Choosing What's Worth It
We are all familiar with the saying "money doesn't buy happiness." But that doesn't mean money can't buy some pretty interesting things, as we discovered when RedBlue asked campus consumers to share their most recent or memorable purchases.Morgan Block, an undeclared sophomore, lights up as he describes his most memorable purchase, a 2002 Dodge Ram pickup truck.
"It's completely random," Block said. "I wasn't even in the mood to buy a car … but it has become, in a sense, an icon. When my fraternity (Sigma Alpha Mu) has events or social gatherings, everybody knows to look out for the gold Dodge!"
Vuna Tuihalamaka, a sociology sophomore, kept it simple by saying textbooks were among his memorable recent purchases.
"My sociology book helps me out in class," Tuihalamaka said.
Buying a few shirts made nights going out more memorable for Becca Peterson, a dance freshman.
"My sorority (Gamma Phi Beta) had a date dash, themed Moulin Rouge, so I bought a cute outfit to wear that night … a corset, some black booty shorts and stockings."
Greg Zipperer, an economics junior whose ID says he's "of-age," said alcohol was a recent purchase he was pleased with.
"I bought a bottle of wine and a 12-pack of Sam Adams ale, very meaningful," Zipperer said, with a smile. "A, it got me laid, and B, it's good to drink for just hanging out."
He added that the wine wasn't expensive enough to break the bank.
"El Cheapo Pinot Grigio" he said, laughing. "A $6.99 special at CVS … I'm classy."
A civil engineering graduate student said his high-priced buy was a new Dell laptop.
"It's been extremely helpful for my work and research while I'm here for Grad school," said Amit Shelke as he sat eating a quesadilla at the Cactus Grill.
Other students cited purchases like condoms, the "Rock Band" video game set and a plane ticket for spring break as recent memorable purchases.
Money may not buy happiness, but for a lot of students, it sure makes life a lot more interesting.