I believe it is almost always suboptimal to make significant investments in almost anything before trying the cheap version of the item first.
First, buying cheap gives you room to experiment. In many scenarios, when you first buy something, by choosing the cheap option, you can purchase many different styles of the same item at once, so you can learn more about what your needs are. Example of this scenario: anything used to organize your stuff, such as backpacks, wallets, storage furniture, etc. - often times there's no "right answer" to those problems, there's just whatever works the best for your unique situation.
Second, when you purchase something really cheap, and have to live with its flaws, you gain an understanding of not only why, but how to buy something for life. It is often said that one of the best ways to learn is to fail, and when your products fail, you acquire knowledge on what exactly you need to be looking for to ensure a higher quality product. You also gain an appreciation for the quality of the thing you spent a lot of money on, instead of taking it for granted.
Third, you may surprise yourself and find that the low rent version of the item fills your needs just fine, or is possibly more suited towards your needs than the expensive version. For example, I used to buy very expensive socks, but now I buy the cheapest, thinnest bamboo socks I can find on eBay for about $1 for 10 pairs. I wear each pair out in about three days, but I get to wear new socks all the time, and I never have to worry about keeping pet hair and dirt off them, depilling them, washing them or storing them. Also, because they're so thin, they don't make my feet sweat like thicker socks do (I have super sweaty feet), and I wear expensive shoes, so I don't have to worry about my feet being uncomfortable. There are a lot of good reasons for me to use a super-cheap consumable over an expensive, buy-it-once item in this circumstance.
Submitted March 19, 2018 at 01:54PM by Philosofikal http://ift.tt/2G3jjWn
