Investing in Quality: Items That Save You Money in the Long Run
Investing in Quality: Items That Save You Money in the Long Run
Investing in Quality: Every purchase you make has a cost and a value. Sometimes, spending more money than you initially think you should save you serious cash in the long run. Here’s a list of items that demonstrate how this rule works in real life.
Investing in Quality: Thermostatic Shower Faucet
Before you dismiss a thermostatic shower faucet that costs 3-4 times as much as an ordinary faucet as an unnecessary luxury, hear me out. It can save you hundreds of dollars a year because you won’t have to spend time regulating the water temperature. Some online calculators can help you figure out exactly how much you’ll save, and the more members there are in your family, the greater the savings will be. Additionally, you’ll be able to turn off the water while lathering – it’ll be the right temperature when you turn it on again, and you won’t be freezing, covered in soapy foam while trying to regulate the water temperature.
Investing in Quality: Water-Saving Showerhead
A regular showerhead splashes more water on you than you need to get clean. A water-efficient showerhead reduces the amount of water that goes through your water heater by 7 gallons with every 7-minute shower, which amounts to around 2,500 gallons a year. This also means less water gets heated, so you’re saving both water and energy. The purchase should pay for itself in 10 months.
Freezer
A freezer might sound like a waste of money and space in your kitchen, but it can help you stock up and save a bunch! Supermarkets often offer good deals on foods that can be frozen and stored for a long time. You need vitamins all year round, and seasonal greenery costs way more off-season. You can buy whole salmon for two times cheaper than salmon steaks of the same weight. The freezer costs no more than a fridge and requires the same amount of electricity if used properly, it will pay for itself in the next 3 years.
Foodsaver
Have you ever cooked more food than you can eat and then failed to keep the leftovers edible, resulting in having to throw it all away? Many would consider a food saver an extra, yet it works by drawing air out of a plastic bag or container so that food stays fresher for longer.
Induction Stove
An induction stove costs twice as much as an electric one from the same manufacturer. But what’s cool about it is its super high efficiency – according to the Electric Power Research Institute, up to 90% of its energy heats your food. An electric stove, for example, has a different efficiency – 70%, while only 40% of a gas stove’s energy goes to heating food. This means that food is cooked faster on induction stoves, so the consumption of energy decreases. Also, induction stoves don’t work unless you put something on them, so if you take off the kettle and forget to turn off the stove, it won’t stay on, consuming electricity in vain. And since the surface of these stoves doesn’t heat, the risk of getting burns is also less.
Investing in Quality: Seasonal Tire Change
Even considering the cost of tire fitting services, seasonal tires will cost you less than universal ones because all-season tires have a lower wear resistance. But you save the most money here as you improve the safety of your car. If it’s colder than 14°F outside, all-season tires harden, the grip on the road decreases, and the car becomes less controllable. Expenses for repairing a wrecked car can damage one’s budget significantly, let alone medical services if they’re required.
Gym Equipment
If you visit the gym regularly and your membership costs a lot, you might consider taking the gym home. If you buy some quality equipment that’s not crazy expensive, you can save some serious cash over time. But make sure you only buy the machines you use, not just the stuff that was on sale.
A High-Quality Mattress
You spend around ¼ of your life sleeping, and that time affects the other ¾. A mattress that doesn’t ruin your back will save you a lot of money in future medical visits and increase your productivity. The same is true about a good pillow.
Coffee Maker
Does your daily commute to work involve a coffee from a coffee shop nearby? So, you must think a coffee maker is way too expensive? A regular cup costs somewhere from $2 to $5, with an average price of $3.50. If you get one cup of coffee every day, that’s a total of about $1300 per year. The cost will be higher if you’re not the only person in the family that drinks coffee, or if you drink more than one cup daily. Now, coffee makers cost anywhere from $35 to $500, depending on the kind you get. Even when you add the cost of coffee beans, electricity, and maintenance, your home coffee maker will pay for itself within one year! Once you buy it, you’ll be getting your daily dose of deliciousness for production cost only, which is about 20 cents per cup of espresso. Ooh, got that Java jive…
Investing in Quality: Filtered Water Bottle
There’s one more thing you buy every day, and hopefully, you drink more of it than coffee – I’m talking about water. A filtered bottle will cost you about $40, and there are also cartridge refill costs, but it should all be paid off in half a year. You’ll be able to fill the bottle from any tap, and the water will be cleaned of any viruses and bacteria. Plus, using the same bottle over and over again is way more eco-friendly than buying plastic bottles whenever you get thirsty.
Investing in Quality: LED Light Bulbs
Though LED bulbs have many advantages, their one major disadvantage – high cost – stops many people from buying them. The price of an LED bulb is about 8 times higher than a normal incandescent bulb. But at the same time, an LED bulb consumes 10 times less electricity. Also, the service period of an LED bulb is 10,000-25,000 hours, while for a regular bulb, it’s 1,000 hours. That means that while using one LED bulb, you’d change a conventional light bulb about 20 times. So, an LED bulb is about 7 times more wallet-friendly than a normal one.
A Blade Sharpener
Once you get a blade sharpener, you won’t need to toss away your razors when they get slightly dull. You’ll be able to use one blade for up to six months!
A High-Quality Phone Case
A paradox of life is that many people are willing to spend a fortune on a new phone but get excited about a $1 “great deal” case for it. However, such a case isn’t going to protect your phone in times of crisis, and you might have to replace the gadget if you accidentally drop it. Getting a case for $40 doesn’t sound as scary as getting a new phone for $1000, right?
“Smart” Power Strips
If you’re using a device that has a lot of accessories, for example, a desktop computer that has a monitor, speakers, printer, and so on connected to it, “smart” power strips will help you save on the electricity bill. When you turn on your computer, it powers on other connected devices. When you turn it off, everything else goes off as well, cutting a lot of the unnecessary expenses you would bear if you forgot to do so yourself.
Investing in Quality: A Motion Sensor Light Switch
(Clap clap) Clap On. No, not that! What seemed like something out of a sci-fi movie a few decades ago is now a real money saver. Thanks to a motion sensor light switch, you’ll keep the lights on only where you need them as you move around the house. The installation is simple and quick, and although it’ll cost you quite a bit, you’ll notice how much energy, and hence money, you save in no time.
Energy-Saving Glass
About 40% of the heat loss in our homes falls on the glass. Just remember how much money you pay for heating; half of this money goes right out the window. An energy-saving coating helps reduce heat transfer through the glass by 75-90%, depending on the type of coating. If you do some math, you can easily calculate how much you can save with Low-E glass. Don’t forget to add the excess electricity that you use for heating your home, as well as the electricity used by air conditioners for cooling your home down while it’s hot outside. Yes, another cool thing about energy-saving glass is that it works for keeping your home both warm and cool.
Which things on the list are you already in possession of? Tell me in the comments below! Please like and share this article with a friend if you learned anything new today.
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