Tuesday
Oct182011
Poor People Cannot Afford Cheap Things
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 "Poor people cannot afford cheap things." – Finnish saying (via)
This is our old warhorse of a toaster.
The kind of regret that I have revisited time and again is buyer's remorse. I buy something cheap — usually because it's conveniently located or it'll do for the time-being — and then I am unhappy later when it doesn't work very well or it breaks down quickly. When I've bought things on the cheap, my irritation and disappointment with my purchase usually outweigh the perceived convenience or limited use with which I chose to justify bringing them home.
My parents made a big deal about this when I was a kid. We didn't have a lot of money for a number of years, but when they bought something, they always bought the best that they could possibly afford. I remember my father explaining to me that going with the more cheaply made product might save you a little money in the short run, but replacing a cheaper product ends up being more expensive and stressful in the long run. It's better to have something that successfully satisfies your needs for ten years than something that doesn't work very well and needs repeated fixing for two.
I didn't follow his advice in my early twenties when I bought a really cheap futon and frame set at a large grocery store. I spent three uncomfortable years tossing and turning and counting the cracks in my ceiling paint. If I had waited a few months, I could have saved enough for a better bed and slept well, but, as it was, I couldn't afford to replace it with anything better after I spent the money. Those were hard years, and part of that is because I slept horribly and lay in that bed counting my regrets.
I'm still not rich, and I have the elderly sofa to prove it, but what I do have these days satisfies me over the long term rather than irritates and fails me, in turn acting as a constant reminder of my own fiscal defeat.
"Poor people cannot afford cheap things" is a saying that has come to extend beyond the need for good design, though, at least for me. It speaks to so many areas of life where we might cut corners to get to a goal faster or accept lesser treatment to avoid conflict in the present or create a lesser product ourselves to meet a deadline we've falsely prioritized above a reach for quality.
When I look ahead to forecast my long-term happiness and satisfaction, I realize that it does not make sense to buy cheap, sacrifice the quality of my own work, or accept poor treatment. When I do that, I end up feeling not only dissatisfied and less wealthy later but also less worthy. Making lesser decisions now makes me feel like a lesser person later.
The things that we do run deeper than the surface, even if they are as simple as buying a waffle iron. Trial and error has taught me that it is better to spend extra money on the good waffle iron now and enjoy my breakfasts for years than spend less on the bargain version and end up not only struggling with the waffle iron but also hating my waffles, going through the headache of returning it or sitting on hold with the manufacturer, and chastising myself for making poor decisions and essentially throwing my money away. When I realize that the choice is not just about a better versus a lesser waffle iron but about years of good breakfasts versus the sense of having a lesser life, it is much easier to spend the extra cash.
Poor people cannot afford cheap things, and no one can afford the hit they take when they accept lesser quality for short term gain, whether it be through our consumption, the quality of our work, or how we allow ourselves to be treated.
Do better, even when doing less might seem more feasible. You're worth it, both now and in the future.
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Reader Comments (26)
I love this. Very sage advice. It's so true!
Ouch, that one hurt a bit. ;) Guilty. Especially in regard to clothes and how I let people treat me. I am getting better at the former. The latter, not so much.
I am so on board with this, although I seriously lapse sometimes. Often when it comes to dressing myself, of all things! Because I don't have a lot of time to shop, and I often am thinking of how better to spend the money (esp. when it comes to doing right by my children) I often just grab pants -- especially pants -- that are "good enough" and I spend time when I am wearing them pulling at them and wishing they fit and looked better on me.
I had this very discussion with my husband when we last went through buying cars. (God, I hate buying cars. And we're due to upgrade now to bigger vehicles -- at least one.) He wanted to buy another beater, and I had to force him to go to a dealer and get a car payment. My point was that another $1200 car was going to cost us at least twice that in repairs over the long run, and a $6500 car with payments would be kinder to our wallets in the long run.
I was right about the car. Now if I could just get the clothes thing right for myself!
Wow, lady, this post really speaks to my way of thinking, especially of late. I am far from wealthy, but I have always spent what little I have on quality rather than quantity. It is a way of thinking and really, a way of living, that runs perpendicular to the mindset that consumerism brings to the table. But in the end, it's the only way to go. The Ballsmart way is unsustatinable, on both the personal and the global level.
The same is true of the people you surround yourself with and the way you spend your time. There's no point in having three hundred friends that you can't have a meaningful conversation with, can't trust, or who bring you down. Instead, have three who inspire you, challenge you, and would let you sleep on their couch even if you showed up at 3am, in the rain, unannounced.
Invest what little time you have in creating beauty, rather than consuming it, and no matter what your bank account says, you will be rich.
I struggle with this. I was raised to make do by buying cheap and it is such a difficult habit to break even though I know quality trumps quantity in every area of life.
Yes, yes and yes.
We have donated, sold and recycled most of our possessions in the last year. At first it was part of a radical declutter project to get more time, money and space back. Months later my husband got a job offer overseas and we got down to 14 small boxes and 5 rubbermaid containers. Everything else is gone. We sold all of our furniture rather than pay for storage.
What did we keep? The quality stuff. Clothing and quality cookware that had stood the test of time. Things we use every day.
We weren't poor but we were in a load of debt when we started our journey. On the other side of $82,000 in debt I can honestly say, buy quality. It is painful to be paying off credit card bills for things that didn't last.
Many thanks for this. Posting it to my blog Facebook page now.
This is precisely why I avoid places like IKEA! If you read about how much of their furniture is made, you'll see that it is often stuffed with paper. Yes, you're buying paper furniture.
Brava 100 times over.
That is such s great post! Your parents are very wise.
Well, since I write about money you know I love this post, has me thinking I need to write a post on this very topic, thanks for the inspiration..and trust me I have bought on the cheap more then once and have so come to regret it.
Like so many of your posts, I just had to share this one to my facebook page. I'd much rather not have something at all, than have a crappy version of it biding it's time before heading to the land fill.
Yes. Penny wise, pound foolish. Or, you get what you pay for. There are times when this rule isn't so good - like when you're buying clothes for a rapidly growing child, cheap is generally more than adequate - but usually it's better to buy the best quality because it will out.
The only kind of advice you'll ever need. Also, in terms of "things", we need far less stuff than we think we do. Living in abject poverty on a little island in the middle of the Atlantic taught me that, and as a result, my entire life now fits into 3 bags, two of which are currently with me in the US, and a third that is now on Supersize Island with a friend. Happiness doesn't come from what we own but rather from the human connections we are able to make. After a run of work that took me from one hotel room to the next for a month and a half, I am now sleeping on a sofa in the Midwest, much to the surprise of little nephew and little niece who are at a loss to understand how a sofa can be comfortable. Thing is... I haven't slept so well in months, perhaps years. This sofa in a welcoming, loving home is far comfier than my hard, cold Islandish bed in a somewhat hostile place. The kids don't get it, but then again, I hope they never have to.
Dude. I do that ALL THE TIME. (Buying the cheap.) (Accepting the lesser.) And then I'm angry with myself. Thank you.
This post resonates a lot with me, because it connects me to my upbringing, and how my parents perceived worth, and how this has influenced me ever since. My parents seemed to have a two prong approach this subject -- they understood the importance of quality, and would always search for it when it came to me, but they wouldn't be as generous with themselves. Some of this is just traditional parenting, but it gave me mixed messages, and guilty feelings.
Poor people can not afford cheap things "is a saying that has come to extend beyond the need for good design, but at least for me. He speaks to many areas of life where one can cut corners to achieve a goal faster.
I agree with you. I was raised to buy the "best that you can afford" and for the most part, I do. But buying "quality" also means a changing your views about many things. It means assessing the way you live, it means assessing what you truly need. It means learning the difference between "classic" and "current" along with the difference between "fashion" and "style". It means being comfortable with your own "style".
@Nyt... quite. You bring up an interesting point, namely that by having our own "style", we are comfortable with being ourselves unapologetically so rather than "one of the herd" hiding behind the false appearances of the latest fashions... How many people are in debt up to their eyeballs because they always buy the latest trends even though they cannot afford them yet desperately want to be "like everyone else"? Insecurity can make us do weird things... and we are ever so wasteful as a society anyway. When your stuff owns you rather than the other way round, there is a problem.
When I bought my house, I decided not to fill it right away with cheap furniture. I save my pennies and every couple of years I buy a really nice piece...the most recent being a white maple dresser for my bedroom and a real "grown-up" bed and mattress after my back informed me that futons weren't an option anymore. I'm also huge believer in adopting good furniture that has served others long and well, about half my living room was given to me by an older cousin who was renovating. 5 years into home ownership, I'm still pretty sparsely furninshed, but most of what I have, I love and will continue to do so for many, many years.
We have gotten so much better at this. The only time I falter is when it comes to shoes. This is a huge mistake. Your feet are important; you should buy quality shoes. We thought one day we'd end up in Oregon, but we knew that in order for this to happen we'd end up living in a really small space. Instead, the job led us to KCMO and a house that's about 800sqft. We are buying this house because it's small and cheap and we can own it, not it own us. This has helped with the whole less is more thing.
Much of my family is "Penny wise, pound foolish" which is very frustrating because I think some folks think we are high rollers, when that is NOT the case. For example, my husband and I buy more expensive cars, but we drive them FOREVER (our goal is no more than 1 car payment at a time, with at least a few years BETWEEN loans)
I also learned the hard way with furniture. NEVER AGAIN. I have a bed and a chair literally propped up by books (at least I found a good use for outdated college textbooks, right? ;-) We are on a tight budget right now, trying to conserve cash. When we are in a place that we can let some cash loose, I am buying GOOD quality, simple, non-fancy furniture that will last.
Obviously, high price does not always equal quality and vice versa. This is where Consumer Reports comes in handy!
This is good advice. Beyond quality, it's important to LIKE what it is you're buying rather than settling for something that will "do for now", because years later, you'll still be using/staring at whatever it is - may as well enjoy it from day one.
You are so right. I'm so happy to read this today, I needed it. Thanks.
Yes! I'm finally about to replace my own cheap futon with a real couch -- and I'm saving my pennies until I can afford the good one.
The trick of course is knowing when you're actually buying quality, not just marketing and gizmo's, so I'm also a fan of buying the simplest, least featured, unautomated versions of many things. I've learned the hard way that buying the cheap appliance doesn't pay: I replaced my $15 big-box-store iron 3 times in about as many years before deciding to buy a good one. But when I went looking for a "good" one, I didn't buy the newest, fanciest, most high-tech, prettiest product design/packaging version. I bought the tried and true, durable, unsexy one that will last me for ever.
"My parents made a big deal about this when I was a kid. We didn't have a lot of money for a number of years, but when they bought something, they always bought the best that they could possibly afford." - I agree, and I call this the "cry once" method. Buy the best thing you can afford, which is going to last longer, rather than buy 5 versions of it over 10 years, each version being one you don't really love. Big fan of this myself.
All so true but... Sometimes, cheaper really is better. My hubby recently found some amazing pants that he needs for work - tough enough for field work, dressy enough for the office... at Tractor Supply for $25. The 3 times more expensive pants didn't last, these are wearing like iron. Price is not always an indicator.
And, for most things, we save pennies by buying used - especially for clothes and furniture. A new mattress we just bought - hand made in New Jersey (I know?) and for the SAME price as a normal mattress. Except this one is way better and supports American workers. (White Lotus)
And, Allison, as far as irons go... I found that the "classic" black and decker model for $25 far better than the fancier models... but that goes along with my vintage Bernina sewing machine, too!
However, there are things, like my wonderful stroller, that are so worth the extra money. Partly because they perform so much better but also because their resale value is so much higher - they end up costing the same as the cheaper stuff in the long run.
But, the biggest thing I've recently learned is... if you don't need it, you don't need it. We have been forced to adjust our lifestyle and are finding that it really isn't all that bad ... and many ways it is better than before. The trick is learning the difference between need and want...