Sheet Rant

When did sheets get so expensive? Why are they so complicated? And more importantly - why am I so fussy about sheets?

I know this is a low priority problem compared to some, but what are blogs for if not to occasionally rant about low-priority dumb stuff? It's the mundane that takes up a huge part of our lives.

I've been sheet shopping this week. The bottom sheet seems to have sprung a tear - just when they were the most soft and comfortable. Of course it's that way. Just when something is perfect, we find ourselves in replacement mode.

My first stop was the Internet. Just to remind myself what constitutes a good sheet - softness, durability, sheen, color, price. Of course it must be 100% cotton for maximum comfort, at least for those of us that are hot, not hot, hot, not hot, hot... Egyptian cotton is the most sturdy, with long fibers. So I'm looking for high thread count for softness, Egyptian cotton for durability, sateen finish for comfort, in the color Ivory. (I'm known for my comfortable beds - mine should be no exception!)

Next stop was Macy's, and a very sweet young man who knew his sheets. He steered me to two different ones, and I made my choice. Off to the check stand ---  total price - $800. No, that is not a typo! $800 for one set of sheets and (2) extra pillowcases.

Next stop - Bed, Bath & Beyond. I found 750 count, 100% Egyptian cotton sheets with a satin sheen in Ivory. Great. Only $199. Much better, I thought. Although spending $200 on sheets should be something that that is off-putting,  but after looking at so many sheets, I'm happy to pay it. Off to the check stand.

Okay, so the sheet set was $199 but I needed an extra set of pillowcases. The extra set of pillowcases came to $69. That is $35 per pillowcase! Really?? 

So there is my consumer rant for the year. I hope not have to buy sheets for several years, but when I do - I plan to go into our 401k to pay for them.

Addendum: The additional pillow cases, once washed, were a different color.  Geeze. Back to BBB. Or maybe my old ones will do...

Story of Stuff, Full Version; How Things Work, About Stuff

What makes you happy?

This age old question is doing it's share of popping into conversations and blogs these days. And I am aware that happiness is certainly personal and dynamic. But my husband, who is currently reading "The Ascent of Money" by Niall Ferguson, read a few passages about the paradox of why the people living in the safest country in the world are also the most insured. Ferguson also discusses when English-speaking people began to be obsessed with buying and selling of houses. Both very interesting, and directly related to happiness, I think.

First of all, it has only been in the last few decades that people began to believe that they must own a house to be happy. Before that, people often rented their entire lives, often living in the same place. See New York City. People in Switzerland often never pay off their homes, just passing the mortgage on in their wills to their family. But our country feels that you are just not complete without the "American Dream". With that comes taxes, insurance, upkeep, etc. You are tied to that house and mortgage. And you are tied to that exact location. Believe me, I know what it is like to have a big house on the market during down times. Our last one had three people come through (other than the lookie-lous that came through during the "open house" phase), in 100 days. It was a beautiful home, in a beautiful location. But it was outside the Twin Cities area, and gas was starting to sky rocket. It was not looking good. We lucked out with a man that walked through, loved it, bought it for cash (for his summer home - the rest of the time he lived on a horse ranch in Texas), no contingencies! Great luck. But I can see a very different scenario if we were still there. What I'm trying to get to, is why do people feel compelled to own something that will take so much of their income that it will cause anxiety if circumstances change? Losing your down payment, not to mention your equity, on a house you can no longer afford is a crushing blow. But millions are going through this right now. 

Now for insurance. We have to insure everything. Yesterday the person at the checkout counter at a local sport shop wanted my husband to insure his new running shoes for a year. My husband laughed and declined, saying he would not use them for a year. He believes in good running shoes and only uses them a few months - but that's another story. The point is we have to own all this stuff and then insure it. How much of our lives, and money, is just taking care of our stuff? I have always disagreed with friends that bought houses for their children to live in while attending college. Why would you tie your children down to a house during the only free time of their lives? The fun is moving from place to place, fixing it up and making it your home. Lots of good stuff comes from that. Yet the first thing many do is help their children buy a home after graduation. Thus ensuring they will be right there, for a long time. What if they wanted to travel and see the world? Or work overseas? Or take a job across the country? Get a second degree or work in another field that may pay less? Experience life? 

So, I guess I would pose the question - do we really think about what makes us happy? Really looking at what makes our day? Or do we assume our happiness must look like a programed set of values that may or may not fit what we actually like to do? And why do we have to own everything? Does it make us happier?

Nixing the Prius

We have been in the market for a car. We gave mine to our son-in-law last fall so that he could do his job, which requires quite a bit of travel. In the meantime, I decided to go with a hybrid. We had pretty much decided on the new 2010 Prius because the batteries are designed to last the life of the car. (A car we will have for a very long time.)

As I mentioned in my last post - my Achilles heel is children and animals. And one of the animals that I love the most is the elephant. After watching this 60-Minutes segment, my husband and I have decided NOT to buy the new Prius we were going to buy this summer. In fact, we are going to do our very best not to buy anything from Japan and China due to their importation of tons and tons of ivory, causing the subsequent slaughter of elephants in Africa (up 45% this year alone). Japan continues to hunt whales, another subject I feel deeply about. Since we are not really buying much more than food these days, this shouldn't be too difficult.

At some point we need to make a stand for the creatures on our earth that cannot speak for themselves. And, for me, this is mine.

In no way do I feel negatively toward the Chinese or Japanese people (for whom I have the utmost respect and affection). It is their government's policies on these issues that I disagree with. And the only power I have is with my wallet (a constrained one at that). So, lets take a look at that new Ford Fusion hybrid...