Don’t Go for the Upgrade

For the first time ever, I was not “that guy” with the newest iPhone 5 last month.  Yep, I still have the 4…and I’m sticking with it until it dies.

I was never so clueless as to think that the newest version of any Brand X would be a life-changer; I was more the type of person who couldn’t stand to see other people with the newest gadgets before me.  Stupid, I know.  I think we all know that we can continue to live a good life without Brand X, and we don’t need it to be happy.  If you do need the “next best thing” for to make you happy, ask yourself…why?

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of advertisers spending millions of dollars trying to create a sense of urgency for us to purchase new stuff.  I mean, these guys are good at what they do, and they know damn well what they are doing.  We all have the power to say that we won’t play the game anymore.  Why don’t we?

Of course, at some point our stuff may wear out and break.  This is why we need to:

  1. Buy high quality products in a thoughtful manner (even consider a depreciation schedule or cost of ownership per year for each item).
  2. Meticulously take care of what we own, or learn to repair the item (like electronics at ifixit.com).
  3. Sometimes go without things.

I’ll admit, until this past year I have never decided to go without something when I figured I could “just buy a new one”.  These days I even decide to “go without” before buying something in the first place.  What a new, unique feeling that is for me.  When we go without something, we are not depriving ourselves.  Like I always say, you only do this once, so deprivation is not something I am interested in.  I am talking about seriously questioning our stuff; do we really need it?  Sometimes I have found that life is actually better without it.

Finally, if you must replace something, perhaps forgoing the expensive upgrade will still be the right call.  For instance, when I sold all my stuff I got great deals when I sold my old phones on sites like sellyourcell.com.  I literally sold my iPhone 3 for almost as much as I paid for the 4.  If I bought another 3 instead (which would have been fine), I would have walked away with an extra 50 bucks in my pocket.  Food for thought, at the very least.

The newest, latest, greatest version of stuff will not change our life.  Don’t fall for the hype.  Join me and don’t get the upgrade.

Don’t forget to enter the Holiday Giveaway to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card.  12 Days Left!

 

 

 

Speak Your Mind

*