I have of late found myself, in conversation with friends, making recurring references to the “tough economy” plus took a glance at how possibly it is now time for a sea-change in our modes of thinking as consumers. Since that time, I have started to see signs that this might not be as easy a change as I had hoped. I wrote what I wrote previously and then dwelled on it some more and arrived at the comclusion that our Western economic order and out natural inclinations are against us in any such endeavour.
I imagine a cynic would say that I should have realized that from the outset yet I am occasionally just too guilty of being optimistic. I in actuality hoped that with the need to tighten our belts that we would all start to find ways to do without the glittery and new and be contented (at least for the shorter term) with that which we already possess. I was of the belief that now would be a good time for any resurrection of the appreciation of maintenance over replacement, but then again, maybe not.
Honestly, you know it is going to be a hard sell when even one’s own government is against you – albeit inadvertently. I have always had a problem with the fact that with many consumer electronics so often it really is cheaper to replace something before maintaining what you already possess. A while ago I needed to replace the installed battery in my electric beard trimmer. The short of it is that any estimate I got on it would see me paying at least as much to replace the sodered in battery as it would have cost for the latest model of that brand of trimmer. I ended up going and buying the new model and recycling the old one – but only because they could not guarantee a very long lifespan on the old one if I got the battery replaced. that was frustrating. Another example of this is with DVD players and CD players; If your player should up and stop working, then you could find that the cost of repairs may perhaps be as little as a few dollars (say for something like just a faulty disc loading mechanism), which is great, or it may possibly set you back very nearly as much as a brand new player would (if we are talking about more internal issues). Truly,who would not want to go and purchase a brand new player for the equivalent price, especially if it should happen to include more bells and whistles and a shiny new warranty to boot? I have in addition championed the preservation of your trusty household appliances whenever possible, but when I start hearing folks protest that they can get a brand new appliance for just a little more than the cost of a few required replacement parts, I am not staggered that they could choose to go the replacement route. I have read complaints on several kitchen appliance forums from individuals who have discovered to their dismay that the cost of the crock pot parts (such as a replacement lid or liner) that they need would probably end up costing them just about half the cost of the original crockpot. Ouch. When the factor of cost is a wash in the equation then most folks will go for the new if for no other reason than we lack discipline on such issues, even while we know the benefits to the environment of following the mantra of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. I guess it is just a somewhat fuzzy concept in the back of our brains for the majority of us. Now we have this latest endeavor by the US Federal Government to kick start consumer spending by introducing its recent ‘cash for clunkers’ program which is encouraging Americans to get rid of their older car for a brand new one. Now it may possibly be that the majority of the trade ins are in reality near the end of their days of utility, but I would not be surprised to learn that a number of still good automobiles were traded-in along the way. Not astonished at all. Anyhow, at some time in the near future I genuinely do expect this discussion to take on a whole new sense of urgency, however only time will tell…
Your choice to maintain or replace isn’t an easy one – even in these challenging fiscal times.
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