Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Being Frugal Makes You A Loser

ajkesslerblog.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 211 posts

Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser

#91

Post by lsc »

CaptainDecisive wrote: post #85
jerrya wrote: post #25

I tend to buy in two strategies. Either so cheap but functional I don't mind throwing it out later (as eco bad as that might be), or buying good quality wares. I believe that if you can afford good quality wares, that that will both make you happier and leave you with something of substantial resale value. So it may be a better financial strategy. Compare cheap Target cabinet with "Handmade Amish Furniture." That sai…

I agree. The way I see it there is a price/value curve where it's worth buying things at both ends. At the high end you're paying a premium but you're getting a well designed and constructed item, which should last you a long time. At the low end you're buying cheap crap but you're paying peanuts. You know there's no high end features, that it's not well made and if it breaks you just throw it out. But in the middle…

eh, several comments have gone on about the sears brand 'craftsman' wrenches. I like them too, but they are solidly in the middle of the price curve for tools. I also like kingston ram for my servers; Much like Craftsman tools, the stuff is good enough to get the job done and has an excellent warranty, but it's far from the best money can buy.

I think the top end usually has a huge 'you must be rich' price premium that doesn't usually make sense unless you use this tool all the time.

(Of course, we're both falling in to the trap of evaluating a product based on it's price positioning, which, I think, is quite often a mistake. The evaluation should be based on what you are paying for what you are getting, not based on where in the price curve your particular tool lies, I think.)

Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser

#92

Post by eru »

yason wrote: post #24

I don't think that being frugal has ever been about going cheap. Frugality is not about consuming but investing in your life: that often contradicts with cheap. Frugality is about not buying things you don't need but buying things you can't live without. A frugal person will typically invest in quality because he knows he'll be using the item for years and doesn't want to replace it every few. I wouldn't consider mys…

> If they don't, I'll have to buy a replacement pair.

You can also get them repaired.

Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser

#93

Post by jedbrown »

dagw wrote: post #57
copenja wrote: post #20

Wow, I disagree. Starting with expensive shoes. I wear flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt to work everyday. I'm pretty comfortable. I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort. Beds. Yes, you spend 1/3 your life in bed. And you spend it unconscious. You spend about 0.03% of your conscious life in bed while falling asleep (30 mins a day). But more importantly: Relax. Just because you make a certa…

I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort. For me the difference between good shoes and bad shoes is desperately wanting to sit down after a an hour on my feet and being able to walk for 8-10 hours without really feeling it. And while far from all expensive shoes are comfortable, I've yet to find a pair of comfortable shoes for less than $120, and my $350+ hiking boots are pure magic and some…

I hate hiking boots and just use trail running shoes for everything that doesn't require rigid crampons. They're lighter, faster, more comfortable, dry more quickly, and cost around $100. Of course they wear out faster so it's not necessarily cheaper in the long run.

Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser

#94

Post by eru »

Shant wrote: post #54
yason wrote: post #24

I don't think that being frugal has ever been about going cheap. Frugality is not about consuming but investing in your life: that often contradicts with cheap. Frugality is about not buying things you don't need but buying things you can't live without. A frugal person will typically invest in quality because he knows he'll be using the item for years and doesn't want to replace it every few. I wouldn't consider mys…

Agreed. Another good way of looking at it is that managing your spending should be like managing any other finite resource, like time. No one really thinks it makes sense to save your time by not spending time on anything at all. You want to be frugal with your time -- you save it in order to splurge on the things that matter and will give you the most benefit/productivity. I think it's the same with money -- cheapne…

Just make it oats-profitable. Oats are still cheap, but not as crappy as Ramen.

Though I do like to splurge on food.

Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser

#95

Post by eru »

timr wrote: post #34
copenja wrote: post #20

Wow, I disagree. Starting with expensive shoes. I wear flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt to work everyday. I'm pretty comfortable. I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort. Beds. Yes, you spend 1/3 your life in bed. And you spend it unconscious. You spend about 0.03% of your conscious life in bed while falling asleep (30 mins a day). But more importantly: Relax. Just because you make a certa…

I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort. Neither did I, until I got plantar fasciitis from wearing cheap shoes, and couldn't stand or walk for more than 10 minutes without pain. Cheap shoes tend to skimp on the parts that provide support and impact resistance. If nothing else, good shoes are worth the money they save you on podiatry.

But actually you don't want support and impact resistance. You want to go barefoot (or close to it).

Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser

#96

Post by eru »

robryan wrote: post #37
bemmu wrote: post #12

Bed and chair manufacturers must love this post. While I agree that it's pointless to skimp on things which would make you more productive, it's not necessarily true that the really expensive ones are better.

Yeah, you have to be smart about it really. To me, the quality different between the super cheap mattress and the $500 ones is big. For the $500 to $1000 jump, not so much. Same with chairs, the worst office chairs are terrible and going to leave you with pain. The mid range ones to the top just aren't as big a difference.

I agree.

Though you can sidestep the chair issue: Just get a standing desk.

Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser

#97

Post by ido »

jasonkester wrote: post #61
yason wrote: post #24

I don't think that being frugal has ever been about going cheap. Frugality is not about consuming but investing in your life: that often contradicts with cheap. Frugality is about not buying things you don't need but buying things you can't live without. A frugal person will typically invest in quality because he knows he'll be using the item for years and doesn't want to replace it every few. I wouldn't consider mys…

Indeed, and I think that's what the author was saying too. One example: Craftsman Hand Tools. They have a lifetime guarantee, so provided you don't lose them, you're done buying screwdrivers and wrenches for life. True story. I walked into Sears with a broken socket wrench. Sears guy: "Wow. What happened to that ?" Me: "Well, I had a bolt that really didn't want to come loose, so I had a six foot cheater bar and I wa…

    I've had that same conversation on 3 different occasions, 
    each with ludicrously mis-used tools broken entirely 
    through my foolishness. All replaced for free with a 
    smile.
Let me guess - you live in the US.

Good luck getting the same result in Europe ;)

Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser

#98

Post by DanielBMarkham »

jasonkester wrote: post #61
yason wrote: post #24

I don't think that being frugal has ever been about going cheap. Frugality is not about consuming but investing in your life: that often contradicts with cheap. Frugality is about not buying things you don't need but buying things you can't live without. A frugal person will typically invest in quality because he knows he'll be using the item for years and doesn't want to replace it every few. I wouldn't consider mys…

Indeed, and I think that's what the author was saying too. One example: Craftsman Hand Tools. They have a lifetime guarantee, so provided you don't lose them, you're done buying screwdrivers and wrenches for life. True story. I walked into Sears with a broken socket wrench. Sears guy: "Wow. What happened to that ?" Me: "Well, I had a bolt that really didn't want to come loose, so I had a six foot cheater bar and I wa…

Along those lines, one of the purchases I am most happy with is notebook insurance -- the kind that covers me being a bonehead.

My notebook computer is my main tool, without it I couldn't work. So when something happens, it's critical to be able to pick up the phone, dial a toll-free number, and have a new part or computer arriving very quickly by an overnight carrier. Saved my bacon many times.

Re: Being Frugal Makes You A Loser

#99

Post by tluyben2 »

copenja wrote: post #20

Wow, I disagree. Starting with expensive shoes. I wear flip-flops, shorts, and a t-shirt to work everyday. I'm pretty comfortable. I don't see the correlation between expensive footwear and comfort. Beds. Yes, you spend 1/3 your life in bed. And you spend it unconscious. You spend about 0.03% of your conscious life in bed while falling asleep (30 mins a day). But more importantly: Relax. Just because you make a certa…

How young/old are you? Sure, you can sleep on total crap when you're 18; when you are 40+, not so much. You'll damage a lot and might have serious problems later on in life. This goes for a lot of things. If you keep wearing flip-flops into your 40s, you'll probably get serious back, knee and hip problems. Good (and usually they are expensive) footwear is a must if you care about your body. So is a good night sleep on a well developed bed, if probably a medical bed (not sure what the English word is; in Germany tons of hotels have them and that made me buy one, in my 20s, i've never looked back), at any age (and those are expensive).

But if you don't care about the future, then sure; it's your life. But maybe you just never thought about this.

Edit: changed some 'will' into 'might'; some people just are unbreakable. Most of us are not though although we think so when nothing ever happened so far.

Edit: another good example is an office chair or standing table; just SPEND the money on really good desks and chairs; it's just plain stupid not to.

Post reply on HN