As I began my path on this journey I learned A LOT about the foods we eat.  There are soooo many bad things in processed foods.  This isn’t really a revelation.  I feel like this is the truth we purposefully overlook while shopping or snacking during our favorite TV show.  We know whats good and whats bad for us.  If we just keep the blinders on we don’t have to think about it while we are doing it. While I was doing all of this research to find out what is recommended and what will be the healthiest it became clear that “cheap = bad”, especially where food is concerned.

This got me thinking about all the other areas in my life.  And I realized there is something else that needs to be considered.  Cheap and inexpensive are NOT the same thing.  VALUE is part of the equation!  So what do I mean by that?  Simply that something that is “cheaper” may actually cost more in the long run.  A less expensive purchase that won’t cost you more in the future also has value. Conversely expensive doesn’t mean value either. It’s more about what you are getting for your dollar rather than the cost of the item in comparison to other similar items.

Let’s take a pair of jeans, for example.  When I was young, it was all the rage to have designer jeans. I am not saying all jeans are made the same, but the value in a pair of jeans isn’t the name unless the name is synonymous with staying in one piece longer than any other pair of jeans.  So although a socially acceptable pair of jeans cost $35, it didn’t make them last any longer than a pair of jeans that cost $15. On the flip side, a pair of jeans for $10 that you bought at the discount store might not hold up to the washing machine and therefore is no longer a value, because you have to replace them too quickly.

The VALUE comes from the benefits to making the purchase. I’ll elaborate.  As I create my new shopping lists for my Keto diet I am compelled to buy a more expensive selection of groceries.  (Thank goodness I’m eating less in general) My meats need to be grass fed or pasture raised. This is because the meat most of us buy at the grocery store is crammed full of grains (which you don’t eat on a Keto diet) prior to its trip the slaughterhouse (not to mention all kinds of antibiotics and so many more things that I don’t have time to discuss!).  This is done so that the farmer can make more money for one cow.  If they fatten it up with grains there is simply more meat to sell at market.  So while being less expensive than the meats I need to be consuming now, that grain fed pound of ground meat WILL COST ME in the long run because my healthcare costs are going to skyrocket when my Type 2 Diabetes takes over my poorly fed body.  Then I will be a burden on my community because I can’t afford health insurance to care for my body because my health care costs will increase because I am sick and can’t find insurance at a reasonable price anymore, then I will have to go to the emergency room because I don’t have a primary care physician.

I realize that was a bouncing ball, I think you get my drift.  The VALUE is in spending perhaps a little more at the onset to save a bunch in the future.

In every place there will be choices to make sometimes there is a cheaper version available but it may not be made well or may not need to be replaced more often doubling the cost.  Sometimes you could buy something because socially it’s the “it” or “in” thing to buy, but you could have made a better choice with your money and found something that works as well or better without all the extra expense.

QUALITY is important. Buy from someone who cares about what they do, not about making money.

Until next time, I wish you all the best!