Do you buy cheap, replaceable things to not feel bad about throwing stuff away if you don't end up using it much, or do you pay for quality goods?
I was thinking about this today. I try to research products and save up before buying something, so I invest in quality (also trying to buy responsibly due to environment), but sometimes I buy something expensive and then half a year later realize I didn't use it as much as I had hoped to... but feel bad about donating / recycling the thing so soon since I paid a lot of money for it.
Another example is shaving razors. I'd like to buy a proper, metal one with a replaceable blade, but then I'm thinking how much nicer it is to just dispose of it once I am done (no need to clean it or sharpen it).
Any thoughts, experiences, comments are appreciate it. Really interested about what people think about this topic!
It's OK to buy some things cheap and other things for life. Figuring out which things should be which will be a process.
You should feel great about donating expensive things. You're not just getting rid of stuff, you are giving to a cause.
Regarding a traditional razor, specifically: Ooh boy, that could go either way. The wetshaving community references various "Acquisition Disorders." Razor AD, Soap AD, and the list goes on. Not getting sucked in takes discipline, and you could easily end up spending more money and taking up more space. However, you are likely to have achieve a greater value experience that brings enjoyment to your life regardless.
Thanks for your thoughts! And I have to admit, I **love ** the process itself. It's the reason I kept opening r/minimalism, because I wanted to see how others are doing with their minimalism journey and occasionally grab a new way of doing things.
And yess! Giving makes me happy and I try to think of it as giving a new, better home to a thing I no longer use.
You're not "giving to a cause" though. I worked at donation centres for quite a while, and there's a good chance that your stuff got tossed, and if not then it was picked up by a flipper. If you want it to be put into the hands of someone who needs it, you need to do it yourself.
I agree that it is a good idea to consider who in your community accepts donations, and try to make a mindful decision. As a matter of fact, I donate to a VERY small operation that I trust to be good stewards of what they receive.
I find this to be a catch-22 situation. If I buy cheap and then find it to be very useful (but inferior because it was cheap) then I would feel bad about replacing it with a quality item and wasting the cheap one (even if I donate it) because I feel strongly about minimizing waste and promoting the use of throw away products. Then again, if I buy expensive and the item sits around I have wasted needless money that frankly I don't have.
Right now I have just downsized from a two bedroom apartment to a one bedroom due to skyrocketing rent. I have to shrink my WFH desk space and am considering transitioning from my 32" widescreen monitor to just my laptop screen and a 15.6" portable monitor that can be packed away. The portable monitor would also become my main monitor for my gaming PC. This may or may not work out as being practical for my use case. I could get a no-name cheap portable monitor for about $100 but the brightness and colors may not be that great and response times for gaming poor. Or I could spend $400 on one with higher refresh rate, better colors and likely better stand options but if it doesn't work out I've likely lost a lot of money even if I resell it. On top of that I've now contributed to consumerism and pollution twice which goes against my ethos.
I think a third option of buying-used needs to be a consideration. Personally, I dislike buying used for most things (especially tech). I generally get burnt by finding out the item was being sold because of some unreported defect and that bugs me as I like to keep my stuff pristine.
No real answer for you there, just an acknowledgement that the struggle is real.
Hey, no answer required, this is exactly what I wanted: Discussion. Thanks for writing out your thoughts!
I know exactly what you mean and I agree, it is a catch-22 situation very often. I'm still really struggling with this topic and that's why I wanted to see different point of views and this thread has been successfull in that regard.
If you want an stranger's experiences: Working on laptop / small screen alone sucks long term. I've found that having one really good screen at home and laptop alone for when I need to take work somewhere to be the best option. You'll have a spot at home with a great monitor, which also works for gaming and you don't need to worry about taking a lot of stuff with you when you need to go work somewhere.
For gaming I've actually been thinking about steamdeck! I tried out Nintendo Switch (was initially sceptical) but the amount I spent playing on the couch tells that it really worked for me - even though the screen is small. But yeah I also have a PC and afraid that one would be redundant in the end.
Agree on the used electronics. I only buy those from recycling centers here which repair, clean them and give you a 6 month warranty.
Hope you are comfortable in your new home and hope you can find the best option that fits you.
I'm also balancing the hope to become (with my wife) a digital nomad in the future, a one bag digital nomad if at all possible (I like a challenge). In that case a laptop and portable monitor are really the only good option so I'm tempted to go that route now just to get used to it. Of course there is no guarantee DNing will happen and I'd just be making my current life potentially difficult for no reason.
Ah, the challenges of balancing simple living, minimalism, and frugality. You can normally get two out of the three in any decision but rarely all of them. Another interesting topic for discussion perhaps?
I quite like the single use blades for razors. Easier to replace than the gym handle.
I think the rule is typically if you know you're going to use it then buy quality. Things that your life depend on perhaps comfort. We all know the "what separates you from the ground, don't cheap out: shoes, mattress, tires..."
I usually buy cheap for a lot or borrow from friends to determine usage. However, I decided to spend decent on a bike trainer and I genuinely hope I use it enough because like you, I put the info researching and saving. I'll sell it if I done use it, but it'll be really disappointing if that's the case.
Agree on all points! And never heard of that rule before but is 100% true. Some had to be learned through a life lesson...
And the reason why I didn't add -selling- to the "donating / recycling" part is because in my area selling secondhand online is a really big chore which causes a lot of headache while dealing with people. I gave up on that with everything except the really expensive stuff. But I'm envious if that's not the case where you live.
Depending on what it is, research and buy quality or even secondhand. I don't see minimalism as being frugal by any means. I've just come to terms that it's okay to donate nice things, especially since I know someone else will be thrilled to get it at a low price. Our parents have stopped giving us a lot of stuff though because they know we'll just donate it or throw it away lol.
Also getting a reusable handle for safety blades is so worth it. This is box of 100 I bought on Amazon like 3 years ago. A much better shave and nice using a fresh blade
I agree! I like that the discussions here are different from frugal communities, because it would be boring if they had the same purpose and we wouldn't hear the thoughts and opinions of those who are not striving towards frugal lifestyle. And lol I feel you with the parents donating stuff!
Thanks for the link and advice! I have been on the edge of buying reusable handle for a very long time, guess I really need to start looking more into it since the price for the blades doesn't seem too bad.
I also got a little brush thing and a soap shaving cream to go full old school, but regular shaving cream works just fine. I hated shaving before, and now I still do, but less. Skin feels wayyy less razor burned this way though.
This is how I do it. I usually have good idea about what things I use regularly and ease my work. When they breakdown, I look for those that are well built and long lasting even though expensive.
For things I'm not sure about, I go with a cheap one and when it breaks/when I fing myself using it regularly, I replace it with a quality one.
However I've observed that the quality ones are not always the expensive ones. They are some where between the normal priced ones and the most expensive ones. That's the sweet spot.
I really like your way! The issue I had recently was that I needed headphones for listening music and researching those was a really deep rabbit hole. But you are right, in the end I got something that was between expensive and cheap and turned out perfect.
I buy quality, but used. The thing about used is that you have to know when to buy used and when to buy new according to your needs/preferences. So consider some of the following categories:
Clothing. Dead easy to buy amazing quality used. There's a super saturated market of virtually unused clothes, often with the tags still on, at less than half of retail price. If you want a $500 dress that will last you 20 years AND maintain its resale value, you can find that for $100.
Furniture. Personally, I used to think that I wanted a "perfect" home with a "perfect" aesthetic, but it turns out I like the idea of that more than actually doing it. Last time I moved I furnished my apartment with almost nothing but furniture off the street, and that created a better aesthetic/vibe than I ever could have purchased. People are dying to have you pick up their old furniture so that they don't have to deal with it.
Appliances. Again used. The discount on a used toaster or blender or whatever is so substantial that you could buy a second one if the first one didn't work out. You do need to inspect it or buy online for buyer protection, but I've never been screwed over and not had recourse. This goes especially for the kinds of appliances that people use a couple of times and then throw into the closet. I also find that I have a far less "personal" connection to these items, so I don't care if they're a bit shabby.
Electronics. These I buy new or refurbished. I buy refurbished phones that I've never had any issues with, usually an older model through a reputable online seller. Something like a laptop I'll buy new - it's just one of those things where it's highly personalized and I want to know the history and the exact specs and such.
A lot of this comes down to a gut feeling imo, and the degree of personal connection to the item. You know in your gut that you'll always be uneasy with a used laptop, or that you don't care whether the desk you're sitting at is a bit scratched up. You know you'll regret spending money on aesthetic "fluff" when you could have gotten a cheap one used, and you know which pieces of clothing are keepers and which you're going to get bored of in a year.
I try to buy good quality things that will last longer (a lifetime whenever possible) even if they cost more. Having a policy of buying higher quality/cost things helps me think twice about whether I really need it or not, and I tend to cherish them more. Whenever it turns out to have been a bad decision, the sting is greater, but don't beat yourself up about it, just let it be a learning lesson fir next time! It's like a built-in penalty to teach you to be less impulsive. If you buy something for $10 and just have to throw it away, you don't think twice, but if it cost $60, then that bad call will come to mind the next time you go to buy something.
Another strategy I use to reduce the risk of buying something unnecessary is that I'll research, pick out what I want, save it to a shopping list, then tell myself I can buy it in three month if I still want it; in the meantime I'm forced to do without and either borrow from someone, find another way to do what I need, or just get over the perceived need if the thing (especially if its a fleeting hobby item).
On the topic of disposable items, I try to be as non disposable as possible because I get satisfaction from producing as little waste as possible. When I see that there's a certain disposable item I use a lot, I'll try to find a nondisposable alternative (paper towels is my most recent change to little washable cotton towel).
There as some things though where, for me personally, the burden of using a nondisposable option creates a burden greater than the dissatisfaction of using disposable. A big one for me is baby diapers; I feel some guilt, but I just can't see myself using reusable ones.
Remember to be kind to yourself. I'll bet your more intentional and deserning with your consumption than the average person; so if using disposable razors really works for you in your situation, that's okay! Nobody's perfect and the only bar you have to measure up to is the one you set for yourself 😃
First, I strive to do the same with buying more quality goods rather than cheap ones (because I've also noticed that I actually save money with lifetime warranty stuff). Second I saw the advice on r/minimalism about adding things to your shopping list or window shopping and waiting out for 3 months before buying it and took it to heart. One of the best advices ever!
And hey you sound a lot like the people over at ZeroWaste, is there an equivalent in the fediverse? I agree I can't bring myself to replace all my things with reusable ones (diapers was a great example), but striving towards that is all I need!
yeah, my girlfriend has a rule where if something breaks then she tries to upgrade to the next best of whatever it is. i think it's a good rule if you can afford it.
This is my policy if I'm not familiar with something, it's not safety critical and it's just for myself.
Get the thing that seems like it would work just barely, if it fails or is inadequate, I will get the expensive and quality or best price-for-performance product.
I consider the price of the cheaper thing the price of trying it out.
If it's expensive enough that I would be upset with myself for not going the quality/trusted brand (e.g. $450 for cheapo vs. $550 for quality) then it's not worth spending $1000 to end up just using the $550 part. If it was $450 vs. $1550 then trying out the cheaper one is less of an issue.
E* But don't feel bad if you do end up with the cheap thing not working, it's part of the learning process. If you somehow break both the cheap and expensive part then that feels bad, and you have to fix your process first :P