Comments on: Stop being cheap and go buy something valuable today

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:36:28 +0000

This week I signed up for grad school! I am very excited. Hopefully, I will make it all the way through and become a CPA.

By the way, I have a big nerdy crush on your blog.

Rachel

By: Mike Schroll

Mike Schroll — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:40:31 +0000

I recently sold my iMac for $1500 and bought a $500 mac mini for those needs. Combined with my MacBook – my needs were mostly being met.

In the last week work and class has been getting intense – the 2gb of ram in the MacBook wasn’t cutting it. Ordered 4gb of ram last night for $60 vs apple store – $150. Paid off waiting til I needed it – but was appropriate to spend when I did to match the 4gb I had in the iMac.

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:43:05 +0000

Ramit,

If you provide quality, useful regular content, like weekly or bi-weekly I would consider paying for you podcast.

By: carise

carise — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:29:10 +0000

Great post. A lot of people seriously don’t understand how to balance out value and cost. Either they get something really cheap and an utter piece of garbage, or they splurge and get the name brand shiny new thing.

* My 1Ghz 12″ Powerbook that I bought in 2004 and am still using it today as my home computer. I got it at an “educational discount”, which is just about as good of a discount you can get on an Apple computer. It was definitely not a “great” deal compared to some laptop deals that were very popular (it was a $1600 vs. $900 comparison) with all the discounts, but my friends who got laptops from the deal have seen more problems in the first year of ownership than I’ve had with my Powerbook for its entire life. (I’m not comparing Macs with PCs, just the prices of two laptops I could’ve gone with.)

* A name brand running jacket from a factory outlet: a birthday present from my parents when I was in middle school. I still have it till this day and it’s in great condition. (Wore it almost every day in college, too…)

* Shoes, shoes, shoes. I’ve found, even when I was a kid, that shoes from Payless wore out a lot faster than some particular name brand shoes.

By: Evan

Evan — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:15:01 +0000

Ramit, If you smash a monitor Hollywood style I would buy your podcast! All jokes aside there’s nothing wrong with charging for something you put time and hard work into. It is true that information on this site is available in other places but what makes one stop here to read? It obviously goes deeper than just the information that’s provided here. Maybe it’s his sense of humor. Maybe it’s the ability for him to relate to many of the readers. Maybe it’s the IWTYTBR community. The truth is Ramit wouldn’t ask you to buy something that he didn’t think was valuable and I’m sure he wouldn’t expect you to buy it if you didn’t consider it valuable. If you’re confused just ask yourself why you became a reader here in the first place?

By: Two Listen

Two Listen — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:53:52 +0000

I just found this blog of yours today, and as a random 19 year old janitor/artist, I’m going to tell you I’m impressed.

Long term, LONG TERM. This I tell myself over and over. It’s difficult being so young, working as a janitor making $8.57 an hour, and trying to achieve your “dreams”. But I have to tell myself that it’s possible so long as I’m not a dumbshit. Boy would that piss me off, if I was a dumbshit.

I connect very strongly with your message of spending for value. My parents wouldn’t buy me video games very often at the age of 12, they would say “You don’t need it.” But managing to get my hands on pokemon, paying $30.00 that I otherwise didn’t “need” to spend – got me thousands of hours of gametime. And also caused me to meet my fiance online. Getting me addicted to online activies, causing me to get a $1,500 computer for my artwork and online activities. Which caused me, five years later, to find that same girl again – get engaged to her at the age of 18 after seeing her ONCE in person – paying for the ring (and plane tickets) with artwork I made off that computer, travel hundreds of miles across the country to live with her and get full time jobs for us both, giving us more money than we’ve ever had before. Even though it’s shit money, it’s still a hell of a lot more than $1,530 that I spent on pokemon and a computer.

And you know what, I’m spending another $2,000 on a new computer this coming March. And you can sure as hell bet it’ll pay for itself and a whole lot of other things in no time at all.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:47:15 +0000

Im new to the site, but have found everything I’ve read so far very useful. First off, I should say that I could definitely understand if you decided to charge for this valuable advice. However, im actually somewhat surprised at your apparent anger to most peoples responses (maybe you’ve changed your opinion in the two years since you wrote the post). Why would you expect anyone to encourage you to start charging them for something they are currently getting for free? its just not in their interests — just like its generally not in your interest to give away something for free (I assume you get some value from running this blog, e.g., money, professional development/connections, fame, etc..).
That said, I certainly do agree with your main point: people should consider the value of what they spend their money on (sub-point: information is valuable so don’t whine if you have to pay for it).

Anyways, keep up the great work, and I hope you don’t start charging (but I’d probably pay..).

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:54:11 +0000

I’ll usually browse through the bookstore at my local library. I have picked up some of Suze Orman’s hardcover books for $0.50, I also love Kiplinger, Money Magainze, etc. which I can pick up at the same bookstore for $0.10. If I do need to buy a book I always check online at Amazon.com because they have great deals on used books. Just food for thought!

By: Ramit Sethi

Ramit Sethi — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:06:38 +0000

Yes, I really care about the $0.42 I’d make off you buying a book. Or, maybe it’s a matter of you actually getting the book vs. saying you’re going to go to the library “some day.” Get a life please.

By: Joan

Joan — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:17:28 +0000

Why would someone waste money by not using resources they’ve already paid for and go out and buy them again? (Your tax dollars paid for every book in your local library.) Oh wait. I see. If you use library books, somebody doesn’t get his kickback from Amazon. Never mind.