A common tip on personal finance blogs is take care of your stuff to save money. By purchasing quality items that will last a long time, many people can save money on the back end by not having to purchase another item. Financially, it makes sense. But the psychological barrier of overcoming a price tag is often a burden on people’s minds when they visit a store.
Paying for quality items is a battle I’ve always fought with my personal finances. A lack of income in college made it difficult for me to justify paying more for an item, even if that item would have been a better value. If a cheaper alternative exists, I usually pick it, even if it may not last as long or do as good of a job.
This plagues me as I sometimes feel cheap with my money. Idealistically, I want to purchase the better valued item, as it will probably last longer and save me money by not having to get another. However, I often cannot overcome the price tag and resort to the cheapest item, regardless of quality.
For example, I’m looking to buy a computer mouse for my laptop. After looking at the store, I found a mouse that plugs into a USB for $20. I took it back home and I like it, but I don’t love it. I wanted the more expensive wireless version, but couldn’t justify the extra money and the cost and hassle of keeping batteries stocked.
In reality, I want to prop my laptop for more airflow so I should buy a wireless keyboard/mouse combination. This will produce the least amount of clutter and provide me with a good writing and web browsing setup. My laptop is one of my most used items and I should pay more for a good value, but I’m having trouble pulling the trigger on the more expensive items.
The problem I have is that it’s difficult to visualize quality. I can visualize a price tag and easily judge how much it is going to set me back, but I can’t look at an item and visualize how much quality it’s going to bring to my life. I don’t buy many items for myself and prefer to save money for travel or going out with friends. This causes a problem whenever I do need to buy something because I always run into a roadblock and find myself being cheap with my money.
I enjoy looking at my savings account and seeing the number rise, but I’d also like to look around my apartment and see items that were smart purchases. Personal finance is a journey and this is the hump I am struggling to overcome.
I wish I could come on here and give all sorts of personal finance tips and tricks, but I’m not perfect and need help as well.
So I pose this question: What advice do you have for people like me, who struggle with paying for value? Where do you draw the line between buying the cheap alternative, or paying for the value item that is higher in price?
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