Household/Personal Goods - How Often do you Buy New...

[Mlle. Zabzie]

The recent inflationary pressures have got me thinking - how often do people usually buy things like:

Towels (I use them until they start to fray, and then they go to line cat carriers or get cut to rags - usually 5 years or so of use for original purpose)

Sheets (Same more or less, but I'm less good about replacing)

Small kitchen appliances (toasters, coffee makers, electric kettles, etc.) (When they break)

Kitchen tools (spatulas, cutting boards, knives etc). (When they break/show visible wear and tear.  I should replace cutting boards more often.  Probably same for the silicon tools I have).

Underwear (I know they say to replace bras every six months.  HAH.  Every six years?  Underwear more often).

Other stuff?  (Not including electronics or vehicles in this list - that's a different ball of wax.  I'm thinking more about background stuff that you sort of take for granted).

Will the current environment change your behavior on this stuff?  

[Madame deVenoge]

I replace stuff in much the same manner you do. I also don’t have a lot of “stuff”. And I don’t use it often. I can count on one hand the number of times I pulled out a cutting board this year…I think my cutting boards are maybe 10 years old. My knife set is 25 years old, since it is older than my son.

You all might be shocked to learn that I have three handbags, one of which is my “opera only” handbag and has been used zero times in the past two years  

I also replace dresses but rarely, as I care more for quality rather than quantity. I also own two pairs of jeans and 10 pairs of shoes, which constantly shocks people 

The current inflationary environment has had no impact on me, for which I feel somewhat guilty. 

Wait: the only area where it *may* have an impact is if somehow Doctor (or a hypothetical anyone else) were to get serious and I had to / wanted to sell my house and we were to buy a new (to us) house. My house was $412k when I bought it in 2017 and is now at $700k, and who knows how much a home acceptable to both of us in location and amenities would cost.

I know his preferred location has homes well into the $2 million range for something fairly basic, which I know with NYC prices is inexpensive, but given the average-ish home price in metro ATL is $350k (at last look) is kind of breathtaking.

[MercenaryChef]

gonna share something horrid.

recently i went  back to the village to see my dad. the bed he set for me featured pillows i have known since i was a child. these pillows my mother rested upon as she died.

give me a moment while i buy pops some pillows and search for a therapist.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Shoutout to @BigFatCoward, buying new socks on the reg is a small thing that makes life so much better.

ETA: But I also really want to buy these, so don't listen to me.

[Prue]

Thanks to the 'planned obsolescence' strategy almost all the household appliances factories have adopted, the time till an appliance breaks down has shortened. And it's not easy to find something that lasts longer or is even repairable. E.g. I eventually bought a hand mixer from the 1980s off ebay when I found out that all the current producers (no matter how expensive) now use cogwheels out of PLASTIC to make sure that they wear down quickly. The 1980s version still had metal cogwheels and it can even be repaired easily as the case can be opened without breaking it. 

It's not easy if you want to avoid wasting resources, I guess you need laws forcing manufacturers to make their products last longer and remain repairable. I heard that they want to force manufacturers to at least stock replacement parts for a longer time in the EU now. That's a start. And there have been talks that smartphones are supposed to get replaceable batteries again. 

[ljkeane]

When things break basically. I’m not someone who enjoys shopping for household items so I tend to lean more towards the ‘it’ll probably be fine for a while longer’ side of things rather than replacing them too soon.

[Spockydog]

We got a new router to replace our old Archer C7, which was released in 2012. We also had ancient Cat2 ethernet cables connecting everything. We've upgraded those to Cat7 and the difference in speed is spectacular.

 

[Corvinus85]

4 hours ago, Prue said:

Thanks to the 'planned obsolescence' strategy almost all the household appliances factories have adopted, the time till an appliance breaks down has shortened. And it's not easy to find something that lasts longer or is even repairable. E.g. I eventually bought a hand mixer from the 1980s off ebay when I found out that all the current producers (no matter how expensive) now use cogwheels out of PLASTIC to make sure that they wear down quickly. The 1980s version still had metal cogwheels and it can even be repaired easily as the case can be opened without breaking it. 

It's not easy if you want to avoid wasting resources, I guess you need laws forcing manufacturers to make their products last longer and remain repairable. I heard that they want to force manufacturers to at least stock replacement parts for a longer time in the EU now. That's a start. And there have been talks that smartphones are supposed to get replaceable batteries again. 

I had to replace my kitchen sink faucet last week. I had only bought it in December 2020. 

My washer has started to make a lot of noise when it spins, so the bearing must be going out. I don't believe it's older than 4 years. My previous washer lasted 15 years.

[Heartofice]

I now realise everything I purchase from Apple will likely have a life span of 48 months. Anything after that is a bonus. 

[Jaxom 1974]

It might depend on whether we're able to renew our Amazon Prime for basically nothing again?  (We used to cheat a little with it, and not feel guilt about it, because I worked places that had me using a .edu e-mail and teachers were basically getting Prime for free once upon a time...)

But I'm not the one to ask. My wife plans that all out.  I get things when I need them and I'm usually comfortable using something forever rather than replacing it.

[edwardvvthorpe]

On 6/11/2022 at 10:38 AM, Prue said:

Thanks to the 'planned obsolescence' strategy almost all the household appliances factories have adopted, the time till an appliance breaks down has shortened. And it's not easy to find something that lasts longer or is even repairable. E.g. I eventually bought a hand mixer from the 1980s off ebay when I found out that all the current producers (no matter how expensive) now use cogwheels out of PLASTIC to make sure that they wear down quickly. The 1980s version still had metal cogwheels and it can even be repaired easily as the case can be opened without breaking it. 

It's not easy, if you want to avoid wasting resources, I think you need laws forcing manufacturers to make their products more durable and repairable. I've heard that the EU now wants to force manufacturers to at least keep spare parts for a longer period of time (source: https://writemyessay.nyc) . This is already a start. There is talk that smartphones should have replacement batteries again.

And you know what's funny, I read recently that the so-called "planned obsolescence" strategy the major manufacturers were forced to adopt, among other reasons, because, like, we use cheaper components and materials and thus save the environment, as their production requires less electricity and everything else. Everyone screams about ecology and energy efficiency. But what about the lifespan of appliances, at the end of which they end up in the landfill? If an old refrigerator or freezer lived 40-50 years before it was replaced and a new one lived 10-15 years at the most, that means that we produce 3-4 times as many appliances. By a very conservative estimate, we're throwing out 2-3 times as many appliances as we used to. How is that better for the environment, anyway?

(Research suggests that the end of cheap oil has been a major boon to the environment. It is better for the environment because it reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere)

[A wilding]

26 minutes ago, edwardvvthorpe said:

And you know what's funny, I read recently that the so-called "planned obsolescence" strategy the major manufacturers were forced to adopt, among other reasons, because, like, we use cheaper components and materials and thus save the environment, as their production requires less electricity and everything else. Everyone screams about ecology and energy efficiency.

You know what? I really don't believe that is anything other than a feeble excuse made for PR reasons. Citation please.

[Inkdaub]

17 hours ago, edwardvvthorpe said:

...we use cheaper components and materials and thus save the environment...

I have read using fewer components/materials is better environmentally but cheaper components/materials are surely part of the problem and not the solution. Is planned obsolescence, something designed to artificially maintain consumption, even remotely associated with environmental concerns?

--------------------------------------------------

I let some things go until humiliation sets in before replacing them. I can go a while on towells/shower curtain/mats. Bedding I buy sometimes seemingly at random. Other things I buy whether I need them or not. I bought one of those rolly pizza cutters. It just sits over there for no reason. I bought a back-up desk chair that is still in the box. I buy socks regularly and underwear slightly less often. I don't own most of my appliances but I can see myself only replacing them when they break.

[Luzifer's right hand]

Modern appliances tend to be far more energy efficient though.

I mean using a 40-50 year old fridge freezer is like one of the worst things you can do from an energy point of view.

Even a 20 year old device is probably incredible wasteful.

[WillWork4NinjaPowers]

Socks and underwear yearly or as the weight fluctuations demand.

Hand towels probably the same, because they get used a lot more and for more random stuff. Although I typyjust buy a pack of 50 white hand towels and 50 white wash cloths from Amazon for bathing purposes. Decorative or kitchen hand towels are different. Body towels we keep longer I guess. 

 

I definitely need to replace the knives. They are awful. It's been... A very long time with a very cheap set.

 

Everything else I basically use it until it craps out.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

How often do you guys replace pots and pans? I cook a lot and after a year or two they (almost entirely the pans) tend to look pretty beat up despite my efforts to treat them. And yet I try not to replace them (I tend to opt for nicer stuff) until there's no defending using it anymore. 

[Madame deVenoge]

2 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

How often do you guys replace pots and pans? I cook a lot and after a year or two they (almost entirely the pans) tend to look pretty beat up despite my efforts to treat them. And yet I try not to replace them (I tend to opt for nicer stuff) until there's no defending using it anymore. 

It will not surprise you, but “never”

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

3 minutes ago, Chataya de Fleury said:

It will not surprise you, but “never”

Just say you don't like to cook, not that you can't. I helped teach cooking classes for two years in college and I know if I hung out with you for a week I could have you ace three dishes for each meal plus some nice side dishes you could bring to parties. 

[Jaxom 1974]

6 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

How often do you guys replace pots and pans? I cook a lot and after a year or two they (almost entirely the pans) tend to look pretty beat up despite my efforts to treat them. And yet I try not to replace them (I tend to opt for nicer stuff) until there's no defending using it anymore. 

This is me.  I mean, certain pots and pans are my favorites, no matter how long I've had them.  Giving them up and replacing them is like saying I'm going to turn in my kids and look to upgrade...(which, as they're both pre-teens, might not be a half bad idea at times...)

[Madame deVenoge]

3 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Just say you don't like to cook, not that you can't. I helped teach cooking classes for two years in college and I know if I hung out with you for a week I could have you ace three dishes for each meal plus some nice side dishes you could bring to parties. 

If instant oatmeal qualifies as a “dish,” I do have that one down, already