Consumerism and how it works

[nadinbrzezinski]

well last year I got a new toaster oven. I use the damn thing to cook things ranging from a full meal to toasting waffles in the morning for my parrots (Yes they eat people food)

So the damn thing broke after a year of use.

This is how they get us to keep buying crap

Today I got a cheap replacement. Or at least cheaper, Got to the sad conclusion a while ago that this is how they keep us buying crap, by making crap.

By the way, while at the store (target) they had four dollar t-shirts and pants fer the little ones...

No, I'm not shocked

This is the deflations leading edge

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

1. Yeah. That sounds about right.

Once wages fall we'll be in a full deflation collapse.

[GoesTo11]

4. I love the toaster oven ad that pops up at the bottom of the page

50% off!

[seabeyond]

2. yup. absolutely, quality sucks, quantity shrinks and price goes up.

i am so damn pissed.

at store today and told guy at register, i have noticed huge differences in siz just since the last time i had been to the store. Xlarge eggs are laughingly small. dove fuckin eggs. i told him.... and i go shopping a couple times a week. meaning just two days ago....

[blonndee]

3. No shit. I've been through 4 coffeemakers in 6 years. My current one is about to die, too.

I can't afford a new one, so I guess when it finally kicks the bucket for good, it'll be instant coffee till I can. The horror! :( Seriously, it's really bad when *I* drink instant coffee, but I won't have much of a choice for a while.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Solution:

I have all three of these, for whichever need at the moment:


20.00, stainless steel.





For just one cup, use this with filters, pour hot water over coffee, enjoy



and my favorite, been using it since 1974

[blonndee]

10. What are those? If they're affordable, I'm definitely interested!

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. In order of appearance, the items are

1. Stainless steel stove top percolator, what they used before Mr. coffee types of plastic were made.
check Amazon.com for them, which is where I got the pic.

2. Coffee cone filter holder...sits over one coffee cup.
I use unbleached cone filters.
I also grind my own coffee beans.

3. Last but not least...
Stove top espresso maker, made of aluminum, if it is Bialetti, ) Italian made)
it is sturdy.
( actually won an award design in the '30's).
Costs 26.00 on amazon for the 6 cup, which is the only practical size to use, IMHO.


everyone of these I picked up at a Goodwill store in 2005 in Ca.
For el cheapo.

My waffle iron cost 25 cents in 1970 at a thrift store, it has a fabric cord, is all stainless steel,
has fed 3 generations.

Go..now...while you can...check out the "good" thrift stores for old working appliances.

[blonndee]

14. Thanks, I appreciate it.

I'm hunting online right....now! :)

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. I have a COLEMAN camp fire coffee percolator

and yes the thing works... it was also el cheapo back in the day

[Raksha]

12. Those one-cup coffee cones are a great low-tech device...

absolutely nothing to break on 'em! I have one of those too.

[Merlot]

5. I bought vintage appliances from the 50's - they're all chrome and

still work perfectly. They all have a cool design etched onto the side. I have a coffee maker (used to boil water), a toaster, a waffle maker. Even have a couple vintage irons that still work.

My blender is also chrome, it's an Oster that's about 12 years old and works well. That one I bought new, and paid slightly more for it than the usual cheap blenders.

If you're going to buy new, spend more money up front and it will last longer. Don't buy at target and expect it to last very long.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. I spent quite a bit more at the base last year

and no, didn't last

Hamilton Beach is the brand.

Of the one that failed that is, and I suspect it wasn't even made for the US market... I mean the temp gauge was in celcius

We were talking about it, the one that the HB replaced lasted fifteen years, and was a Bianchi.

So lets see how long this one lasts, and no I don't expect it to last one day beyond guarantee.

Sadly if we were in Mexico I could get it fixed

[Raksha]

6. I had a Toastmaster toaster (made in China, of course)

that worked for maybe two months after I got it. I've always thought someone could make a fortune making things "like they used to." Then again, maybe not--because you wouldn't have to replace your toaster for 20 years or so. Come to think of it, I inherited one of the first microwaves ever made from a former housemate. It has to be over 20 years old, and the damn thing STILL works!!!

[Nevernose]

8. I've got the microwave my mom warmed my bottles in

35 YEARS AGO.

Still works. A little slow, it's avocado green, and it will run with the door wide open (make sure you close the door!), but it works. I keep it in the garage for when my kid has slumber parties and the noise gets too loud.

[Johnny Noshoes]

9. Old stuff...

I've had the same clock radio for over 25 years -Sony made in japan, the same microwave oven for nearly 24 years - Toshiba made in Japan, the same refrigerator for nearly 20 years - GE made in USA yeah that's right made HERE. I have had a new rule for some time now - unless it breaks and it doesn't pay to fix I DON'T buy something new. Mostly because I can't afford to waste the money but also because the Chinese made crap is just that CRAP.

[SoCalDem]

11. We have a toaster oven that my mother in law bought in 1970-something

heavy as lead, but it works fine..

I still use my grandmother's pressure cooker..(they quit making replacement sealing rings for it in 1953)

Planned obsolescence is evil...but necessary, if we haver people who need jobs all the time:(