The cost of convenience

Today after TMobile toyed with my emotions by sending me a letter saying I could get a Samsung Gravity phone for free then once in store found out that no…I’d have to either pay $135 or wait until November, I got to thinking.
Thinking about the cost of convenience…the price tag we’ll hang on convenience and saving time, making things easier.

As far as TMobile goes…the only way I was going to get a new phone was if it was free. It’s pointless (or is it?) for me to upgrade phones needlessly. Now this is where the battle begins…again. Because I want “convenience”. I want to be able to text easily on a full keyboard rather than having to hit the #’s multiple times to get to the right letter on my old Nokia Xpress Music phone. Thus, came my thought process of “what price will one pay for convenience?”. Because, while I’d love to be able to text easier than I can now, it’s not like I have to have this. I can text from my existing phone. But, yet a new phone would be sooooo much easier and more convenient. Yet, the non-materialistic side of me says “wait”, the other side tries to convince me that I could use the better phone for business while not near my laptop, I could respond faster, I could do so many more things if I had a better phone. Part of me says “it’s your birthday next week, go ahead buy yourself new phone”…alas, logic rules and I’ll wait til I can get it for free or when the Xpress Music finally dies. Are you a music lover? Then why not learn how to produce music? That is possible with this prodution school where they teach you everything you need to know, read these Recording Connection reviews.

Which then lead me to other conveniences that have a cost…

We have remote controls for the tv, stereo, etc. so we no longer have to get up and walk over to change the channel or station.
Whew remember those days…how exhausting!
What cost did remotes come with?
Simple, there are more couch potatoes than in past years.
Americans are now more obese than ever.
People no longer even have to move once they’re planted themselves in front of the TV.
So, this convenience is costing people their health.

Moving on, we have take out boxes.

While they’re convenient they come with a high price tag.
Unless they’re biodegradable, the boxes are going to sit in landfill for countless years damaging the environment. Is that a “price” you’re willing to pay to have “convenience”?
Instead, if you’re going to eat out…eat all your food, share your meal with someone else there with you, order a half meal, or bring your own containers for them to use so you can take home the left overs.

So, while we may enjoy “conveniences”, they do come with a cost. Watch the video at The Story of Stuffy with Annie Leonard to get an idea of the connection from production to consumption and our constant wants.

So, as for me…I’ll keep on texting with my Xpress Music cell phone, won’t go online on it but will enjoy all the music I have downloaded onto it , cooking meals at home and well..the remote control issue, I don’t watch that much tv anyhow. Meanwhile as you can see from a december post of mine on want vs need, I’m still hanging onto my little Nokia until the price is worth it to get a new phone. It’s always good to think things through before acting on impulse. I’ve learned that over the years to think purchases through now and determine if the cost is really worth it (in more ways than the financial realm).