You buy the 500 rupee shoes. The 2000 rupee ones look the same. Six months later, the cheap shoes fall apart. You buy another pair. Then another. After two years, you've spent 3000 rupees. And your feet hurt the whole time.
This is the Sam Vimes theory of economics. Named after a fictional character who understood that poverty is expensive. Cheap items fail faster. They need replacement. They cost your time, comfort, and sometimes your health. A 500 rupee charger damages your phone battery. A low quality mattress ruins your sleep for years. The savings disappear quickly.
Rich people can afford cheap things because they can replace them easily. If you're not rich, cheap is a trap. You pay smaller amounts more often. The total exceeds the quality item's price. And you suffer in between. The smart move is to buy once, buy better, but only for things you use daily. To see how small repeated expenses add up over time, calculate your SIP returns on what you waste replacing cheap goods.
Hidden truth: Being able to buy cheap is not a win. Being able to afford quality is. The real cost of cheap is not money. It's the mental load of things constantly breaking and needing your attention.
Next time, ask: How many times will I replace this? If the answer is more than once, the cheap option is the expensive one.
