Recently, I looked up at staples for desks, and they costed a lot of money! Well, the one I wanted did, but even if it were cheap, I wouldn't have room for it. I looked up new laptops so I could get me a new one since the one I'm on isn't really cutting it, and a suggested laptop was over $1,000! I don't have a desk for it, though, and I've got no room for a desk. ;n;

Yes, new things are very expensive. You can often get very good used things though for a fraction of the price. I particularly like going to a University town because they often have monthly (or even weekly) rummage sales on all sorts of odd items for very very little.
Electronics are harder, though, because they build in obsolescence and they become obsolete awfully quickly.

Yes!

And it is surprisingly easy to make shoes. I mean, not the super supportive boots you go on tough adventures with, but the everyday shoes. And if you're starting from other used items instead of trying to buy new materials it is very cheap indeed. And then they are tailored to you. Cobbled to you, I guess... but they'll be exactly to your taste because you made them. And presumably you'll make them the way you like them, anyhow.

It is odd to me, how much people are willing to pay for seemingly very odd things.
($45 for "custom window decals"? That's just society-sanctioned graffiti!
A bundle of color-coordinated old books for $75? You can get a BOX of them from the library for $6, and they'll be ones you wouldn't mind actually reading, too.
Or how about a $2000 "art" mirror-mosaic? Just get some $5 mirrors from a garage sale and pull out your grouting tools. It'll for sure fit your space, then.)

what's a fidget spinner?

Sorry I still don't recognize it. Is it a game controller thing?

Akili Li wrote:Yes, new things are very expensive. You can often get very good used things though for a fraction of the price. I particularly like going to a University town because they often have monthly (or even weekly) rummage sales on all sorts of odd items for very very little.
Electronics are harder, though, because they build in obsolescence and they become obsolete awfully quickly.

I don't like used things because when I get them, they are often broken. I do want to go to where you go for those sales to see if there's something I'd like. Mostly fountain pens, though. Those are awesome and I'm always down to purchase one... even if I require funds than I have. Also, fidget spinners are not controllers. They are just something you spin.

Moi wrote:

I'm a cheap person and I'm used to living within my very slim means.

I often wonder why things are so expensive.
Like why do these shoes cost $300? Are they eternal? Do they cure cancer? Do they allow you to fly?

I get told with a lot of things you're paying for the brand name.
I don't care about brand names - I want stuff that I like.
I'll find a nice pair of shoes for like $12 and wear them until they're full of holes and falling apart.

As I see it - why would I buy a pair of shoes for $300 when I can get many shoes or shoes and some other stuff for $300?

One reason why things are expensive is labour, and some materials are not easy to come by or are hard to make. Also, time. There are fountain pens that take months to create, and one tiny mistake causes the whole process to start all over again, and they are made by hand.

Akili Li wrote:Yes!

And it is surprisingly easy to make shoes. I mean, not the super supportive boots you go on tough adventures with, but the everyday shoes. And if you're starting from other used items instead of trying to buy new materials it is very cheap indeed. And then they are tailored to you. Cobbled to you, I guess... but they'll be exactly to your taste because you made them. And presumably you'll make them the way you like them, anyhow.

It is odd to me, how much people are willing to pay for seemingly very odd things.
($45 for "custom window decals"? That's just society-sanctioned graffiti!
A bundle of color-coordinated old books for $75? You can get a BOX of them from the library for $6, and they'll be ones you wouldn't mind actually reading, too.
Or how about a $2000 "art" mirror-mosaic? Just get some $5 mirrors from a garage sale and pull out your grouting tools. It'll for sure fit your space, then.)

They might lack the knowledge and calibur to make such items, so maybe that's why they buy expensive stuff.

knowledge and greater skill is what you expect at the end of a project, not the beginning.
To me, if you want something, the first thing you do is begin learning, and you usually plan for the learning process to be ongoing, you don't plan that you will be perfect at it. But this is still a much better deal for me. You spend less money and you finish with more skill and knowledge, as well as the product. Otherwise, you can spend all the money and end up with the product but no new skills or knowledge. It's spending more and getting less for it.
Some things, though, are not very practical to attempt on your own, because of the extreme precision or unusual materials or bulky/expensive equipment required. Fountain pens are like that, which is why I only have some non-chambered calligraphy nibs, and then mostly just use reeds and quills and brushes. Those last three are accessible for anyone to learn to make. But then, fountain pens are not a passion with me, as they are with you, so of course they would be worth the investment for you.

Are you planning on learning how to create fountain pens? Are you already learning? Do you enjoy it?