I love to “pick on” the hipsters. You know, the guys who love tight shorts, form fitting shirts, cool facial hair, man buns, bad beer and coffee.
I love to to “pick on” them, because I check most of those boxes (minus the tight shorts, man buns and beer. I also don’t have a mustache). I really like the sentiment this faux hippie seems to expel. Which is, we’re alive now. You might as well have the good stuff.
Now, my mother-in-law, Nancy Jane Cain (who DOES NOT buy the good stuff) would say I spend too much money. And, she would have been right a few months ago. (I’ve since read MR. MONEY MUSTACHE and have become a convert to the FIRE movement…but that’s another post). I now look at my money as my Life Energy (Thanks YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE), so I don’t want to get rid of it for just anything. It has to be something I really want or something I need.
I now go cheap on what I can, so I can get the good stuff on the things I want. For instance, you can get a pocket notebook for free if you really tried. They give ‘em away at tables at events when you wander around town, or you could grab one for a buck from Walmart. But those notebooks suck. I use mine every day, and I write cool ass shit that will later be sold on Amazon inside my little notebook. So, I bought (or, rather my wife bought it because she’s so sweet) The Leuchtturm 1917 pocket size notebook. Man, this thing is so cool. Yeah, I know, it’s just a notebook. But it’s a cool notebook, guys!. It cost way more than $1, but I get a lot for those dollars. I use it daily. Take it with me everywhere. I found out it has a slot in the back the other day, and now I carry my business cards in there and I don’t need a business cardholder!
That’s really one of the few expensive things I’ve bought that could be argued doesn’t come with better utility then the cheap version (though, it definitely does come with more utility too. The thing is built like a bible. Takes a beating in my pocket and it keeps on going…me and the kids actually call it my “GRAIL DIARY” after Sean Connery’s Grail Diary in INDIANA JONES: AND THE LAST CRUSADE). The rest of the items on my the HIPSTERS ARE RIGHT list have better utility than the cheap versions, and SAVE YOU MONEY in the long run. One of my favorite things. Saving money. It’s so awesome.
I make my own coffee in a bad ass French Press. Yeah, seems like a lot. But it’s so much smoother than the cheap one I got from TJ Maxx I’ve been using the last year and a half. This thing taste so good I don’t even buy coffee outside my house MOST of the time anymore. For the first several months of owning it I didn’t buy anyone else’s coffee at all. For those of you who aren’t coffee drinkers, a coffee out and about is usually a minimum of $3. More if you up the size from small to anything else. It’s around a buck at most gas stations, but gas station coffee isn’t great, even if it’s Quick Trip. The best gas station coffee in my metro is actually in Haysville. You can get Reverie Coffee (this gourmet roaster in town) for a buck there. It’s a crazy cheat to get great coffee at a low price while away from your French Press. But, overall, this bad boy has cut down on me buying coffee out, as I’ll just make a cup before I go and take it with me in one of those reusable plastic travel coffee mugs.
I use safety razors. I recommend these things to everyone. Men. Women. Anyone who shaves. You should use a safety razor. The blades are sharper (they get a closer shave and last longer), and insanely cheaper. I get the most expensive blades (because I like to live, people!) and it costs me 30 bucks for 50 blades. I buy blades twice a year. So, 60 bucks for a year of shaving. But, I shave my head every two days, so that dulls them a lot quicker than if you were just doing your face. I have a buddy who buys a different brand and he gets 100 blades at once, and I think he pays like $20. Just insane, people. Stop giving Gellette you’re money. They make an inferior product and they charge out the ass for it.
I wear Chaco sandals. These things have been my summer time shoes for years now. They hold up like a monster truck on your foot. The sole is literally about an inch of rubber. They let your foot breath (thank god! My feet love to sweat!), and they last forever. They come in all kinds of colors so you can express your inner you on your outer you, and there’s different styles for the straps to fit what feels good to you (I don’t go with the toe strap, bugs me too much). They’re cleanable (just Google how and you’ll find plenty of easy and effective methods) and repairable. Chaco has a repair section on their site, and they’ve actually given me a free pair before because mine weren’t repairable once.
I buy the cheaper airpods. I still go with Apple Airpods, but I didn’t actually know I was buying the cheap ones until some kid pointed out I had “the old model.” Doesn’t bother me. I already thought I was paying too much, but again, I use these things every day for everything. I use them in the gym. I use them to make phone calls and receive calls (I refuse to hold the phone to my ear), I listen to podcasts on them while doing the dishes sometimes, I use them when I play chess and I don’t want to bother anyone with the sound of the digital pieces clicking on the fake wooden board (such a satisfying sound!). They’re pretty awesome guys. Not sure why you’d need an “updated” version, other than I’d like to be able to replace the battery at some point, which is why I’ll probably start using this site: https://www.theswapclub.com/collections/airpod-swaps. They figured out how to get the batteries out of AirPods, and will send you a new set when you send them your old ones (and, by “new set,” I mean a different used set that they’ve replaced the batteries in). Pretty sweet deal. It’s like getting a new one, only $40 cheaper.
It’s quick, impossible to screw up, and delicious.
Come on, guys. You know you want to stick it to Gillette.
I’m thinking of getting another pair with brighter straps. I’m thinking about it, guys. This pair has still got another good 5 years left in them before they become my mowing sandals. And, I could just get the soles replaced and not even do that…tough choices, guys.
Oh the Grail Diary.
If I drop it somewhere, please return it. It’s got some banger ideas in it.