As you may remember, about a month ago I talked about my desire to downsize my possessions further. For the last couple of weeks I have been thinking about the core concepts of minimalism and the 100 thing challenge. For me the one true constant regarding material possessions and new purchases is quality.
I now realize if I am going to have less stuff in general, then I better make sure I have quality items that last.
As easy as the concept of quality over quantity seems it should be, it has only recently sunk in. When I took a look around my apartment, I realized most of the items I have gotten rid of lately are junk items I picked up on the cheap at discount big box chains. I won’t name names, but the big box store rhymes with fall-cart, ;-).
I think part of the confusion I had over the quality/quantity issue was that I was so dead-set on being frugal, I only looked at the surface price tag. I thought it was better to buy a $10 pleather pair of shoes rather than investing in a $80 pair of leather ones that will last several years.
Well, I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
In the long run, I will save myself money and more importantly, time, if I do not have to replace lots of items because they’ve worn out quickly due to poor quality.
Yes it’s a simple lesson, but I am glad to have finally learned it. Better late than never, right?
Amanda Bretz 