Good Enough for Me
HOW DO YOU DECIDE whether to go with good, better or best?
My next-door neighbor always goes for the best, regardless of what it is. He pays more for everything. He’s a senior vice president, and I guess he feels he needs or deserves the best. God bless him.
That’s not my approach. I recently replaced my gas furnace and central air conditioner. My furnace was 23 years old and my air conditioner 10. To save money, I try to repair as many things as I can. But not these. Other than replacing the filter, if something goes wrong, I call the company that installed the furnace and A/C.
One of the sales tactics used by the installation companies: They’d give me three quotes. They were classified as good, better and best. What to do? I hate spending money, so cheap is always my way to go. But cheap usually means more frequent breakdowns and the need to replace sooner.
On the other hand, I learned the warranty coverage is typically limited to 10 years. No matter which brand I looked at or how much the unit cost, it was always 10 years, so what difference does it make what I choose?
Given my thrifty tendencies, I settled on good—a single-stage furnace with a standard digital thermostat. I chose a higher-efficiency furnace since our family hates being cold. I also chose standard A/C since we only use it three months out of the year.
The same thrifty approach has benefitted me with other purchases. I’ve been buying automotive hand tools for 54 years. My go-to brand was Sears Craftsman. The tools had a lifetime warranty. They were sold at any Sears store. Back then, many of the wrenches, ratchets and sockets were made in America by the Danaher Corp.
My alternative tool supplier would have been Snap-on, which is sold only by its dealers, who drive around in Snap-on trucks and sell directly to auto dealers and garages. Snap-on’s tools cost more than Craftsman’s.
While I could have bought the best—Snap-on—I chose “better” since Craftsman tools were good enough for what I needed. In addition, if one of my tools broke, I could always get a replacement at the local Sears store. As it turned out, none of my Craftsman tools has ever broken.
I'm cheap, frugal, thrifty, a tightwad, know the value of a dollar. My inclination is always to buy the cheapest of everything. Cheap often makes sense, but not always.
Take motor oil. For many car enthusiasts, synthetic motor oil is the way to go. They believe that, since it costs more, it must be better. A popular brand is Mobil 1. It’s sold in many stores, including Walmart. You don’t need to change your oil as frequently with synthetic oil, as you do with conventional oil. But is it better for everyone? No.
If you live in extreme climates, like Alaska or on the equator, yes, synthetic is better. If you own an exotic car, like a Ferrari, yes, it’s better. If you drive a Honda Accord in Ohio, no. You’d pay more, but you don’t get more. You’d just get different.
If you’re like my neighbor and feel you deserve the best, go with Mobil 1. Otherwise, go with standard oil. If you want to save even more, buy a store brand. Just make sure it has API in a circle on the back of the container. This certifies that it meets the American Petroleum Institute’s quality standard for new cars. We got 300,000 miles out of my wife’s 1997 Ford Taurus using store-brand oil.
What is the answer to good, better, best? If you need to know you’ve got the best, then go for it. If everything doesn’t need to be the best, save some money and buy better. If you're going to use something once and throw it away, go with good.
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