A few months back, I traveled to France with the idea of buying a new laptop. My trusty Asus Eeepc had been with me for three years, surviving over 60,000 miles on motorcycle panniers, enduring all sorts of harsh conditions. Despite its resilience, it was getting noisy after my latest trip to Europe, making me worry it might stop working suddenly. So, after returning to Guatemala, I decided it was time for a new laptop.
In Guatemala City, there are some good shops, but online shopping is still in its infancy. I couldn’t check store inventories or prices online, let alone order anything. My boyfriend took me to Office Depot, where I found an Acer laptop that wasn’t too big and seemed okay. It wasn’t great, but it was under $400, which was appealing given that a sleek Samsung with a solid-state drive cost $1,500—a big price difference.
My boyfriend teased me for being cheap, but my old laptop cost around $450 and lasted four years. I wasn’t convinced a $1,500 laptop would last twelve years, considering how fast technology evolves. Even if I could afford it, my new laptop would undergo the same rough treatment as the old one. Twelve years felt unrealistic for any laptop to survive.
After checking out three more stores amidst the pre-Christmas madness, I had enough. The crowds, loud music, uninformed staff, and wasted time made the experience unbearable. Frustrated, we went back to Office Depot, and I bought the $400 laptop.
I was so unexcited about the purchase that I didn’t even open it when we got home and continued using my old laptop for a week. I wasn’t thrilled about Windows 8 and the idea of the cloud potentially compromising my personal information.
A month later, I sold my old laptop to our maid for $200, which made the upgrade essentially cost me $200. But even then, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d rather buy another, better laptop during my upcoming trip to the US.
In the end, it felt like a waste of time, money, and energy migrating to a laptop that didn’t fully satisfy me. How many times have you rushed a purchase, grabbed the first shirt in the store, and regretted it later? Or bought something on sale only to never use it because it wasn’t what you needed or wanted?
There’s something called “cost per use,” which matters more than the item’s price tag. If you buy a $10 item and use it once, it costs you $10 per use. But a $100 item used 1,000 times costs just $0.10 per use. I may offload my computer when I get a new one from the US, possibly recouping some money by offering a small monthly payment option. But that’s not the point. I bought something that didn’t make me happy. I should have stayed home and had a beer instead.
Next time you go shopping, think about it. Consider how often you’ll use the item. If you’re not completely convinced, put it back.
What was your last “meh” purchase?