I think all of you complaining about other people spending too much money on sheitels have a little too much time on your hands. Yes, I think spending $5,000 dollars ona sheitel is a tremendous waste of money – I’ve been married almost 14 years and I haven’t spent that much money on all the sheitels I’ve bought! But, 1) it’s none of my business, the best I can do is try to keep my own priorities in order and teach my children good values – I really don’t care how other people choose to spend their money (unless they’re also getting tuition breaks, but that’s a whole other topic!), and 2) you’re missing the point of a woman covering her hair. It’s not to look unattractive, it’s because once a woman gets married, her hair is something private and special,covered by the halachos of tznius and reserved only for her husband – just like the rest of her body. Nowhere does it say that a woman should not be attractive. While there is a distinct difference between being attractive and attracting when making choices in tznius, the cost of the sheitel is not the issue.
As for the fact that our grandmothers in Europe wore shmatas on their heads, that’s really irrelevant. They also had no plumbing or electricity. Advances in technology can be used to improve our lives and enhance Yiddishkeit, or our appreciation of it.
Again, I’m not advocating buying a ridiculously expensive sheitel, I’m just saying that some of the reasons by people against it seems to be covering something else (pun slightly intended).