You put your money where you gain the most value, instead of spreading it around and feeling unsatisfied as a whole.

Instead of purchasing things that you think you need, but don’t really end up using on a daily basis, you should put the bulk of your money towards items and services that give you the most value.

The Avocado and the Rice Cooker

The other day, I was trying to pit the avocados and was getting frustrated with trying to get the pit out without ruining the flesh.

I was recounting my story to my friend on the phone later on that night, and she suggested I get an avocado pitter and slicer to make my life easier.

I thought about it and even put it on my list of things to buy.

I later crossed it off because I realized that I wouldn’t really use it often.

Maybe once a year. Or less.

Sure, I spend about 5 minutes struggling with the avocados, but is it really worth my money to purchase a utensil that is going to get used once a year or less?

The answer for me was: No.

And it would clutter up my utensil drawers, which is something I’d get frustrated with, and end up donating to a friend to get rid of it.

A rice cooker on the other hand, I had deemed to be a worthy purchase and priority.

I eat rice almost every day, and it is a solid staple in my diet.

Buying a rice cooker would save me the time and effort of cooking it in the microwave in a plastic contraption or over the stove, stirring it constantly each day, as well as turning out perfect rice each time (a big deal with me).

So I put my money and my free (small) kitchen space towards storing such a bulky item.

So the next time you think you should buy a utensil or contraption to help make your life easier, ask yourself these 3 questions:

Do I have the space and the true need for it? How many times a day/week/month/year would I use it? Calculate the yearly cost per use (Price divided by # of times used)

More often than not, I get down to the first and even second question, and realize that I don’t really need it.