I don’t consider myself frugal…just a bargain shopper extraordinaire. I don’t particularly like spending a nickel more than I absolutely have to. But, I am a firm believer that “bad quality at a great price is never a good bargain”. So, while I never buy full price, I also try to buy high quality.
Pottery Barn Kids has this thing called an Anywhere Chair. It’s basically just a foam chair with a canvas slipcover that you can have your kid’s name embroidered on it. The whole idea is that it’s lightweight enough that you can move it around the house and use it…yup….anywhere. The catch? They are $99…plus tax and shipping. Wow.
I have grand visions of Henry reading Goodnight Moon peacefully in his little Anywhere Chair in his room. All the catalog pictures show kids reading! And you see, I’d hate for him to be illiterate because I didn’t buy him an Anywhere Chair! Joy and I have concluded that it would be a good investment in his education…it’s a lot cheaper than private tutoring, right? Right.
So, Joy emails me the other day to ask if I had seen the Target ad…they had a knock off Anywhere Chair for only $32!!! Perfect!
Not so much. So this is how absolutely ridiculous I am: I won’t buy it! I have this stupid idea in my head that it won’t be as well made, or that the foam will fall apart much too soon, and besides, his name won’t be embroidered on it! Why do I believe this? After all, how do I know that the Target chair will be so cruddy…and how do I know that the PBK chair is so amazingly well made…and I could always just take the silly slipcover to the mall and have it personalized at “Personally Yours”…but, unless it’s the PBK version, I just don’t think I will be buying it. And, considering the PBK version is so dang pricey, I probably won’t ever buy it.
So, if Henry is a bad reader, you can all point back to this post where his mommy didn’t love him enough to buy him an Anywhere Chair. Or, at least not yet…maybe for Christmas?….I’m pathetic. This is a classic case of buying vicariously for your child what you actually want for yourself…sigh…
I'm a mom to four. A wife to one. I believe in story. I love telling you about mine and would love to hear yours. There's really no sense in wasting our suffering and not sharing in each other's joy. We're all in this together...even if it doesn't always feel like it.
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I had to laugh because I bought the PBK chair for Abby (in pink gingham AND personalized, thankyouverymuch)and she LOVES to read in it!! It has a little handle at the top, and she drags it around with her to find the perfect spot for reading to her babies. So precious. Worth every penny. Oh, and you should see the fits she throws when brothers try to sit in it. Priceless. So all this to say… Buy it! Go on! Henry neeeeeeds it!
I am so with you on the Pottery Barn catalogs. I think most things are way too expensive, but I still want them. I come up with mental lists of why I need that item. It takes years of pondering before I actually buy something. (written from my lovely pottery barn desk) :)
A friend of mine asked for PBK gift cards for her kids birthday and then bought him the chair. We don’t have them, but maybe we should!
if you were going to do it… weere you going to do first and last? or just first? or first in and middle… if you do u should get him a blue or brown what, what do you think
penny, it’s nice to know that abby uses her chair because it takes a lot of convincing to get the boys to read to themselves. they just love being read to so much and i do like the snuggle time on the couch. but, i have totally wanted that chair for years! jeannett, i say buy it for Christmas. henry will love it. kids love stuff that is their size.