Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

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stan1
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by stan1 »

Not sure why this is a surprise. I've never thought of furniture as an asset or investment. It's an expense. Thirty years ago people were hauling MCM stuff to the dump. In 30 more years maybe someone will want grainy Oak.
Warning: I am about 80% satisficer (accepting of good enough) and 20% maximizer
Lars_2013
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by Lars_2013 »

tomd37 wrote: Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:03 am As a member of the generation after "The Greatest Generation" I think we are referred to as "The Silent Generation" at age 81. I think many of us might have safety concerns when listing "stuff" for sale somewhere and having people come to and into our homes to view and possibly purchase items.

Is this a concern to others and how is/was it handled?
My parents are a bit younger than you and are (just barely) part of the "Silent Generation." They weren't comfortable listing things on Craigslist, so during a trip up to visit them I took pictures, priced, and listed things for them. I priced them at a level to make it clear they weren't trash, but to make them move (my parents just wanted them out of the house without having to haul them somewhere). Within the weekend time frame we got takers for their nice dark brown dining room table with two leaves ($60, to a young woman who had just bought a house) and the heavy wood bunk beds my brother and I slept on as young kids ($40, to a proud grandfather setting up a space for his grandchildren). My mother's cherry spindle headboard twin bed frames from her childhood (a set of two) found no takers and were hauled to the thrift store.
BW1985
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by BW1985 »

unclescrooge wrote: Sat Nov 18, 2017 11:56 am
Thanks for insight. I had never heard of chalk or milk paint!

This has given me an idea to rejuvenate some patio furniture. I had restained it two years ago but the hot weather coupled with unusual torrential rain we had last year has left the finish dull and rough now.

Would it be possible to use a chalk paint on it directly? Do I need to seal it? If so, what would you recommend?
Yes you can use it, I even used it on the tile surround of my fireplace. I haven't used it for anything outside though so I'm not sure how well it holds up. My step mom did use it to paint some paver stones in her front yard.
Chase the good life my whole life long, look back on my life and my life gone...where did I go wrong?
NotWhoYouThink
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by NotWhoYouThink »

The consignment shop near me has classes on chalk painting. Guess it's easier to sell old brown furniture if you also sell the tools and skills to turn it into something people want.
roflwaffle
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by roflwaffle »

jasc15 wrote: Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:39 am This whole thread is making me reconsider my thoughts on expensive sofas. Do I really need the "eight way hand tied" sofa with kiln dried hardwood frame for 2x or 3x the cost of an adequate sofa? Justifying that quality furniture "holds its value" isn't really good enough, plus I will end up stressing over staining or otherwise damaging such an expensive piece of furniture.
DW and I still go for expensive furniture, but we won't buy new. We purchased our current sofa for I think $800 at a consignment store. It was used in a model home and had dropped from a couple thousand. We found the custom order form later, which I believe was ~$4500 or so.
Dottie57
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by Dottie57 »

I just bought a 3.5 k sofa bed. I saved for it. I wanted it. It was not a quick spontaneous purchase. I am very happy with it.
I love beautiful furniture. I have several solid wood pieces which are beautiful. I really don't care about resale value.

It s too bad millenials don't like quality.
Ninnie
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by Ninnie »

Dottie57 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:38 pm
It s too bad millenials don't like quality.
This is an unfair characterization. I'm a Gen Xer. I'm not interested in "brown" furniture either.

My parents threw their high end cherry and mahogany bedroom and dining sets that they originally had intended for me to inherit in with the sale of their home with my encouragement and blessing.

I have my own high quality made in Vermont furniture- totally different style.


I think any generation likes quality as long as it's a style they like and assuming they can afford it (many millenials are struggling with things such as student loans and exhorbitant housing that other generations didn't have to deal with).
NHRATA01
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by NHRATA01 »

Dottie57 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:38 pm I just bought a 3.5 k sofa bed. I saved for it. I wanted it. It was not a quick spontaneous purchase. I am very happy with it.
I love beautiful furniture. I have several solid wood pieces which are beautiful. I really don't care about resale value.

It s too bad millenials don't like quality.
I'm also GenX, and I won't say I don't like quality but I find there's a declining benefit with furniture when it comes to increasing cost. I've got 3 kids so anything in the family room is going to get beat up - we're due for new sofas after 8 years now and they were decent Raymour and Flannigan stuff, not top notch but not discount particle board stuff either. Do I really want to spend $5K on a sofa/loveseat that's just going to get plopped on 10 times a day? Not really. My mother OTOH is hung up about how well built her 1970s era living room couch is and how it's held up over the years (which I was never allowed to sit on in the entirety of my youth, and we seldom entertained, thus no wear and tear).

We have a 13 year old king bedroom set we bought that is particle board cheapo stuff from when we had less money, it's borderline garbage furniture but when I'm sleeping comfortably on the expensive quality mattress I did splurge on, I don't really notice the cheap headboard. I could afford to buy a nice quality solid oak/mahogany/whatever set and sometimes the wife pesters me about redoing the room, but I just can't be motivated to blow a few grand on it when it does the job just fine.

It's not about not liking quality, it's about spending the money on better things that actually make a difference in my life...like the mattress!
Dottie57
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by Dottie57 »

NHRATA01 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:43 pm
Dottie57 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:38 pm I just bought a 3.5 k sofa bed. I saved for it. I wanted it. It was not a quick spontaneous purchase. I am very happy with it.
I love beautiful furniture. I have several solid wood pieces which are beautiful. I really don't care about resale value.

It s too bad millenials don't like quality.
I'm also GenX, and I won't say I don't like quality but I find there's a declining benefit with furniture when it comes to increasing cost. I've got 3 kids so anything in the family room is going to get beat up - we're due for new sofas after 8 years now and they were decent Raymour and Flannigan stuff, not top notch but not discount particle board stuff either. Do I really want to spend $5K on a sofa/loveseat that's just going to get plopped on 10 times a day? Not really. My mother OTOH is hung up about how well built her 1970s era living room couch is and how it's held up over the years (which I was never allowed to sit on in the entirety of my youth, and we seldom entertained, thus no wear and tear).

We have a 13 year old king bedroom set we bought that is particle board cheapo stuff from when we had less money, it's borderline garbage furniture but when I'm sleeping comfortably on the expensive quality mattress I did splurge on, I don't really notice the cheap headboard. I could afford to buy a nice quality solid oak/mahogany/whatever set and sometimes the wife pesters me about redoing the room, but I just can't be motivated to blow a few grand on it when it does the job just fine.

It's not about not liking quality, it's about spending the money on better things that actually make a difference in my life...like the mattress!

Didn't mean to insult. However, I think generations younger than mine (boomer), are used to cheaper goods made in China. It is possible to find less expensive new stuff which has more current modern look. When I started out cheaper was at estate sales with good quality solid wood furniture. Many types of wood which looked good together.


I have purchased high quality new wood furniture n styles I like. It just makes me sad o think some of my pieces will not be wanted after I die.
itsgot8
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by itsgot8 »

Dottie57 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:38 pm
It s too bad millenials don't like quality.
It's not that Millennials don't like quality, they simply don't value it in the same products that generations past did.
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amphora
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by amphora »

Wanted to offer a millennial perspective to this discussion.

While children may not want their parents’ furniture, grandchildren will gladly accept it as long as the furniture’s not too ugly. Free beats IKEA.
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Carlos Danger
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by Carlos Danger »

I'm thrilled about the distaste for "old brown" furniture.

I don't care WHAT my furniture looks like, so when we bought our current house last year, I was all to happy to furnish most of it for free by relieving the sellers the burden of moving their worthless oak furniture.

I'm currently typing this while sitting in my bonus room in a groovy green chair once owned by my grandparents that is a decade older than I am.
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rhinopylon
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by rhinopylon »

Dottie57 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:38 pm It s too bad millenials don't like quality.
I think the issue is millennials can't afford "quality" furniture as they're drowning in school debt, low wages, and high cost of living. As a generation, they are spending more money on travel and experiences over material goods.

If you take care of the so called, cheap Chinese made furniture, it lasts quite a while. Maybe not long enough to pass down to children but you boomers are seeing that's not really an option anyway right?
Bacchus01
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by Bacchus01 »

Dottie57 wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:48 pm
NHRATA01 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:43 pm
Dottie57 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:38 pm I just bought a 3.5 k sofa bed. I saved for it. I wanted it. It was not a quick spontaneous purchase. I am very happy with it.
I love beautiful furniture. I have several solid wood pieces which are beautiful. I really don't care about resale value.

It s too bad millenials don't like quality.
I'm also GenX, and I won't say I don't like quality but I find there's a declining benefit with furniture when it comes to increasing cost. I've got 3 kids so anything in the family room is going to get beat up - we're due for new sofas after 8 years now and they were decent Raymour and Flannigan stuff, not top notch but not discount particle board stuff either. Do I really want to spend $5K on a sofa/loveseat that's just going to get plopped on 10 times a day? Not really. My mother OTOH is hung up about how well built her 1970s era living room couch is and how it's held up over the years (which I was never allowed to sit on in the entirety of my youth, and we seldom entertained, thus no wear and tear).

We have a 13 year old king bedroom set we bought that is particle board cheapo stuff from when we had less money, it's borderline garbage furniture but when I'm sleeping comfortably on the expensive quality mattress I did splurge on, I don't really notice the cheap headboard. I could afford to buy a nice quality solid oak/mahogany/whatever set and sometimes the wife pesters me about redoing the room, but I just can't be motivated to blow a few grand on it when it does the job just fine.

It's not about not liking quality, it's about spending the money on better things that actually make a difference in my life...like the mattress!

Didn't mean to insult. However, I think generations younger than mine (boomer), are used to cheaper goods made in China. It is possible to find less expensive new stuff which has more current modern look. When I started out cheaper was at estate sales with good quality solid wood furniture. Many types of wood which looked good together.


I have purchased high quality new wood furniture n styles I like. It just makes me sad o think some of my pieces will not be wanted after I die.
I don’t think quality, per se, is the issue. We’re mid 40s GenXrs. I couldn’t imagine buying a piece of furniture and then passing it down. I want none of my parents furniture. None of it. I’ll buy single generational or even partial generational furniture at much lower cost because I’ll WANT to change it out because of style. It’s not because I NEED to change it out because of quality.

If the perspective of millenials is that quality doesn’t matter, I think that’s very wrong. I think they have it right. These things are just things. They experience furniture the same way they experience cars and bikes and other things. They want that experience to change and furniture is just a thing. I really like that approach.
Dottie57
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by Dottie57 »

Bacchus01 wrote: Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:19 am
Dottie57 wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:48 pm
NHRATA01 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:43 pm
Dottie57 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:38 pm I just bought a 3.5 k sofa bed. I saved for it. I wanted it. It was not a quick spontaneous purchase. I am very happy with it.
I love beautiful furniture. I have several solid wood pieces which are beautiful. I really don't care about resale value.

It s too bad millenials don't like quality.
I'm also GenX, and I won't say I don't like quality but I find there's a declining benefit with furniture when it comes to increasing cost. I've got 3 kids so anything in the family room is going to get beat up - we're due for new sofas after 8 years now and they were decent Raymour and Flannigan stuff, not top notch but not discount particle board stuff either. Do I really want to spend $5K on a sofa/loveseat that's just going to get plopped on 10 times a day? Not really. My mother OTOH is hung up about how well built her 1970s era living room couch is and how it's held up over the years (which I was never allowed to sit on in the entirety of my youth, and we seldom entertained, thus no wear and tear).

We have a 13 year old king bedroom set we bought that is particle board cheapo stuff from when we had less money, it's borderline garbage furniture but when I'm sleeping comfortably on the expensive quality mattress I did splurge on, I don't really notice the cheap headboard. I could afford to buy a nice quality solid oak/mahogany/whatever set and sometimes the wife pesters me about redoing the room, but I just can't be motivated to blow a few grand on it when it does the job just fine.

It's not about not liking quality, it's about spending the money on better things that actually make a difference in my life...like the mattress!

Didn't mean to insult. However, I think generations younger than mine (boomer), are used to cheaper goods made in China. It is possible to find less expensive new stuff which has more current modern look. When I started out cheaper was at estate sales with good quality solid wood furniture. Many types of wood which looked good together.


I have purchased high quality new wood furniture n styles I like. It just makes me sad o think some of my pieces will not be wanted after I die.
I don’t think quality, per se, is the issue. We’re mid 40s GenXrs. I couldn’t imagine buying a piece of furniture and then passing it down. I want none of my parents furniture. None of it. I’ll buy single generational or even partial generational furniture at much lower cost because I’ll WANT to change it out because of style. It’s not because I NEED to change it out because of quality.

If the perspective of millenials is that quality doesn’t matter, I think that’s very wrong. I think they have it right. These things are just things. They experience furniture the same way they experience cars and bikes and other things. They want that experience to change and furniture is just a thing. I really like that approach.
Having things that give delight is important to me. Millennials grew up in a different time. I am glad to be a boomer.
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Sandi_k
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by Sandi_k »

Bacchus01 wrote: Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:19 am
I don’t think quality, per se, is the issue. We’re mid 40s GenXrs. I couldn’t imagine buying a piece of furniture and then passing it down. I want none of my parents furniture. None of it. I’ll buy single generational or even partial generational furniture at much lower cost because I’ll WANT to change it out because of style. It’s not because I NEED to change it out because of quality.
Me too - I'm technically Gen X, DH is a Boomer - but our parents' taste is not ours.

To be fair, DH's parents actually like Danish modern, so their aesthetic is close to ours. On the other hand, my mom's furniture is hideous - heavy walnut in the dining room and Living Room (we have Italian cherry); cheap heavy oak in the bedroom suite. Nope, no thanks - not taking that into my home.

Our grandparents' furniture was cheap, mismatched, and repaired so often that the structural integrity of the tables, chairs and beds were suspect. Again, no thanks.

We pay for quality - our Dining table and buffet were probably every bit as expensive as my mom's - but we love it due to the aesthetics, not because of the price (believe me, I tried to find something down-market that DH would agree to, but no luck). ;)

Finally, I won't take used upholstered furniture because of potential issues with bedbugs and the cost of re-upholstering is frequently right at threshold of buying new. Why would I take a piece I don't like, and pay to upgrade it - when I can buy a sofa with kiln-dried hardwood and hand-tied springs quality for the same dollar amount?

Quality is not the only criterion...
Bacchus01
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by Bacchus01 »

Dottie57 wrote: Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:45 am
Bacchus01 wrote: Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:19 am
Dottie57 wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:48 pm
NHRATA01 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:43 pm
Dottie57 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:38 pm I just bought a 3.5 k sofa bed. I saved for it. I wanted it. It was not a quick spontaneous purchase. I am very happy with it.
I love beautiful furniture. I have several solid wood pieces which are beautiful. I really don't care about resale value.

It s too bad millenials don't like quality.
I'm also GenX, and I won't say I don't like quality but I find there's a declining benefit with furniture when it comes to increasing cost. I've got 3 kids so anything in the family room is going to get beat up - we're due for new sofas after 8 years now and they were decent Raymour and Flannigan stuff, not top notch but not discount particle board stuff either. Do I really want to spend $5K on a sofa/loveseat that's just going to get plopped on 10 times a day? Not really. My mother OTOH is hung up about how well built her 1970s era living room couch is and how it's held up over the years (which I was never allowed to sit on in the entirety of my youth, and we seldom entertained, thus no wear and tear).

We have a 13 year old king bedroom set we bought that is particle board cheapo stuff from when we had less money, it's borderline garbage furniture but when I'm sleeping comfortably on the expensive quality mattress I did splurge on, I don't really notice the cheap headboard. I could afford to buy a nice quality solid oak/mahogany/whatever set and sometimes the wife pesters me about redoing the room, but I just can't be motivated to blow a few grand on it when it does the job just fine.

It's not about not liking quality, it's about spending the money on better things that actually make a difference in my life...like the mattress!

Didn't mean to insult. However, I think generations younger than mine (boomer), are used to cheaper goods made in China. It is possible to find less expensive new stuff which has more current modern look. When I started out cheaper was at estate sales with good quality solid wood furniture. Many types of wood which looked good together.


I have purchased high quality new wood furniture n styles I like. It just makes me sad o think some of my pieces will not be wanted after I die.
I don’t think quality, per se, is the issue. We’re mid 40s GenXrs. I couldn’t imagine buying a piece of furniture and then passing it down. I want none of my parents furniture. None of it. I’ll buy single generational or even partial generational furniture at much lower cost because I’ll WANT to change it out because of style. It’s not because I NEED to change it out because of quality.

If the perspective of millenials is that quality doesn’t matter, I think that’s very wrong. I think they have it right. These things are just things. They experience furniture the same way they experience cars and bikes and other things. They want that experience to change and furniture is just a thing. I really like that approach.
Having things that give delight is important to me. Millennials grew up in a different time. I am glad to be a boomer.
I'm not sure we are saying something different. I think they find delight in them, but finding delight in them for decades and then passing them down? No.

To be honest, I find that odd. A sofa does not give me delight.
Dottie57
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by Dottie57 »

Bacchus01 wrote: Sun Apr 08, 2018 12:20 pm
Dottie57 wrote: Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:45 am
Bacchus01 wrote: Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:19 am
Dottie57 wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:48 pm
NHRATA01 wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:43 pm
I'm also GenX, and I won't say I don't like quality but I find there's a declining benefit with furniture when it comes to increasing cost. I've got 3 kids so anything in the family room is going to get beat up - we're due for new sofas after 8 years now and they were decent Raymour and Flannigan stuff, not top notch but not discount particle board stuff either. Do I really want to spend $5K on a sofa/loveseat that's just going to get plopped on 10 times a day? Not really. My mother OTOH is hung up about how well built her 1970s era living room couch is and how it's held up over the years (which I was never allowed to sit on in the entirety of my youth, and we seldom entertained, thus no wear and tear).

We have a 13 year old king bedroom set we bought that is particle board cheapo stuff from when we had less money, it's borderline garbage furniture but when I'm sleeping comfortably on the expensive quality mattress I did splurge on, I don't really notice the cheap headboard. I could afford to buy a nice quality solid oak/mahogany/whatever set and sometimes the wife pesters me about redoing the room, but I just can't be motivated to blow a few grand on it when it does the job just fine.

It's not about not liking quality, it's about spending the money on better things that actually make a difference in my life...like the mattress!

Didn't mean to insult. However, I think generations younger than mine (boomer), are used to cheaper goods made in China. It is possible to find less expensive new stuff which has more current modern look. When I started out cheaper was at estate sales with good quality solid wood furniture. Many types of wood which looked good together.


I have purchased high quality new wood furniture n styles I like. It just makes me sad o think some of my pieces will not be wanted after I die.
I don’t think quality, per se, is the issue. We’re mid 40s GenXrs. I couldn’t imagine buying a piece of furniture and then passing it down. I want none of my parents furniture. None of it. I’ll buy single generational or even partial generational furniture at much lower cost because I’ll WANT to change it out because of style. It’s not because I NEED to change it out because of quality.

If the perspective of millenials is that quality doesn’t matter, I think that’s very wrong. I think they have it right. These things are just things. They experience furniture the same way they experience cars and bikes and other things. They want that experience to change and furniture is just a thing. I really like that approach.
Having things that give delight is important to me. Millennials grew up in a different time. I am glad to be a boomer.
I'm not sure we are saying something different. I think they find delight in them, but finding delight in them for decades and then passing them down? No.

To be honest, I find that odd. A sofa does not give me delight.
A couple of last notes and then I am done.

I never intended to pass down my furniture. I just hope it will be sold to someone who likes its form and function instead of going to a landfill. I do find it strange that young people in their first apartment prefer IKEA nstead of extremely inexpensive garage and estate sale items.

What gives me delight is color, texture, form and function of furniture. It tells a lot about a person.

My home is my shelter against a noisy world.

I Have a collection of fairly gaudy pottery from the Victorian age. I remember purchasing each one, who I was with and what we were doing.
testing321
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by testing321 »

I have to make this comment. Many people retire in the Monterey Bay area of California, and the thrift stores there are stuffed full of dishes and other items from peoples' estates. Younger people are prone to cart it all away to a thrift store. If you like this sort of stuff, there is a bonanza in the thrift stores there.
daveydoo
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Re: Has used furniture dropped in value dramatically?

Post by daveydoo »

Dottie57 wrote: Sun Apr 08, 2018 1:55 pm
What gives me delight is color, texture, form and function of furniture. It tells a lot about a person.
+1.

I think one issue is, and much has been written about this lately elsewhere, that we are dividing into those with very portable job skills and a less provincial (uh, I mean less local) outlook who move freely about the country (and generally are of one political persuasion), and those without such portability who are increasingly tied to place. The former can afford whatever they want but can't afford to be encumbered with too much bulky "stuff," whereas the latter can't spend on heirlooms.
"I mean, it's one banana, Michael...what could it cost? Ten dollars?"
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