We Pay For Quality

I have noticed, especially since becoming a mother, that we pay for quality.

Qualities
There may be those who really enjoy using certain brands, and those who enjoy other brands. Every single thing available has it's own desirable qualities. Some just have more and more desirable qualities than others.

I am not going to name anything other than the things that I like. I don't see any sense in making you feel like I am bashing any certain thing, that is not what I am doing at all.

Money Matters
I realize that money is always an issue, especially now-a-days, however, I have found that I save more by purchasing the better brands, than I do on purchasing something that is really inexpensive and seems to good to be true.

Bra's
For starters. Bra's. When I was pregnant, I went in to a store that I will not name and they measured me for a nursing bra... I cannot tell you how unhappy I was with these bra's and I didn't know at the time that I had other options of places to go for maternity wear and nursing gear.

Nursing Bras
My mother-in-law purchased a new nursing bra for me shortly after the boys were born, because the ones that I had purchased previously were never going to work for me. they had measured me wrong and told me that they fit properly... when in fact they did not.

Customer Service - Get Measured
She purchased this bra from L.A.C.E by Louise you can find them here. I will never go anywhere else for a bra. I have only had one poor experience with a sales associate and it was mostly just because of her personality. She was still very helpful despite my aversion to her personally.

Go To A Bra Expert
L.A.C.E is also not much more expensive than the unnamed store that I purchased, with much better service... let me back up. I was laying in my bed and they my mother-in-law went to the store without me and told her a tiny bit of information and they still sent me the correct size bra. It pays to go to someone who knows what they are doing... that is the point. :)

Women's Clothing
I am really tall and I have a hard time finding clothes that fit me properly... I recommend getting a fitting and just like What Not to Wear will tell you, get your clothes tailored to fit you properly. You feel so incredibly much better when you have clothes that fit you properly. I took this option on a couple of items and will never ever regret it. It is not all that expensive either. You might be surprised.

Clothes Need to Fit
My entire life I spent with a less than standard shape and size. I shopped at one particular store a lot and hated every article of clothing I ever purchased from them. I found that my favorite pants I will ever own I could get from Victoria's Secret (They don't make the London Jean anymore to my knowledge.) because they were long enough and oh so comfortable. Shortly after that discovery I found Express and instantly loved the style and the way clothing fit me properly. I was however unable to wear their clothes after the boys. they are most definitely designed for slender shapes... I lie I have two shirts that I wore through my pregnancy. :) I just remembered.

Diapers...
When the boys were born we decided to try every kind of diaper in hopes that the less expensive brand would be what we could use with happy confidence. We did try every single brand and the majority of them leaked, I am not kidding, literally like they had no diaper on more often than not.

Coupons
We were spending more on laundry and diapers than we were not. For tiny babies we discovered that Pampers Swaddlers are the best. No leaks... well one out of one hundred as apposed to one out of one hundred didn't leak. We stuck with Pampers and LUV's. LUV's for older children. The brick analogy is silly. They are less expensive and hold way more than even Pampers do. Plus they have a money back guarantee and you can always find coupons for them.

Household Construction, Cleaning, Etc.
We purchased and moved into a really old house. It was built in the early 50's. Nothing these people did was correct by anybodies standards. Every problem we had was because they didn't construct or connect something the proper way. The plumbing is all really strange and it is just all around a silly house with a lot of problems.

Construction and Remodeling
I bring this up to tell those who may be building or remodeling... (I am saying this very sternly) DON'T CUT CORNERS. If you are going to do something, and trust me I know that some things end up happening when you are not quite ready, do it right the very first time. it will save you and everyone involved time, money, and frustration. If you don't know how to do something find someone who knows how to do it. Contentment is key to life. Don't do anything you may regret. Simple as that.

Cleaning Products
I mentioned the nasty old house that we have yet to remodel... The bathroom is falling apart right now, I know that the plumbing is really old and it sends rust out whenever I turn the water on. The soap dish in the tub was built in and I am positive is original to the house. It is so gross. I have scrubbed and scrubbed this thing trying to get the Century of buildup off of it. I decided to try the Green Works products in my home...

Wow!
The very first time I used the bathroom cleaner on this soap dish it came so miraculously clean I could not believe it! I really like these products. I tried all the other cleaning products that I could get my hands on... not kidding I tried just about everything available and this is what finally did it after trying to get it clean for over two years.


Crayola Products
I don't know how many pages I have colored with my boys. We color a lot. I noticed a significant differences in the crayons we use. I know which ones are Crayola and which ones are not. I didn't think there would be such a difference in something so insignificant.

I noticed this with not just the crayons but the markers and the paints, everything. I think that all I have to say is "Use Crayola" don't bother with other brands (Sorry everyone else). They come out better when you do need to clean them up, they are smoother and nicer to use, they don't leave the "crumbs" that other crayons leave.

In Conclusion
Buy quality. You will be happier overall. And I should add, as I said in the beginning that you pay for quality, you do pay for it, but it isn't always the most expensive. It is much more worth it to purchase quality products to begin with. We can enjoy our lives much more when we are not settling for things that are going to make us unhappy for one single moment. :)

Enjoy right now!
Cara :)