Spend Less By Spending Better

When we moved into our house a bit over 10 years ago, the kitchen had issues. The faucet dribbled water out in irregular patterns, the sink sprayer leaked when the water was on, and there was no microwave.

Not to mention the whole kitchen was just dark and ugly with a failing dishwasher, grimy floor, and, like much of the rest of the house, in general need of a makeover.

Our first instinct was to buy a new faucet-sprayer set and pick up a countertop microwave to make it a bit more functional right away.

But I resisted these options.

Instead, I got to work on a plan that addressed the bigger picture of remodeling the kitchen altogether, and on a shoestring budget.

Because when you’re on a shoestring budget, spending money on stop-gap fixes that don’t fit the long-term plan often ends up being wasted money.

And cheap temporary fixes with low quality purchases usually fail fast, forcing more replacements and delaying the lasting solution.

Instead, we became adept at using the broiler for quick food reheats in lieu of a microwave, and simply laid the sink sprayer down in the sink so the leak didn’t harm anything.

Ultimately, when we established a clear plan, that we accomplished over the next year, we raised the cabinets to make room for a full size over-the-range microwave that doubled as a vent hood. A temporary countertop microwave would’ve been money down the drain.

We bought an entirely different sink faucet to fit a completely different sink, as well, which would have made a temporary replacement that fit the original sink soon useless.

That remodel underscored the value of focusing on investing in things that last wherever possible. By avoiding buying anything until I could buy the right thing, we reduced wasted money and wasted materials.

It can be frustrating to go without—or make do with things that are less than ideal (or downright junk)—but doing so for a time helps us preserve the resources we need to invest in lasting quality.

In the bathrooms, we failed to follow this same principle and went through multiple $40 faucets at each bathroom sink until I finally took the time to pick out a quality $150 faucet to replace the series of cheapies. If I’d taken time to choose a quality faucet to begin with, not only would we have spent less time fussing with failing faucets, but we’d also have spent less money over the last 10 years. (And that same $150 faucet? It probably would’ve cost $130 if I’d bought it ten years ago.)

This principle doesn’t stop at home improvement. It applies to wardrobes, tech gadgets, furniture—nearly everything we buy.

While the most expensive option is not necessarily the best quality either, it’s usually true that by spending a bit more for well-made, durable, timeless items, we can dramatically reduce our long-term cost of living.

In a world that feels more expensive by the day, choosing what lasts can make all the difference.