One of the items my daughter recently picked up were multiple concert t-shirts that had been autographed by the entire band.
I figured the original cost of these conservatively at $20 each was around $200 total, but the original owners sold them for $1.00 each at their yard sale.
Honestly I was surprised that someone had sold such an item. One of the reasons may have been they had outgrown them, which is understandable as some of the older shirts were XL, but newer ones were 2X.
It reminds me of this meme that has been going around the Internet. Don't buy the $300 bag when you can buy a $10 bag and put the other $290 in it.
Getting back to the t-shirts, whatever the reason for selling the shirts, the owner had easily spent $200 on them and ended up selling them for $10, which was a loss of $190.
Many necessary things can be bought for $190 by those who struggle financially. Down through the years and especially as I've gotten older I have come to seriously question buying anything that we do not need to sustain ourselves.
I've cleaned out multiple homes where the owners have passed on or moved, but left stuff behind because it was too much stuff or not really needed.
I don't want to be in the position of having too much stuff. I love to yard sale, but I don't have anything hoarded up here. I keep my stuff to a minimum that is easily sustained by me.
Sometimes people buy things using money that should be saved up for an emergency instead and then when an emergency does come up they have no money to pay for it.
Knowing the difference between needs and wants is one of the keys to living a non hoarded and secure financial life. I'm not going to teeter on the brink of the financial edge, and spend money on something I don't need. That is not my style.
Now I don't know why the concert shirts were sold, but do wonder if the owner regrets buying them.
I know I have regrets about things I've bought in the past. That's called buyer's remorse.
In our home these days we have goals we want to meet and buying something unnecessary doesn't fit well with those goals. We have to decide for ourselves where we fit on this spectrum and do our best to maintain that balance.
Thoughts?
Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
