Suggestions for perfume purchases during year end sale

[Razz R]

There used to be a joy in getting presents or giving some one something that is sadly missing these days.. i do not know if this is due to the materialistic lives we lead here in the land of plenty.. i look at the things that my kids have, i phones/apple watches/ chrome books noise cancelling ear buds etc.. and they have zero value after the initial 5 second oh wow factor.. it never used to be like this with me when i was a kid. i used to treasure/value the gifts that i used to get.. not that i used to get anything fancy.. remember that 'ungil frem gelf' ? who would sometimes gift a T shirt or a perfume bottle and that used to be remembered and valued long after the bottle emptied and the perfume long gone.. Now that we can afford the best perfumes/chocolates/designer clothes and electronics.. it just feels like no one gives a rat's ass about these things.. it almost feels ascetic and detached to me and that is the paradox i guess

[SAPPORO]

There used to be a joy in getting presents or giving some one something that is sadly missing these days.. i do not know if this is due to the materialistic lives we lead here in the land of plenty.. i look at the things that my kids have, i phones/apple watches/ chrome books noise cancelling ear buds etc.. and they have zero value after the initial 5 second oh wow factor.. it never used to be like this with me when i was a kid. i used to treasure/value the gifts that i used to get.. not that i used to get anything fancy.. remember that 'ungil frem gelf' ? who would sometimes gift a T shirt or a perfume bottle and that used to be remembered and valued long after the bottle emptied and the perfume long gone.. Now that we can afford the best perfumes/chocolates/designer clothes and electronics.. it just feels like no one gives a rat's ass about these things.. it almost feels ascetic and detached to me and that is the paradox i guess

Gotta up your game - next time try to gift a luxury car or an island!
I tell my family that I will be happiest if no one gifts me anything - if they insist, I tell them to get me consumables like bar soaps, razors and so on! Granted perfumes are consumables as well.

[r2somewhere]

Maybe the standards have gone up? Generic perfumes wont be seen as memorable gifts. Maybe splurge on Tom Ford or Dior?

Another type of gift that people like is experiences. Maybe a go-karting lesson. These actually are likely cheaper than expensive perfumes but more memorable.

[Returning_Indian]

There used to be a joy in getting presents or giving some one something that is sadly missing these days.. i do not know if this is due to the materialistic lives we lead here in the land of plenty.. i look at the things that my kids have, i phones/apple watches/ chrome books noise cancelling ear buds etc.. and they have zero value after the initial 5 second oh wow factor.. it never used to be like this with me when i was a kid. i used to treasure/value the gifts that i used to get.. not that i used to get anything fancy.. remember that 'ungil frem gelf' ? who would sometimes gift a T shirt or a perfume bottle and that used to be remembered and valued long after the bottle emptied and the perfume long gone.. Now that we can afford the best perfumes/chocolates/designer clothes and electronics.. it just feels like no one gives a rat's ass about these things.. it almost feels ascetic and detached to me and that is the paradox i guess

I also feel the same with my 13yr old kid. Nothing is of value. I remember getting titan watch after I did well in 12th grade boards and I went gaga over it for atleast a month. But with my son all these tech gadgets have become basic necessity now. I am now looking to buy airpods now as he lost his previous ones. Ofcourse I did everything I could to make him realise his mistake and deprived him of airpods for many months but finally my wife caved in. I am not sure if he will realise the value or learn a lesson to better care of his things. Even while buying airpods expectation is that I buy the pro version. But I know that for 1-2days he will be happy and then it's all gone. Clothes/perfume etc do not even hold any value. Heck now the expectation is that his wardrobe should be from Lacoste and any such affordable luxury brands.

I think this is all our mistake of giving them too much too soon. The high they would get when they would earn their living and purchase these items is stolen from them (because of us). I am afraid this is the problem of doing too much. They may not have anything that will give this high later in life. But it's also a problem as we have provided them a neighborhood where every other kid has it, so by not providing you make them unique and not in a good way. You are left with no choice unless you move to poorer neighborhood. Hopefully, they will have better aspirations and means to achieve them. Maybe having a house on top of hill overlooking the ocean would be their dream and they can work towards it. Maybe paying off their college loans would be a way to go. I certainly hope they find their dreams and means to fulfill it.

As for gifts for relatives, anything below apple is waste of money. Nobody appreciates anything else.

[old-spice2]

I think this is all our mistake of giving them too much too soon. The high they would get when they would earn their living and purchase these items is stolen from them (because of us). I am afraid this is the problem of doing too much. They may not have anything that will give this high later in life. But it's also a problem as we have provided them a neighborhood where every other kid has it, so by not providing you make them unique and not in a good way. You are left with no choice unless you move to poorer neighborhood. Hopefully, they will have better aspirations and means to achieve them. Maybe having a house on top of hill overlooking the ocean would be their dream and they can work towards it. Maybe paying off their college loans would be a way to go. I certainly hope they find their dreams and means to fulfill it.

As for gifts for relatives, anything below apple is waste of money. Nobody appreciates anything else.

Titan watch? I was happy when I got a Casio digital watch back in the 70s when I was in middle school from a relative in Gulf. I showed it around in the school for months and kept it for 4 years before moving on with other brand. Same year got a pocket transistor with a thermometer and flashlight. Used it extensively for cricket commentry while travelling on upper deck of DD bus in Delhi. Oh those were the days - hearing "main Sushil Doshi bol raha hoon, Melbourne Cricket Ground se".

[SAPPORO]

The most valuable inheritance that you can pass on to your children is frugality/respect for money, since otherwise no amount of money is going to be enough for them and they will be never happy & content in life. My DS would think ten times before ordering Doordash/Uber and my DD pays me back for all her discretionary spending and so at least she knows needs vs wants.

[Philosopher]

The most valuable inheritance that you can pass on to your children is frugality/respect for money, since otherwise no amount of money is going to be enough for them and they will be never happy & content in life. My DS would think ten times before ordering Doordash/Uber and my DD pays me back for all her discretionary spending and so at least she knows needs vs wants.

The current human civilization(economy, GDP growth, etc) runs on wants. People need to consume unnecessary stuff(YOLO!) to keep the juggernaut rolling, planet be damned. Over the years, the baseline of "being happy/successful" has been raised so much in terms of materialistic belongings that the coming generations would just be sad and depressed with living a simple life based on needs.

Growing up we had no choice but to be frugal. But looks we have drilled so much frugality into our kids that my ES studying in Uni buys used stuff from Vinted, charity shops, etc as he doesn't see any value in spending on new things, even when we can afford it easily. He seems happy though and says he doesn't care much about brands or what others think. YS on the other hand is a different story, but is getting better at identifying needs vs wants.

As for experiences, IMHO after a point it is similar to material things - you just get a dopamine hit of doing something different and showcasing it on Insta/FB/wherever.

[JINSAKAI]

I am bit surprised that WD40 has not chimed in yet even though he’s got own brand

[SAPPORO]

The most valuable inheritance that you can pass on to your children is frugality/respect for money, since otherwise no amount of money is going to be enough for them and they will be never happy & content in life. My DS would think ten times before ordering Doordash/Uber and my DD pays me back for all her discretionary spending and so at least she knows needs vs wants.

The current human civilization(economy, GDP growth, etc) runs on wants. People need to consume unnecessary stuff(YOLO!) to keep the juggernaut rolling, planet be damned. Over the years, the baseline of "being happy/successful" has been raised so much in terms of materialistic belongings that the coming generations would just be sad and depressed with living a simple life based on needs.

Growing up we had no choice but to be frugal. But looks we have drilled so much frugality into our kids that my ES studying in Uni buys used stuff from Vinted, charity shops, etc as he doesn't see any value in spending on new things, even when we can afford it easily. He seems happy though and says he doesn't care much about brands or what others think. YS on the other hand is a different story, but is getting better at identifying needs vs wants.

As for experiences, IMHO after a point it is similar to material things - you just get a dopamine hit of doing something different and showcasing it on Insta/FB/wherever.

Agree with you on materialistic (be)longings. But experiences are different if they are not FB/Insta focused. I take only very few photos so they could jiggle my memory years later. Experiences are not only about the scenic destination or the end pursuit but it's more about the journey and the folks one meets along the way. Memories are the only things that no one can take away from you.

[SAPPORO]

I am bit surprised that WD40 has not chimed in yet even though he’s got one own brand

OMG - I did not know we have an industrial cologne. This is exactly my dream Dem presidential candidate would be wearing - Stained T-shirt & torn Jeans, smell like factory with this cologne and throw F-bombs at rich/corporations during the rallies ditching the teleprompter!