cost

How Does Fast Fashion Cost So Little? By Making Someone Else Pay The Costs
Forever 21

Art Box Diary Shoutout: The Cost of Stuff

Ever pick up a tunic from Forever 21 for $15 and wonder just exactly how it could cost so little?
by coutorture Ever pick up a tunic from Forever 21 for $15 and wonder just exactly how it could cost so little? Art Box Diary turned us on to a little video called The Story of Stuff. Using a $5 radio from RadioShack we are taken on a journey around the world to discover just why this little radio is so cheap. It turns out to be a parable loosely based on an aphorism popularized by science fiction writer Robert Heinlein and economist Milton Friedn: "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch." The concepts of TANSTAAFL refers to the opportunity costs of any given activity. In order to get one thing cheaply something else has to be given up. But what exactly is being given up hmmm if we aren't the ones paying the cost? That is the story of stuff in a nutshell.
What does this mean for fashionistas? Well we like to think its a perfect reason for buying luxury goods over fast fashion. But wait you can't a good pair of designer pants? Think again. We don't really need to own dozens of pairs of pants that fall apart season after season only to be replaced with the newest and trendiest cut. Just buy one great pair of basic pants and focus on getting the best price to value ratio you can. You will not only be cutting down on extraneous consumption but you will have a much better wardrobe for it.
Image From Racked.com Check out other Shoutouts here.
Beer Prices May Go Up
beer

Beer Prices May Go Up

Quick! Run out and stock up on beer!
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Quick! Run out and stock up on beer!
Pretty soon gas prices won't be the only reason to think twice about another beer run. Turns out that the cost of barley is rising fast and an increase in barley prices could translate to an increase in beer prices too.

It also doesn't help that production numbers were already down, energy prices already up, and the cost of raw material (like aluminum) also up. In fact, several breweries have already raised prices due to the raw material costs, however, you might not have noticed since distributors have been eating the cost.

Those price increases aren't always felt in consumers' pocketbooks. Distributors and retailers frequently eat the costs themselves. But with prices shooting up quickly, that could soon change.

Bernstein Research analyst Robert van Brugge forecast that this year's barley price increases will impact brewers' cost of goods sold - or the cost of the raw materials used in production - by 1 to 2 percent in 2007.

The analyst said he believes brewers will be forced to pass along some of that increase this year to consumers.

So run out and stock up! It's recommended that most canned beer should be consumed within 3 months of bottling. However some strong ales can be stored in the fridge for up to 6 months. Now, I'm not saying you can't drink it after 3 months, but it's definitely going to taste better if you drink it before.

Source: Forbes