Kosmo is an aspiring novelist, vehement opponent of the designated hitter, student of true crime, and plays the keyboard for The Soap Boxers – an eclectic, team-written web magazine.
I have always been a person who values comfort over fashion. This is probably a good thing, since I have absolutely no sense of fashion. When my company had a business casual dress code, I wore black plants. Every day. For ten years. Oddly, a lot of my co-workers didn’t realize this until I pointed it out several years into the routine. I liked the routine, because it minimized the decision making process.
Although, on occasion, I can pull off the suit and tie thing, I much prefer to run around in jeans and sneakers. Imagine my great pleasure a couple of years ago when my company modified the dress code to allow jeans in the office. I’m in a white collar job (IT team coordinator) for a very large company in a very conservative industry. This surprising announcement was a good enough reason for me to bring in donuts.
My clothing budget – never a massive money suck in any case – has shrunken considerably. I have a wide array of t-shirts that are suitable office attire, and I get quite a bit of life out of a pair of Adidas running shoes. Today I’m wearing a t-shirt from the Tulsa Zoo featuring images of a tiger, lion, panther, leopard, and cougar.
The core clothing component in all of this are the jeans. Jeans make the man. For most of my life, I have worn Wrangler jeans, mostly because that’s the brand I grew up on. Now that I’m a married, 30-something professional, I could probably step up to a more expensive brand, right?
Nope. One year, my wife bought me a nice pair of jeans from a brand that is considered to be a step above Wrangler. Unfortunately, the fit was terrible. I went to the store and tried a couple other styles – they all fit horribly. It was the same with other brands. Apparently, at least to me, Wrangler relaxed fit jeans are the best fitting jeans in the entire world.
I quickly came to the realization that I COULD spend more money on jeans, but that it would be incredibly stupid, because I’d be paying more money for an inferior (to me) product.
Now, any time I need new jeans, I just log on to walmart.com and order some – $17 + 97 cents shipping. I know that Wal-Mart doesn’t have a lot of fans, but it’s by far the easiest place for me to find jeans. I’m a 30 waist / 34 inseam, and it’s always hit-or-miss when I’m in any brick and mortar store. If I’m lucky, they might have a pair (which also means I miss out on the really good sales because they never have my size). Now, I can arrange for my denim shipments with a few mouse clicks.
The only negative thing about Wrangler? Their affiliation with Brett Favre. However, they atone for that sin by being a sponsor of rodeos.
I am happy to announce a special offer for readers of The Centsible Life. For the next week, you can save 25% off anything in the Hyrax Publications Store by using coupon code CENTS25. If you want to sample before you buy, check out the teaser for Kosmo’s latest work of fiction, Tip of the Iceberg.
Kelly’s notes: Sometimes sticking with a brand we love and use isn’t a bad idea. Especially when it’s economical. It never hurts to try out something new, but sometimes price doesn’t equal quality. What about you? Do you have a brand you’re loyal to after years of use?
© 2010, Whalen Media LLC. All rights reserved. To repost or publish, please email Kelly.
Pingback: Where’s Kosmo?