We go to 7-11... Buy some bottled drink. $2... Affordable? Yes. Cheap... Well... Relatively...
Then we go to some supermarket and the price of that same drink could be under $1... Well, of course, buying stuff at 7-11 is more convenient at times. And, what's the big deal. It's only a couple of dollars... And that's true.
When I talk to my wife about meals. I ask her what's considered a reasonable price for a weekday lunch. For her $20 is reasonable. Woah!
Ok I'm not judging her decisions and what she wants to buy. But $20... Is what many people would consider... Affordable or reasonable for a meal.
When we go out on weekends, $20 per pax is normal. I think many folks would agree. But yet... Is it considered cheap? Personally, I don't think so.
Coffee at the coffeeshop is around $1.20 these days... Affordable? Yes. But does it add up? Yes as well. Over a year, 365 x $1.20 = $438. Enough to go on a short trip to Thailand.
My wife has taken fancy to a certain restaurant recently and we went there in 2 consecutive weekends. Quite pricy at $20 per pax... These days we hardly eat out so it's not a significant expense to eat out. But to me, I found it expensive. Yet, when I asked her about it, she said it was pretty normal pricing. Acceptable in her view. I understand, we have to pay for the rent, the chef's creativity, ambience, etc... I'm not complaining.
It's rather... Everyone has their own view of what is affordable vs what is cheap. And I think it's good to be aware for ourselves. What is considered reasonable spending and what is unnecessarily more expensive. Like that bottled drink. I personally would not want to buy the bottled drink cos I can find an alternative. But I find the meal at that restaurant to be fairly acceptable, cos the food is unique and I can't really find another place which serves such cuisine, so I'm more willing to dish out that $20 per pax as compared to an overpriced drink.
IKEA... Affordable? Yes. Cheap? Not really. There are a bunch of things that are worthy buys at IKEA. But also a lot of rubbish buys. Unless you're really focused on what you want, it's easy to get distracted and buy something else that's 'slightly' more expensive and looks nicer.
Even when we look at more expensive items, it's similar. For phones, XiaoMi has phones at low $200 or less. But prices of average phones are $400... So many people still buy $400 phones. I have no idea why. Yes, they are only around $200 more. Affordable. But... Do they really use the full capacity of a $400 phone? Many people even doubt the functionality of a cheap XiaoMi phone. Just cos it's cheaper. People think it may not be as good.
And the thing is... This difference between affordable and cheap plagues us throughout our lives and we see it everyday. As we earn more every year, more things become 'affordable'. We brush off small purchases as affordable. Yes, you probably can afford it. But is it worth it? Is it cheap? Is it good value? Does it really bring you more happiness in your life?
That is for you to answer.
For me, I'm just highlighting it so that readers can be more aware and maybe can look at things differently.
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Then we go to some supermarket and the price of that same drink could be under $1... Well, of course, buying stuff at 7-11 is more convenient at times. And, what's the big deal. It's only a couple of dollars... And that's true.
When I talk to my wife about meals. I ask her what's considered a reasonable price for a weekday lunch. For her $20 is reasonable. Woah!
Ok I'm not judging her decisions and what she wants to buy. But $20... Is what many people would consider... Affordable or reasonable for a meal.
When we go out on weekends, $20 per pax is normal. I think many folks would agree. But yet... Is it considered cheap? Personally, I don't think so.
Coffee at the coffeeshop is around $1.20 these days... Affordable? Yes. But does it add up? Yes as well. Over a year, 365 x $1.20 = $438. Enough to go on a short trip to Thailand.
My wife has taken fancy to a certain restaurant recently and we went there in 2 consecutive weekends. Quite pricy at $20 per pax... These days we hardly eat out so it's not a significant expense to eat out. But to me, I found it expensive. Yet, when I asked her about it, she said it was pretty normal pricing. Acceptable in her view. I understand, we have to pay for the rent, the chef's creativity, ambience, etc... I'm not complaining.
It's rather... Everyone has their own view of what is affordable vs what is cheap. And I think it's good to be aware for ourselves. What is considered reasonable spending and what is unnecessarily more expensive. Like that bottled drink. I personally would not want to buy the bottled drink cos I can find an alternative. But I find the meal at that restaurant to be fairly acceptable, cos the food is unique and I can't really find another place which serves such cuisine, so I'm more willing to dish out that $20 per pax as compared to an overpriced drink.
IKEA... Affordable? Yes. Cheap? Not really. There are a bunch of things that are worthy buys at IKEA. But also a lot of rubbish buys. Unless you're really focused on what you want, it's easy to get distracted and buy something else that's 'slightly' more expensive and looks nicer.
Even when we look at more expensive items, it's similar. For phones, XiaoMi has phones at low $200 or less. But prices of average phones are $400... So many people still buy $400 phones. I have no idea why. Yes, they are only around $200 more. Affordable. But... Do they really use the full capacity of a $400 phone? Many people even doubt the functionality of a cheap XiaoMi phone. Just cos it's cheaper. People think it may not be as good.
And the thing is... This difference between affordable and cheap plagues us throughout our lives and we see it everyday. As we earn more every year, more things become 'affordable'. We brush off small purchases as affordable. Yes, you probably can afford it. But is it worth it? Is it cheap? Is it good value? Does it really bring you more happiness in your life?
That is for you to answer.
For me, I'm just highlighting it so that readers can be more aware and maybe can look at things differently.
<<PREVIOUS POST // NEXT POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of my morning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right.
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