The Problem With Cheap

The problem with cheap is not the price tag itself, but the underlying mentality that drives the decision to always head for the bottom of the barrel. We all love cheap things. We love to buy things on sale. We actually save money by going for the cheaper option, if the quality is not compromised, and the money thus saved is invested for returns.

The issue is not the price tag. That is just a symptom. The underlying issue is the lack mentality that drives us to always head for the bottom of the barrel. Our mentality blocks off the possibility that the finer things of life can be for us.

How does this manifest?

When you look at a price list, your eye automatically goes to the cheapest. We go for the lowest fares, cheapest room in the cheapest hotel, cheapest restaurant, cheapest means of transportation, cheapest boutique, cheapest store, cheapest neighborhood, cheapest school, cheapest car, cheapest… Cheap R Us.

We become so cheap-conscious and entirely unfocused on cheap that we pass off better deals – better quality items at a lower price. Have you ever bought something, only later to find out you could have gotten something much better at the same price? Have you been to a very nice hotel only to find out the food is not as expensive as you thought, or you can get a much better room than the dingy one you are used to at pretty much the same price?

Why would someone buy 10 low-quality shirts when that same money can easily buy 5 top-quality ones? Why does one buy cheap appliances and rack up high repair bills when a top-of-the-range one works out cheaper? The mindset is the culprit.

Deep down, we believe we are not good enough, we cannot afford it, we don’t deserve it, and we do not belong to that class. We keep shooting ourselves in the foot. When it comes to money management, we focus on cutting costs rather than increasing income. We use the effort and ingenuity we would have used to grow our income to find more creative ways to tighten our belts and almost choke out fun (and good nutrition) from our lives.

The bottom of the barrel is not a fun place to be. There is nothing wrong with cheap things, but why settle for less than the best? Donal Trump said if are going to think, why don’t you think big? It takes the same effort. Dreaming big dreams and small dreams cost the same – free. So why dream small, think small, think cheap, the bottom of the barrel, rejects returned items, clearance items, items you need to fight to stay in the line to stand a chance to grab when the store opens for sales?

If you believe you cannot afford it, you are right. There is no basis for an argument. The person who believes he can afford it will ask the right question – “How can I afford it?” and soon the answer drops into his mind, the same way the quote above dropped into my mind this morning as I was driving to Victoria Island. After all said and done, whoever asks receives, whoever seeks finds, and whoever knocks, the door will be opened. It all boils down to what we really want, not what we think we want. Where there is a will, there is a way.