Hello World! Welcome Friends! It is hard not to overspend on things. You can’t even tell when it is happening most of the time. How do you know what a fair price is, especially for luxury items? Price and value are subjective, artificial constructs. The car you purchased for $50,000 seemed like a fair price. But had you done a little negotiating, you could have got it for $45,000. That would have also been a fair price. When you pick up a gallon of milk from the grocery store and see a broad spectrum of prices for different brands and types, which, if any of them, are fair prices?
This uncertainty could lead to price anxiety. Even if you have plenty of money, you don’t want to waste it. You don’t want to be scammed and taken for a fool. You can get so paranoid about price that you end up buying nothing. That is probably for the better in some cases, but not all.
We need to buy things. We have to engage in commerce. And there are some things that are so important, it is better to pay too much and get something good than to pay too little and get something of low quality. These are some of the more important things you will need to purchase, and how to keep from spending too much:
Wedding Bands
There are few symbols more important than engagement and wedding bands. As important as they are, you don’t have to overspend for them. It is okay to set reasonable limits. They are only symbols, and should not send you into financial ruin. That would be a bad start for a marriage. There are plenty of people who manage to get married and stay married on a budget. You can too.
Get your wedding bands from a reliable source at a reasonable price. You also need to remember that while your marriage is forever, the wedding band doesn’t have to be. You can upgrade it when you have a better financial situation. You could get a new one every ten years of marriage and keep them all prominently displayed as a symbol of your successful marriage. In time, you can even pass them down to your own children when they decide to walk the aisle. Whatever tradition you embrace, it is okay to break the tradition of overpaying for wedding bands. Make a new tradition of starting marriages with a dose of financial responsibility.
Baby Products
No one wants to skimp on baby products. Chasing discounts on baby products can lead to the worst kind of mother’s nightmare coming true. So when welcoming a new baby into the family, secure the best quality items you can afford.
Just be sure you understand the difference between quality and expensive. Price shopping just gets you cheap in the worst kind of way. But it is a mistake to assume that the best product is the most expensive.
It is also a mistake to assume you have to have the best product, even for your baby. Do you even know what counts as the best product? At some point, it stops being an objective measurement and just becomes an emotional litmus test. Try to remember that people on a budget have perfectly good strollers and car seats and cribs. You can too. And you don’t have to max out a credit card to do it.
Smartphones
In case you haven’t heard, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is pretty good. It also starts at $1,099. You don’t need it. The Pixel 6 is also going to be great. But when did we decide that $1,000 was a reasonable price for a smartphone? How did that happen?
You don’t have to upgrade every year, or even every two years. Carrier plans keep you on a constant upgrade cycle and a constant upgrade mentality. These days, there are almost no smartphones over $500 that are worth the asking price. At some point, it stops being a useful tool and starts being a toy.
Don’t let marketers take control of your common sense and your wallet. Be sure to make a clear distinction between quality and expense, especially when it comes to highly necessary and emotional purchases like wedding bands, baby products, and smartphones.
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
Maintenance is Important for a Furnace
Sewing: The Trending Hobby for Kids
Keep Stored Clothing Safe from Pests
Things to Consider Before your Office Fit-Out
I’d love for you to join my email list! You’ll receive a notification straight to your inbox which will include links to my latest home project posts! Simply enter your address below.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day/night depending on where you are in the world! Go with God and remember to be kind to one another!
Toodles,
[…] Shopping Tips […]