Help me judge here guys!
Brand Name VS Cheap Goods?
Fine Dining VS Street Food?
Professional Services VS Amateur/Beginner Services?
Which would you guys choose among quality vs quantity?
I'll make an example of each topic then.
Between branded and cheap goods, which would you choose?
Some with self-awareness would've chosen cheap goods for fear of wasting money while some would go for the branded goods regardless of the price.
So who is right and who is wrong?
The answer is, no one is wrong. Each person has their mindset developed from whatever they've experienced in life in the past.
If it's me? I would've chosen both though, I don't have a particular preference. My choice depends on what I aim to accomplish with it, how well I can take proper care of it, how long will it last with me, and lastly, the price.
Imagine buying a branded wallet for $350 and it lasts for about 5 years, and then imagine buying a cheap wallet for $30, but all it can last is only half a year.
Now, do the math,
$30x10(half a year 10 times is 5years) =$300
Now there is still a $50 difference in the price bought. It may look cheaper than buying a branded wallet, but have you calculated the time you wasted on the ten times you spent going to the mall/street market to buy that wallet? What about the transportation fees? If I sum it all up, it may be even more costly than buying a branded wallet.
Being a cheapskate doesn't always help you save money, you'll only realize it in the long run if you don't think beyond the situation.
Fine Dining VS Street Food?
Even though I prefer buying branded goods if possible because of the quality and durability.
But that doesn't reflect my opinion on how I think about food too. For this, I prefer eating street food more because we can get the same amount of nutrients from both cheap and expensive food, so why pay a whole lot more just to look good?
I'm not against paying a whole lot more to eat good food, just that it should only be on occasion which I feel I need to reward myself. I don't feel a need to go eat costly food just to flaunt that I'm (fake) rich. I rather spend a few tens of dollars to eat and invest that few hundred dollars, it'll help add up my portfolio.
Professional Services VS Amateur/Beginner Services
This is one serious topic I'm talking about here.
I'm referring to an example I saw on Fiver.
Now, you happen to need a graphic designer urgently because your previous graphic designer had just resigned from the job position. Then you went on Fiver to find someone to help you with that urgent job temporarily and manage to find a lot of offers ranging from $5/job to $200/job. And of course most of you would've chosen the cheapest one, but then again, is it the right choice?
Now think, why is the $200/job offer so much more expensive compared to the $5/job offer? Is it the quality? Or the efficiency?
Personally, my choice would've been the $200 one, yeah, you can call me crazy. But then again, I have my reasons and I'll share them with you in case you would have a change of mindset.
Firstly, the quality would be so much better because the people who dare to quote such a high price have gone through so much practice and would have a lot more experience in the field.
They do the job efficiently without wasting much more effort or time than required.
In case of the employer being not satisfied with the work, they would be able to listen carefully and understand exactly what their employer has in mind, and then make accurate adjustments efficiently.
Being in the field for a long time and producing a stable stream of high-quality works would have earned them quite a reputation. That means that the client is more prone to accept a job done by reputable people, so that makes getting a deal a whole lot easier.
By saying all this, I don't mean to put down the amateur or beginners in any field of profession. I too support some of them sometimes in order to help them grow, because if everyone only employ professionals, these people would've no chances to grow and become a professional someday. Just that in case of important work needed to be done urgently, I would prefer the professional over the amateur ones.
I'll be concluding this as short as possible
I would choose quality more often because of the durability, not to show off, because I don't go for the excessively expensive, I only buy those with an acceptable price tag. If normally a branded wallet would have a price tag of about $1000-$2000, I would go for a not-too-famous brand that sells the same wallet for about $300-$600.
Going for the more expensive ones isn't always the right choice, do contemplate considerably before you get something. There are a lot more things in life you'll have to experience to be able to decide your own things.