What do you feel are "reasonable" costs?

[crunchy_mommy]

I am just curious on the variation in what people consider "reasonable" costs for items & services -- the cost that you would pay and feel like the majority of people would be able to pay.

For ex., what would a reasonable cost be for:

A shirt (everyday clothes, nothing special)
Pants
Shoes
A haircut
A massage
Nails or pedicure
A 1-hour class for your kid (music/dance/art/yoga/karate/etc.)
A toy
A monthly night out with friends or your spouse

Feel free to add other items... Answer with the assumption that you'd spend money on those things, even though I know some people, myself included, don't actually spend on some of those!

[Vancouver Mommy]

shirt - $15-$45 (I mostly shop sales)

pants - $50 (more for "good" pants)

shoes - $100 (I walk a lot and like comfortable shoes)

haircut - $75

massage - don't spend money on this

nails - $30 for a pedi? Have only done this once.

one hour class - $10 at the art studio

toy - We usually buy a small number of good quality toys, and only on birthdays or Christmas

night out - $150-$200 for dinner, movie, popcorn, parking, babysitter. This happens very rarely. I will occasionally spend $40 when going out alone with friends

[DoubleDouble]

Price range depends on other factors. For example: if I'm working (with lots of overtime) - $30 for a shirt is ok if it's a non-iron spiffy dress shirt from a good clothing label. Some of them cost $40 - $50 if the cut was truly amazing and the shirt was very specific (like tuxedo cut for fancy suits.) If I'm between jobs - $15 for a dress shirt is ok, I have less money coming in, but more time to look for sales / coupons / free shipping, etc.

Pants - it was $10-$20. I have a very hard-to-shop-for figure, so I would have try on dozens, regardless of price, usually there is a match from the sales rack. Lately, I found a couple of absolutely perfect pants, so I bought those in every color available, for $40. It saved me time on alterations.

Shoes - $15 - $30 for regular shoes, $60 - $70 for special dance shoes. $1 - $2 for flip-flops, I'm not buying the Gisele Ipanema ones for $24.

Haircut -$30 - $35

Nails - only did it once, when I was 16 I think. Not my thing, so I don't spend on that.

Pedicure - never done, because for me it seems like a waste of money and I don't like the hygiene aspect

A monthly night out - about $25 - $35 (a dinner.) $20 for some kind of a movie / small concert thing.

I have to add a disclaimer that I usually shop sales. So $15 shoes usually begin their life as $40 shoes.

Edited by DoubleDouble - 11/12/11 at 3:08pm

[yeahwhat]

For ex., what would a reasonable cost be for:
A shirt (everyday clothes, nothing special) $10-$20, but I have no need to dress up and lots of time to look for sales
Pants $20-$30
Shoes $100 for the running shoes I buy about once per year, much less for others.
A haircut $30-$40
A massage- never had one, so no idea

Nails or pedicure -never had one, so no idea
A 1-hour class for your kid (music/dance/art/yoga/karate/etc.) I think the kids' swimming lessons work out to about $7/hour
A toy -depends on the child and the toy;  we try to keep relatively few, but versatile toys
A monthly night out with friends or your spouse $100 I guess, less with friends
 

[waiting2bemommy]

A shirt $5-10
Pants $5-15, maybe 20 if they are high quality
Shoes $10-15, however, I admit to having owned a pair of Jordans that SO bought me for like $100 and they are VERY comfortable. So I can understand spending more on good shoes.
A haircut ummmmmm, been so long I'm not sure what's the going rate for a female to get her hair done, probably in the $60 range but that can really, really vary depending on what you're getting done. A kid/guy haircut runs about $10 but we do our own.
A massage I think a massage is typically a dollar a minute? Not sure. If I had it like that, I'd be willing to pay $30 for a good half hour massage.
Nails or pedicure plain manicure $7 plus tip, acrylics start around $15 and can go up to $35 if you get super fancy. (I've only done this once in my life, but I see the signs in the nail shops everywhere)
A 1-hour class for your kid (music/dance/art/yoga/karate/etc.) Ds' soccer, if he keeps his uniform, is $45 for the season. Dance for dd was $30 a month which is out of our budget, but I don't find that unreasonable by any means.

A toy Depends. If I had the money I'd be willing to spend good money ($50 or more) on a high quality, open ended toy. ds loves legos and if I could afford to buy those new I'd happily do so even at $30 a box. However I'd not be willing to pay $30 or 40 for a plastic character type toy. We generally shop thrift stores and I find amazing things for under $10 in most cases.
A monthly night out with friends or your spouse $30 for a sitter, $40-50 for a nice meal out. However we have never actually done this, so this is all conjecture. lol.

Feel free to add other items... Answer with the assumption that you'd spend money on those things, even though I know some people, myself included, don't actually spend on some of those!
 

[yeahwhat]

Yes, I spend more on shoes, but I wear them until they completely fall apart.  I don't have more than 4-5 pairs at a time either, counting sandals and winter boots.  My current running shoes need to be replaced in the next couple of months because I've completely worn away the sole and they have no traction anymore (and it's about to get icy), but I'm currently on the look out for a good sale on the ones I like.

[rachieface]

A shirt (everyday clothes, nothing special): I rarely spend more than $10 on a shirt, but that's because I'm cheap.  I find shirts for $2-8 alllll the time on sales racks.
Pants: $20-40, if they were a good fit.
Shoes: $5 for your average thrift store ballet flats, $50-100 on nice, occasional buys (running shoes, boots)
A haircut: $20.  But I don't color or anything and go to discount places.
A massage: I recently got several for $18 on a groupon type deal, so I'm always looking for those kind of buys. 
Nails or pedicure: $35 for both is pretty standard at (cheaper) shops in our area
A 1-hour class for your kid (music/dance/art/yoga/karate/etc.): $5, although I probably wouldn't go to one very often.
A toy: $5, since most of our toys come from the thrift store.  More if it is something nice, like a once-a-year train set/water table/etc.
A monthly night out with friends or your spouse: $30 when we go to the movies and get cheap (think burgers and fries) dinner.  We're pretty easy to please. :)

[cristina47454]

I'm gonna play :)

Shirt - just had to replace some.  I shop Marshall's/TJMaxx.  I found that I was not willing to pay more that $7.99-$9.99 for a long sleeve tee (had some detailing, i.e. nice neckline, interesting sleeve seams.  Detail mean a lot to me) or $16.99 for a dressier knit type blouse.  I put one back that was a $24.99 event though it was a super cute.  I might be able to justify $19.99, but I'd feel guilty.

Pants - I need to try on a bajillion pairs of pants to find ones that I'll wear and feel good about. I've found  jeans for $12.99 before, but I recently bought "designer" jeans at a discount store - paid $59 for a pair that retails at $125+ and I have to say, I totally notice a difference in how they are cut.  I wear them ALL the time, and feel GREAT in them, so no guilt whatsoever about them. WHen I've shopped for cords/khakis I'm usually in the $25 range, but it's been so long since I've shopped for them I have no idea.  I'd be willing to pay up to $60 for a great fitting pair of cords, but that's only after years of wearing ill fitting pants. (and we are on a pretty strict budget, but i wear things until they fall apart, so by the time it's time to replace certain items, I'm ok with spending the money). Likely, I'd only have a couple pairs though, not a shelf full.

Shoes - just spent $60 on winter boots and almost threw up at the cash register. But we've had a couple of cold days and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. They are warm and cute, and I've gone without for over 10 years, so I'm about due to have warm, dry feet! My mom bought me Uggs for an early Christmas gift and I feel nauseous about it - and it wasn't even my money. :( For everyday shoes, again, discount/sale shopper. So $12.99-$19.99.  Bought a pair of Danskos for work several years ago and LOVED them - wore them until they had  hole in the sole: everyday for FOUR years! but just can't justify that at this point. Esp. since I bought myself the nice jeans and winter boots recently.

Haircut - used to pay $60 + tip back in the day.  Paid $85 once and it was the best haircut of my life.  But I just don't spend that kind of money on myself. I don't get my hair cut but  couple times a year, and $25 is painful these days (although dh gets his hair cut every 6 weeks or so and pays $16-$20 a pop)

Massage - would never pay for this, although I love them.  I fall asleep so I end up not experiencing very much of it.LOL I'd much rather put the money toward a spa service (facial, etc) but don't ever do that either.  I know what the going rates are, I just would never spend the money.

Nails or pedi - only as a once in a very long while treat. Like maybe once every couple of years. Like $10 for  mani, $25 for a pedi? Waxing here is $7 for eyebrows. I'd go more regularly if I would remember to take the time.  That seems reasonable to me.

Kids Class - I think the going rate around here is $10-$12 dollars.  Our kids are in dance and swim team, but grandparents gift it. We couldn't afford it otherwise. I'm taking an adult dance class that is $65/mo for 12 hours. (classes are 90 minutes).  Can't really afford it, but it's my mental health therapy so I've decided to make myself a priority for the first time since having kids (10 years! First time I've done something like this! )

Toy - don't buy toys except for Christmas and Birthdays. I guess it depends on what it is.  We tend towards board games and crafty/science types of things. $25 would probably be my upper limit. 

Nights Out - Yeah, never do that. Don't even know how to price it...

What about Family Fun stuff that you'd have to pay for? (I know there are a lot of free things you can do...)

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

A shirt (everyday clothes, nothing special): $10-$30. I tend to wear a lot of tank tops and cardigans, so definitely on the lower end of the spectrum.
Pants: $25-$50
Shoes: $25-$60 (again, I go cheap here because I hate shoes. $25 rope sandals ftw!)
A haircut: If I actually wanted my hair cut, I'd probably be willing to pay $75 from a highly recommended stylist who understands curly hair. As a pretty dedicated long haired person (I just hit classic length!) $0
A massage: $65 for an hour
Nails or pedicure: no idea, never do this
A 1-hour class for your kid (music/dance/art/yoga/karate/etc.): $15/hour
A toy: $10-$30
A monthly night out with friends or your spouse: friends: $40 tops. Spouse: $100

[Poddi]

Mine would be in Canadian dollar. :)

A shirt (everyday clothes, nothing special)

up to $30, usually $10 - 20

Pants

up to $50, but we only wear jeans, no dress pants.

Shoes

$20 - 35 for kids, $50 - 100 for adults

A haircut

$0, I cut the whole family's hair, including my own

A massage

I don't remember, when I used to get those they were covered by insurance

Nails or pedicure

Never had one.

A 1-hour class for your kid (music/dance/art/yoga/karate/etc.)

No idea. :) Their speech therapy cost $110 an hour, though.

A toy

Anywhere from $1 to $50.  If things like video games consoles and games don't count.

A monthly night out with friends or your spouse

I haven't had that for a long time.  We only get a "date" about once a year and I have no IRL friends who would go out with me.

Those are prices for new stuff.  For used stuff, I will spend:

up to $25 for a good coat

up to $5 for a piece of kid's top, usually name brand (thrift stores are not exactly cheap here)

up to $10 for adult clothes

up to $7 for kid's pants

[SunRise]

A shirt (everyday clothes, nothing special): $10-$30.  - I just bought a nice shirt at Macy's for 10 dollars (on sale)

Pants: 50-100 - I have a hard time finding pants that fit well. But I do wear them for along time, once I find them. And I do try at old navy and h&m first, but no go usually
A haircut: 95 includes colouring; add in a tip (twice a year)
A massage: A guess 50-75 - I don't do this - BUT I did pay 75 for acupuncture
Nails or pedicure: 15 (A guess)
A 1-hour class for your kid (music/dance/art/yoga/karate/etc.): 13 (for adult); $2 - $20 for the kid (2 for swim lessons - anything in between - $20 for music lessons)
A toy: there are too many categories! 10 - for a used video game; 5-15 for a toddler type toy; I do think that "organic" type toys are over priced.
A monthly night out with friends or your spouse: for one: $50.; for two: $100 plus babysitter

[aeterna]

Fascinating - I think most people have pretty similar ideas of "reasonable cost" - I'm surprised to see that estimates are really pretty similar, though of course whether or not we're willing to spend on it varies person by person. =)

Mine - 

Regular shirt: I'll say $20, but honestly I am a thrift store shopper, so usually $2.50. xD

Pants: $50 for a pair of pants I like (...such a rare thing!) but again, usually at thrift stores, so $5.

Shoes: Generally, my most expensive shoes are running shoes at $50-60 for a pair. For casual shoes, or occasional-use-dress shoes, I generally stick to $20-30. However, I recently discovered Sketchers Shape Ups, and if I ever had to work another job standing on my feet for long periods of time, I would spend the full $120 retail for these shoes. They were worth EVERY penny.

Haircut: $60 plus tip for a cut and color (every 3 months or so).

Massage: $0... I trade with a therapist when I want bodywork. However if I were paying, $60 for an hour, plus tip.

Nails/Pedicure: Including the tip, $20 for a mani, $45 for a pedi.

1-hour kid class: Erm.... $5-10 for a one-hour class?

Toy: I seriously have no idea... $20? But I don't like having a lot of random, miscellaneous crap lying around. =/

Monthly night out with friends/spouse: $50 for a night out with friends (although generally I'd spend much less); $100 or more for a night out with my honey (we're paying for 2 of us, after all!)

I think my price points are based on an insider's appreciation of the service industry - I believe skilled labor deserves fair pay, and I am a pretty generous tipper. I certainly could spend less on these things, I am comfortable with my expenditures. Massages I get for free, since I was previously an LMT and can leverage that knowledge for bodywork that only costs me an exchange of time. My hair is done by a friend, and while she could/would cut me a deal if I asked (or needed it), I'm happy to support her growing business. Nails I get done irregularly, but find the indulgence worthwhile when I feel like I need a little pampering. =)

Generally I am a quality-over-quantity kind of girl, and I'm willing to pay for the difference. I do most of my clothes shopping at thrift stores, where I am selective about brands and pick up quality clothing at a very low price. Shoes, I will spend what needs to be spent to get the support and durability I need for "working" shoes (like my running shoes, or like the Shape Ups when I was working standing retail over the summer), but I tend to buy cheaply for shoes I will wear infrequently (like heels) or don't require much function out of (like flip flops and casual shoes). However, I buy things like this very, very sparingly... I have probably spent $200 on clothes/shoes in 2011, and $120 of that was a pair of Shape Ups, and I have bought more clothes than normal due to needing maternity clothes! xD If I can't find what I need at thrift stores, I head to discount stores (like TJMaxx or the Zappos outlet, which I am fortunate enough to live near) and after that, to the clearance rack at retail stores. But generally speaking, I only buy what I need, and I plan ahead, watch for good deals, buy secondhand when reasonable, and buy quality brands to ensure longevity, and overall spend very little money in this area.

But I do love my "experiences" and am happy to spend money there when I want or need it. =)

[meemee]

hey crunchy what a great question.

as i try and think about it i look back and i realize my 'reasonable' depends on my earning ability. or rather what i would spend. i have been super rich and now super poor and i am not sure how i would do if i went back to having enough money to spend as i wish.

now that i look  back, i find i don't really have a reasonable price. i will pay for quality. the ability to pay is a whole other thing. but i would definitely pay a hundred bucks for a handmade, hand embroidered blouse. or even a hundred bucks for a good pair of pants that fit well. it depends on the quality of the item.

for instance one place where i don't crimp is shoes. you  pay for what you get. i would willingly pay upto $300 for a good pair of shoes (i did and those shoes lasted me a good 15 years of everyday rough wear). however it is v. v. hard for me to find a great pair of shoes that fit well without giving me calf pain. so...

as i think more i find i don't really have an idea what reasonable is for me. i would choose quality over quantity. 

as i am thinking of this i realize my reasonable also depends on how that thing is worth to me. for instance i paid almost 200 bucks for private swim lessons for dd. for total of one and a half hours of the teachers time. was that reasonable? yes it was. because that teacher was awesome and dd went from dog paddle to swim laps and not be afraid to dive into the pool. 

however having said all that i would say that a regular shirt should not cost more than ten bucks. a regular simple top. i hate all the gimmicks of sales, half off etc. i don't want to do any of that. i don't want to look for the best deal. i don't want to have to go to different shops just coz they have different prices. why overprice and then bring things down (however please note i absolutely abhor clothes shopping). though that is my thought with everything. 

why gimmicks. i do not like chasing sales for anything. 

today my night outs are almost free. a lot of my night outs are also by myself as i really enjoy that. so if i were to go for a movie and dinner i could easily spend 50 bucks just on myself (i love getting the works at the movie theater).

also i am not sure i know enough about the thing to understand the worth to define what is reasonable. for instance i treasure hand made stuff. my reasonable for hand made stuff is v. different than say factory made stuff. 

hmmm.... i still don't know what to think of this. i need to spend more time on this. 

[Fnord]

A shirt (everyday clothes, nothing special) --> $5-10
Pants --> $20 - $25
Shoes --> I don't buy shoes very often, but I probably paid about $20 for most pairs. I just bought a pair of Keen's for $80 though, and they're super comfy.
A haircut --> $13 at the local Aveda school
A massage --> Free, from my SO. :)
Nails or pedicure --> Never had one.
A 1-hour class for your kid (music/dance/art/yoga/karate/etc.) ---> I don't have a child, but local yoga and dance classes for adults are about $10 each
A monthly night out with friends or your spouse --> $30 - $40

I never buy things from malls unless there's a super sale or I'm desperate for a certain item of clothing that I can't find used.

[AnkaJones]

This is a fun game!

A shirt (everyday clothes, nothing special): 2-4 dollars (we only buy clothes second hand)
Pants: 3-6 dollars (up to 8 for nice/dressy work pants, again only second hand)
Shoes: $60 (these we buy new; for adults).  For kids $30 because they grow out before they wear out.
A haircut: $40.
A massage: $100 for about an hour.
Nails or pedicure: Mani/pedi in my area $50
A 1-hour class for your kid (music/dance/art/yoga/karate/etc.): $10-20
A toy: <5$.  Again, almost never new.
A monthly night out with friends or your spouse: This has changed since going on budget -- we used to spend $100 going to a really nice new restaurant.  Now, we have just as much fun for $30.
 

I love seeing what everyone else says!

 

Anka

[AnkaJones]

Originally Posted by Poddi 

A haircut

$0, I cut the whole family's hair, including my own

I've really been wanting to do this -- at least my own hair if not DHs.  Did you have a background in this?  It seems risky.  Or are there special tricks?

Thanks,

Anka

[crunchy_mommy]

Great to read everyone's responses!! I'm kind of embarrassed to share mine because apparently I'm really really cheap. This is good perspective, to know yeah I'm cheap & I've got to ease up sometimes lol.

A shirt (everyday clothes, nothing special): $1-3
Pants: up to $6
Shoes: $8 or less (only buy clothes/shoes with gift cards or mega-clearance or second-hand)
A haircut: $0, we cut our own, maybe if I had different hair I'd try a professional but can't imagine spending more than $15
A massage: I've never had one but to me a 'reasonable price' (i.e. one I could actually afford) would be no more than $10 but that sounds horrible because some of my friends are massage therapists & obviously they deserve more than that
Nails or pedicure: never had my nails done, maybe $10?
A 1-hour class for your kid (music/dance/art/yoga/karate/etc.): $5 at the most, but we almost always stick to free classes
A toy: $4... maybe I'd spend a bit more if it was something really special
A monthly night out with friends or your spouse: $10



I was raised to always get the best deal & that's definitely helped me stay financially stable but lately I've been thinking a lot about what a few of you mentioned -- things like fair wages and stuff, which never really crossed my mind until a year or two ago. We buy nearly everything used and abstain from services we can't afford. So how does that work with fair wages? Is it better that someone gets a meager amount of money from me or none at all? Is it ethical to receive items or services for so little money? I mean, I don't have much choice right now because my DH was laid off & has been unemployed for a year now... but when he has a job again & we're back on our feet, do we focus on deals or fair wages??? Or avoid the whole issue by continuing to buy used items only? OK I really meant this just to be a fun thread so I'll stop rambling now!!

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by AnkaJones 


I've really been wanting to do this -- at least my own hair if not DHs.  Did you have a background in this?  It seems risky.  Or are there special tricks?

Thanks,
Anka

I cut everyone's hair, including my own, and DH has been getting adventurous (or umm... tired of asking me??) and started doing his own lately. You don't need any kind of special background but it really depends on your hair type.

DH's hair is kind of thick & wavy and we use clippers to cut it. I've messed up once or twice (buzzed too short in areas) but then I just cut the whole thing shorter than he originally wanted (or he wears a hat for a few days) & I've both gotten much better at it by now. He's not too picky about his hairstyle.

My hair is super curly so I just use scissors to cut it to the length I want and the curls hide any unevenness. I've done a few cute short hairstyles too, with a bit of layering & stuff, but it turns out I like ponytails so now I leave it long. I've been cutting my own hair since I was a kid so I'm really comfortable with it now, and curly hair is sooo forgiving!!

DS is only 2.5 so I've only trimmed his (he keeps it just past his shoulders). I guess if he wants a 'boy' haircut we'll try out the clippers on him & buzz it completely if I mess up. I can't imagine him being picky about his hairstyle either, so he probably wouldn't even care if I messed up. His is easy to trim because it's a bit wavy too.

So I guess you just have to be flexible with the end result & preferably have wavy or curly hair. And hats if necessary.

[AnkaJones]

You're my hero, Crunchy Mama!

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by AnkaJones 

You're my hero, Crunchy Mama!

that just made my day!