Well, on the subjects that I'm cynical about, I come by that honestly too.
And I will confess, I've been beat up by the kilt police, and called a cross-dresser by so many people on so many forums that I loose track of who has and who hasn't. My appologies if I've confused you with someone else.

I seem to be having a conversation about how everything made with methods or materials invented since the industrial revolution is crap and that buying any of it somehow damages one's soul. I must admit that finding out that I'm having it someone I apparently have so much in common with baffles me somewhat. I believe our basic disagreement was the whole "gateway" thing. I believe that in many cases a $95 Amerikilt will lead to a $130 USA kilt, will lead to a $160 Alt.kilt, to a Freedom Kilt, and so on until it leads to a "real" kilt bought by someone who wouldn't have considered saving up and spending that kind of money to start. Wearing the less expensive kilts having caused him to change his monetary priorities.
I have a tendency to spend around $100 on a pair of dress shoes. They last me about a year. I buy them because as you say, a $30 pair that last 3 months is more expensive than a $100 pair that last 12 months. I'm sure a $500 pair would work out to be even less expensive in the long run, but one has to draw the line somewhere, and for shoes, I choose to draw it at $100. For a kilt, I have just bumped that line up from $100 to $150. Little by little, priorities change.....

Have Fun,
Tom

editted to add; Oh, and Rocky, I'm working, writing for tomorrow morning. So I'm inside on the computer anyway......