To Be Or Not To Be...Cheap

That is the question. I am all for saving money. However in my cheap forays I have learned a valuable lesson. There are times where it is worth spending money. I love generic and store brand products because they are usually as good as the national brands but are more affordable. That it is not always the case. I usually buy snacks for work because buying a pack or something is cheaper than going to the vending machine for a 3:30pm pick me up. I made the mistake of buying generic cheese crackers because they were one dollar and eighty nine cents a box as opposed to nearly three dollars for Cheez-its and Cheese Nips. I thought it was a steal. I was so excited about my frugality. Monday, when I opened the first box and grabbed a handful, I eagerly popped a few in my mouth. I was expected a burst of cheesy crackery goodness. What I received a mouth full of crackers that tasted like rotten canned turkey gravy. It was one of the most disgusting experiences of my life.

In my utter disbelief, I took a swig of water and tried again. My second taste was worse as it compounded the nastiness of my first gulp. Needless to say, I did not save any money. I wasted money because I threw both boxes away and had to buy some better snacks. I am scarred and haven’t bought cheese crackers since, even a national brand and it has nearly been a year.

Sometimes, quality is worth the extra money. This is not permission to buy ridiculous branded items. If generic is just as good stick with the cheaper option but if the quality or life of the item is adversely affected spend a little more. Another example, as I was preparing to move, I picked out some bedroom furniture that was extremely affordable but was persuaded to spend $300 more for real furniture. I am so happy I made the costlier investment. My furniture will probably last 20 years and the original set probably would not have lasted five.

I polled friends and family and heard several horror stories about going cheap. Some of these seem like no brainers but obviously not to everyone. I have it on good authority that you should not: buy your perm at the dollar store (causes baldness), use cheap antihistamines (suck it up and buy Benadryl as the generic version did nothing), buy a pregnancy test that comes in a pack of five for $5 (none of the tests worked). Part of being a smart shopper is weighing the quality of the product. [Again, this is not a reason to splurge. Especially on extremely depreciable items like apparel.]