What is "affordable"?

[boysrus]

This really bugs me. For instance, "Jst look at this affordable home, only $380,000." Even if that is the lowest price in town, I think that referring to it as affordable is a stretch.
Dania touts itself as affordable, then sells $400 coffee tables.
We went to Peanut Butter and Ellie's for dinner last night. It calls itself affordable, but a sandwich costs $6.95. For my family to have basic sandwiches, chips, drinks, and a brownie, it was $50. That is midpriced in my book. We go out to a sit down Mexican restaurant and get enough for everyone to have seconds the next day and that runs between $40 and $50. I call that affordable, but to order sandwiches at a counter and pay $50, that is not "affordable" Not expensive, but not "affordable"
I nhad always feared that IKEA would not live up to its "affordable" title, but we went a few days ago, and fed the whole family for $14 and bought a bed and platform frame for ds some stuff for the kitchen, bedding, and a plant for around $200, and I have to say that is affordable.
Is anyone else tired of having that word thrown about?

[frontierpsych]

Oh, definitely. To me, affordable = $80 coffee table (and that's stretching it) but that's not a bad price. We got ours free from a friend, and we bought our couch, love seat, ezchair set for like $500 used, which wasn't bad. it's so difficult to find an "affordable" resteraunt anywhere. Maybe I should open one. I'll make foods that are tasty and easy to make in bulk, and I won't overcharge. Of course, I'm sure I couldn't "afford" to do that! I know what you mean though, anything with a price tag attatche claims to be "affordable", but to whom?

[teomom]

affordable means different things to different people though. think about what affordable would be to someone making six figures and what would be affordable to someone making it by on minimum wage.

[MaggieSqrl]

I agree about Ikea. We can spend the whole day there, between the ball room, shopping, and eating. Lots of fun on a rainy day, plus I get to buy a few ittle things.

[Llyra]

"Affordable" basically has no meaning. It's all relative. If I make $100,000 a year, then a $400 coffee table is no big deal. I don't, though; $400 can feed my family for two months. Yeah, it irks me, too.

[Kleine Hexe]

My DH's co-worker considers a $6K sectional couch affordable. We sure don't. I don't even consider the $34 I spent on curtain rods affordable.

[Alkenny]

Affordable is just a selling tactic...just like the words "Brand New!" "Awesome!" "New and Improved!"

[frontierpsych]

or "certified preowned!"

[BetsyS]

We make a decent living, and I think $400 on a coffee table is crazy! Of course, our style is still "grad student chic", according to dh.

[tamaralv]

I laugh (cry?) at the "affordable" ads as well.

But as far as housing goes (apartments or single-family), HUD calls an "affordable" house one that costs at or below 30% of the owners/renters monthly income. You shouldn't be spending more than that on housing (though - yeah. Lots of people do).

Er - no idea what the Dept of housing and Urban development has to say on the affordability of coffee tables

[Maggi315]

I agree with the other posters. Affordable means nothing. We are making good money now, but I am still cheap. Most of our clothes comes from yard sales, we buy almost everything on sale, etc. But I understand the affordability means different things to different people. Like for me, I don't mind cheap furniture but I need good midwifery equipment. My husband buys great suits for work at great sales prices, but will splurge on an expensive tie that I think is ridiculously priced.

Uh, we don't have a coffee table. When we finally get one, there's no way I would spend 400 on one, I'll find one secondhand or on sale.

[Mama Dragon]

"New and Improved" kills me...is it new, or is it an old model that got improved? It can't be both!

I definitely think affordable is relative. We can't afford the median house price around here of $150k, to pay 2, 3, 4 times as much for a smaller house in a "better" area is NOT affordable in my book, just insane. Affordable eating out is Arby's, for $25 for the 6 of us. Middle priced is the $65 we spent at texas roadhouse for father's day, and we just don't "do" high priced eating out. But someone else would look at the $65 and think that's cheap, not to mention Arby's!

[jkpmomtoboys]

What amazes me is that "affordable by design" homes in our town go for about 600K.

[bdavis337]

Like a PP said, affordable is different for different folks. My employer, for whom I handle all personal financial affairs, considers his BMW to be affordable. He sometimes forgets that my family lives a substantially different lifestyle, and while he pays us well, we certainly can't eat where he eats, shop where he shops or drive what he drives! He's thrifty as necessary for business purposes, but his definition of affordable is much higher up the scale than mine. For him, a $380K home IS an affordable, and desirable price.