Nov 20, 2017
Quality Lasts longer
Understanding that quality lasts longer is a significant life lesson that I thank my wife for all the time. Many, many years ago, I used to be cheap, not selectively frugal, Just damn cheap. I didn’t want to spend money on anything! Especially over a certain price point. If the price was higher than that, I probably cringed.
My money blueprint was not developed at all back then; I grew up poor. I didn’t starve, but I was nowhere near rich. So all I knew was getting things for the lowest price possible, and that sufficed.
For example, Years ago I was had to buy a dress shirt for an interview. I had a $50 budget. So I shopped around to see what I could get. I went to a retail store and noticed a shirt I liked for $45. I cringed when I flipped that tag over and said: “I’m not paying that much, they are out of their mind.” So I went to some bargain basement spot that had “high quality” dress shirts for $7. I was like hell yeah. I bought five of them. I figured that its best to have spares just in case, and with the remaining money I bought a few one dollar ties and some fast food.
Now here I go thinking I am top shit. I got my $7 dress shirt and $1 tie. I was the man. When I got home later that day, I put my interview outfit together, and it wasn’t right. I am not going to lie. I felt cheap. The shirt didn’t quite fit the look I was going for, and the material was garbage. Two of the five shirts ripped when I put them on. The color on one didn’t look good in a better lighting (outside of that bargain basement spot), One virtually melted as soon as my iron touched it, and the last remaining shirt had the sleeves were shorter than I anticipated. The tie was a lint magnet. Plus on top of it, the fast food that I ate gave me the runs. I ended up wearing a sweater for the interview.
You would think that I would have learned after that fiasco, but there were a few other times when common sense didn’t prevail; like when I bought a pair of bootleg Beats by Dr Dre headphones that were not only a blatant bootleg but only shitty quality. To add insult to injury the spelling was wrong on the headphones. (as you can see in the pictures below)
I came to my senses after my wife pointed out to me that I was wasting a lot of money buying this cheap stuff. She said to me “You spend a lot more money replacing those items, Just spend for the quality, and it will save you in the long run.” Funny enough I am pretty sure she said this to me before, but I completely listened that time. And yes you guessed it, my wife was right. (Thanks, babe)
I tried the “buying quality” advice out when I went back to that retail store to purchase that $45 dress shirt. (The cashier nearly had to pry the cash loose from my hands. Lol). When I tried on the shirt, I noticed the difference immediately, the quality was superb. The fit was tailored, and the material was durable. It was worth a lot more than the price. And till this day I still have that shirt in excellent condition.
I have learned the errors of my ways. I seek quality first and foremost, price second. That applies to everything; From your friends (good friends are better than toxic relationships), the foods you eat, shoes you wear, the training you receive, the education you pay for, the books you read, etc. Once you chose quality, you will see the noticeable difference in your life. You will need a lot less things because what you have lasts longer. You will appreciate it more.
