October 04, 2007
Recovering Snob
I.
Am a snob.
Yes, yes I am. Or at least I *USED* to be.
You see, growing up, we were what they call "upper middle class". Didn't start out that way. Hell Mama and Daddy's first home was a one room playhouse on my Grandparents property. But they worked hard...and eventually we had the "big" house, on a bit of land, filled with beautiful things.
When we moved in there I remember going shopping with Mama. Only the BEST furniture. Hell, we had all the state of the art appliances. That home was a showcase, plain and simple.
So you can only imagine my culture shock when I got married and discovered how difficult it was to have nice things. We were poor. We defined "dirt poor".
And when I got divorced I swore I would never EVER live like that again. Never again would I be ashamed of where I lived, what I did or didn't have.
So...I worked hard. It took a while, but over the years I furnished my home beautifully - if I must say so myself. I had a very nice home, and loved nothing more than having people over.
Well, due to circumstances I'm starting over again. Pretty much from scratch. Luckily, I can. Oh, it won't be an over night thing, but I can do it.
But I've discovered something. I'm not so insistent on having what other people say is "the best". I'm not so snobbish about what I buy where.
Time was you'd never see any furniture or clothing from someplace like Wal-Mart in MY home. Oh, hell no. Groceries? No problem. Anything else? No way, no how.
And I've recently discovered a new favorite store. Big Lots. Yes...I said Big Lots.
It's a great place to buy office supplies. $1.50 for office paper? $1.00 for envelopes? Hell YEAH! That's got my name all over it!!! And that's only SOME of the bargins I've found....
Not to mention many of the "discount" furniture places, the ones that used to be only for "those" people, make their own furniture. And it's decent furniture. Believe me - I know the difference. It's just less expensive as their overhead is lower.
So I'm proud of being able to say I'm a Recovering Snob. Oh, I still look, drooling, at some of those fancy places. But then I think about all that money being spent on something that can be gone in a heartbeat, and realize. I'd rather spend it on something, or better yet someONE else.
It's been a ugly lesson to learn, but learn it I have. It's not WHAT you have or WHERE you got it. It's who YOU are that matters.
just wish it hadn't taken this long for that one to sink in
Posted by Tammi at October 4, 2007 07:17 AM | TrackBackI'm a recovering snob, but I've no idea how I got that way in the first place. Grew up dirt poor in a little wooden house in the sticks. It was a great childhood.
It took many adult years and snobby friends to make me what I became, and I still fight against it. But I have been to Big Lots once this year and do on occasion shop at Wal-Mart.
I wear tshirts from Target. :D
Want to hear something hilarious? Day before yesterday I went to Macy's to look for a gift. I ended up buying something for myself - a Dooney & Bourke glove leather drawstring. I fell in love with it...! Then felt guilty that I'd bought it...
Last night, 9 month old Youngest Granddaughter spilled sweet tea all over the day old bag.
I just smiled.
I thought: "serves me right". :D
LUV Big Lots! If the stars are right and the Shopping Gods are smiling, you can get great deals there. (Some furniture, like the bed frames, stay away from. The quality of them is not worth the money and better to apply it to something that you'll still have and love 5-10 yars from now.)
But I agree completely. As a matter of fact, DH and I found a dining room table we just LOVE. (Picture drooling here.) However, I WILL NOT pay $3,000 for a table (no, doesn't include the chairs). So, with an "inspiration piece" in mind, I'm all for hitting the multiple consignment furniture stores down here. May not be the same, but I can find a reasonable facsimile.
And it helps to have a handy hubby. Went into a scandinavian store, found a wall unit that I really like...but not the price tag. (On sale for $3K+...how? Its wood and mdf for crying out loud!) So for DH's Christmas break, he's going to make one for our home for much, much, MUCH less. Glad I got that air compressor at a garage sale for him for $40! I RULE! ;)
Posted by: Lee Ann at October 4, 2007 08:24 AMIt depends on what I'm buying and how long I expect to keep it and how much use it will get. I try to buy really good standard furniture. My living room furniture, it is not the highest quality and I can tell. It is not wearing like I would want it to, but it is functional. I wish we'd waited and bought better. The rest of the real furniture is probably going to last us until we die.
But there are other things I'll cheap out on and not think twice. My bed side tables in my guest room? Target. The kids' desks in their study? Office depot put together. My clothes? A mix of stuff... some tshirts from Target, some from my favorite store, but ON SALE.
I do a lot of Target shopping. We don't have Big Lots... but I'm telling you now, if we did, I'd shop there. Office supplies etc, would all come from there!
Posted by: Bou at October 4, 2007 03:37 PMYou need to discover HOBO.
Home Owners buyers Outlet. (I think) anyway, they have hot tubs, bookcases, doors, windows, floor mats, rugs, appliances, stereos, all mill ends, surplus, or import. Rugs and flooring and landscaping too. Never the same store two days in a row. Closest to you- I think- is in Crest Hill. Rent a truck from Home Despot and deliver the stuff to your house.
Posted by: og at October 4, 2007 08:21 PMI used to be a rummage sale snob. Wouldn't touch the driveway with a ten-foot pole. But once I had babies to clothe, and I learned I could get stretchy pants for only a quarter a piece, I converted.
I once knew a woman who, when pregnant with her first child, declared that she could NEVER dress her baby in clothes that some other baby had worn.
Apparently, she hadn't been out pricing new baby clothes, yet. And, obviously, had NO idea how quickly her baby would outgrow or barf carrots on a $20 outfit.
I'd like to talk to her today.
You know, see how that worked out for her.
Heh.
Posted by: Roses at October 4, 2007 09:42 PMHey, how do you women find t-shirts at Target that cover your navel AND your cleavage at the same time?
I can't buy clothes there.
I'd freeze in the winter.
Tammi,
I've been accused of being a snob. I live on a gravel road, ferchrissakes. Who do I have to look down on?
We have a Big Lots in our town. I'll have to check it out again.
Posted by: Jerry at October 5, 2007 12:43 AManyone that buys anything at the mall or any expensive joint... has got a screw lose.
Cheapskates UNITE! Cha-ching!
Posted by: Chuck at October 5, 2007 01:00 AM