Stephanie, over at A Time For Everything, has a post on thriftiness vs. extravagance that you should check out. Something she said in that post really made me think. First, let me say that I try to be frugal as much as possible. Sometimes I lean toward cheap a little more than I should. Stephanie said this:
Let us all remember that being frugal is to give more glory to God and to be using our resources for Him. Sometimes that means making an investment in something for quality rather than buying something cheap to save money.
I've been known to buy the cheap thing before just because it was cheap. I didn't think about the quality of the item. I just needed something cheap so that's what I got. A good example of that was an office chair I bought years ago. I didn't want to spend alot of money on a chair. I just wanted something inexpensive that I could push up to my desk. I didn't figure I needed a big ole' comfy chair just to sit in while checking email. The chair was cheaply made and it turns out, it was pretty uncomfortable. I used it for awhile and then had to get something that was comfortable. In the end, I wasted money by purchasing the cheap chair in the beginning.
I've learned my lesson but sometimes it's still hard. Just this week, my sweet ole' hubby was ordering me a new laptop. I need a good one that will last me for a few years since I am trying to launch a home-based business. I didn't want to spend the money necessary to get the one he suggested. I went back and forth but finally made the decision to sink the money into it. After all, it is an investment that I'll have to live with. Better to spend more for something that will meet my needs for the next four years, rather than spend money on something that I know won't last. So, I took his advice. I'm slowly learning.
I hope Stephanie's post proves helpful to you. I know it encouraged me! How about you? Do go for the cheaper item or spend a little more for the quality item?
2 comments:
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Like your office chair, everything I have ever bought that was cheap had to be replaced with something of better quality, and so it ended up being a waste of money! One thing I learned early in my marriage was to go to yard sales and thrift stores to find furniture and household things. I ended up with lots of good quality items for "cheap" prices, yay! If I couldn't find what I needed that way, I just made do without it, and saved up until I could afford to buy it new...and of good quality! :)
When I think of long term use, I usually consider the reliability and craftmanship of a particular item I wanted to buy. It doesn't always need to be expensive. I'm not so brand-conscious. But let's also face reality that most of trusted brands are expensive. SO most of the times, it depends on what I'm buying. And I always ask myself: what if I tire of this one (like a pair of bag or top)? Will I end up buying another in the near future? I always end up buying what fits the budget because I know, for clothing example, that I might be tempted to buy another in the near future or it might go out of trend. But usually if it's appliances, I go for reliability (which could sometimes be synonymous to paying a little over the budget). :D
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