North Tonawanda, NY —I’ve written a bunch in this space about ways to save money, but here’s another thing I learned long ago: Sometimes, cheap doesn’t cut it because you get what you pay for.
For example:
Shoes: I can go to the $20 version from the discount store all day long, but they make my feet hurt. Now if I go to the big department store, like Penneys or Sears, I know I will pay at least $80. What makes the difference is that my feet don’t hurt and the shoes last longer. I still have trouble going up another $30 for even better shoes — the kind that you can have resoled — but I’m working up to it.
Hiking Boots: Before a trip to Philmont with the Boy Scouts in 2006, I plunked down $136 for a pair of Vasque Clarion hiking boots. I could have spent $70 on the clearance rack at Dicks. A year later, the welt on my Vasque’s was beginning to split and they were pretty well shot. I brought them back, since the idea was they would last for years. The merchant, Paths, Peaks and Paddles, examined the boots and sent them back. Vasque sent a new pair.
Power Tools: Buy all the cheap, made in China tools you want. I cherish my father’s 1950s Black and Decker circular saw. I’ve tried to retire it three times over the years, with $80 replacements from Home Depot. Not one has stood the test.
Hand tools: I’ll stand by my old Crescent brand wrench and Craftsman socket set. I’ve returned numerous tools over the years for replacements because of my tendency to abuse and break them.
Garden Tools: My $10 shovel lasted 10 years until the handle snapped. Then I went to Home Depot and bought one with a 20-year warranty. It cost more, but I’m fairly certain 30 years from now it will still be functioning.
Grills: I am a dedicated barbecue guy and I love my Weber grill. In fact, I have never owned a gas grill. I can use my metal chimney to have Kingsford Briquets ready to go in 20 minutes. Banking coals differently and managing vents allows me to maintain any internal temp, from 200 degrees for beef brisket to 500 degrees for pizza, as monitored by the in-lid thermometer. No charcoal grill other than the standard Weber 22 1/2 inch kettle holds up to my abuse.
Car Maintenance: I am fastidious about mechanical maintenance on my beloved Chevy Colorado. Alignments, oil changes, coolant and transmission services and everything else make a huge difference over the long haul. I know as well that relying on a corner mechanic like Stuart Selover at Fast Lane or Jarrod at Brownie’s saves significantly after the manufacturer’s warranty is up.
Banking: We recently closed our last accounts at HSBC because it was impossible to get good service. We now have accounts at the North Tonawanda Credit Union and the Bank of Akron. Both are a tiny bit more expensive, but they know you by name, are easy to get in touch with and offer superior service.
Hardware Stores: I shop at Valu and Hectors as often as possible. I don’t even know if it costs more. What I do know is I will be treated courteously by an employee who will help me find what I need and never hassle me when I bring back broken stuff.
As I finish this column I’m noticing a trend: My family is right in the way they have chided me over the years. I abuse things and subject them to torture for which they were not designed, resulting in way more returns than I should generate.
Please chuckle at the awkward headline, as well: I live in a home of grammar snobs (I’m one) but I couldn’t help but notice how awkward it was to move the preposition in “you get what you pay for” from the end of the sentence.
Thanks for reading
LM Boyd of the Week: Among dogs, too, the male is more difficult to housebreak.
Word of the Week: Americanism — a characteristic figure of American speech (especially when contrasted with British English). You knew that. What you didn’t know was that the word was coined by a guy named Witherspoon in 1781.
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