls apart, just replace it, don’t repair it.. etc.. sad

That's not true. There is very much a best in just about anything.
 I've looked long and hard for items made in America, even though just a few and far between..they don't have to be made in America to be superior in quality... Just saying the 'no best' thing is not true.

First you hunt for used “good boots” in your size. If you can’t find them them then you buy the cheap ones so you can work. And you save up until you have enough money for a pair of good boots. Then when the cheap ones wear out you replace them with good ones.

As long as your car doesn’t need to be fixed or the furnace goes out or your rent goes up. Any minor change to the budget means nothing left to save when you are poor.

I don’t think you fully understand unless you experience it. It’s a devastating circle. And it’s not a measure of your success or failure as a person. It’s one illness or job loss away for most of us.

This is so real and something that so many just never understand. Everyone says “save up” but when there is literally no extra to save it’s tough.

My father is a retired electrician & always bought Red Wing boots, which are top of the line & quite expensive. But they lasted for years & were worth the price.

And the situation in the original post brings out the predator lenders having an exorbitant payback amount; think Renta centers, credit cards, etc. But now I'm seeing something from retailers that has been needed FOR YEARS which is splitting up the cost in payments, with no interest rate. I may be wrong amor the interest rate tho bc I haven't taken advantage of those pay deals.
Am needing a platform for my not so good mattress, it's saggy and causing neck, back, shoulder pain. So I'm thinking a platform would be more financially feasible for me than to buy a new mattress. It's LOVE a new, good quality mattress set but disability income won't allow. Does getting a platform make sense or no?

If it’s something that you are going to need to use daily or for years, I would go with the best. If it’s a fad or one use thing I’d more than likely would go for the cheapest.