The Modern History of Bags

Once upon a time, people carried bags because they couldn't effectively hold everything they needed to transport in their hands. Bags allowed them to carry lotsa things at once. Sometimes, bags were made of plastic. Other times, bags were made of paper or cloth. Sometimes, bags could be gotten for free. Other times, bags were a few cents or a few dollars. For centuries, people carried lotsa stuff in inexpensive bags and they thought, "wow, bags are cheap and good."

Then one day, someone noticed that people were stupid (and inclined to promote their status via material goods). A few days after that sad revelation, certain bags cost $400, then $500. The bags now had logos on them and traded their utilitarian appeal for questionable "coolness." They were popular. People saved up to buy them. Soon, people carried bags that were worth more than the things they needed to carry. People had $600 bags to hold nothing more than a $50 cell phone and $1 chap-stick. The world rapidly spiraled out of control and the insane "expensive bag trend" augured an arrival of madder, more threatening fads (ie mass masochism and an associated welcoming of cannibalism.) At that point one bright, nice couple went on a honeymoon in Bali and things started to take a turn for the better.

   The result of their trip is fiveaccessories.com, a site founded by a pair who viewed first-hand the creativity (and poverty) of Bali artisans. Shortly after their visit, they began selling reasonable priced handmade Bali handbags online and donating $5 from each purchase to the villages were the goods are made. Recently, they expanded the site to include bags, accessories and jewelry from Honduras and Guatemala. They expanded the charity to included funds from 15% of other purchases.

The bag designs are largely organic, featuring wood, reeds and straw-like compositions. One line from Honduras, pictured above, is made from recycled potato chip bags. (It doesn't cost $400.) Another line is made of cubes of coconut bark. (It doesn't cost $500.) Most of the bags range from $15 to $40 (of which a healthy portion goes to support people who need $5 far more than we need $500 handbags).

Life for the merchants, the manufacturers and the masses improves as, slowly but surely, benevolence and realism re-entered domestic consumerism. Expensive bags were banned. Cannibalism was avoided. Functional bags prevailed. And everyone lived happily ever after.

The End.

No more chunky water!

If you're concerned about contaminants such as lead, arsenic and chlorine in your drinking/cooking/bathing water (and who isn't?) you have probably considered buying a filtration device. Of course, the choices are confusing because there are so many of them. To help, Consumer Reports has a good primer this month on what to buy for each specific need.

In a future Better Living section (our new Feature section debuting this Sunday), we will be exploring water filters/purifiers. Write to us if you want to share your own experiences, positive or negative.

In pursuit of hockey cards

A reader contacted me today to ask where she could buy hockey cards for her grandchildren. I suggested several stores not far from her Englewood home, including Danpak in Bergenfield and America's Pastime and Joker's Child in Fair Lawn, as well as Steve's Baseball Cards in Teaneck. She didn't have luck at Danpak but hit the jackpot at Steve's. 

Where do you buy sports cards? We'd like to hear about your favorite collectibles retailers.

Best end-of-season bargains

Last night I dragged my 23-year-old son to Paramus Park mall to look for the cargo pants he hasn't been able to find (we're talking about a lifelong fussy dresser here). We had no success with that, but at Macy's we smacked into a 50-percent-off display of winter jackets. Aha! We had long abandoned the quest for a new winter jacket (he's still wearing the one I bought him in sophomore year of high school). He tried on a couple until he found the perfect specimen, a Spyder with Thinsulate and a lot of nice styling and all the features he wanted. Original price: $475.  Between the half-off sale, another 20 percent off from a coupon and yet another 15 percent because I had to open a new Macys account (I'd left mine home and they couldn't bring up my account number on the computer), the jacket ended up costing us $152!

What's been your best end-of-season bargain?