Golbguru of Money Matters and More Musings is one of my favorite writers. Just yesterday, he wrote 12 Things I Will Never Spend A Dime On. Interestingly, I found 5 items on the list that I have spent my money on.
- Gillette Fusion Power – I mentioned switching to the Gillette Fusion Power back last year. Golbguru notes that the cartridges are a rip off at $18-$30 on Amazon. I found that Amazon can charge $3.50 a blade. However, I bought my razor blades on Ebay and paid around $1.66 a blade. I get about a month from each blade. Overall it’s a great value for a superior shave to anything I’ve ever used in the past.
- Electric Tooth Brush – I own an electric toothbrush and have enjoyed it for nearly 3 years. My teeth had never been so clean. The dentists I have talked to have said that the sonic brushes simply do a better job than people do with a conventional brush. Golbguru found an electric toothbrush for $129… My Ultrasonex is on Ebay for $20 as of this writing. If that $19.95 price makes you think it’s a gimmick you can buy a newer $50 version.
- Color Inkjet Printer – I just mentioned buying this yesterday. Since I already have a laser printer for low cost of printing, I’m not concerned about ink jet prices. I didn’t need to get a color all-in-one, but it was no more expensive than the black-and-white printers. I got mine on a sale at Costco saving about $100 off the price on Amazon.
- GPS Navigation Unit – Of all the purchases I’ve ever made, this is probably the most helpful. Since we moved out to California last year, I have relearn the whole area. I’ve used a map before and just can’t remember every turn, which you’d need to do because you don’t want to refer to it while driving. That’s a serious driving hazard. However, my GPS unit just tells me exactly where to turn. It also saves me a lot of planning in advance, since I just need to have the address of where I’m going. Before GPS, I could get lost and be a half hour or an hour late to appointments. After, I’m on time. It’s paid for itself a few times over with that benefit along. You can get a good GPS machine on Ebay for around $200, much cheaper than they would have cost just a couple of years ago.
- “Memory Foam” Mattresses – Golbguru takes exception to the nearly $6000 Tempur-pedic mattress. While we didn’t go for a memory foam mattress (Energi Gal doesn’t like them), I do have a memory foam pillow. It’s a generic one that cost me about $20-$25, not a bad price. When we looked at mattresses at Macy’s we found that normal, non-memory foam mattresses could be $10,000. I’ve also seen generic, non-Temper-pedic mattresses at under $999 for a queen size. Of course, nowadays there are better (and much cheaper) options mattress options like this Nolah Signature air foam mattress.
In the end, the lesson I learned is to evaluate the value behind the purchase. When reviewing these products, I found that putting a little thought behind the purchase can make it a wise one.
I used to think that the only way to save money was not to spend it, and I used to get incredibly guilty every time I made a purchase that didn’t fall strictly under the heading of ‘essentials’, but I’ve come to realise that as long as you can stay out of serious debt, it’s often worth going for a more expensive item – either because it’s better quality so will last longer and do a better job or simply because owning it will make you happier. After all, we weren’t put on this earth to be miserable. That’s why we’ve just spent a couple of hundred quid on a new stereo we could have got for half the price: it will still be making our music sound wonderful and looking beautiful long after those cheaper models have given up the ghost – I hope!
Well I can say I haven’t purchased any of the items on your list but the GPS is definitely at the top. I was born with an innate ability to get lost in a city that I’ve lived in for over 15 years.
Ok. I have an Electric Toothbrush because my dentist strongly recommended it.
I have a GPS unit and can not imagine life without it now. And I love memory foam. I don’t have the mattress though. I bought a queen size memory foam pad that lays on top of my regular mattress ($100 at Costco). I also use a memory foam pillow.
Buy a toll road transponder and then a GPS system. You need to be tracked everywhere! These are sold as convenience items but the information can be used in courts (divorce) and by governments
Your cell phone already tracks you everywhere with the E911 feature. As long as you are giving up your privacy anyway, you might as make life as easy as possible with GPS and transponers.
i had bought a memory foam pad before, but they just aren’t the same as the MF mattresses.
definite yes to the electric toothbrush, we have oral-b
although i don’t use a gps, a gps is a worthwhile purchase if you are on the road alot or in a foreign town.
use to have a color printer, but got rid of it since we didn’t ever use it. i have a MFC laser that is exceptional.
razors: i’m a DE safety razor guy now. much better shaving than those multi-blad things. i actually enjoy shaving now, as it has become a morning ritual.
Lazy,
I still advocate that you should add Prosper to your list of “things not to spend your money on”.
I hope you aren’t offended as I’m trying to have a little fun with our disagreement on the virtues of Prosper. My intentions are friendly / well-meaning.
I wouldn’t use prosper. Many are saying that they aren’t getting paid.
I’m also concerned that many of you are reading this guy writing about giving away privacy. It is a slippery slope – first cell phones, then I Pass, then RFID, then the national ID, then the implantable microchip.Your life won’t be easy when all the constitutional protections are talen away and you are nothing more than a slave.
Anyway, I’m going to contact Lazy Man via email because he wants to stop my right to free speech!
PF Odyssey: There’s no offense taken. I wish you would have waited a week or two to post an article related to Prosper :-). I left comments on your site, but I’ll delete your link here because it’s not relevant to the article’s topic.
Dave: Feel free to familiarize yourself with my comment policy.
I think the electric toothbrush is a no brainer. They will save you money in the long run as the new sonic brushes really do a much better job. It’s made huge difference for my teeth.
I’ve read that Memory foam mattresses only keep their memory foamy-ness for so long. With that said, is it really worth it?
Most come with a longer warranty than spring mattresses in my experience. And since they can cost less if you shop around, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be worth it if that’s what you like.
I have been keeping an eye open for a sonic toothbrush. I guess my only hesitation is buying a TOOTHBRUSH on ebay. How do I not know that this thing was used by some Chinaman and reboxed and sold to some unsuspecting dumb American like myself.
You can change the brush heads, so just start with a fresh packaged one. You may find a cheap older model Ultrasonex somewhere else. I didn’t do an exhaustive search, just went to the first place I could think of.