Our first farmers co-op delivery
There are so many facets of life where the phrase “You get what you pay for” gets mentioned. I think that everyone agrees that it applies in at least a few cases. For some, they use this mantra for cars, others for electronics, education and so on. What it means is that if you buy something cheap, it will likely not function properly or break altogether. The logic is, therefore, to suck it up and pay a little more because you’ll end up paying the same or more when the cheaper item doesn’t work right or breaks. It also implies that you will have a more satisfactory experience.
In applying this to my life, the only category that I really apply this is with tools, building materials, and cars (for reliability, not luxury). Other than that, I still stick to the more affordable options. I think the reason is if I do buy the more expensive option and it breaks, I get even more frustrated. At least with items that are expected to break, I am not surprised when they do. If they last longer than expected, I feel good about somehow beating the system. Some terrific examples over the years are clothes, computers, and (my favorite example) my lawnmower, which is still going with very little maintenance and a bargain price. Heck, in the case of golf or playing the guitar, if I hit a bad shot or play a bad note, I want the excuse of blaming bad equipment rather than taking the blame for myself being a bad player.
The reason I thought of this topic is because we recently joined a farmers co-op. For those unfamiliar, they are programs where local farmers offer memberships and deliver in-season produce to you on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. From the feedback I heard from friends and family, I was going to be tasting fruit that would make supermarket fruit taste like dirt. The other benefits are that they should be healthier because they are local and have fewer chemicals on them and we can feel good about helping the local economy. That said, we got our first batch of food last week. It contained lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, cherries, raspberries, and probably some other items I can’t recall. The vegetables all tasted fine, but the fruit doesn’t seem that good to me.
So I keep thinking of the phrase “You get what you pay for.” Again, health benefits aside, I thought paying for local produce would mean better and more consistent flavors. I’m not sure that we’re getting that. We’re trying to figure out if the program is worth it. Generally speaking, I think most people expect that if they pay more for an item or service, They should be getting something better in some way.
So that is why I tend to ignore “You get what you pay for.” I’d rather be surprised with a long-lasting, better performing deal than disappointed with an item that doesn’t live up to the hype.
What’s your experience with “You get what you pay for”? Can you help put the farmers co-op into perspective for me? Other benefits I am missing?