Knowing the price of everything and value of nothing

It's always those random moments in life that spark off my little philosophical musings.

Yesterday when looking for a birthday present for my mother I happened upon a lovely Japanese plant of the type that used to cost upwards of £20.

It was reduced from £9.99 to £4.99.

Half of the price was peeled off so the shop assistant asked me how much it cost and when I told him, he said "Ah, yes last time I was looking at these they were £14.99".

"That's awful depressing," I murmured.

"What? How is that depressing getting a bargain," he hit back with an irritated look.

"Oh, well you know, such a beautiful plant and now it is so cheap and you used to have to pay so much more for them, it's like it has been completely devalued."

Shop assistant from that point clearly thought it was best to ignore the weird woman who seemed to be complaining about lower prices.

However the conversation has really stayed with me.

I remember when those plants first started to be sold, it was only in the upmarket flower shops and they were the only plant to be seen with for a couple of years.

So that was how it caught my eye as a present for the mother, because it was something a little more special than the average plant plus she did not currently have one.

If everything is dirt cheap, where is the fun in splashing out for something I might not necessarily be able to afford for someone special?

Lily Allen eloquently sings: "I am a weapon of massive consumption and its not my fault it's how I'm programmed to function."

Guilty as charged.

I'm from an all woman family where part of the fun of shopping is knowing that you can't really afford the treat you are buying and you take enormous care of it.

As a teenager my mother would take my sisters and I on mammoth shopping trips which were enormous fun.

When we got home mother snuck us in the back door so our father didn't see the number of bags and realise the extent of the damage on the good old plastic.

However later on after much eye lash fluttering we'd put on a fashion show for father to show off our new wares.

Ms Allen's mantra: "It doesn't matter cause I'm packing plastic and whats what makes my life so fucking fantastic." was very much the order of the day.

It's a female tradition dating back long before credit cards - who could forget one of the original spendaholic, Marie Antionette who actually managed to bankrupt a country from her love of pretty shoes, dresses, cosmetics etc

Ah female role models...