When I buy big ticket items, I like to feel like I’m getting a good deal. Nobody likes paying too much for something. For average household items, my threshold for putting effort into trying to save money is probably about $10. If I think I can save more than that by shopping around a bit, I will. The bigger the potential savings, the more time I’ll invest in the search.
Most people don’t put a price tag on their time, which is a tad ironic, as time is your most valuable asset. Benjamin Franklin warned us in advance, 200+ years ago… “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.”
You can’t buy more time. But you can always use your time to make more money. I know someone who will drive fifteen minutes out of the way to save a nickel on a gallon of gas. That’s mental. So it’s obviously a subjective thing.
The price of something always matters, but there are some purchases where cost shouldn’t be the primary concern. So here is my top ten list for things I recommend you never skimp on, no matter how tough times may be:
1 – Chocolate
I mean, good, dark chocolate. Preferably imported and/or organic. At least 70-85% cacoa content. No artificial colors, flavors or additives. The kind that gives you a rush and makes you salivate just thinking about it. Skip the Hershey’s Bar, spend an extra buck or two, and prepare to be amazed by the awesomeness of a real chocolate bar. I enjoy a piece or three of Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate every day. A wondrous, simple little pleasure that’s also good for you.
2 – Beer
Upon tasting his first American beer, author H. Allen Smith is reported to have said, “Put it back in the horse!” Some beer drinkers claim to drink the cheap stuff because, they say, they prefer the taste. I like to believe they just don’t want to admit they’re cheap.
For many a beer-consuming man, there comes a time in his life when he realizes he’s been sold a lie. A pair of half-naked coed twins aren’t really going to magically appear in a hot tub in his living room just because he brought home a case of Coors Light, or Bud Light, or Busch. For some, that’s when the awakening takes place.
If you care about taste, but you’re on a tight budget, a Yeungling Black and Tan won’t disappoint. And when you’re ready to move up, try any one of the specialty beers from Sam Adams (but for the love of all that is holy, skip the Cranberry Lambic). Their Oktoberfest brew is the only good thing about the end of summer. Then see if you can find anything in the top 100 list here. That’s where my wife and I discovered Founders Breakfast Stout, our favorite. And I refuse to go the grave without at least having tried a Trappist Westvleteren 12.
Either way – spend a little more and try something different. Life is too short to drink bad beer. Taste does matter. And the twins aren’t coming.
3 – Professional Personal Service Providers
Falling into this category, you’ll find professionals who provide problem-solving services related to your health, safety, finances – or anyone that helps you look and feel better: an attorney, accountant, dentist, barber, plumber, handyman, mechanic, etc. If you find someone you trust who gets the job done right, don’t waste your time shopping around.
I’ve been using the same tax preparer for 13 years. H&R Block or some software program could do it for less. But my guy is on top of the complex, ever-changing tax laws. He keeps me out of trouble, frees me so I don’t have to spend any more time than necessary thinking about taxes, and hopefully saves me money in the long run.
4 – Razor Blades
I usually shave in the shower. I don’t usually bleed half to death in the process. Until the other day, that is, when I decided to try a brand new Gillette Mach 7 Warp Speed Nitro Power Nuclear Fusion disposable razor. On my first attempt to cut a swath through a day’s worth of stubble, I felt my skin rip and let loose a loud girlie scream reminiscent of the time my parents told me where babies come from.
I’ve used Gillette razor blades for years, but disposables always seemed kind of cheap, so I stayed away from them. But, with the economy being the way it is, I decided to try and save a few bucks by cutting corners here and there. Corners aren’t the only thing I cut. No more disposable razors for me.
5 – Birth Control
6 – Shoes
7 – Toilet Paper
Listen… I could give you all kinds of examples of what happens if you skimp on any of these last three, but really, it’s too frightening. So please, use your imagination, and promise me you won’t skimp on them – OK? Consider this my gift to you.
What won’t you skimp on?
Go ahead and use the comment form below to share some things you buy where price isn’t the primary concern. What won’t you skimp on?
Tagged as:
awareness,
beer,
chocolate,
discounts,
health,
money
They say the ground shook for only twenty or thirty seconds. But it was enough to cause houses and buildings to crumble to the ground, burying alive more than 200,000 men, women and children. More than 250,000 were seriously injured. Countless thousands of children who had families a few days ago are now orphans.
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Sure, there are some downsides to working for yourself. The company picnic isn’t much fun. I have to remember to pay quarterly estimated taxes. And since I work from home, I have a tendency to go absolutely batshit crazy during these long New England winters. Come February, I begin to feel a bit like Jack in The Shining. My wife has been known to hide the rope and bullets.
