Attention all you chocolate lovers!
Oh my cholaticious. I found THE most fantastic brand of chocolate that exists on this earth. Vegan, handcrafted, and artisan, this stuff is amazing. Eating it is a most transcendent experience.
But first, I love a good deal. And the thrill of a good deal often gets me into trouble.
Sometimes I get succored into buying things just because it’s a good deal. I have to believe I’m not the only one out there that does this.
Case in point. I recently went to Kohl’s (a department store) and bought quite a few pieces of clothing. Okay an understatement. I actually did a wardrobe revamp. Sort of my clothing shopping for the year (I like to get it done and over with in one fail swoop, as much as I love shopping). Prices are a bit higher than say, Target, but everything was on sale, so hey, I can buy more, right?! I take my stuff to the checkout, the lady says, “You want to save money today on your purchase by signing up for a Kohl’s card?” My response: an automatic no thank you, I pay in cash. I didn’t think anything of it until later when I had to go back to the store and return one of the items. The sales associate at the return counter said, “You didn’t sign up for a Kohl’s card and you bought this much stuff?! If you get a Kohl’s card you could save $100 on this purchase.”
I cannot agree with the philosophy behind credit cards, which is a slippery slope of buy more than you can afford. Not to mention I believe using a credit card encourages you to buy things that you would not had you paid in cash. I know all of the arguments for credit cards: build your credit, convenience, yada yada. Nonetheless I think sticking with cash or debit card is much wiser, safer approach to money management.
Anyway. So what did I do? I caved in, and against my better judgement, signed up for the credit card and saved $100! You’re probably thinking, yah, but Janae, you saved $100. True, I did, but then since I saved that $100 I got to thinking, you know, I saved $100 so I’m going to go buy some boots and a few belts (which were on sale and I couldn’t resist that good deal!) that I’ve been needing, items that I would not have ended up buying had I signed up for the card.
I was reading a recent article in the DS (Deseret News) that discussed this idea of Americans loving discounts and sales. How we’ll end up buying 20 items at $5 because it’s a “good deal,” regardless of whether we need it or not.
Why are we willing to shell out cash for crap, ahem, junk, yet not spend some money on higher priced, yet good quality items that have value? Fewer items that have more value and are higher quality that we will actually use? Many times we end up spending much more in the long term when we take the discounters approach than had we spent a little more up front in the beginning. You know, you pay $99 for a vacuum which breaks down in 6 months and so you go back and keep buying that $99 vacuum twice a year when you could have paid $250 for a vacuum that will last you several years.
Take food. (Remember the coupon cutting post?) We go for the $.99 frozen pizza or $.10 package of ramen noodles or the mac & cheese because we have a $.25 off coupon. We “don’t have the money” to buy wholesome foods, yet somehow we manage to go out to eat, buy a huge flat screen, ect. We want to save money NOW! Later we pay for it at the doctor’s office, or under the scalpel of a heart surgeon (I mean, we really PAY for it, the average heart surgery runs about $60K, I don’t know about you but I’d rather burn that money in my front yard or take 10 expensive vacations to Europe, either option would be more fun and effective than heart surgery).
Paying a bit more for high quality fruits and vegetables and other healthful foods is a little like investing. You might not see your returns for awhile (although I would argue you see them immediately, in higher levels of energy, weight loss, overall feeling of good health), but they are there and those returns come in the form of disease prevention and overall higher quality of life. Really what it comes down to, I don’t care how much money you have, is that we spend money on things that we value or that are important to us.
Another thing. I hear, “I can’t afford________ (fill in the blank: to pay a personal trainer, go to a gym or take fitness classes, buy healthful foods, invest time/money in learning more about how to take care of your physical/emotional/spiritual self).” You can’t afford not to! I understand that many of us are in economic straits. Many of us are scraping by, and even if we do have some discretionary money, every penny, it seems, is allocated for bills and debts.
What’s a person to do? I say where there’s a will there’s a way. Find ways to make quality and value a priority. Because if you think you don’t have money now, think of the doctor’s bills and insurance premiums and co-pays that could have been prevented with some earlier foresight and lifestyle prevention.
Which leads me to the chocolate. This chocolate that I recently discovered is actually made here, locally, in Orem, UT. It’s handcrafted, artisan chocolate. Read more about the Amano Artisan Chocolate company and their unique approach to chocolate making here.
I appreciate the company’s approach to business (making sure that all people involved in the chocolate making process from the cocoa bean farmers to the chocolatiers are taken care of and fairly compensated), the way they make the chocolate, and of course, I love their product. Most of their chocolate is vegan, with no added flavorings or additives. I can appreciate good art, and this company has made the whole process of chocolate making from start to finish an art form. The cost for each bar is significantly higher than most any other chocolate out there (the only other chocolate that I think compares to this chocolate is Green & Black, my favorite being the dark chocolate with almonds), but remember, paying for something of value is going to cost a bit more but it’s often times well worth the extra money.
In this case, I tried the Madagascar chocolate, and only had one square, which tasted divine, but that’s all I needed. It was so high quality and satisfying and rich, I didn’t need any more than one square in one sitting. So yes, one bar of chocolate did cost $7. But it’s going to last me several weeks. Whereas, a Hershey’s chocolate bar can easily be scarfed down in one sitting.
This all goes back to the discussion of quality and value over cheap deals and thrills. One costs a bit more, but generally lasts longer and is useful and satisfying while the other, often times, like any thrill, leaves you feeling empty, craving for more.
So lesson to all of this, go get yourself some good chocolate, and savor every bite. (And stay away from Kohl’s!).
P.S. I do still like a good deal, btw. In fact, I consider myself quite frugal and my hubby and I stick to a written budget. I’m just willing to cut back on certain things so I can spend more on other things that are a higher in cost, but are of excellent quality and value.
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