Two Preparedness Principles: Buy Quality and Take Care
Last year about this time, our family was vacationing in Disney World. We were having the time of our lives when a depressing thought occurred to me. “This could be our last vacation here.” Likewise, when I was admiring a particularly beautiful Brighton purse I own, I thought, “I might not be able to afford one of these again.” Tumultuous times of unemployment, record home foreclosures, and reckless government spending don’t exactly portend a prosperous future.
With this in mind, I’ve decided to always buy the best quality products I possibly can. In a way, it seems counter-intuitive. Our income has decreased, so shouldn’t we be switching to the cheapest off-brands on the market? Not at all. Going, “cheap” is often more expensive than buying quality in the first place.
Last month I switched to Levis jeans for my son after his knees had poked their way through the eleventh pair of off-brand jeans this year. So far, the Levis, all bought on eBay, seem to be tougher than he is, and that’s saying a lot! My daughter needs a pair of winter boots and found a pair she liked that was made of faux leather. The cheap materials won’t keep her feet warm nor will they stand up to the wear and tear that I know she’ll deliver. A pair of $19 boots that are scuffed and ruined in a month are more expensive per wear than a $50 pair that ends up being worn by two siblings and later sold at a garage sale for $10! That’s the real bargain!
photo by afsilva
A partner principle to buying quality is taking care of what you own! “Oh, well. I’ll just get another one!” was a common statement when something I owned was lost or broken. That’s not how I think anymore. I can’t think like that anymore! There is no guarantee that I’ll have the extra dollars to buy a pair of replacement sunglasses, for example. Instead, the habit of always, always putting my sunglasses in a special pocket in my purse insures they’ll be there when I need them and will be far less likely to disappear. (By the way, I am notorious when it comes to losing sunglasses!)
I’ve been teaching my children to take care of what they own. We make sure that every Uno card makes its’ way back into the box and that no puzzle pieces go missing. There are plenty of bookshelves in the house, and that’s where our books belong. Not only do these extra steps insure our belongings remain in good condition, but it teaches responsibility and respect.
Whatever direction our economy and our own personal fortunes take, these two principles will never be outdated. They make too much sense to ever become obsolete.
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Uno cards? I remember that game. Haven't played that in a very very long time. "Save money through quality" was always one of my Dad's favorite themes to live by. Often times the more you pay for something and have more invested in it, the more you take care of it, the longer it lasts. We no longer live in a disposable world…if you're smart that is.
It seems that everytime I buy cheap, I regret it. On the other hand, I have three Ralph Lauren jacket/pants sets I bought four years ago, wear them many times every winter, and they still look great. Looking for high quality brands at thrift and re-sale shops, as well as on eBay, can make those dollars go even further. BTW, Bob, your son would LOVE UNO! You should put a pack of UNO cards in his stocking this year!
My dilemma, Kat, is all the stuff, "made in China." That's one reason I go to yard and estate sales, trying to find tools and such that were made in the USA a long time ago that still have many years of use in them. I have a small, collapsible shovel, "made in China," and it kind of worries me that it might break right in the middle of a serious survival situation, like digging our vehicle out of mud or snow. If we purchase things that our lives might depend on someday, there's no choice but to buy the absolute best quality possible.