go for value, not low price

 someone said "Buy nice, or buy twice". How true is that

We always have a temptation to go for the cheap, discounted item, as we tend to be enticed by the "40%" off original price! 

So I also fell into such traps before:

- Buying something basic because its way cheaper vs the more expensive mid tier models

- Buying something cheap but older model because its so much discounted from its original price

Not saying above are bad things to do, but usually they end up with me discarding them and buying the better versions later lol.

However, this really only applies to things which I tend to use a lot more. For one-off things that I seldom use, unless their quality matters a lot, I thinking going the "cheap" way is fine as it ensures financial sustainability.

But for many things that we want to use regularly, or things that we use occasionally but are important that they work when we need them, I have learned that I should focus on value and function, vs just price.

For e.g. luggages. These can be really cheap or expensive. I had both before. Cheap ones, they work for 1 or 2 trips, and then after you keep them for 1 year or so in storeroom, they no longer work, usually due to disintegration of parts like wheels and zippers. And no one wants to risk a luggage breaking apart when roughly handled at airports. So end up will buy new ones every 2-3 years. 

But high end ones, also not as good. I spent $1000 on a branded small cabin luggage, we used it 2 times, and kept in store for a while, especially during covid. Then when we took it out to check, OMG, the wheels rubber all broke into pieces as they hardened up. Just as shitty as the cheap models. lol. Worse it, because it's so expensive. we can't bear to throw it away, but the replacement wheels are like $200, WTF. So it now sits in no-mans land, cannot use and cannot throw. KNNBCBB

So, best luggages so far are the mid tier Japanese brands, with zipper opening on top. They are so brilliantly designed, lasting, and won't go out of fashion. I have 2 of these for 5 years already and they still function fine. Each costs $300-400, but damn good. So buy nice, not twice. But don't buy too nice, as you will not be getting a lot of value for your hard earned money, since super nice ones are just premiums you pay for branding and marketing dollars.