Yesterday, I discussed the importance of having a PLAN when you go out bargain hunting, whether to garage sales, thrift stores, or where ever. I also concluded with the oh-so-important thought:
It's only a bargain when it's something you truly need!
Profound in it's simplicity, isn't it?
But, say you do need something, but you aren't sure if it is a good deal or not? That's what today's post is about. In short, price is not the only factor in determining whether or not something is a good bargain. Sometimes the better quality but more expensive item is the bargain, and sometimes it isn't. Just because something is "cheap" doesn't make it a good deal.
There are a few questions I ask myself when bargain hunting, especially at garage sales, but also at regular stores too. The main point is not only is a bargain only something that you need, but it is something that is of good quality that really does meet the need (this is more true of bigger ticket items).
I learned a valuable lesson (again!) over the last 6 months as I have tried to find a decent headset for my phone. As my husband usually calls and is chatty while I am making dinner, I needed something hands free so that I would recover from the kink in my neck. I have also started to be one of the publisher's assistants over at TEACH Magazine.com part time, which has involved some phone time as we discuss projects, and so forth (the older I get the less able I am to do things like type and hold a phone at the same time). Then there's the times I spend on the phone on hold with the insurance company trying to find out why they are making me repaint my house or else have my policy dropped (that's another post, though)...or any other sort of phone call that involves time on hold, or getting bounced around. It seemed a necessity to buy a head set, and it took me over a year to be convinced that I really needed one....
So what did I do? Of course I searched the clearance table at Walmart! LOL The headset was cheap, and I was happy until I discovered it was uncomfortable, slid off my head when I moved, and eventually died a few weeks into owning it (being on clearance, it wasn't returnable). Then I got one from a business auction. No one else bid on it, and the other headsets were way out of my price range, so I was again happy until I realized that it may have been a different brand but it seemed to be the SAME stupid headset, and I couldn't hear clearly in it. After buying several headsets that died young without warrneties, I was struck by the fact that as a bargain hunter, I was trying to avoid buying the "expensive kind" so as to save money, but wound up spending almost that much on things that are now in the county dump. A bargain is only a bargain when you need it, something that is of reliable quality, and it fulfils the need you have for it....I needed something reliable not always breaking, and which had a guarantee if it did die.
So question number two is this: 2. Is this going to meet the need I have for it or is it likely only a short term fix? If you are buying it to be a short term fix, is it still a good deal or a waste of money?
Granted, sometimes a bargain is just a short term fix until you can afford to get the one you do really need, and it helps you get by...like the garbage back duct taped to my van window right now until I have raised enough cash to have it fixed. ;). But, you need to weigh it against the price you are paying for it. If you are going to wind up buying 4 head sets in a year (at $20-30 each) to avoid buying the $80 head set that would work great for you, that's not a good bargain.
3. Do you have all of the parts for it, and if not, are the parts both available and affordable?
A few years ago, we found a video camera on Ebay for the low price of $25 with "no accessories", which we planned to use for homeschooling projects and family stuff...I looked online to find out how much the accessories we needed to run it would cost...and it was under $30...and the new, accessories included camera was $399.00 on Amazon. Good deal? You betcha! It's still alive and ticking, making video reports and helping young ones learn some filmmaking while expressing their creativity.
My husband needed a Router, and I found one at a garage sale, but when I called him up and gave him the specs, and what was with it, he did a quick online search and discovered that the cost of the items needed to make it work made it a bad deal.
A blouse that is missing a button which is of a common shape and size would be a good deal, because you could replace the button. A blouse with a unique set of buttons, missing one, would mean removing all of the buttons, and replacing them with something you found.
You get the picture.
4. If repairs are necessary, is it worth the time you will spend doing it?
Obviously you don't always know or accurately guess just how much time you will spend on a project...but if you look at something and realize you will be spending a few weeks fixing it, that may or may not be worth your time and the cost of the parts, depending on the value of the item when done. My time is not free, and your's isn't either. When we spend our time doing something, it is being paid for by those things we are not able to do while being busy with that other thing.
The exception to this would be having a repair job that your son or daughter wants to learn how to do with you...which would then file this purchase under "educational expenses", and be valuable. How to repair a seam in a pair of jeans, how to sew on a few buttons, how to raise a neckline and lower a hemline on an otherwise nice dress...there are practical sewing lessons galore if you have the time.
5. Can a repair even be made?
Again, sometimes you don't realize you can't fix it at all until you get it home, but sometimes there are signs to indicate difficulties...clothing with wears and tears in places other than the seams, for example.
6. Can it be repurposed for something else affordably and with an acceptable amount of time?
I am a broken china freak (I've had to remind myself that broken china is not a need). I have coffee cans full of different colored chips of china and tiles in my barn, and I have made many mosaics, including our dinner table, and a more recent picnic table (made from an old door we found in our barn, some two by fours, and some broken plates used to form a mosaic in the door's recessed panels). The picnic table took only a Saturday afternoon, and the total cost for a unique picnic table was under $20, compared with $89.00 for a new one from the hardware store.
I found some benches at the Salvation Army store...they were covered in vinyl cushions with some wild pattern reminiscent of the clothing Mrs. Brady wore in the Brady Bunch, and the wood was painted in Brady Bunch Orange. I suppose today it would be considered cool and retro, but this was before everyone was reverting back to design's most colorful decade. The thing was, on my list of needs was two benches that EXACT height and length. I flipped them over in the store, noted how the padding was attached, and also noted how sturdy they were made, and decided they were worth it. Within a few hours, the vinyl was off to spend eternity in a landfill, my son was pulling out the staples from the staple gun, and I had sanded off the top smooth. We painted it with a few coats of enamel to match our table, and we were set. Total cost: $10 (for the benches and the paint--I had the half gallon left over from the table).
Before you jump off on that good deal, make sure it really is by asking yourself these simple questions!
It's only a bargain when it's something you truly need!
Profound in it's simplicity, isn't it?
But, say you do need something, but you aren't sure if it is a good deal or not? That's what today's post is about. In short, price is not the only factor in determining whether or not something is a good bargain. Sometimes the better quality but more expensive item is the bargain, and sometimes it isn't. Just because something is "cheap" doesn't make it a good deal.
There are a few questions I ask myself when bargain hunting, especially at garage sales, but also at regular stores too. The main point is not only is a bargain only something that you need, but it is something that is of good quality that really does meet the need (this is more true of bigger ticket items).
I learned a valuable lesson (again!) over the last 6 months as I have tried to find a decent headset for my phone. As my husband usually calls and is chatty while I am making dinner, I needed something hands free so that I would recover from the kink in my neck. I have also started to be one of the publisher's assistants over at TEACH Magazine.com part time, which has involved some phone time as we discuss projects, and so forth (the older I get the less able I am to do things like type and hold a phone at the same time). Then there's the times I spend on the phone on hold with the insurance company trying to find out why they are making me repaint my house or else have my policy dropped (that's another post, though)...or any other sort of phone call that involves time on hold, or getting bounced around. It seemed a necessity to buy a head set, and it took me over a year to be convinced that I really needed one....
So what did I do? Of course I searched the clearance table at Walmart! LOL The headset was cheap, and I was happy until I discovered it was uncomfortable, slid off my head when I moved, and eventually died a few weeks into owning it (being on clearance, it wasn't returnable). Then I got one from a business auction. No one else bid on it, and the other headsets were way out of my price range, so I was again happy until I realized that it may have been a different brand but it seemed to be the SAME stupid headset, and I couldn't hear clearly in it. After buying several headsets that died young without warrneties, I was struck by the fact that as a bargain hunter, I was trying to avoid buying the "expensive kind" so as to save money, but wound up spending almost that much on things that are now in the county dump. A bargain is only a bargain when you need it, something that is of reliable quality, and it fulfils the need you have for it....I needed something reliable not always breaking, and which had a guarantee if it did die.
So question number two is this: 2. Is this going to meet the need I have for it or is it likely only a short term fix? If you are buying it to be a short term fix, is it still a good deal or a waste of money?
Granted, sometimes a bargain is just a short term fix until you can afford to get the one you do really need, and it helps you get by...like the garbage back duct taped to my van window right now until I have raised enough cash to have it fixed. ;). But, you need to weigh it against the price you are paying for it. If you are going to wind up buying 4 head sets in a year (at $20-30 each) to avoid buying the $80 head set that would work great for you, that's not a good bargain.
3. Do you have all of the parts for it, and if not, are the parts both available and affordable?
A few years ago, we found a video camera on Ebay for the low price of $25 with "no accessories", which we planned to use for homeschooling projects and family stuff...I looked online to find out how much the accessories we needed to run it would cost...and it was under $30...and the new, accessories included camera was $399.00 on Amazon. Good deal? You betcha! It's still alive and ticking, making video reports and helping young ones learn some filmmaking while expressing their creativity.
My husband needed a Router, and I found one at a garage sale, but when I called him up and gave him the specs, and what was with it, he did a quick online search and discovered that the cost of the items needed to make it work made it a bad deal.
A blouse that is missing a button which is of a common shape and size would be a good deal, because you could replace the button. A blouse with a unique set of buttons, missing one, would mean removing all of the buttons, and replacing them with something you found.
You get the picture.
4. If repairs are necessary, is it worth the time you will spend doing it?
Obviously you don't always know or accurately guess just how much time you will spend on a project...but if you look at something and realize you will be spending a few weeks fixing it, that may or may not be worth your time and the cost of the parts, depending on the value of the item when done. My time is not free, and your's isn't either. When we spend our time doing something, it is being paid for by those things we are not able to do while being busy with that other thing.
The exception to this would be having a repair job that your son or daughter wants to learn how to do with you...which would then file this purchase under "educational expenses", and be valuable. How to repair a seam in a pair of jeans, how to sew on a few buttons, how to raise a neckline and lower a hemline on an otherwise nice dress...there are practical sewing lessons galore if you have the time.
5. Can a repair even be made?
Again, sometimes you don't realize you can't fix it at all until you get it home, but sometimes there are signs to indicate difficulties...clothing with wears and tears in places other than the seams, for example.
6. Can it be repurposed for something else affordably and with an acceptable amount of time?
I am a broken china freak (I've had to remind myself that broken china is not a need). I have coffee cans full of different colored chips of china and tiles in my barn, and I have made many mosaics, including our dinner table, and a more recent picnic table (made from an old door we found in our barn, some two by fours, and some broken plates used to form a mosaic in the door's recessed panels). The picnic table took only a Saturday afternoon, and the total cost for a unique picnic table was under $20, compared with $89.00 for a new one from the hardware store.
I found some benches at the Salvation Army store...they were covered in vinyl cushions with some wild pattern reminiscent of the clothing Mrs. Brady wore in the Brady Bunch, and the wood was painted in Brady Bunch Orange. I suppose today it would be considered cool and retro, but this was before everyone was reverting back to design's most colorful decade. The thing was, on my list of needs was two benches that EXACT height and length. I flipped them over in the store, noted how the padding was attached, and also noted how sturdy they were made, and decided they were worth it. Within a few hours, the vinyl was off to spend eternity in a landfill, my son was pulling out the staples from the staple gun, and I had sanded off the top smooth. We painted it with a few coats of enamel to match our table, and we were set. Total cost: $10 (for the benches and the paint--I had the half gallon left over from the table).
Before you jump off on that good deal, make sure it really is by asking yourself these simple questions!
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