On up-front cost vs. cost-per-use
In a recent post, I shared about the $16.99 planner that I use each year.
And in emails and comments, readers wondered why I don't just use a plain notebook, or scratch paper, or Google calendar, because all of those options would be cheaper than my $16.99 planner.
Well....
I buy this planner because it's one of the few that works with the weird way my brain visualizes the hours in a day. I use it every week, and it helps me organize my days, plan meals, and schedule tasks.
I could use scratch paper, or a plain notebook, but I've tried those types of things in the past, and they don't work as well for me.
The same is true with Google calendar...I keep trying digital calendars and list apps and boy, I just can't get used to them! I function a lot better if I have a paper calendar that I write on with a pencil or pen.
(My children's generation may fare better, but I think I'll still be scrawling on paper when I'm an old lady. PEN AND PAPER 4 EVAH, I say.)
Anyway, all that aside, I think $16.99 for a year's worth of use is a really good deal. Sure, $16.99 is more than $0.00, but I get 365 days' worth of use out of my planner.
That's less than $0.05 cents a day. $0.326 a week. $1.42 a month. Pretty affordable, I'd say.
That amount of money is not worth making myself use a digital calendar I hate, or making do with a notebook.
Even if the planner cost $365 (not planning to buy a $300-plus planner, just FYI), if I used it every day for a year, my cost-per-use would be just $1. If that planner provided me with a lot of practical value, it might be worth it for $1 per use.
This is the mindset I have for a lot of the purchases that I make. I'm not so much interested in the upfront price as I am in the cost per use.
To get a great cost per use, you have to buy an item that lasts a long time and it has be something you'll use a lot.
Disposable, cheaply made items have a surprisingly high cost per use, simply because they don't provide many uses. And by the same token, items that last really help your cost-per-use.
I've had my Vitamix for over 4 years now, which means that I've probably used it about 675 times. That means I've paid $0.44 per use so far. If my Vitamix lasts for 30 years (as many do), my cost per use is probably going to be around $0.05, and that's hard to beat.
(You'd have to get 2000 uses out of a $100 blender to get to that cost-per-use.)
Items you buy and then don't use also have a high cost per use. For instance, if you buy a $500 piece of exercise equipment and then use it twice, that's $250 per use.
But if you buy a $500 bike that you ride twice a week for 15 years, your cost per use goes down to $0.32.
On a related note, this is a good argument for buying user-friendly items.
If something is cheaper but is a big pain to use, you're probably not going to get a great cost-per-use. But if a more expensive item works better and is easier or more fun to use, it could actually net you a better cost-per-use.
The stuff that gives you a great cost-per-use is probably not going to be the same for me. But what's important is to figure out what those things are for you.
If it's going to last a long time and you are reasonably sure you're going to use it regularly, then it's likely to be a smart purchase.
In the case of my planner, it's going to last me a year (reasonable for a planner!), and I know I'm going to use it regularly.
So, I cheerfully fork over my $13.99 each December and I don't give Google calendar one thought.
(Unless someone brings it up in the blog comments, in which case I do apparently think about it some. Ha.)
P.S. If I didn't have $13.99 to spare, then of course I would make do with scrap paper. And if I didn't have $300 to spend on a Vitamix, I'd have kept repairing my stupid $40 blender. If you haven't got the money, don't spend it! But if you do have the budgetary wiggle room to pay for something that'll net you a great cost-per-use, then go for it, and don't feel guilty.
P.P.S. Sometimes, inexpensive things last for a long time too, in which case the cost-per-use is really epic. You don't always need to pay more for quality, but sometimes you do, and I'm just arguing that it can be worth it.
This is a great post! Lots of good points to think about.
I'm another paper calendar girl. Often when I'm making plans I'll tell the other person, "I'm writing it on my calendar right now." I sometimes wonder if people think, "Writing it? That's weird!"
And I love "PEN AND PAPER 4 EVAH" -- that made me laugh!
Someone suggested I buy the dollar store reading glasses. I use them a lot and usually have a few pair laying about the house for convenience. I was buying the 3 packs from Costco and they lasted a long time.I did go buy a handful of the dollar glasses. They broke, after not too much use.They scratched, and they did not provide the same reading comfort. I kept at it for a year. As they broke I had to drive to the dollar store and get more.I am now going back to the 3 pack of Costco's which run me around $16 for a 3 pack, but they last a year or LONGER. Sometimes cheaper is just--cheaper!
We've tried the dollar store reading glasses as well and my husband swears they are not as effective and give him a headache. In this case, you get what you pay for! We get them at the drug store and try to make them last awhile.
I am a girl who wears SAS shoes, which cost in the $125 range. But my most recent pair has been worn an average of five days a week year around, so the oat per use as,well as the comfort value makes them more than worth it.
I totally get that. About 5 years ago I discovered that a certain brand of shoes was comfortable for walking a lot (at that time, I was on my feet a lot in my job). I sort of choked the first time I paid $85 dollars for a pair, but now that is all I wear. They do last longer, but I finally decided it is worth it to have comfortable shoes - and for me, the cheap shoes just don't cut it.
Try having a second pair and alternating daily. Shoes benefit from resting (leather re-forms, odors can air out) and they'll last even longer.
Great tip! I'll often wear shoes I love into the ground, so this is good to know.
Shoe inserts will help them last even longer. The plastic ones help them keep their shape, the cedar ones help them keep their shape *and* absorb sweat and odor. On a per-use basis the cedar ones are the best value as they will last your professional lifetime and then some, and they can be refreshed with a light sanding.
Right there with you. I paid 125$ (on sale) for good North Face winter boots about 3 years ago and they will probably last for at least another 3 years or more. Same for my Ecco sandals, 115$ (on sale), super comfortable and should last a while. I've worn crappy shoes all my life and I'm done with that. It's so worth it.
I got some sandals about 6 years ago from SAS and at the time, I was a little hurt about paying $140 for them, but I have super wide feet that are incredibly hard to find shoes for, much less sandals. I wear them EVERY DAY. And have four six years. (Luckily, in TN we don't have a lot of cold days and even when we do, I still sometimes wear them!)
This took me a long time to learn because i was raised with the mantra of cheap cheap cheap in everything. It wasnt until i had to buy things for myself and see how fast i ran through them that I learned that cheap isnt always the way.
One thing I can think of (because this is currently the center of our universe with two boys) is LEGO. Our boys have received some off-brand building bricks, and they never, ever, work as well at LEGO, which is always more expensive. However, LEGO holds it's value or increases with age, and they really, really do last forever. When we visited our kiddos' great grandparents this summer, they got to play with some of the first LEGO made that their grandfather played with. It definitely it worth it to spend more for the brand that works and will last for generations of play. Oh, and we plan to use their LEGO collection to help fun college 😉
I'm another "old lady" who will use pen & paper til I die 😉
Thought the first:
Another way to cost it out is to think of the cost of failure. If using the right calendar saves FG from missing one appointment that would cost her $20 to miss, then the calendar has paid for itself.
Thought the second:
High price is not the same thing as expensive. The great SF writer Terry Pratchett put the following thought into the mind of his character Sam Vimes:
“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. A really good pair of leather boots that would last years and years, cost fifty dollars. This was beyond his pocket and the most he could hope for was an affordable pair of boots costing ten dollars, which might with luck last a year or so before he would need to resort to makeshift cardboard insoles so as to prolong the moment of shelling out another ten dollars. Therefore over a period of ten years, he might have paid out a hundred dollars on boots, twice as much as the man who could afford fifty dollars up front ten years before. And he would still have wet feet."
Thought the third:
The way I distinguish between what I should spend a lot on and what I shouldn't, is to buy a cheap thing first. If I use it all the time and the cheapness is a problem, then it's worthwhile to buy a more costly, high-quality item. If I don't or it doesn't, then I haven't lost a lot of money on the thing.
It's important to me that I visually like the item too, as well as considering functionality. If it makes me smile that is worth something. I also consider country-of-origin as I prefer purchasing from companies that treat their employees well.
I buy a paper calendar from Dollar Tree every year. It's probably the best dollar I spend all year! I write stuff on it daily, and it helps me keep track of everything. I will use pen and paper forever also! 🙂
A less-expensive item is not frugal if it has far less functionality than a more-expensive item. If something does not suit one's needs, it is not a frugal choice, no matter the cost. Your selection of the more-expensive planner is a great example of functionality mattering more than absolute cost. Now, if your planner were leather-bound and embossed with gold leaf, *that* would not be frugal. 😉
I have the same problem with digital calendars!!! Mr. Picky Pincher keeps trying to get me away from my paper ways, but that's just how my brain functions. In all fairness, I do recycle all the paper I use, so at least there's that.
I just had a total cost per use lesson. I finally ripped a hole in all of my yoga pants, so I set out to buy more of them. Like a fool I spent $20 on two pairs of yoga pants. Within A DAY of wearing, they were already becoming frayed.
While the upfront cost was very very low, the cost per use became pretty high, since the dang things won't last longer than a month.
Hopefully I can get a refund on these crappy things and save up for high quality clothes in the first place. Frugal fail!
I've learned my cost per use lesson with clothes too! I wear jeans on a daily basis, and I get what I like to call "chub rub" on my upper thighs. The jeans wear out until there are holes. I find that if I spend the money up front on the more expensive, high quality jeans, it takes much longer for the chub rub to hit.
Pen and paper all the way baby! And the price of your calendar is actually quite cheap considering all the options out there!
And, by the way, I read somewhere that when you use "pen and paper" and write things down your brain is more apt to remember them than if you typed it into your computer or phone. =)
IMHO, I don't think you need to justify it. I'm with you. I purchase my calendar book every year (1/2 off after Christmas), and it needs to have certain criteria - pretty pictures being one of them! Keeps us writing too in the digital world...write on! 😉
You're decision-making is based on *personal* cost, but there's also a cost for hanity. E.G. someone told me they buy cheap $50 dutch ovens because they can be abused and last for 3-4 years before they chip/warp, whereas a le crueset DO costs ~7x as much. By their calculus, even if the LC DO lasted 7x as long, they preferred the cheaper option, yet they completely ignored the ecological impact that putting the additional six dutch ovens into a landfill would cause. (Granted, it's hard to quantify such an impact, but it's still a reality.)
Ugh. Cost for *humanity.*
Love this train of thoughts...I'm right there with you! If we consume, consume, consume....and toss, toss, toss...our future generations will all be living atop landfills.
Unfortunately, in our case it was the LC DO that chipped and degraded in 3-4 years. Not sure why, but that was NOT a wise investment, proving that spending the most money isn't always a guarantee to great results either. We are thinking of replacing it with a much less expensive, well-reviewed one. Thank goodness for online reviews!
You probably already thought of this, but did you contact them? I had a La Cru product develop a problem and I received an immediate free replacement shortly after I wrote a letter of complaint. Sometimes even the best products have a few lemons come off the assembly line (or whatever they call it), but if the company backs their product I am satisfied.
LC has a 101 year warranty. I've had good experiences with their customer service (buying, mostly, and some repair). Up to and including their giving me the better pot because they no longer made the one that got chipped and the new version was unacceptable to me.
I would never give up Google calendar (well, unless another better free digital calendar becomes available...) It gives everyone in your family access to the family calendar 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. While we are in the car, someone is always looking at the calendar to find out where and when the next running practice is, next Chemistry test or next family function. I have different colors for each individual as well as "Mom & Dad only" events as well as "everyone in family attending." Next Monday is "Back to School night" at our son's high school so that is a "Mom & Dad only" event. If you have a smart phone, tablet or computer, I highly recommend it. It's free & I'm sure some of your readers would love it.
I switched to Google Calendar a few months ago (RIP Sunrise...we miss you!) and there have been three unexpected benefits:
1. It links with my email and automatically adds things like flights and deliveries to my calendar when the confirmation arrives (and already timezone adjusted)
2. The goals feature is super helpful - my yoga practice has gone from mostly good intentions to reliably 2 or 3 days a week, just thanks to the built-in reminders.
3. The predictive entry tool has highlighted some (unhealthy?) habits - for example, that there's one friend who I always meet for drinks, prompting me to make the extra effort to do something else with her.
All of which is to say that I also have a wall calendar which I use to track major events and menu plan...digital calendars are getting there, but not quite!
I think the convenience is definitely there with a Google calendar option...but I'm also a pen and paper 4 ever type of person. Plus, the less I have to look at my phone screen and scroll through those things the better! 🙂
I'm with you on the Google calendar, Susan. About 6 years ago my then-boyfriend (now-husband) basically insisted that I try Google calendar. I was convinced that I couldn't live without my beloved paper calendar, but he hated the never-ending need to align calendars. He insisted that I try the online calendar where we can see each other's appointments, and I have to admit, he was right. We each have a calendar and one for the kids, so it's easy to see which appointments below to whom, and from anywhere in the world we know what's on the calendar. I could never go back to a paper calendar now.
What security measures are in place for these online calendars? Especially if it links ot my email, I want something iron-bound.
Mine is set up with the same level of authentication as my email. No one can see my calendar unless I share it, and I don't - we have a communal calendar as a family that gets invited to specific events. My calendar is linked to my email only in the sense that some types of events get automatically copied to my calendar - you can't access my email from my calendar without my email passwords.
But if you're that worried about security, then you're probably not using webmail, and a google calendar is therefore probably not very useful to you.
When you break it down that way, $1.42 per month is really reasonable, especially when you consider that a missed medical appointment can cost you more than the cost of the planner in missed appointment fees, or some similar comparison. We just bought our high schooler a planner to keep track of his assignments. I didn't really care what it cost (within reason) if he's going to use it, because it's really a help to him since organization is not his strong suit.
My husband has sort of the same type of reasoning when purchasing cars...he calls it price/per mile, but in essence it is your same cost per use. He calculates the price per mile. Assuming a vehicle is good until 150K miles. price of vehicle (Let's use $30,000) divided by 150,000 miles = $0.20/mile. still good way to calculate value of a used vehicle. Take the original 150,000 miles- miles on vehicle and divid that into the price. Works for us! The used vehicle price should be lower than new per mile otherwise better to buy a new vehicle.
I am a paper person too! Digital calendars just don't work as well for me, although I am forced to use them at work so that they can be shared.
But for personal planning, I am pen and paper all the way. And I splurge a little and buy planners I think are pretty as well as useful. I love stationary and its rather affordable compared to a lot of other things people collect or splurge on.
The one hurdle I have about buying quality is how to evaluate it before I buy! I would much rather spend more and have something last longer, but I do feel nervous about spending more on something that won't last any longer then something that is less expensive. I'm sure it's something that you get better at with experience, but that's experience I just don't have yet! Also, I do always have that nagging thought that maybe I could spend less on something and it *might* last just as long... Most of us probably have the random, cheap piece of clothing that has somehow lasted for AGES even though it's from a store with a reputation for being very low quality.
Anyway, just some thoughts that run through my mind with almost every purchase I make.... I really enjoyed this post!
I have this exact same hurdle! A few years ago I decided I wanted to start investing in higher quality clothing that would hopefully "last longer" so I splurged on two blouses that were much more expensive (and from high reputation brands) than my usual Target T-shirts. One wore a hole within a few months, and the other started fraying and lost a button within a few weeks! I was so disappointed, those Target T-shirts have all lasted much longer. How do you test-drive for quality (since high price and brand reputation is not a guarantee, apparently)?
I try to read reviews, although those are somewhat unhelpful sometimes. I also try to base future purchases on how well past purchases have held up. For instance, I know that Target knit tshirts always seem to last just fine for Lisey, so I'm happy to buy more in the future.
On the other hand, items that have zippers, such as hoodies, seem to not last very well if they're more cheaply made, so I either try to avoid zippered items (pullovers instead of zippered hoodies), or when my kids get big enough to slow their growth down, I'm happy to buy them an American Giant hoodie.
So, I'd chalk your experience up to learning, and stick with what you know works now. And if it's possible to return those shirts, I would! Companies that promise better quality should hear about if the quality isn't there.
This isn't an answer to your immediate issue, but did you write letters of displeasure to those companies? I bargain that if you were to write them your reasons for purchasing their clothing with the mindset that higher price = higher quality, you might re-coup some of it back in the form of a gift card or coupon. I always take the time to write letters when I'm displeased with service (and when I am pleased too!)
I'm a paper and pen person, even after trying to do digital calendars in an effort to help be on the same page as my husband, who is an avid technology user. I just couldn't do it. I ordered a BASICS planner for $20 and it should last almost a year. One month into using it, I'm sold on it and my husband converted. I do appointments, to-do lists, menu planning and notes all in the same planner. After reading about some studies that have shown pen and paper planners and books results in better memory and comprehension, my husband tried the planner. The man whom I thought didn't have an organized bone in his body is organized AND proactive about things coming up! We've gone from a somewhat stressed home mostly organized by me to a less stressed home with both of us keeping our family on track. Pen and Paper FOEVAH! (and BASICS planners, too)
I use the Amy Knapp family organizer calendar & love it. It is about $30. or $35.00 dollars & last 18 months. I love the way it is set up and has places for TO DO , Shopping lists & menus . So everything is in 1 place, for me it works. It is worth the cost for just that reason. It helps me organize my day. I usually agree on quality vs quantity but I paid close to $100.00 for a brand name cordless floor vacuum & it last a few months. Later found 1 at Aldi's for $20.00*& it last for years
When I read your comment, I thought of FG's washer and dryer. You can spend $2000 on fancy new highly technical washers and dryers...or you can buy a used, basic model one that could last forever.
YES! When we moved into our previous home it came with a mismatched washer/dryer. The washer was ANCIENT and not very attractive. I kept waiting for it to die so I could get something "nicer". Well, when we moved out of that house 10 years later, we sold it with that same washer. It never died, and it never gave us any problems. That was priceless!!!
I love the detail I can enter into Google calendar if I need it. I also tend to a group's Google calendar and I love the ease of entering things that happen once a week, once a month, or a number of contiguous days. Both my personal and the group's calendars show up in one display on my tablet calendar (and the tablet goes everywhere with me!).
That said, hubby and I have a paper calendar on which we enter vacations or when one of us will be away.
Cost-per-use: goes way down when you pick up a good quality item used (and not abused).
I haven't read all the above comments, so I don't know if someone else pointed it out: But 16.99 is a heck of a lot less expensive than 1 missed Ballet Class, or 1 dinner out because you didn't plan dinner. I get a cute meal planning pad of paper that I stick on my fridge. I have tried EVERYTHING else, but the cute meal planning pad is the one way I make sure to plan meals. And it works! and we eat out a lot less because I have actually planned the meals.
I am a dog groomer with a shop in my home. I also groom in an animal clinic, where the staff sets my appointments. I do my own scheduling for my home business. I use the Contacts feature on my iPhone to keep track of my clients and the details of the grooming each time. However, as efficient as I expected this to be, it is not. For whatever reason, and no one can tell me why, the newest entries keep disappearing. If I add one for today, and I look at it tomorrow, it's gone. At first I thought there may be a limit to the number of entries it can handle, but other contacts have more and this hasn't happened to them. So in all for the old pen and paper, and in fact, I use a plain old calendar to schedule the appointments. The whole month is at a glance, the squares are big enough to write in details and times, and it hangs on the side of my fridge by a magnet hook. Low tech, yes. I do bow to technology in one way, though: I snap a picture of the calendar page before I head out each morning. This way, if I get a call for an appointment, I can still see what's available. And nearly all of my home salon appointments are scheduled via text message. This gives me a record of dates and times, as well.
After your review of the calendar in a previous post, I bought one. I LOVE IT!!! I've gone through so many calendars and never could find one that I was happy with and would stick with. I think this is it!
I am a member if the paper pencil 4evah club too!! I do use a planner --I graduated from hand me down spirals note books from my some when some gave me one of the expensive brands of planner for my birthday and I LOVED it just not the price tag attached I knew I needed to find a cheaper alternative and I did. I found a full sized 18 month student calendar at Target and I can still use all my cute stickers and washi tape that I am so fond of. I use it every day! I paid less that $20 for it.
I too have found that I am only willing to spend my money on higher quality things that last. Good shoes are a must for me since I broke my foot 3 years ago. Some things you can skimp on but not that. My husband will research something to death before he will make a purchase, to make sure that it is worth the money and will last a long time. Cheap, stuff is just that--cheap stuff. Quality over quantity for sure!
Lord have mercy! I must need to cut back on the coffee when I went back and read that!! Lol *** I used hand me down spiral notebooks from my son until someone gave me an expensive planner for my birthday! Whew!!
I am completely willing to pay more for items that last. Unfortunately, I have found with certain things (e.g. women's clothing in particular) many companies seem to operate from the assumption that you will want to update your wardrobe regularly, and hence it doesn't have to last. So even expensive items wear down. Very frustrating.
I hear you on the paper calendar thing. I'm all paper myself. People send me calendar invites and I click accept but I have no idea where those things go!
I agree with you on using cost per use when figuring out purchases but also something like this falls in the what's important for you category. Some things that are important for you might fall in a wasteful category for someone else. We all have a few things that we like that makes life easier. I think these things are important(as long as they are in the budget.
Right on FG! Last year I bought some American Giant t-shirts after seeing that you like their hoodies. I have worn those t-shirts day in and day out without a single sign of wear. They've kept me from buying new cheap shirts every season. And I love having a quality piece and not contributing clothing to our landfills. Cost per use!
I'm the same - I absolutely need to keep everything written down in my paper agenda - electronic just doesn't work as well for me. I also work out "cost per use" for things before I buy them!
For my fellow pen and paper friends, go to YouTube and look up the "Emma Le Trefle" commercial. So funny!
Oh, that was hilarious! That one's going to stick with me for a long time. Thanks!
Love. Preach on girlfriend
I'm so sorry that people criticize. Your money, your choices. Their money, their choices.
Oh, I wasn't offended...no one asked questions in a super critical way or anything. But yes, everyone's got different priorities, and different items matter more to different people.
I love my paper calendar. Every year we make one using family pictures, we write everything in there, and then we keep them as souvenirs. So it's "double use". I'll never stop doing this.
I was interested in hearing more about your visual synesthesia. Totally fascinating!
Cost-per-use is a common theme in libraries. Medical library resources are incredibly expensive and I'm on a very tight budget so I always consider CpU when deciding to renew or drop something. I just never really thought about applying it to my regular life. Thanks for the inspiration!
I think about the cost per use, too. We live overseas, and what we can take is very limited. That makes you really think about what is filling your suitcase space. It's better to have a few quality items than many that won't last.
I also use a paper planner, and I consider it worthwhile to put in my carry-on luggage. I've also seen things written that say that your brain processes the things on paper better. I don't really know if it's true for everyone, but it works for me. I can't really do the digital calendars & to-do lists and stay organized. Being organized definitely saves money in the long run, especially when you consider international travel.
I had to get my husband to quit thinking of things like this, " Its cheap so Ill just buy it and when it breaks, we'll buy another one, its only ..... dollars". Good Lord, that was frustrating!!! I do not buy things unless we have the $ for them, so I would not go out and buy something expensive until I know we can afford it. I'd rather wait for the better quality item (if I can) rather then "have it now" and get a cheap substitute!
I thought of you and several commenters above when I saw this--stunning. (Even if it appears to be written for UK consumers).
https://www.yahoo.com/style/experiment-finds-topshop-gap-clothes-000000940.html
I know you are past this stage of life, but I used the cost per use reasoning when buying a new car seat for my 4th child. I wanted something safe and reliable and since it's something we'll use every day for several years, the cost per use is quite reasonable.