Of Money and Quality

I have a life of privilege. I have never been seriously concerned about having enough money. The closest I’ve come to that was as I was graduating from university I didn’t have enough money in my bank account to pay the rent that was due a few days later. In that instance though my grandmother came through with an amazing grad present that allowed me to pay the rent plus provide a bit of spending cash for a trip to cali I was going on a few days later. I have no credit card debt. I am in enough educational debt to perhaps pay for a brand new mid-level sports car, but at the same time SallieMae at least is putting off my payments while I am in “economic hardship” during this year.

On a side note, Andru Bemis (folky bluegrass) has a great song about making payments to SallieMae. I have been listening to a wide variety of music recently from the Notes Underground podcast. As a result making reference to musical artists feels natural.

The point of my commenting on my privilege though is to point out a dilemma that I have run into in relation to my lifestyle. In the majority of cases I am thrifty and can get by on a minimum, but this year I think I might be testing my ability a bit too much. I have about two grand from savings and my job from the last month of summer to get me through a year of living in Paris. The big problem is that I appreciate quality in the things that I buy. Quality costs money. I won’t by the $13 shoes over the $50 shoes because they aren’t made to last and it is fundamentally wrong to make a product with disregard for its longevity. This is a primary reason that I greatly dislike walmart. A $13 pair of shoes wastes those resources for every generation to come and yes, this planet is not one of infinite resources. Cell phones use a metal that the only known mines are in the DRC. These mines are an element of the conflict that persists in the center of Africa. A generic cell phone that I could use the year I am here costs $75, however a cell phone with a couple more features that would allow me to use it when I return to the US costs $135.

The issue that I am struggling with is how to be a good steward of the resources of the world while being thrifty at the same time. At the rate I’ve been spending money to this point I’ll need twice what I allotted. The reality check could be beautiful. I hope.