the Horatio Alger myth but stops short of calling for Democratic Socialism.

"The recollection of quality remains long after the price is forgotten"...E.C. Simmons

At "The Sally" (Salvation Army) or the Goodwill, or the This Church or That Church Thrift Shop, you can find that thirty dollar toaster--for five bucks. You have to go often, and keep looking. You might be toasting your bread over the gas ring for a bit before you find that toaster. It takes work. Luck. You've got to have the couple of bucks in your pocket, too, when the thing you need shows up on the shelves.

The Sally made a real difference in my quality of life when I was living on that edge.

If you can buy a well made pair of pants at either store for $5-10, it is a much better investment than a pair of pants bought at a discount store brand new.
My experience with discount clothing has always been that it pills up and gets threadbare after a handful of washes.
I rarely buy anything new...but you are correct. You have to go often.

Not just at the discount stores.

There's no SA close to me, but I shop at the Good Will more and more frequently.

I recently was getting annoyed with their price increases (and don't get me started on them not putting clothing in size categories or household goods in use categories--everything is by color!), but you can often find older garments that are of such better quality than much of the newer stuff. I have very sensitive skin, and a lot of the new crap fabrics are very irritating.

I would like to read the whole book, I've marked it on my list to check out. Thanks for posting.