Quality Over Quantity + Planned Obsolescence

Buying products that WILL last you is not just better for your wallet but also for several other aspects of your life. Read on to find more on why quality is always better than quantity.

Quality over quantity is buying something at a greater cost than it's competitor but at a higher value.

For example, my safety razor I have now was an investment. It cost me almost $70 which is really expensive however I will never have to buy another razor again (I'll only have to replace the blades). To me buying a razor of value was more important than saving money (in that very second).

Why Choose Quality Products:

+ It’s an investment up front but saves a ton of money in the long run

When shopping for something that is of Hugh quality you will undoubtedly pay more for it upfront. However as the years go on you won't need to replace meaning it's average cost per year is so much less than buying the same product if low quality over and over and over again.

+ Choosing quality saves time from effortlessly searching for more and gives it back to more important areas of your life / reduces stress

By choosing quality you aren't stuck looking for another "couch" in three years or another matress in five. You will be able to take that time and be able to invest in in more valuable areas of your life like the time you spend with family and friends... or even just the time you spend binging your favourite Netflix film.

+ it makes you give more value to what you own (a $70 safety razor will in your eyes be so much more worthy than a $10 one)

When I purchase something "fancy" I genuinely feel more attached to it and feel like I need to take care of it more. For example let's jump back to my safety razor. Every single time I use that product I will take it apart and dry it to ensure it doesn't rust or create any issues. It's knowing you worked hard for something that will make you care more about it.

What is planned obsolescence?

Planned obsolescence "in industrial design and economics is a policy of planning or designing a product with an artificially limited useful life, so that it becomes obsolete (i.e., unfashionable, or no longer functional) after a certain period of time."

This basically means that companies make products to fail. Why does your iPhone get slower as the years go on and why do people continually buy new ones? Because Apple made their products that way. As a company their goal is to do one thing -- make MONEY. Because apple products are so popular they made them to fail after a few years because they knew that people would come running back.

A similar experience occurs in fast fashion. These big companies make cheap quality clothing in a way that harms both the people and the workers to keep up with trends. Because the quality is so cheap people usually only wear these articles a couple of times before discarding of them or just forgetting about them all together.

While looking for quality products may be more difficult than buying the first thing you find, it is crucial in sustainability!