The Letterville BullBoard: Are we cheap on ourselves?

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Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :

We're always pushing high quality to our customers, and silently smirk when all they want is coroplast, etc.

I'm just curious if there are any others out there that love quality items for themselves, but just can't see spending the money for themselves. Here's why I ask.

For christmas, Mike (hubby) is putting in a new kitchen countertop. We are in need of a new tap, so I go out shopping. I should have sent him instead with a list!

Walk into a showroom, and suddenly, the sink isn't good enough. Mine has scratches... can't have that with a new countertop and tap set! And looky here, now the size sink I have isn't adequate any longer, you can get deeper wider styles that accomodate dish drainers, cutting boards, all these great gadgets so you don't clutter your countertop!

The estimate for what I WANTED was well over $1000. I intitially went to pick up a new tap with a higher neck than we have, for under $200.

A sink is something we use everyday, and several times a day! It's not a needless item that will sit and collect dust. You divide the price by how many hours you'll use that thing and it becomes a downright bargain! And your kitchen will only prosper! Less clutter on counters in an already too small kitchen area, etc.

So did I get the new sink? No. I came home with my tap set. Sigh... I'm going to live with the small sink and scratches for another few years it seems.

Why do we cheap out on ourselves? Is it a terrible thing to want nice things if we can afford it? I know I've always had 'good taste', and I can letter up a $1000 job lickety split but to respend it on myself? I think nothing of spending that amount on a supplier invoice.

Or maybe it had more to do with my husband hyperventilating when hearing the price.... hmmmm. Guilt.

Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :

There's always five factors in any purchase decision.

There's what we need.

There's what we want.

There's what the sales person is trying to sell us.

There's what we can afford.

There's what we actually do spend after considering the above four.

The final decision depends on which factor is strongest at the time.

-dan

Posted by VICTORGEORGIOU (Member # 474) on :

Just take the $800 you did not spend and put it into a college fund for that cute kid of yours.

You will really feel good in about 15 years. Vic G

Posted by Mark Matyjakowski (Member # 294) on :

Cheaping out or being practical.
You can have nice things without having the most expensive things.
I just re-built my kitchen and if I got the Corian countertop the way I wanted it, it was about 2500-3grand ... built myself outa' pressedboard and formica laminate for 150 bucks ... still nice.
New faucet 40 bucks on sale, almost looks same as the $200 one I was looking at ... might not last as long but so ... still nice. All new lighting matches new countertop ... last ones, pulled off display/no box ... 250 bucks of lights for 80 bucks.
The beer I like is only $4 a sixer.
Even if I could afford the "nice" stuff I'd still look for "VALUE" over price.
Plenty of expensive signs out there that look like crap.

Posted by cheryl nordby (Member # 1100) on :

I think we 'prioritize'.....I know when I want something new...I obviously get the most important first. I really never go cheap on myself or my kids. But what I do is get nice things on sale. I know when the sales are...and get top quality stuff at a great price. Very rarely do I get anything full price.

Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :

If I'm gonna do anything, I go all out.

If I cant afford what I want, no big deal, I just wait til *can* afford it.

If there's something I need immediately but cannot afford the high end version at the time, I'll go with the bottom dollar version then get the high end replacement when I can afford it.

If the money is there when I find something I want or need, it's a no brainer - I'm gonna buy it in a heartbeat and it's gonna be the high end version.

I was at an electronics store today looking at a 65" Plasma Thin Panel television... I guess I'll have to save up the $15,000 to purchase it, or maybe wait a year til the price drops in half.

Posted by taurus signcraft (Member # 572) on :

with me i think its the always had to make do growing up' feeling that still lingers to this day
so when i have money to spend and start looking for the item it was intended for i find all these other things that i could have, if i just streach the money a tad

point in fact
devo and i decided this xmas to buy one big present for the whole family instead of many smaller ones, keeping in mind that we have a heap of kids to buy for

so what we really wanted was a 'pool table' for our new back room and as they are quite expensive new, we thought a good second hand table would do the job nicely

last week we went out looking at secondhand tables and guess what... we saw absobloodylutly beautiful brand new tables that would not only be great fun but look really good at the same time

we decided to cut back even more on xmas spending and buy one of these brand new tables... but which one?

we twoed and froed as to which model and which supplier to buy from and in the end even started to argue

devo said just get this one (the most expensive) and i said but if we get the cheaper one we can still have enough money for sum little presents in the stockings

finally in desparation i went on-line to check
and see if there were any other retailers that we'd not spoken to and guess what!

we are now the proud owners of a wonderfull pub table from a manufacturer who is moving buildings and so needs to downsize his inventory!!!

and he threw in a heap of excessories
and at the last min gave us a hanging light retail $400) cause he worked out that we were the folk that had donated a santa cut-out to a handicapped boy who had had his stolen (long story)

all in all we got exactly what we wanted and still have enough for the ham on the chrissy table
hehehe

making the money stretch is a bad habbit i got into and when it works out it feels great but i know it annoys the hell outa devo

cheers
gail

Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :

iam not cheap....i dont like being "taken". i belive in a guy makin a livin ...just like i do, but iam not payin his whole weeks wages! i do all my own mechanic work, iam the carpenter, electrician,computer repair, plumber and lawn service. when i do any of these jobs...i know its done right. and the prices that some of these people charge are totally outa bounds. ex. had the new furnace little over a year old gas furnace/ac($2500)break down. called the guy who installed the furnace, looked at it, told me that a board went due to a power surge, i said its under 5 year warrenty fix it....well come to find out the electrical is only 1 year warrenty and i would have to buy this part i said ok tell me how much.
the guy goes out and comes back into house and says .."it will be $450.00 to replace that board." in not a nice way i told him to get outa my house and i dont mind payin for work but a weeks wages in a curcuit board the size of a modem? well short version i got furnace/ac people in sarasota i lettered trucks for ... call them and they tell me to go to a supply house for a/c stuff and to tell the place i was buying the part under his name....it cost me $145.00. now that what i call gouging!!!!!! in the same vain...our 27" tv we bought 15 years ago...suffered same surge problem...but not worht fixin...went to sams got a new 27" flat screen and didnt think twice about the $379.00...if it lasts 15 years its like $25 a year!!!!

Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :

When our taste over power our earning ability seems to either lead to compromise or debt. I've gone the debt route and find it the most difficult of snares to overcome.

When Donna mentions how quickly she can do a $1000 lettering job to cover the sink, I know that only 1/3 of what I earn is what comes home. That sink will cost over three of those $1000 jobs.

I'd like to see my wife driving a new Volvo too!
And my kids newer trucks. And have money aside for retirement and vacations. To buy furniture new instead of getting some good deal at a yard sale.

I think tempering our wants develops stronger charactor.

Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :

I look for the most for my budget, I will educate myself on the item I want and get the best quality and features I can afford. I LOVE top quality items but not every purchase needs to be top quality. Much like our customers needs don't always require a hand carved solid mahogany gold leafed sign.

I can find myself being frugal from time to time, but mostly when I cheap out, I regret it. In the long run that costs me money.

That is why I will never as long as I can buy a store bought computer, for me I need and want higher quality parts and will alway pay the price.

Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :

Hey all!

I got Dana. Enough said. LOL!

Have a great one!

Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :

HEY Bruce!...did you know that Dana was posting under your name again???????????

hehehehehe

You got yerself a good catch there Bruce!! Hang onto her. I understand her warantee is "lifetime"!

Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :

Odd when you look at it... how people pay more for what they want than for what the need.

You just had a narrow escape.

Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :

id like a new volvo to but i gota wear out the 75 164E and the 84 242, both cars cost me $1000....3 years ago....the 84 has 180,000 and the 75 has 133,000.....tough to kill.

Posted by Mikes Mischeif (Member # 1744) on :

I tend to buy top quality things, because I'm a freak for maintenance. Most everything that you normally would resell looks brand new when I turn it over, making the new purchase easier to handle.

I want a new harley, But I can rent a new one each sunny weekend cheaper than I can buy one, so why do it?

We got 4 snow storms last winter. I rented the latest and greatest 4x4 each time for a total of $825

I don't get driving a a gas guzzling, high insurance vehicle "just in case I get stuck" in The VA DC metro area.

We save $150 a month in gas and $135 a month in insurance driving a 2 wheel drive truck...(this is how I afford the harley rentals)

As far as everyday use items, If it's old but looks new (thanks HGTV)it stays. If it's old and I can't make it look new..It's gone. Your home is an investment unlike most of our expenditures and quality lasts.

My wife and I are redecorating our new (10 yr old) home from the top down, but we plan to be here for a while and It saves money doing it now than later.

We did this because it struck us funny that many home sellers spent thousands on thier home so it would look good,and sell so they could move OUT after everything was new.

We're spending now so WE can enjoy it, go figure.

[ December 17, 2001: Message edited by: Mikes Mischeif ]

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