Sometimes, the only thing that matters when you are making a purchase is the price. You have to move into an apartment and you only have so much money you can spend on rent per month. There is only one option under your price ceiling. That is the one you are going to rent. There isn’t much you can do about that.
The downside is best expressed by the old axiom, you get what you pay for. This is almost always true on some level. Many companies exist only to copy superficial elements of more popular brands, then sell those garbage knockoffs for a much lower price. Almost everything about those products is grossly inferior to the real thing.
One of the first things to go is safety. Remember all those device fires a few years ago? They happened largely due to cheap charging cables for electronic devices. You never want to get a discount on a product at the expense of safety. There will also be compromise in materials. Shoddy materials also indicate shoddy build quality. What you don’t pay in up-front cost, you pay for later. There are some areas where a larger investment in Quality up front leads to big savings down the road. Here are a few examples:
Life
The most valuable possession you have as yourself. You want to give yourself the highest possible quality of life. From the time you leave your parents house to the time you leave this mortal coil, you were in charge of that quality of life. Get a quality education. Eat quality food. Do quality exercise. Illuminate harmful vices. Do these things, and you will pay surprisingly little for life insurance. When you invest in a quality life, it costs much less to ensure it.
That said, nobody’s perfect. We all make questionable decisions that decrease the quality of our life. Fortunately, you can still buy term life insurance at a reasonable price. Insurance is the one product you buy despite never looking forward to using it. The best way to save money on life insurance is to invest in a quality life. It will not only save you money, it will give you more time to enjoy it.
Vehicles
Nothing about a vehicle is easy. They are hard to drive, hard to repair, hard to maintain, and when things go wrong, hard to insure. Because of the price of gas, upkeep, and repairs, cars can also be hard to pay for.
The best way to ensure the affordability of your car over the long-term is to purchase a quality vehicle in the first place. There will always be some repair costs over the course of a vehicle’s lifespan. But those costs don’t have to break the bank. The way you drive can affect the lifespan of the tires. All things being equal, better tires are safer and will last longer. Your engine will thank you for changing the oil as recommended by the manufacturer. It will also thank you for using higher quality products. The way engines thank you is to last much longer than engines that are not well treated. You will have a vehicle for many years. Paying a little more up front almost always pays dividends in the end.
Computers
These days, computers are highly commoditized. Don’t let that fool you into believing they are all the same. Go ahead and buy cheap computers for tasks that don’t matter. However, when it really counts, spend the extra money on a good one. It has been true for quite a while that Macs have much higher resale value than PCs. But a moderate PC makes for a superior gaming platform. A cheap computer almost always costs you more in the end.
If you want to spend less money, don’t settle for lower quality. The truly important things have a higher upfront cost but will always save you money in the end. Your life, your vehicle, and your work computer are too important for compromises.
