Comments on: Is it Best to Buy the Best? http://larsoninstitute.com/2009/01/09/the-daily-hike-is-it-best-to-always-buy-the-best/ Master Your Mind, Body, Money and Relationships Fri, 04 Nov 2011 03:18:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Garold N. Larson http://larsoninstitute.com/2009/01/09/the-daily-hike-is-it-best-to-always-buy-the-best/comment-page-1/#comment-433 Garold N. Larson Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:40:11 +0000 http://garoldlarson.com/blog/2007/11/the-daily-hike-is-it-best-to-always-buy-the-best#comment-433 Ashleigh, Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your opinion and thanks for taking the time to share it with me. I was curious as to what credentials you feel a person needs to have to write about living a simple life or about perfectionism. I felt that living well beneath my means, being totally debt free and being able to pay cash for everything I buy should count for something. My stated purpose of this web site is pretty clear as you can read on my ABOUT page: "I believe that actions speak louder than words and that a proven track record holds more weight than a certificate or degree on the wall. So I tend to write more from personal experience than from theory. It’s easier and more credible to teach something you have already done yourself. I’m not an expert, coach, consultant or doctor. I write from real experience from real life." I deal and counsel with people every week who have fallen into the "Buying the Best" trap and see where it gets them. It breaks my heart to see them buy that $700 computer or other high end items and then not be able to buy groceries. If that's judgmental then so be it. And maybe you missed the part of the post where I said: "The point I’m trying to make is this: If you have the money, great. I don’t have a big problem with you having nice things or even the best things. I do have a problem if you buy those things when you can’t afford it." That doesn't sound too unreasonable to me. If you can afford to go on a cruise then do it. I can and do. But even better I also invest my money and contribute over 10% of my income to charity. Being judgmental of others goes both ways. Have a nice day. Garold Ashleigh,

Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your opinion and thanks for taking the time to share it with me. I was curious as to what credentials you feel a person needs to have to write about living a simple life or about perfectionism. I felt that living well beneath my means, being totally debt free and being able to pay cash for everything I buy should count for something.

My stated purpose of this web site is pretty clear as you can read on my ABOUT page:

“I believe that actions speak louder than words and that a proven track record holds more weight than a certificate or degree on the wall. So I tend to write more from personal experience than from theory. It’s easier and more credible to teach something you have already done yourself. I’m not an expert, coach, consultant or doctor. I write from real experience from real life.”

I deal and counsel with people every week who have fallen into the “Buying the Best” trap and see where it gets them. It breaks my heart to see them buy that $700 computer or other high end items and then not be able to buy groceries. If that’s judgmental then so be it.

And maybe you missed the part of the post where I said:

“The point I’m trying to make is this: If you have the money, great. I don’t have a big problem with you having nice things or even the best things. I do have a problem if you buy those things when you can’t afford it.”

That doesn’t sound too unreasonable to me. If you can afford to go on a cruise then do it. I can and do. But even better I also invest my money and contribute over 10% of my income to charity. Being judgmental of others goes both ways.

Have a nice day.
Garold

]]> By: Ashleigh Thacker http://larsoninstitute.com/2009/01/09/the-daily-hike-is-it-best-to-always-buy-the-best/comment-page-1/#comment-432 Ashleigh Thacker Mon, 12 Jan 2009 02:29:18 +0000 http://garoldlarson.com/blog/2007/11/the-daily-hike-is-it-best-to-always-buy-the-best#comment-432 While I understand your point of this post and know that you have the best of intentions, it is my opinion that you may want to undergo a bit more of reflection prior to publishing. You come off as awefully judgemental in many of your posts and, quite honestly, lack the credentials to be offering advice on "living simply" or, much less, on "perfectionism." I feel for your friend with whom you spent the day playing golf, because instead of offering your friendship and enjoying his company, you were too preoccupied with his purchase of a $500 golf set (which I would have you know, is indeed a modest price for a set of golf clubs). Where you argue here under "Master your Money" that people often get caught up in buying "the best," another could easily write a post in response with the thesis of using your money wisely (i.e. investing it, or making more charitable contributuions) However, just as you are excited to spend your excess money to go on a cruise with your wife "for fun," your friend was probably excited to use his golf clubs twice a year "for fun." While I understand your point of this post and know that you have the best of intentions, it is my opinion that you may want to undergo a bit more of reflection prior to publishing. You come off as awefully judgemental in many of your posts and, quite honestly, lack the credentials to be offering advice on “living simply” or, much less, on “perfectionism.”

I feel for your friend with whom you spent the day playing golf, because instead of offering your friendship and enjoying his company, you were too preoccupied with his purchase of a $500 golf set (which I would have you know, is indeed a modest price for a set of golf clubs). Where you argue here under “Master your Money” that people often get caught up in buying “the best,” another could easily write a post in response with the thesis of using your money wisely (i.e. investing it, or making more charitable contributuions) However, just as you are excited to spend your excess money to go on a cruise with your wife “for fun,” your friend was probably excited to use his golf clubs twice a year “for fun.”

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