You Get What You Pay For

We received lots of diapers for Amelia at baby showers. All brands, multiple sizes. And I am here to tell you that they are not all the same - although most of you probably already knew that. The no-name, store brands, most likely the most inexpensive, well, you get what you pay for. They don't fit well. They leak. They don't seem to hold as much. The name brand, expensive diapers - they are well worth the cost . . . even when I have to buy them after our "gift" supply has run out. And the wetness indicator on the diapers? I thought it was a silly idea when I first heard about them, but I LOVE them. It's a great way to check a diaper in the middle of the night. I am happy to pay for what I get.

Before we drove to UT a few weeks ago, I bought a bottle of water. For the most part, I think buying bottled water is a waste of money. Why not just fill your own containers with water from the tap? However, there are certainly occasions when the convenience of buying bottled water outweighs the cost. So I'm standing in the convenience store trying to find the most inexpensive bottle of water, because it's just water and who wants to spend a lot of money on water? Nestle Pure Life was the cheapest and I giggled afterwards when I discovered why. When I read the label to see where this "pure" water came from, the source of water was listed as the Dallas, TX public water supply. How funny! I paid for tap water . . . You get what you pay for.

I am a hotel snob. Comes from working for Marriott for 11 years. I can't stay in a hotel without "inspecting" the room, and critiquing the amenities. Sadly, I haven't worked for Marriott for 3 years, and the discounted rooms are long gone. And since we're currently living on the student budget, the hotels we stay in are far from Marriott standards. On our drives back and forth to Logan, UT, we have discovered that Beaver, UT is about the half-way point. There's not much in Beaver . . . a few hotels, fast foods restaurants, and gas stations. Knowing that we're not paying much for a hotel, I can't expect much more than a clean room. The free "breakfast"? Nothing more than cheap cereal and Hostess donuts. So far, we've been lucky with cleanliness, but our last room had a uniqueness I've never experienced before. The toilet was tilted to the side, like it was going to tip over at any moment (but thank goodness it didn't). And the bathroom floor was so warped and flimsy, we were afraid we were going to fall through the floor. Did we complain? No - you get what you pay for!