Wear Things Out
Part of being frugal is being resourceful, however, if you’re too resourceful you may be perceived as being cheap. Cheap of course is not a tag you want pinned on you. So, where do we draw this line? When is it OK to keep reusing something that is nearing its end and when should you toss it? While I may not be the best example of when to toss, here are the things I can’t seem to get rid of.
Car
Our car was purchased 10 years ago for $5,000. Now it has 174,000 miles and has no apparent problems. It remains our only car, driving us more than 40 miles a day to and from work. Nearly everyone would probably buy a new car in this situation, but I really don’t want to. I have recently started doing nearly all the maintenance myself, which has actually made me like the car more. I’d love to see it go well over 200,000 miles, and it remains atop of my list of things I’m wearing out.
Clothes
Everybody has their favorite clothes they should throw out and don’t and I think this is normal. However, when dress/work clothes start showing their age, it’s probably time to go shopping. I always thought I wouldn’t cross the cheap line on clothes, but just recently I found myself dangling on the edge. It was raining outside and I complained to my wife that my right foot was getting wet and by wet I mean drenched – the hole was nearing the size of a fist. My wife told me to get new shoes, it seemed simple to her. I honestly thought to myself that I didn’t need new shoes because one of them only leaked in a little water. There does come a time when you have to spend, especially if it can impact your appearance at work.
Technology
Believe me, I drool over electronic gizmos, but I rarely purchase them. I still use a laptop I have had for 5 years. It still does everything I want it to, and while buying a new computer may do these things a little faster; it’s not worth it to me. In my opinion, way too much money is lost on upgrading electronics. The best example is people who use their computer only for email and browsing the internet and buy new computers every couple of years to keep up with the advances. The reality is your original machine will probably browse just as well for you. I love technology, but I think I love money more : )
Tools/Hardware
It doesn’t matter what the project, if it has leftover screws, nails, nuts or bolts, I keep them. If a screwdriver is completely worn to the point of not catching screws, I keep it thinking there’s got to be a situation it could come in handy. In fact, this past weekend I tried to convince myself to keep a worn out piece of sandpaper.
These are a few of the things I love to wear out. What are yours? $
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Excellent post – I’d go as far to say that anyone who is considering buying a new car, clothes, house, toys (electrical items) this year is not living frugally.
With a major recession around the corner we need to “make do and mend” until we are at least out the other side.