Is it actually too expensive, or is the stuff we're used to buying too cheap? We've generated our concept of what constitutes a good value buying molded plastic made from subsidized oil in Chinese factories. Same thing with textiles, and food. Could it be that we think stuff like the products that store sells are too expensive because we're used to buying stuff that's too cheap? I've been thinking about this a lot for the last week or so.
even still my budget can afford the cheap stuff....the other option is hard to do because of my budget.
Same here. We buy cheap because we have to, especially because of the weak dollar. When we splurge we're trying more and more to spend the extra money more conscientiously, instead of just buying the cheap stuff in larger quantities.
Have you looked at this website yet?
http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/1...ottles-
and.html
It helped in buying cheaper stuff than $10 a sippy. But there are some products like from Nuby that are okay. Not all of them are bad. I hope that helps.
i find that co-ops make natural living more affordable. i think matt has a point, though, that we are used to spending less money on our "stuff," because most of what we buy is not produced sustainably by people making living wages. on an incredibly fixed income these days, i really rely on whatever means i can find to save money on natural items (and even some of the more socially responsibly "unnatural" ones). i know matt and jeni are probably out of luck, but are there any co-ops near you, amy? there are a lot of them online, but it's even cheaper if you can hook into one in your neighborhood. we have one that delivers monthly to our fire station here in town. huge selections of natural items, everything bought at wholesale prices (without the overhead costs of a grocery or hfs). it takes more organization than being able to run to the grocery store at the drop of a hat, but it saves money and lets us better afford the things we know are better for ourselves, our kids, and our world.
there was an article about cheap stuff versus "real value" goods in sojourners a few months back, if anyone's interested.
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