Archive for December 12th, 2008
Buy Quality Items
I simply agree with Frugal Trader that buying the cheapest thing on the rack will not necessarily save you more. This is so true. Even before things went rough with me financially, I have always been into quality goods. With frugal means, I still opt for quality clothes and toys for my children. Not only that quality goods last longer, they do look better.
One classic example are toys. I can get a cheap toy car for my boy at a Taiwanese store here which cost around P30. A branded toy from the department store or Toy World will cost around P250-350. The main difference will be on the durability. A good, quality toy will generally last a year or so, while a cheapo toy will shatter the moment you throw it on the wall. Not only that, cheaper toys that breaks easily is hazardous to your children especially if you have other children under the age 3, and that most number of emergency room incidents were caused by toy-related accidents.
Clothes is another thing. Cheaper jeans here will cost P150, while branded ones will cost around P450-650 in the department store. The cheaper jeans after a few washes fade quicker than the branded ones. Not only that they fray quicker than the quality and expensive materials. One major example are the Guess Jeans I have bought my daughter 5 years ago. It actually cost me P1,000+ then, but the jeans are still being used by my youngest child since the pants did not look old at all. The material indeed is softer, but the over-all look is still great. Did I get my money’s worth? You bet!
Ofcourse cheaper things are made from cheaper materials. Buying them cheaply might save us NOW, but they will have to be replaced quicker than you expect. You might be surprised how much you have actually spent on things that you may not be using now because they have worn off. Now, since you were unable to utilize the clothing longer because it broke on the seams, wouldn’t that be considered as waste now?
Do you have shopping tips to share? Pass it on to me and I will give due credit! Email all comments and suggestions to frugal.pinoy@gmail.com
