Putting On The Cement Shoes

Like most people I enjoy reading about, and playing with the newest gadgets.  Getting to check out what the next big wave is going to be like can be very exciting. iPhones, iPads, the newest TV tech, video games, the list is quite long. 

However actually purchasing these gizmos doesn't really fit in with the tsumashiku kurashi life style.  Very often these things are very expensive, and although very cool, don't really solve problem I have and rather creates them.

So how do we combat this?  Well I know a lot of people have built up quite the frugality muscle and the idea of actually purchasing one of these gadgets never crosses their mind.  Sure they might even check them out at a store or a friends place, but putting down hard earned cash?  No way!

I am not that strong yet.  I am still a mere "padawan leaner" in this game of frugality so I have had to devise certain psychological games with myself to keep me from buying shit I really don't need.


One of these I call "cement shoes."  Let's say for example I want an iPad.  The run about USD500 for a new wifi version and go all the way up to around USD900 I think for the wife+3g version.  Well as much as I can afford that it would be detrimental to my long term goal of not punching in to work everyday.  So I put some "cement shoes" on the price of the iPad.  I tell myself "Okay, you can have an iPad IF you find one for USD100 including shipping."  Yep that's right.  I don't deny myself the iPad that might backfire.  Instead I put a pretty unrealistic expectation on that product and keep my eye out.  If I every find an iPad for USD99.99 I can buy it!


This does two things for me.  First I don't feel like I am denying myself anything, I am just looking for a deal and won't buy until I find one.  Second It also buys me time.  I know that one day an iPad will eventually come down in price, even if it's a used iPad, to USD100 or less.  Perhaps by that time I won't even want an iPad.  Maybe something else better will have come out.  After all the "cement shoes" on that iPad are not an agreement to buy, if I find I don't want one when the opportunity arises I don't have it.  The power is in my hands.


Another example is the Pogoplug Personal Cloud multimedia serving device.  You plug your external USB HDD into it and put it up on your wireless network.  Now you can access your file from anywhere in the house.  As convenient and cool as this would be it's really not necessary (would it really be faster than plugging in the USB to my notebook?).  So bam!  On go the cement shoes.

If I really want to send something to the bottom of the sea I'll wait till it's free!  If I'm waiting to find it on the FreeCycle network, you know it's been sent to the bottom.