Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I went to a conference on Monday with mental health professionals from all over the state. It was rainy, so I brought one of my cheap, black, collapsible umbrellas. Of course, by the end of the day, I found that someone else had taken my umbrella. It wasn't even like I had left it out someplace to dry; it was on the floor right under my seat!
This is why I never spend more than $7.99 on an umbrella. I just get cheap black ones that fold up small. But I know people who have more pricy umbrellas with colors and patterns, even designer umbrellas, like Burberry.
Same with sunglasses. I go to Target or Walmart, and buy sunglasses for $10 or under. They get sat on & crushed. They get lost or stolen. They fall out of the car as I'm getting out. I can't see spending $80 on designer sunglasses, but I know people who do. Sure I spend a little bit of time trying them on, to get the right shape for my face, but I don't get anything fancy.
I guess if I spent a lot on sunglasses or umbrellas, I'd probably be more careful about guarding them from theft and not breaking them. But I can still see that they would get broken, lost, or strolen pretty regularly.
With clothing and shoes, I tend to spend more, to get quality pieces that will last a long time. But umbrellas and sunglasses, to me, are "disposable."
Wow! You've NEVER lost umbrellas or sunglasses or had them stolen???
I never lose things, in general, but sunglasses seem to get smashed or fall off my head, and umbrellas tend to walk away.
I don't use umbrellas. They always poke me in the eye.
As for sunglasses, if I spent a lot, they will disappear or break in 2 seconds.
If I buy a pair of knockoffs for 10 bucks (still with UV protection/polarized), they will last for years.
Now that I wear glasses instead of my contacts, they are irrelevant.
I do like to get unique umbrellas, but my budget is $15 and under. Some umbrellas seem to last for years. Other ones break in the wind. I have had one umbrella stolen. It was one I had for 8 years and it disappeared while I was at a restaurant. My big car umbrella.
I like to keep my umbrella purse sized so I don't lose it.
As for sunglasses, I have notoriously bought the cheepies, and they seem to last forever. I decided to splurge on a pair last summer. And sure enough I dropped them and the glass lenses broke. So I am going to stick to the cheap ones. I have broken a few, but I don't care, they were $10.
For me, those aren't worth the splurge. I do splurge on purses.
I have 2 pair of designer (versace) prescription sunglasses. I've had them for about 10 years (change the lenses as needed) and they are in perfect condition. Even before my designer sunglasses, I have never lost or broken a pair of sunglasses. I would just tire of them and give them away.
Umbrellas.... I've never lost or had one stolen. I have a couple of the large, patterned ones and a couple of the small cheapies (that I need to throw out!)
Are there really designer umbrellas? I never really thought about that and just bought what I needed. That said, my daily umbrella is about 15 years old and still works fine, and my backup is a very large golf-sized one which I got free a couple years ago.
As for sunglasses, I have traditionally bought cheap department store fair, but most recently (a little over a year ago) splurged on Oakleys. I have far more trouble with the cheap ones falling apart on their own than I have had with damaging/losing them.
I guess my problem with umbrellas might be related to the ones I choose to buy.
I always get black, just because I figure it is neutral and won't clash with anything. I always get the collapsible ones that fold up small, because I don't want to carry a big umbrella around (the kind that are like 3 feet long, like a cane).
I guess a lot of black fold-up umbrellas look alike, so people pick up mine thinking it's theirs. Plus, I don't think anyone would want to steal a big non-folding umbrella, since they're a pain in the a$$ to carry around.
Maybe I need to buy cheap umbrellas in ugly colors, so people won't steal them intentionally or mix them up with their own.
I have some very nice designer sunglasses, whenever DH goes gambling and is "up" I send him to buy something I would never spend "real" money on. If its gambling proceeds I don't consider that "real" money, it's play money to us!
I take very good care of them, I keep them in hard case they came in. If I bought them at target, etc., I would probably not take as good as care of them.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It was one I had for 8 years and it disappeared while I was at a restaurant. My big car umbrella.
