With a bit of savvy, patience and a willingness to forgo steel-handle knives, copper pots and other extravagant items, $200 can equip a basic kitchen that will be adequate for just about any task.

The point is not so much that you can equip a real kitchen without much money, but that the fear of buying the wrong kind of equipment is unfounded. It needs only to be functional, not prestigious, lavish or expensive.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09mini.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5090&en=e39 +e14cf6af1b0bc&ex=1336363200&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

If we approached all of life this way, we'd leave behind less landfill and be less neurotic. Oh, but we'd have less pretty stuff, and we all know it will last longer than we will, so that's a Good Deal.