"you Paid How Much For A Pen? Why!?!"

[Cryptos]

In reading this thread and others much like it I am struck by how much people are concerned about such questions.

 

It's really not that hard to deflect such questions politely and with minimum or no backlash.

[skittlebug]

I don't get this question often but the few times I have the person chuckles and says something to the effect of "well it's better than a heroin/meth/crack addiction". It is funny to me now that I think about it that several people have said this. Maybe it's because I am a social worker and work in the psych/rehab field. Honestly though most people never even notice my pens even though I write a ton in my job and always have one in my hand. I will say that I am usually uncomfortable telling people how much I spend on them because I don't know what their financial situation is and I would feel bad telling someone having to work 3 jobs to put food on the table that I just dropped a weeks worth of their salary on a pen. When I am unsure of their situation I usually lie and say it was a gift or I got a screaming good deal on eBay.

[Fountainer]

There is so much to say that i get often confused what to pick.
I tend to say something about priorities. Most people would invest in pen after everything else, but how i think is that pen has so much use that why not invest in it among the first objects, bringing pleasure in writing that you do very often, at every age. There's a sense of everlastness unlike many other items. A fountain pen is versatile, it's a piece of jewelry, it's good for outlining drawings... I simply like it. If i like it, i invest in it. Wouldn't you?