I bought a second hand phone for work, it's in good condition and only been used once. It's an outdated model that I paid half the price and my folks thought I was being dumb about the purchase since I could buy the latest gadget for a few more $ in.
Functionality > Cost > Form
It's a Samsung phone and I couldn't care less whether this signals the world I'm not going to attract women into Apple products. I'm getting my ROI sooner anyway with the logic explained below:
You get the latest apple gadget released this year knowing there's a possibility that there's probably going to be a new model next year with more or less the same features but with barely perceptible improvements. I say barely perceptible as how often can the average person really fiddle with their camera settings to know which ones work like how a professional digital photographer captures a shot. More or less, you just use the damn thing like the previous versions but it's new and then you feel good about the purchase.
If this isn't you, then you likely fall under the patron of a competitor product, don't care about the trend so you don't buy, or want the product but can't afford it.
The first thing that came into mind would always be buying something that I have absolute need for then figuring out which ones can get me there cheap. Since I only use my phone for work and internet, the bar is low that there are a lot of options on the 2nd hand market.
Warren Buffet said:
“Price is what you pay, value is what you get.”
So I paid the price for a cheap phone that lets me functional at work. The same work that pays me more than enough to make up for this cost in a month's salary and this asset sticks with me for a few more years at work. That's a good return on investment.
Now compare this tech if I bought an Apple Product, the latest iPhone something something... I could get all those functions, some AI and a good selfie cam but none of those features are relevant with my work and I may have to make up a few more months of work just to cover the costs of buying one.
This is how I constantly weigh my options whenever I commit to something, buying an asset, spending time with people, or doing anything with my time. The currency is my time with an attached money, but the value I may be paying for may not be worthwhile. Now to frame it in terms of material assets is just being shallow. If you honestly think that your time is valuable and it's money, how much of your 24 hours is spent on things that generate you actual value for your time?
If you're just lazily spending your days in leisure, or not investing your time in something useful for your sake, you're paying a lot for so little kickback. If you spend your time with people, make sure you're with people that actually compound on the value you're currently building on for yourself and everyone else.
I think of ways to convert my linear inputs to produce outputs that double in value. Doesn't mean I get it right all the time, but I try. So I made a small purchase on a shitty phone that works and durable to last long for years.
I've also ordered a few plain blue shirts that could last me a week. Pulling off of a Steve Jobs move of wearing the same black clothing, I can get behind why it's his personal branding and the idea that I just can't be bothered thinking about what outfit of the day is. Probably going to get me some protagonist vibe like how our heroes don't ever change what they were per episode.
What does having this "uniform" do? less time to think about what to wear, easily recognizable by the people I'm with for the fashion choice (wearing the same clothes again I see), and people wouldn't think of me being cheap since it's a conscious fashion choice (despite the shirts being easily replaceable). Had I opted for a variety of clothing, I'd lose these advantages. For a small price, I get this much value.
I have this mental math functioning on reflex whenever I purchase anything. Including food which makes me ask if I'm buying cause I'm hungry or I'm just bored? and this also leaks into relationships where personal growth matters.
At some point, I just lost the drive to be in touch with old friends because of different growth directions. I got my career, they got theirs and other burdens alien to my own. So this void in free time is spent on other productive things like learning more skills or meeting new people with some perspective to my existing pool of knowledge. Your time is what you pay, so decide how much value are you really getting for it within a 24 hour period.
Thanks for your time.