Why buy toys when they will play with cups?

I walked into the playroom this morning and found Evi playing with these cups. I think she may have seen an advertisement on TV that shows kids stacking, building, and playing with colorful cups. It's just $19.95 plus shipping and handling. I'm glad she is resourceful and figured out you get the same results with regular cups which cost something like 5 bucks at the store. Anyway, it 's got me thinking, why do we buy our kids so many expensive toys that end up broken or underplayed with? This year for Christmas I am planning on actually staying within a budget. I decided that I would buy things for the kids that they have expressed a desire for. In Evi's case this means getting her a bag of fancy rocks. I'm not kidding, every time we go to the Dollar Store she sees these colorful rocks that go in a fish tank and exclaims "I'm going to ask Santa for these!" As an adult I think wow, way to go for the big stuff kid LOL. But really, if that's what she wants why not get it and give it to her for Christmas. She will play with them and it will probably give her hours of entertainment (or her version of an hour, 20 mins.) When she was three all the wanted for Christmas was a "Meet the Robinson's" squishy ball she saw at the Disney store. It was like $3.99. I want to give my kids everything, I think many of us do. We love to see their faces light up and the joy that receiving a new toy brings. There are so many times I go to Target and want to buy them things I see that I know they would like. It's usually something little. Well, this year for the next three months I am going to buy those little things I know they'll love and wait and give it to them for Christmas. This year there may not be any big items under the tree but I'll know that everything that the unwrap is something they really wanted even if it is small and only cost a dollar.