As Smallsteps has a friends' birthday party next week and the weather is rainy, we decided to go into the city to a shopping centre for Daddy-Daughter coffee, and to look for a present. Her friend is a couple years younger than her, so Smallsteps said that it can't be anything too advanced, as she can't read or write very well yet. Fair enough - a soft toy and a jewellery making kit was the final choice.
But while we were looking around, there was a quite new, tiny store that sold American products (mostly sweet stuff) which I haven't gone into before, because American food is far too sweet for me - and I have a sweet tooth! It all tastes like it is made from plastic and E-codes too, but I guess if I grew up there, it would be normal. However, as I walked past I noticed a couple of other items that were English, so I went in and discovered that they have Vegemite also.
Score!
I didn't buy any, because I have some in the fridge still from the last time @galenkp sent some, but it is good to know I don't have to be conservative with it now. I can eat it to my heart's content. The thing that actually slows down my Vegemite consumption is that I don't eat a lot of bread, so I don't need that much. Still, I like the idea of being able to get it when I need it.
But it is expensive.
9.90 EUR
For price comparison, in Woolworths Australia, a 280g jar is currently $6.50 AUD/ $2.32 per 100g. That is 3.64 EUR/ 1.29 EUR per 100g. At 9.9€, it is 4.50 EUR per 100g, a 300% markup. Of course, having access to it halfway around the world, in a market where people don't usually eat it, comes at an understandable premium.
I go through the exercise in my head of converting things to some kind of comparable base, in order to get a sense of true cost. However in Finland (and I think the EU) it is law that they have to make the conversion on the tickets, so everything has a weight or volume base. The price ticket for a can of beer also has a per litre price, so that different sized cans can be compared. Same for cheese.
And since I don't drink beer (how un-Australian), Smallsteps and I were in the grocery store getting some cheese. I grabbed the basic one that we normally gets (and she likes), and she looked at another packet of the same type of cheese and said, why don't we get this one instead. And I said it was far more expensive for the same type of cheese.
But it is cheaper!
Which then triggered the conversation about comparing weights, as while the price of the product was indeed slightly cheaper, it was also half the weight, meaning it was almost twice the price. So Smallsteps started questioning why and also why they are able to make the packets the same size and look similar, if they contain half as much.
While this is not ground-breaking information for you guys reading, these kinds of conversations are important for kids to have with parents. While I don't want her to be someone who is incessantly looking for bargains and worrying about the price of everything, I also want her to understand that there is a lot of manipulation and influence in the world that she should be aware of, so getting into these conversations, is important.
At breakfast today, we were talking about price sensitivity, after Smallsteps was asking if it is possible to put whatever price on our house and sell it. Yes, putting the price at a million is fine I said, but is someone going to buy it at that price if the house next door is similar and half as much? Of course not. So the conversation went in to a loaf of bread a at a store, the cost of the bread at 1, and how much a store could sell it for. If the price was 10, they might sell one of them, if the price was five, maybe 10, at 4 they could sell twenty and at 3, they could sell 70. So, they are looking to maximise their profit. Supply and demand.
People will pay a premium to fulfil their desires.
And I think that this is something that we should all recognise in ourselves, where like the Vegemite, I am willing to overpay to fulfil my desire for that salty goodness, full of Vitamin B. But if I was in Australia, would I be as keen to pay that price, when there is a high demand and a high supply of the same product?
Not on your Nelly!
Desire fulfilment is what most of the consumerism is targeting of course though, because it is far easier to convince people to pay more for what they want, than for what they need. So all the advertisements are targeting that gratification mechanism in us, often looking to drive our emotions to instant gratify, rather than think on it. They want to trigger our impulses, and if you look at your own impulses, rarely are they of the type that makes you better, stronger, healthier, richer. They are almost always negative to where we might want to be.
Yet, how much of our daily behaviour is acting toward the places and the kind of person we want to be, and how much is driven by impulses that make us worse off? I would suggest that because most of what we do is on default and driven by emotion, most of our actions are counterproductive to being the kind of person we want to be.
Which is an ongoing discussion I am having with Smallsteps.
We aren't who we think we are, we are who we behave as. We are able to change our behaviours and at in an instant, become someone else (behaviourally) if we choose. It might not last for long, but in the moment, we can decide. The more we decide to act as the person we want to be, by doing the things that kind of person does, the more likely we get into the habit and become that type of person by default. This works for all of our behaviours, but if we are constantly desire-filling, that is the type of person we are, that is what defaults are reinforced, and the results will follow suit. So if our desires are negative for our wellbeing, we will act in ways that will cost our wellbeing.
The cost of a "taste of home" is expensive comparatively to doing the same in Australia, but in context of the rest of life here, it is a small price to pay for a little bit of wellbeing it brings to me. But if I decided to do this constantly across multiple areas, the cost would be enormous. It would be like building a car from the ground up, buying all the parts separately from the manufacturer. A basic car would cost the same as a new Ferrari.
For me at least, I think we should really spend time considering how much "comfort and convenience" we are willing to pay for in our lives, and where the cost becomes too great for the potential return. It is the same with the way we consume content, or sit around scrolling, or do anything at all. There is always an opportunity-cost to what we do, yet we should understand that we are primed for desire satisfaction, not self-improvement.
Another conversation for later.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Be part of the Hive discussion.
- Comment on the topics of the article, and add your perspectives and experiences.
- Read and discuss with others who comment and build your personal network
- Engage well with me and others and put in effort
And you may be rewarded.
What kind of American stuff did they have there? I would be curious to learn more about that. I have a sweet tooth too and we definitely have a lot of stuff here that is not good for people like that!
Reese's stuff, pop tarts, jell-o, different pancake mixes, popcorn toppings, some bbq sauces, lots of different sodas and candies. Everything looked like it had had an advertising addict throw up on it! :D
Oh dang, they weren't pulling any punches were they? The Reese's and Pop Tarts would have had me for sure, though I can't recall the last time I actually had a Pop Tart. They just aren't that great for you :) I haven't drank soda in a long time unless it is mixed with a spiced rum. I gave up regular soda consumption a long time ago.
When I was a kid, they had flavours like apple and cinnamon - these were all frosted! What kind of breakfast food is frosted!?! :D
Good call on the soda. I wish my wife would do the same. I do drink, but it is very occasional and tends to be when we are out at dinner for a burger. Though I still normally have a water.
My absolute favorite is the brown sugar cinnamon flavor if you have ever seen those. I used to eat those a ton. As you said though, frosted, so definitely not a healthy breakfast! My wife drinks diet soda, which I almost wonder if it's worse with the chemicals and stuff instead of the sugar.
I very much want to reduce the time I spend online, and try to do so, but almost any new endeavour has a large component of online time to it. I want to do the activity, but it is at a cost to my wellbeing. At what point do I just step away, go for a walk, and benefit more from that walk than I do, say, from the class I have chosen to take? Is this a desire that is negative for my wellbeing? There is a fine line there.
The illusion is that our devices are making our lives easier and giving us more quality time. We don't have to get out of a chair to turn on lights, listen to music and what-all else Alexa can do in our stead. I don't know. I refuse to get one of those devices, among many other supposedly life-enhancing devices. I do know that the folks who have all these devices are working their asses off, are stressed out, anxious and emotionally unstable according to my definition of unstable.
It can be a fine line for those who are paying attention - for those who are not, I don't think they realise there is a line at all, they are all in!
Funny, isn't it? Your definition is probably more "correct" yet people believe that they can define their own states, without realising they are mostly just lying to themselves.
Most of the lights (that we use) in our house are digital LEDs, but I will not get a listening device to control them, and I have all the voice crap turned off on my phone. The lights I can deal with, because I can change the colour to set different feels throughout the year.
Here in US they have "Russian stores" which really sell a mix of Russian, Ukrainian and other European products. The prices are much higher than in Russia, but we never really think about it. As it is a small price to pay not to go back to Ukraine or Russia... But yes sometimes we crave for the taste of childhood home...
What kinds of things do you miss the most?
About time Finland got serious about their retail inventory. Now the entire country will be better...it's well known that Vegemite solves every single issue on the planet from wars, to slow internet and even death!
Yeah, I hope the store stays alive long enough!
If the store eats Vegemite it will live forever!
That's what most of the adverts on TV and the internet are built on, subtle tricks to send our emotions into overdrive and trigger impulsive purchases. It more about profit for these companies than for our well-being. That's why so far their products feels and tastes the same, they don't mind replacing the natural ingredients with chemicals, even though it might hurt the consumers.
I feel there's an agenda to reduce the life span of the average human by all their unnatural, disease-carrying products. Humanity is under attack and it's at the hand of our leaders whose primary concern should be our well-being.
Please I want to ask, are you related to Galenkp?
We are brothers.
That's wonderful. Glad to know. Thanks for your reply.
I wonder what it would look like if instead of marketing crap that is bad for us, all the effort went into marketing what was good for us. Profits would go down, but would we be better off?
and CHeese? I like pepper jack. how bout u?
:)
It was a basic Gouda :)
Hi @tarazkp, I'm glad to read your post after 4 years! I was completely away from Hive all these years and just logged in and yours happens to be one of the first posts I read in this visit! I’m happy to see many of the familiar accounts active even now!
Good to see you back. Are you doing okay?
Yes, doing great!
I love how you explain and teach about pricing and value, and this is very important and very helpful for kids to learn, which is about comparing costs and knowing how to spot marketing tricks. Even your Vegemite story I smiled while reading it. Just by paying extra for a taste of home.
It's somewhat relatable. I've been in that kind of position. It's a reminder that we must balance desires with the choices we make. And we need to make smart choices also.
Sometimes I'm thinking how my impulse has caused me to make so many financial mistakes and reckless spending. So thanks a lot for sharing this kind of lesson.
When we have an impulse, unless our life is in danger, we should slow down and think it through.
Explaining this price comparison is such a smart move and this is how we teach
our kids critical thinking. Also your thought on desire versus the need also got me thinking about how I have made my
own choices when it comes to spending. It's so easy to fall for that instead of clarification and excitement, you're just willing to spend. But I appreciate that you are guiding these small steps to be mindful of how we do all these things. Can't wait to hear more about your conversation with her.
That teaching about pricing and manipulation is so valuable. Sometimes you can even pay for extra comfort because it is worth it.
When you made your point about acting like the person you want to be, this is very important teaching you can teach everyone that wants to increase their value in any way they find yourself.
For me I've been suffering from all those
guilty of impulse which binds something that are not required and your post makes me want to rethink all those my actions. So it's cool how you can turn these moments into a big lessons.
Many times, even though the same thing looks the same, it seems to be more or less expensive. There, we must consider the quality or weight of the product. However, to be honest, when the price of the same product is more or less, it seems that the one available at a lower price seems cheaper because the weight is much less. However, the questions that Smallstep has asked you about this seem natural to me. It is natural to ask questions when the price of the same product is more or less! Because they are more curious at this age!
Teaching children the difference between desire and value may be one of the most important lessons we can give them, and this is what really caught my attention.
Homeschooling was great for that as it was kind of built in. As you've already observed (seeing as you do Daddy-Daughter Dates so regularly) it's not terribly difficult to do it if you're not homeschooling but it's is actually astounding how few people make that particular effort. Like grocery shopping is so much easier to do without the kids along whining about how they're hungry and tired and bored and just want to go home or be anywhere else doing anything else so most parents will just do it while they're at school or daycare and then miss out on all these fantastic conversation and learning opportunities.
I remember my daughter commenting about how she wanted some fast food after seeing an ad for it and then sighing "I'm so easily manipulated!" in mild exasperation. And this was when she was 12 or so. Smallsteps will be aware of all of this and either be fine or at least have no excuse XD
Yay for having a slightly closer source of Vegemite even if it's borderline cripplingly expensive :)
I think this is why I have so many Black Foil cards and not enough Bitcoin.
While I never grew up with vegemite, I'm also rather fond of that yeasty flavor. Instead, I often find myself snacking an spoonfuls of dry nutritional yeast. Same difference if you ask me...