Photograph Credit: Flickr (Jeremy Atkinson)

When I wrote Part 1 of this 2-part series, I expressed my confidence in the quality choices Paul and I made when choosing the upgrades to our home. From the mud sink to the carpet upgrade, I never doubted our quality decisions. In fact, the choices made years ago continue to influence the choices I make today.

The Extension of the Choice

Though I stretch every dollar and pinch every penny, I will choose a quality product over an inexpensive brand that will soon need to be replaced. This choice has benefited our family well in the following two situations:

Our Family Vehicle. Our decision to purchase a brand new vehicle rather than a used vehicle has alleviated much time, concern, and frustration. When Paul and I were dating we agreed that I would not ask him to fix the car, and he would not ask me to sew. Both of us understood our limitations, and we have abided by them for the past 12 years. 🙂

Our vehicle is maintained by our trustworthy mechanic, and we do not negotiate on quality. If there is a problem, we do not want a patch that will need to be addressed again. We want a fix which sometimes comes to the tune of $600.

In these situations, I am thankful that we have saved in other areas to keep our vehicles in top notch shape. This choice to invest in our vehicles continues to save money (patching problems), energy (frustration), and time (waiting for parts and repair). (You can click here to read more about the savings on our tires.)

School Clothing. With a growing boy and the wear and tear of running around and playing ball, I have chosen to purchase name brand clothing. Keeping to the standards of our school uniform code, I have quite a few combinations with of a number of styles. Having tried both the Land’s End and IZOD brands, I prefer the IZOD clothing line due to its durability, fit, and comfort. Last year, I purchased the majority of his clothing at the beginning of the year, and they lasted all year. None of the items were faded, snagged, or ripped.

In preparing for the upcoming school year, I waited for a great sale at J. C. Penney (my preferred supplier). With the back-to-school sales in full swing, I was able to purchase 2 items under $25 last week using Ebates and a promotional code. Though that code has expired, J. C. Penney has released a new promotional code: BOOKBAG, which is valid from Wednesday to Saturday, August 3 -6, 2011. I will be purchasing more clothing for my growing boy on Friday during our tax-free weekend.

Purchasing quality items, like a vehicle and school clothing, have been worth my money, energy, and time. Waiting and combining sales with a promotional code has been the key to purchasing quality items without paying full price.

As you make choices in what you purchase, consider the quality as well as the price. Be patient, and wait for a great sale. In doing so, you can snag a great quality product while saving money, energy, and time.

Question: Would you consider purchasing a brand new vehicle? Why or why not? 

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Nutmeg)

As I drove through my subdivision on trash day, I noticed that two more homes had piles of carpet at the curb. Since the summer began, there have been at least 3 other homes that have replaced or substituted the carpeting in their homes. Though some of them may have chosen another flooring choice, e.g. hardwood, tile, etc., some are replacing the original carpet because it is threadbare.

Making the Choices

Looking back at the choices Paul and I made at the time we built our home, I am confident we chose correctly. After selecting our floor plan and elevation choice (essentially, the look of the outside including the slope of the roof), we had 2-3 pages of upgrades to consider. The choices were a bit overwhelming until we agreed on our maximum purchase price and evaluated our options.

In making our selections, we chose quality over convenience or decoration. Our upgrades included:

• Mud sink for the garage,
• Large appliances,
• Extended (tall) cabinets,
• Fireplace with mantel,
• Tier 2 carpet pad and carpet, and
• Microwave with hood over the range.

All the upgrades we chose cost us less than having to remodel our house with these items. By choosing the best quality upgrades, we used our time wisely.

On a side note: One upgrade I really wanted was the matching crown molding for our kitchen cabinets. However, the price was outrageous and would have exceeded our agreed upon price. That choice also could easily be added at a later time. So, I sacrificed my heart’s desire, and by-passed that upgrade.

As the house was being built, Paul and I would stop by to watch the progress. On one occasion, we met our cabinet installer. After talking with him and thanking him for his work, this installer gave us his business card. We informed him that we were interested in the crown molding and might contact him in the future.

A few weeks later, I received a call from our builder asking us to please remove the crown molding left in the house. On our next visit to the house, Paul and I saw our crown molding. Our cabinet installer GAVE us the crown molding for our kitchen cabinets.

I cannot express the emotions I felt realizing that we chose wisely. The crown molding I desired was given to us free of charge saving us $750. What a blessing! I enjoyed writing that thank you note and am still appreciative of that gift.

The Results of the Choices

In the years we have lived in our house, all of these quality choices continue to serve us well. I am thankful we opted for the upgraded carpet pad and carpet. With continued cleaning and care, these carpets will continue to meet our needs. Though we paid more for these choices at the beginning, I am more aware of the benefits to paying a bit more for quality to save money (replacing the carpets), energy (moving everything out of each room), and time (waiting for the project to be completed) in the long run.

Next week in part 2, I will explain how our decisions of quality in other areas continue to save us money, energy, and time.

Question: What is the best quality choice you have made? Please add your answer by clicking the Leave your Comment button below.