No one wants their hard earned money to go to waste, and that is why everyone is constantly searching for a deal. Everything from trash bags and toothpaste to clothing and furniture is in competition with other companies to produce the cheapest product to boost sales.
On the surface, this seems like a good thing! Doesn't our capitalistic system create healthy competition to regulate prices to what they should be?
Unfortunately, this is simply not the case. There are three reasons that buying a cheaper item will be more expensive in the long run, and I hope that they shed some light on the dark side of western world consumerism.
1. Your cheap item will not last as long as a high-quality alternative.
The average American woman owns 7 pairs of jeans, but how many do we actually wear and love? Probably 3 or 4. If each of those jeans were $20.00-$30.00, that means we have spent $140.00-210.00 on jeans and some are probably falling apart or no longer fit. Wouldn't it be smarter to spend $50.00-$70.00 on 3 pairs of jeans that you love?
I recently got rid of tons of clothes leaving me with 4 pairs of jeans that I don't love. Two pairs were given to me, one pair I got from Forever 21 for like 12 bucks, and the other pair I bought at a thrift store but no longer fit. I seriously need to invest in some good quality jeans.
Shoes are a whole other story! I have always been tempted by cheap and cute shoes, only to bring them home and find that they don't match anything I own. The shoes I wear most are the ones that I made a financial sacrifice for. When you pay a lot of money for something, you think about it more and weigh the pros and cons. I love my chacos, keens, and winter boots, but I have a lot of uncomfortable sandals that I could probably swap for a single long-lasting pair. The average American male owns 12 pairs of shoes, while the average American female owns 27 pairs. This is simply crazy! We don't need this much stuff, and I promise you downsizing to 7 pairs of high-quality footwear will save money in the long run.
All of my examples were clothing related, but the quality over quantity rule can be applied to virtually every item you buy. Pots and pans, knives, furniture, ect. Think about the life that an item will ultimately have and if it will actually bring you the joy that is promised in the commercial.
2. Cheap disposables are expensive when compared to reusables.
With the exception of toilet paper and some other bathroom items, buying disposable things is a great way to send your money down the drain. There is little that annoys me more than the idea of paper towels. Why do we need paper towels when we all own washcloths that do the same job? If you buy paper towels on a regular basis, you could be wasting $180.00 per year. Not to mention, that choosing paper towels is costly to the environment.
I know that doing dishes after guests come over can be annoying, but spending money on disposable cups and plates is simply not needed. It is free to use the dishes you already have in your cupboard, so use them! It looks much better anyway :)
Baby diapers seem like a cheap thing to buy. Only $.14 to $.25 each, but that adds up to 400-700 dollars per year! A high quality set of cloth diapers would cost around $400.00, and you can reuse them with future babies.
If you really want to save money, consider making your own deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo and more! I make deodorant with cornstarch, coconut oil, baking soda, and peppermint essential oil. The natural deodorant I used to buy was $7.00 and felt gross and sticky. My homemade option costs less than a dollar and smells great! My husband even prefers it to the expensive brand I used to buy.
3. Someone, somewhere is paying the price for your cheap goods.
When it comes down to it, that cheap shirt from Wal-Mart or Target was made by a woman overseas who isn't paid enough to effectively feed her family. She works long hours in terrible conditions and receives almost nothing in return.
Think of the time and energy it takes to actually stitch together a dress, a pair of jeans, or a coat. A living, breathing person made whatever it is you are wearing, and every time you buy an item, you cast a vote for the type of world in which we live. If you want to know more about the truth behind our clothing, watch The True Cost on Netflix.
This week my sister messaged me and told me to watch a documentary called Food Chains. I was horrified to see that slavery still exists in our food system today. Big supermarkets bully farmers into such low prices that they have nothing left to pay the people who pick their fruits and vegetables for 10-12 hours in the hot sun all day. And this is happening in some of the wealthiest areas of America!
Overall, we need to be mindful of where all of this cheap stuff is coming from and how it is made. It may be cheap for us to buy groceries, clothes, and appliances, but that probably means the cost for someone else is very high.
