It’s natural for soloists to watch the pennies, but I’ve been wondering: are there times when skimping is a false economy?
It all started when Jexley posted this question on the forum: “What kind of chair do you have?” saying that despite the one he was using making his back unhappy, he’d so far resisted the urge to invest in anything too expensive.
Within hours, we were in the midst of a discussion about the relative merits of Swiss balls, those odd looking stools you kneel on, and even the use of modified racing car seats as computer chairs.
Unfortunately for me with my crummy chair, onsiteTECHS kindly shared a link to what must be the ultimate in office furniture: the Herman Miller Embody, a very fancy designer number that adjusts itself to your body, and is claimed to lower stress while stimulating creativity.
There’s an ad on the radio encouraging tradies to choose the best van for the job, no matter the cost. Now when I hear it, I can’t get that chair out of my head.
I’ve always thought it’s a great campaign, but now I think “They’re talking to me! I spend all day sitting at my desk, so I deserve the best office chair that money can buy. I wonder if it comes in pink?”
Apparently they retail at around $2000, so realistically, unless the lovely people who sell them in Australia happen to see this post and decide to reward me with a present for sharing the lurve with the Flying Solo community, it’s just not going to happen.
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But it’s got me thinking about what I splurge on and what I skimp on.
After reviewing my business-related spending habits I can reveal that I have no qualms about forking out money for products and services that save me time, and I don’t pause to justify the purchase of even MORE books for my professional library before handing over my cash.
On the other hand, despite being a fetching shade of fuchsia, my office chair leaves a lot to be desired. As for my desk, that is such a joke it will one day deserve a blog post all of its own. Listening to music helps me write all day, but my cheap and nasty sound system has a very tinny tone, and the remote has long since given up the ghost.
Do you have similarly irrational spending habits? Please spill the beans so I know it’s not just me!
