[PRCo] Re: Gas Prices

[Derrick J Brashear]

On Mon, 29 Dec 2008, Schneider Fred wrote:

> Ah but it isn't just Japan where we focus on doing things right.   We
> have a quality of furniture called "early marriage."   It is low
> grade, plywood and pine crap furniture.   The Germans, on the other
> hand, believed that you put your money in the bank and accumulated it
> until you could buy something good.   As I remember, they didn't have
> that inferior grade of merchandise.   It's us always trying to get
> something for less.   It is also an American dream that everything
> has to be new ... new camera ... new cell phone ... new car ... new
> furniture.

I have furniture which was used, cheap or free, mostly. A bookcase my 
father made me, a bedframe which was bought "new" at IKEA, but everything 
else is used. I'm a stingy b****d. New matters, sometimes. When it 
doesn't, why bother?

> at 300,030 miles.   My old '59 Ford would have quit running at at
> 40,000.

had the first issue with my 2002 Chrysler, at 103k miles. tube for coolant 
cracked. i could have fixed it myself, but that's what my mechanic is for.

cheap is good. reliable is better. affordable reliability is better yet. 
but i try to stick to sustainable, whether that means "new from somewhere 
i know it wasn't slave labor" or "someone else's castoffs", or something 
else.

this is not political, and i'm not going to push it at you. i don't live 
frugally, i just prefer to use money on things which are more exciting 
than a new couch, or a new car.