As families look to stretch fewer dollars further, the will – and perhaps the need – to get more out of things they already own rises as well. While it’s certainly noble to make some repairs yourself, or employ a professional, the repair versus replace debate actually becomes more difficult when you practice other frugal habits.
Repairing a worn out item that you bought new at full price might make sense if you would replace it with a similar purchase. If you were to find a significantly discounted replacement at a local thrift store or use a combination of sales and coupons, repair may not actually save you any money. Spending $25 to repair a $100 pair of shoes seems like a smart move unless you got those shoes for $5 second-hand. Should you base your decision to repair or replace based on the worth of the item or the price you paid? Is the repair cost versus replacement cost a better metric for making the decision?
Another factor is that repairing traditionally has the added benefit of not creating the waste of discarding your current item, but that too may be more complicated depending on your lifestyle. If you plan to donate your item, rather than discard it, you aren’t really wasting the current item. Also, replacing it with another used item (that’s either in better shape or a better fit for your needs) doesn’t require a new product to be produced.
With frugal and environment-friendly lifestyle choices, the debate between repairing and replacing items gets more complicated. Though it might be more difficult to make a decision, the good news is that both choices are probably good ones. Either choice has the potential to be cost-effective with limited waste, meaning that you really can’t go wrong.
How do you decide whether to repair or replace an item?





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