My syndicated Super-Couponing Tips column for the week is entitled “Buy it for life?”
Here’s an excerpt:
“I have been researching the ‘Buy It for Life’ movement, which stresses quality over price, and the idea is that if you buy a quality item in the first place, you will not need to buy multiple cheap replacements.”
Read this entire column at the Napa Valley Register.
My Super-Couponing Tips column appears in newspapers around the country to a weekly readership of over 20 million people! Learn more about my column’s syndication at this link.
Miss a column? Here’s an archive of all of my past columns I’ve shared on the blog.
J.R. says
I always buy quality. My dad taught me that when I was young. A quality tool, be it for my workshop, kitchen, or office will outlast cheap stuff several times over, and do a better job. A good tool, like a knife, is also safer than a cheap one.
You mention pots and pans. When I moved out on my own, I visited the restaurant supply places in the city, and got commercial grade cookware. That was almost 40 years ago and the stuff is all still in like-new condition. Ditto for the high end knives I bought at the same tile.
In that time I’ve replaced exactly 2 kitchen appliances. One was a Kenmore microwave that finally gave up at almost 30 years. Sears could no longer get parts for it. The other was our fridge that also failed at about 30 years, which is the typical life for a quality refrigerator. Hard to find anything that will last as long today. Which is why we’ve kept the almost 40 year old Maytag washer & dryer. I certainly don’t want to go through what you did with your short-lived washer.
When we custom built the house, I bought the same power and hand tools that the carpenters, electricians, and other trades used. I’ve yet to have to replace anything because it wore out.
I treat cars the same way. We’re finally getting rid of our almost 2 decade old Honda with almost 225K miles on it. 2 other Hondas lasted 13 and 16 years respectively.
Pat says
I have the same set of stainless steel triple ply pots and pans that I bought shortly after we got married 35 years ago. I take care of them, never put them in the dishwasher, and they look almost new. Compare that to my sister, who’s husband insists on buying non-stick cookware. They have gone through 4 sets of pots and pans in the same time-frame. Too bad her husband won’t listen to me (he does most of the cooking)