Those of you with children will understand, those of you without, stick with me and you might learn something or you might decide never to have kids.
As with everything you can buy, you can buy something that is ridiculously expensive, mostly because of the brand name it carries. For instance, I buy jeans that cost $30, and I think Tommy Hilfiger is a pretty decent brand. But there is a brand of jeans called 7 For All Mankind, whose jeans run from $150-$200. And people buy them, not because they're made better or because they make your ass look bigger or smaller (whichever look you prefer), but because of the brand name, and because JoJo wears them. I heard her mention them on Punk'd which is the first time I'd ever heard of them. And JoJo is like sooooooooooo awesome.
Anyway, the question is: should we buy a $1000 Bugaboo stroller?
Pros:
Technically, we CAN afford it. The $600 difference between it and any other stroller we might get won't have an appreciable impact on our budget. But just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Mrs. Poop really wants it. The first time she visited Manhattan she spied a lady pushing a stroller with the familiar 3 circle logo and she shouted "bugaboo, bugaboo, bugaboo." After seeing about 10 more bugaboos, she declared, "everyone in Manhattan has a bugaboo."
It is better than most other strollers, though not by much. It has one bar across, instead of two handles which I desire so I can walk the dog and the baby simultaneously, with one hand on the stroller and on one on the leash.
The bugaboo's special wheels allow it to roll smoothly on rough terrain. So if you like mountain climbing with your baby, the bugaboo is the stroller for you. Mrs. Poop showed me some video that looked like a commercial for an SUV, but instead of driving over rocks and in mud, the guy was pushing a baby stroller.
Pregnant women have perpetrated a scam on their husbands, demanding a "push present" after the baby is born. If I could convince her to let this count as her push present, I'd actually be saving money.
It's a status symbol.
Cons:
It's only a status symbol. Mrs. Poop would feel like a spoiled brat if she does get it.
This book that Mrs. Poop had heretofore declared as the bible of baby shopping, Baby Bargains, refuses to give the Bugaboo a letter grade, rating it as "Oh, Please," and spending several paragraphs explaining why no one should spend $1000 on a stroller.
There are so many better ways to spend $1000.
It goes against everything I stand for.
People are starving in Africa.
Personally, I feel that it's ok to splurge on yourself every so often. And I actually don't think it's a crime to spend a $1,000 on a stroller IF it merits that price. But from your description it really doesn't sound like the product justifies that amount of money. My reco is not to buy that item and get a different one where the features match properly with the price.
ReplyDelete-Lauren (Tall Skat's sister)
As you know, Bill loves da keedz. Wikipedia defines Bugaboo as something that causes fear or worry. There's no way in hell I'd spend a grand on something my child would use for 2 1/2 to 3 years (my child will be do wind sprints by 4).
ReplyDeleteIt's like throwing your pager out the window... tellin MCI to cut the phone calls or breaking your lease so you can move...'cause You A Bug A Boo A Bug A Boo
Plus do you want Kobe Bryant in the locker room with you daughter?
I too do love that Bugaboo stroller and have a friend who has it. But what we are finding out is that as babies get bigger, they get much much messier...and now I find that my friend is more often than not "slumming it" in her original regular old Gracco stroller (like the rest of us peasants have), because, for example, she doesn't want to feed Addie in it, (because babies are messy eaters), or we're at the pool, and she doesn't want to put Addie in it wet, she doesn't take it to any restaurants or the gym or anywhere that you have to leave your stroller (you can't take your stroller into a lot of restaurants) etc. Quite honestly, I haven't seen her use it in over a month...when the baby was smaller, she used it all the time (more for status than anything else) but now, hardly at all. Think about it this way, some day when Baby Amin is playing at the park and is out of the stroller, are you going to want to have to keep one eye on Baby and your other on the grand you dropped for a stroller?
ReplyDeleteAlso, my friend has said on more than 1 occassion "Sometimes I find myself trying to figure out why I spent $900 on a stroller."
My vote: no. (And I usually vote yes on nice things! But from experience, there are way better things you can spend your $$ on!) Get a fancy diaper bag instead! :)
Wouldn't you rather spend $100 on an alternative stroller, and divert the $900 saved into the baby's college fund.
ReplyDeleteAt a standard 8% annual return, that $900 would turn into $3596.42 in 18 years.
The $1000 bugaboo stroller would turn into a $75 garage sale item in 18 months.
Sorry kate..
Its an absolute waste. Save the $800 difference, becasue there will be a ton of unexpected things you'll need to spend money on. Besides your sister and I were planning on buying the stroller and we're not spending a $1000!!!!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you're even contemplating that. Spend $100 on that and the other $900 on new golf clubs. :)
ReplyDeleteBuy the Bugaboo Kate!!! Everyone in Manhattan does have them...I see about 200 of them a day on the upper west side...the babies look so comfy in them....I like it in green! Paul, after Kate carries this baby around for 9 months, make her a happy mom and buy her and little poop the stroller they want!
ReplyDelete