3 ms·

Spend the Money for the Good Boots, and Wear Them Forever

• coldtea 11y ago
  >I would have had to buy those $50 pants at least 17 more times over the years, spending more than $800, to get as much use out of them as I have from my Moonstone pants. Not only would I have had the cognitive, emotional and logistical drain of perpetually having to replace the old pants, as I’ve alluded to in a previous column, but I would have spent more than twice as much money in the long run. On the other hand, with the cheaper boots: 1) you could also follow fashion (different style every year or so), 2) you wouldn't care as much about damaging/etc them (like some people e.g. buy an expensive car and then are paranoid about keeping it new and mark free to the point that they don't enjoy it [1]). 3) You would have $250 left on hand that first year (that instead took you 5 more years to recuperate), which, depending on inflation, your needs at the time, etc, might be better than saving $500 over 17 years. 4) And, of course, while this might work for boots and similar ever-same goods, for stuff whose tech progresses rapidly and market is commoditized, e.g. smartphones, the $1000 model you'd buy in a year would end up useless compared to modern devices in 3-4 years, and with no resale value (a twice as capable new model could end up costing $200). [1] Ferris Buller's friends father would be a typical example.