Dividing cost by times of use
- If something costs $1000 and I use it once, it costs $1000 per use.
- If something costs $1000 and I use it 1000 times, it costs $1 per use.
This isn’t a justification for buying expensive things—it’s just how I try to evaluate buying things that I want and believe will serve me well. Whether they’re practical (apps I use or services I’m subscribed to) or simply add joy to my life every time I use them (I’m looking at you, my sneakers collection.)
Another way to think about it is this: there’s a balance between choosing to buy something expensive but high-quality, knowing it will serve me for years, and buying something cheap and low-quality that might need replacing soon. A high-quality shirt costing $100 that lasts 5 years is effectively the same as buying a $50 low-quality shirt every 2.5 years, except you wear a low-quality shirt.
Of course, this isn’t an exact science—it’s difficult to predict these things perfectly, and sometimes buying the cheaper option is indeed the right thing to do. I just believe the usage factor is important as well.