Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Flat iron.....accessory or appliance?
Well my flat iron has bit the dust! It was on the fritz for a few months but recently took a turn for the worst and no longer is able to fulfill it's very important purpose of straightening my hair. Although I don't use it daily.....I do have naturally wavy/frizzy hair so I like to have the option of having silky straight hair when I feel like it. So I think that a flat iron is an essential appliance to have on hand for such occasions. My husband disagrees and says that it is an accessory and therefore falls into the NO-BUY category. I am now struggling with an internal debate.....is a flat iron an appliance that I can replace without guilt or is it an accessory that, if purchased, would cause me to fail this challenge? I am throwing this question out to you friends; flat iron......accessory or appliance?
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I hate to say it, but I would not have bought this new last year. I would have hunted through craigslist and thrift shops til I found one though. I was also uber strict during the project, so others may weigh in with a different answer.
ReplyDeleteThe final verdict: I have had a few friends suggest that a flat iron is a personal care product, like a razor and others have agreed that it is an appliance.....neither of these would not be on my no-buy list of clothing, shoes, books or accessories! Obviously if I run out of mascara or deodorant I will buy more to replace them but if I were to rip a shirt beyond repair, lose a pair of shoes, break a necklace, or leave a book on the bus I would not be able to replace those items because they fall under the 4 categories that I have committed to not buy anything from this year! Therefore I have decided that it is not cheating to buy a new flat iron :)
ReplyDeleteJessica
I swear I am not just trying to find loopholes to rationalize purchases :)
I am totally committed to this project and I truly do believe that buying this flat iron is not cheating! I think that our projects, although both restrictive, limit us in different ways. Both create unique challenges because with yours you were regulated by the condition or where you shopped for every item you purchased in 2010, whereas I am not able to buy anything, in any condition but I am only limited by the 4 categories. I admit that the flat iron falls into a relatively grey area and I was actually wondering....was there anything that you three struggled with in deciding what you could buy new? How did you determine what was exempt? So far I am trying to be honest with myself, rely on the guilt factor to help me stay true to the challenge and keep me on track!
We struggled all the time! Believe me...ALL the time ha ha. One of my sisters bought a swimsuit because she considered it to be like underwear and couldn't be bought used. I agreed with her that it shouldn't be bought used (ick) but I still don't think she NEEDED to buy it. It wasn't like she NEEDED a new swimsuit (she had another she could have worn).
ReplyDeleteBut she was also the sister who didn't use any paper towels all year long, and I used paper towels like nobody's business...so I guess it just comes down to yourself and your project and what your decision is.
I neglected to remember that you're project does not allow you to buy anything, even used and that does put a whole new spin on the decision. If I were you and an item that I used regularly (more than once a week) broke, I would buy a new one also. Now if it were an item I only used once in a blue moon...then I would not be able to justify the purchase. Oh and also something big I learned during my project was that I shouldn't be buying the cheapest or sale items just because it was cheap, especially for something I use a lot...so I would say if you're going to buy a new flat iron, buy a good one :-)
Haha....it's so funny what we will use to rationalize a purchase but I totally agree a used swimsuit is out of the question. It sounds like this won't be the last tough decision I will have to make this year....but if it were easy it wouldn't be a challenge right?
ReplyDeleteAnd it's funny you should mention the sale item lesson..... having just taken a quiz on what my spending personality is, it revealed that I am not a slacker, impulse or zombie spender but I am a total sales spender! I will often buy something I don't need because it was on sale or simply base almost all shopping decisions solely on price. So I will for sure not make this mistake when buying my new flat iron!
Yep, I'm a sale item buyer too. I almost feel the need to put thrift store purchases on my restricted list as I will buy stuff just cuz it's $3.99 and all it does is clutter up my closet!
ReplyDeleteLindsay - just thought I'd add my two cents - even though you've already decided. I (being the cheater of the J girls) WOULD have bought a new straightener...but I would have felt guilty all year!
ReplyDelete