Most of us like discounts. Especially for things that we use.
Like if we buy 2 chicken for the price of 1. That's a good deal right?
We can eat one chicken today and eat another chicken tomorrow.
But... is this always true?
When I was fixing my laptop...
I was offered this deal.
1 TB Hard disk + repair = $120
500 GB + repair = $110
Just for $10 more, I could get 500GB more of storage space in my laptop...
But yet I chose to only spend $110... Cos... even though there is more value, I would not use it.
It's not like the chicken where I can eat it tomorrow. Basically, even IF I bought a bigger hard disk, I would still not utilize the additional space.
Recently, in Paris, I got myself a mobile line, so I can be contacted if I go out and use data IF I go out. Even though I don't go out often, it's always good just in case to have a mobile line for emergencies, it's kinda like insurance. Never know when I need it.
But, I typically spend a lot of time at home. And I have signed up for home data plan. So 95% of the time I can be reached via WhatsApp. But we decided that it's good to have a mobile line anyway, in case I need to run errands or something...
And I got offered this amazing deal...
5GB data + 2 hours talk time = €4.99
40GB data + unlimited talk time = €9.99
WOAH! 40GB for ONLY €9.99, with unlimited talk time! We don't even get that in SG. And there's no contract. It's just a SIM only plan which can be cancelled anytime. It's quite an insane deal.
But yet, once again. It's not a chicken... I can't eat it tomorrow.
Even if I have a great deal at €9.99, I will never use 40GB of data. Even in SG I use only 1 GB of data and in SG I go out more often.
So similarly, I only subscribed to the €4.99 plan. Cos, I simply do not need that additional data. And by doing so, I save €5 per month.
The thing is, just cos it's a good deal, doesn't mean you/I need to get it. It's whether we actually need the product. Some products can be consumed another day, like the chicken. But some products/services will never be consumed.
Even though it's relatively cheaper for the "amount" of services I can get, IF I don't use it, it becomes absolutely more expensive.
There's probably a lot of other examples which pop up in life. And I think it's prudent or interesting to note how our minds look at value. Cos, sometimes, we are so inclined to buy it, even though we don't need it, just cos it's "good value"... and truth be told, I almost subscribed to the €9.99 plan... cos it's really so "cheap" even in S$ terms.
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