Being frugal doesn't mean being cheap. I've long lived by this phrase. I'm always up for getting things at a discount-but I don't necessarily buy something because it's cheap or on sale. Here are some examples of things I only buy the name brand of;
- Cheerios-Honey Nut Cheerios taste better than the off brand. They just do.
- Q-tips -No other brand is as strong, or better quality and let me tell you with the amount of ear wax my kiddos manufacture, we need strong AND sturdy.
- Blue Bonnet butter for our air popped popcorn. Nothing else will quite achieve the glorious buttery/salty combination.
- While my mind is on food, we only buy Marzeti's ranch dressing. Free of preservatives and most importantly- gluten free. We've fallen in love with the taste and you can't make me go back.
But here is the one I want to talk about today-I only buy Pottery Barn Kids backpacks. And let me tell you why:
First of all, it's what we started with. When my oldest daughter was heading off into the world on her own- to half day pre-k. We went on a special shopping trip to PBK and she picked out a purple backpack with horses on it. Adorable. She wore that thing every day for her pre-k year. She wore it through the rain and through the snow and she used it for vacations and road trips and for carrying the essential snacks and water bottles required for playing in the back yard. This thing got use. But it also stayed in great shape. So much so, that she continued using that thing until half way through her second grade year when she decided she was all at once too grown up for horses on her backpack. To which we attempted another back pack shopping trip and ended up bringing home a ridiculously overpriced, bow adorned JOJO SIWA backpack. It literally broke within the first week of use. I'm not EVEN kidding you. The zipper broke. And I was furious for that $39.00 gone to a pre-teen dancing sensation while my daughter suddenly needed another backpack. I was taking no chances this time. Online to PBK we went and when we didn't find a style she liked there (she's much too grown up for kitty cats and mermaids and sparkles of course) we headed to Pottery Barn Teen and she found the perfect backpack and it was on sale! So I ordered that sucker and we've been so pleased with it. She's on her second year of using it and I'm so thoroughly enjoying the quality of these bags. Both of my other children now have PBK backpacks and I'm going to tell you a secret-you can wash them! Like, inside your washer on a gentle cycle and these things hold together fantastically!
We're in the middle of flu season. The middle of winter, the middle of the school year and I ran their coats and hats and mittens through the washer to forbid any germs determined to infiltrate my family home with their no good schemes -and I decided to wash their book bags as well. After all-heaven knows those bags see it all. Moldy mandarin leftover from last week's snack-check. Exactly 436 cough drop wrappers crinkled in the bottom of the front compartment-check. 6 broken erasers, 3 crinkled bookmarks and 4 crumpled gum wrappers-check, check, check. These bags are on the floor at school, on the bus, and in the car. They are literally dropped where we walk, where we step, and flung onto our children's backs for all the germs to triumphantly enter proclaiming their victory. Well, I have news for those germs-I WIN!
I washed these bags in my $1.99 laundry detergent and I have never felt more accomplished looking at three clean, glowing, practically shining backpacks as they dried letting their clean-laundry scent fill the room.
You guys-buy your bags at PBK. The quality is unbeatable, the price is actually reasonable and there are so many cute designs! I'm happy with this frugal purchase because these kids are basically going to be wearing these bags to college. Just saying.
What are some items you only buy name-brand?
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