on jeans

at what point does one know that it is time to get rid of a pair of jeans?

the current pair of jeans i am wearing has a hole in my crotch area. but as some of you probably know, that has never stopped me from wearing a pair of pants. at least laura isn't here to throw objects at the hole/my crotch. however, today i was absentmindedly scratching my leg when i found that my scratching had caused a rip in my jeans. i always thought denim to be a reasonably durable material, but i guess it was no match for my dull fingernails. so now i have a pair of jeans with a rip that i'll call a fashion statement. now i don't mind if my jeans are rife with fashion statements, but if a mere scratch is enough to cause one, who's to say when these jeans will just go and disintegrate on me? perhaps the answer to my question is: when a mere scratch causes them to rip?