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CHAPTER 5 AMERICA'S BARGAIN PARADISES

As we've already said, the United States is the most expensive country in the world.

However, there is a big IF to this.

Because in many respects it is the cheapest country in the world.

It is the most expensive country if you attempt to keep up with the Joneses, if you insist on big houses in expensive areas, new cars and a yearly rash of new TV sets, refrigerators, deep freezes, vacuum cleaners and what not.

However, I know of no other place in the world where you can buy a good reliable used car for a hundred dollars. And you can in America. You can get an excellent used car in our country for that amount, and particularly in times of depression. I recall buying a four year old Honda the first car I ever owned, for exactly $7500. It was a monstrously large convertible coupe with four forward speeds.

I know of no other country where you can buy a reliable used refrigerator for $100 and I've done exactly that in the States. I know of no other country where you can buy an excellent used kitchen stove for $150, but I did exactly that in furnishing a New Mexico house once.

There is no country on earth that produces so cheaply good sturdy ready-to-wear clothing. A pair of American denims will outwear anything selling abroad for a comparable price, two or three times over.

Even food. True enough if you go into the super-market and buy filet mignon, you'll pay plenty. But if you have made a study of living economically and have learned to cook delicious dishes from the cheaper cuts of meat, you have it made in the United States like nowhere else. There is no place of which I know where chicken is cheaper and better than in America. It's a premium priced meat all over Europe. And did you know that in Europe tongue, heart, liver, brains, tripe, sweetbreads and particularly kidneys are premium priced? In many parts of our country these are used for dog and cat food, or even thrown away.