Thread: Putting prices into perspective

Originally Posted by gugi

In any case to me it's an interesting aspect of us humans - what is it we value and how we can sometimes extend it beyond what is justifiable and reasonable.

This. Human behavior is very interesting and exciting. You see this phenomenon in many areas of life. For instance, you can have the EXACT same product sitting on a shelf right next to each other. One is in a plain package and the other in a package that many might find attractive. Even though the "plain" package is exactly the same product and much cheaper, some will consistently pick the other. Why? For some, one reason is the package (and brand name) is part of the "experience". The price can even part of the "experience". People will report that the fancy packaged, high dollar item is better and they are not totally wrong even though the product is the same. They have a better experience with one over the other simply because the experience they are having is not totally about practicality. It is in part subjective but then again much of our life experiences include subjectivity. I may feel better when I am dressed in a suit whereas someone else may feel better ditching the suit and tie. Either way, our clothing can affect our mood and not necessarily from an objective sense but from, in part, a subjective sense.

Take our hobby of wet shaving. I am not saving money or time and in fact the opposite is true and for what? A BBS shave. Really? I am laughing as I type this. No. My wife thinks I am nuts to spend all this money on razors, soaps, aftershave, strops, etc. to get a BBS shave that most days no one notices and she is wrong. I enjoy it immensely and that is all the justification I need. So, sometimes, value is not always about price. Sometimes, it is about the overall experience. If buying an expensive soap adds to your experience, enjoy it. Enjoy the hell out of it and you don't need anymore justification than that. If buying inexpensive soaps adds to your experience, enjoy it. Enjoy the hell out of it and you don't need anymore justification than that.