Guest Post: Quality vs Money Saved

Leslie is a mom of three that wrote this guest post for me while I was on vacation. Thanks Leslie!

I am a person who LOVES finding good deals. I’m not as great at it as some, but I come from a family who tries to use what they have and do without unnecessary things. So, finding good deals is in my nature. My mom is the type that finds the cheapest deals on ANYTHING. I used to be all about that to, but when I started living on my own and providing for a family, I found out there was a factor that didn’t bother my mom as much as it did me. That is QUALITY! For example: my mom will often shop at the dollar store. Yes, you can find great deals there, but many things found there, like make-up, is very poor quality. You do not want to run a risk of skin irritation or skin damage using poor make-up! ***Disclaimer: I haven’t researched, nor do I have the scientific evidence and abilities to prove that dollar store make-up is bad for your skin, I'm just saying it doesn't work for me. Toys from the dollar store on the other hand…I do have experience upon experience to prove that they are not durable!***

After getting married, I tried incorporating this quality factor into the way I shopped for anything and everything from apple juice to washers and dryers and even my car and house. I use Consumer Reports and when shopping online I use customer reviews. I find those things very, very helpful. I even now realize that many times getting the best deal combined with quality does not always mean you will get THE CHEAPEST price-and that’s OKAY! People work hard and go through rigorous years of schooling to create the best quality products out there for us consumers. It’s only right that we acknowledge their efforts.

I’m not saying that you have to be loyal to the most expensive brands, but be aware of what you’re spending your dollars on. Is the product something that you’ll use for years to come? Maybe that particular thing is worth spending more money on so that it will last. That type of thing is an investment. For example, when I bought my washer and dryer 3 years ago, I wanted a good quality one that would last me 20-30 years. My mom buys washers and dryers every 5-10 years because she buys the cheapest possible and they don’t last, let alone cleans clothes as well. But anyway, I got a set that took us 18 months to pay off because we did an 18 month-no-interest plan from Best Buy and saved up a certain amount each month during that 18 months to have ready to pay off in the end. It worked out great and I now have a washer and dryer set that is great quality and is still working like new only 3 years later. If I had purchased a set that would only last five years, at this point it would only last two more years and then I’d be forking out another 400-600 bucks just to start that cycle all over again.

My dear sister that just got married has realized something similar about hairdressers. If you want a quality haircut or coloring job, if you do that to your hair, and I do—go to someone who’s been trained and has experience. Your image is something that you see every day and you’re more likely to be happy with quality work than not. I’ve had disasters with haircuts and coloring by trying myself or having a friend do it for free. It is so much more worth it to me to get it done by someone who knows what they’re doing! And by doing that, I’m respecting the hard work they went through to earn that ability.

Don’t get me wrong. I love finding things for free or really low in price, and who doesn’t? It just that I have learned that in finding cheap things I still have to consider quality before committing to buy something. I jump on a deal whenever I can that has both a cheap price and quality. That is one reason I want to be more like Brooke! I’m learning to coupon because of her inspiration and it’s great…though I still have much perfecting to do in that area. These are just thoughts of mine and I know not everyone agrees with me or has my same perspective, but this is how I analyze what is a good deal and what is not. Price alone does not always reflect a good deal. Quality has just as much say as the price in my book!

Thanks Leslie! I agree that quality has to be a factor in what you purchase, especially on the bigger purchases like cars and washing machines. However I'm also a big believer in staying within our budgets. So maybe your budget only gives you the ability to buy a cheaper dishwasher that might not last as long. That's o.k! Maybe by the time you need another one, you'll have saved enough to buy the good quality one, but you had something to get you by for the time when your budget wasn't as big. But it's true, quality can help us spend less overall in the long run, and that's why I also love Consumer Reports because it tells us what the best deal is on a particular product- quality and price factored in as Leslie was stating. Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's going to last a long time or be a great quality product.