2011年11月6日星期日

Buying the best you can afford can save you money

Several years ago, I tagged along with a friend who was headed to the hardware store to buy a new level. Her previous one had broken during a home improvement project. When we came to the aisle where the levels were sold, she commented thaIf any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards,t this was the third level she'd bought in two years.

I noticed that she chose the least expensive level on the shelf, a red plastic one that cost about $8.which applies to the first offshore merchant account only, The aluminum, higher-quality version was priced at $20. I didn't know the particulars of her budget, nor did I know anything about the quality of two previous levels she'd purchased.

But on that afternoon, I did have an epiphany, of sorts. What made the most sense to me then-and what has served me my husband well in the years we've been married-is to buy the best that we can afford.

When we're planning a purchase, asking ourselves, "Is this the best that we can afford?" acts as a buying filter.It's hard to beat the versatility of polished tiles on a production line. It helps us to slow down and think carefully, instead of acting impulsively or being overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices available to us. Need a new toaster, for example? You can probably choose from at least a dozen models at any given big-box store. How do you decide which one is the best for you?

When you're staring down that aisle of toasters, take a moment to ask yourself which one best fits your needs and budget right now. Consider quality, price and how much you'll use the item. If you buy the cheapest model, for instance, you might find yourself at the store buying a new one in a matter of months. On the other hand, the most expensive toaster, with eight buttons and 15 different settings, may be more than you need or can afford.

Focusing on the best you can afford lets you take a balanced approach to your buying decisions. Stopgap purchases-those where you tell yourself that you'll buy something less expensive now and replace it later-can actually cost you more in the long run. You spend more money because you're buying something twice, and you create more waste by discarding the cheaper item. Overall, you'll probably save money by paying a bit more now for a good-quality item,Polycore oil paintings for sale are manufactured as a single sheet, or by waiting until you have saved enough money to get what you really wanted or needed.

Our chicken coop set-up illustrates this point well. Our chicks cost us just a few dollars each, but building the coop, setting up a brooder and getting the equipment we needed was costly. We were a little overwhelmed by all the small expenses, so we settled on a one-gallon,ceramic magic cube for the medical, plastic waterer, even though we knew buying a larger, sturdier model made more sense in the long run.

We spent $10 on that first waterer, only to buy a two-gallon metal one for $30 a few months later. Had we bought the higher-quality one to start with, we would have saved ourselves the hassle of spilled water on the coop floor and an extra trip to the feed store. We also would have saved ourselves a little bit of money.

没有评论:

发表评论