The Benefits of Waiting

Sometimes when you can't afford (or choose not to use your money) to buy the latest/coolest gadget on the market, you can start to feel left behind.  My husband and I are really beginning to feel like the last people in America without smart phones and a data plan.  Are we the only ones out there who can't check their email from their phone and find out where the closest Chick Fil-A is with a touch on the screen?   The gadget-envy starts to creep in...I'm not going to lie. 

But it's not all bad.  There are definitely some advantages to not being the first one to buy the latest things. 

*If you wait a year or two to buy a "hot" item, chances are you will get it cheaper.  When a new gadget or electronic device comes out, it is always priced high because there is a lot of demand for things when they are shiny and new.  But wait a while and you will see that price drop lower and lower until perhaps you can actually afford to buy it!  We wanted a Wii just like all of our friends when they came out, but we didn't want to spend the money on one.  But two years later the price dropped and the "extras" started being free and it became more feasible for us to get one. 

*You can buy a BETTER product if you wait.  The first edition of an item is often not the best quality with the most features.  Those first users give their feedback and the company improves the design, then they put out a new product.  Probably in less than a year.  Products tend to get better and better as time goes on, so why buy the first version of something?  Let everyone else test it out and buy the version that will be easier to operate, better looking, and longer-lasting. 

*Related to the last point is that sometimes if you wait around, you can buy an older model for a deep discount.  Yes, some products will get so many updates that you will really want the latest version.  But there are just as many products whose "new and improved" model is really the same thing as last years' model, but with more memory or a different design.  Wait until that new version comes out and buy the old version for half price!

*Buying refurbished electronics can also net you a big discount.  I know some people are leery of buying refurbished items, but we have bought a refurbished laptop and had very few problems with it, and the problems that we did have were covered by the manufacturers warranty.  Be careful about who you buy refurbished items from...ideally buy directly from the manufacturer or a large electronics chain so that there will be some warranty coverage. 

*Sometimes if you wait, you will find out that you don't really NEED that item as much as you thought.  It may seem like since everyone has one, then you should have one, too.  But in the end, this year's hot item may end up being not-so-hot afterall, and you'll be glad you didn't drop $500 on it. 

*But, other times, you will wait and wait and finally decide that the item is something that you really would love to have.  And after you save up the money for that item, you will buy it and feel that excitement of getting something that you know you will use and enjoy without having to do into debt to get it.  And yes, your friends may have already moved on to the next big thing, but that won't keep you from loving your shiny and new gadget. 

So stay strong out there...avoid the urge to drop your savings on a little piece of equipment that you may not even want or use a year from now.  Rest assured that if you wait, you may just get a BETTER product for LESS money that you know you will love for years to come!