The author is attempting to find the opportunity costs of his purchases retroactively. It's very important to weight the opportunity cost of something before ma

The author is attempting to find the opportunity costs of his purchases retroactively. It's very important to weight the opportunity cost of something before making the purchase. The method that he uses to elicit the values is extremely interesting. He locks the items in storage to realize their true value to him. In the process he discovers a major economic principle. I can't remember that exact term used to describe the situation, but I think it deals with Willingness To Accept (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willingness_to_accept http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willingness_to_accept). In summary, the principle states that one tends to increase the value placed on a good if he owns it. For example, you bargain with a salesman for a hat. He brings the price down to $10. A well-dressed man sees you walking out of the store with your newly purchased hat. He likes it, so he makes you an offer for $10. You will likely not accept because the hat is now worth more to you than just $10. Overall, the article itself is presented in a motivating fashion shedding some light on these economic issues.