Buy it right or buy it twice (or thrice)
Posted
Jul 03 2008, 03:45 PM
by
Donna Freedman
The old saying "When you buy cheap, you get cheap" isn't always true. I've gotten some terrific products cheaply at thrift stores and yard sales. And you may not have to pay top dollar for certain products -- a mop bucket from the dollar store does the job as handily as one from a more upscale retailer.
But you need to pick your spots, as evidenced by a recent item on the Five Cent Nickel personal finance blog. Owner-operator "Nickel" has a 10-year-old son who loves wearing a watch. Thus far, that's been a "kid" timepiece that costs between $10 and $12. Why spend good money on something for a 10-year-old, right?
Wrong. Since he started wearing watches, the boy has worn out three or four of them. "At a total cost of $30-$40 (possibly more)," laments his dad, who notes that replacement parts are either hard to find or almost as costly as buying a new cheap watch.
The solution: a nice little Timex Indiglo with a tough nylon strap that should last just about forever. "A much smarter decision in the long run," Nickel writes. "Too bad it took us three or four tries to get it right."
Nickel provides another good example: the Teva sandals he bought to wear on his honeymoon a dozen years ago. At the time he quailed at spending $40 or $50 for a pair of sandals, but he wanted to be comfortable. He says there's plenty of wear left in them, and feels good about not having filled up the landfill with a succession of cheap footwear.
As someone who has a "Teva tan" on my feet all summer, I can relate. Let me add that mine is a Teva knockoff tan. I bought a similarly made, cheaper sandal and it's just as comfortable as the pricier brand. No more attractive, mind you, but hey, this is Seattle -- I've seen people wearing Tevas in church.
