To replace or maintain – not an easy question even during a tough economy.

In a recent column I made a reference to the “uncertain economy” and took a glance at how possibly it is time for a sea change in our modes of thinking as consumers. Since that time, I have started to discern signs that this might not be as straightforward a conversion as I had hoped. said what I said previously and then thought on it some more and arrived at the conclusion that our Western economic structure and out natural inclinations are against us in any such endeavor. I understand a cynic probably will declare that I should have deduced this from the outset but I am now and then just too guilty of being an idealist. I certainly hoped that with the need to tighten our belts that we would all start to find ways to do without the shiny and new and be happy (at least for the short term) with what we already possess. I was of the belief that now would be an ideal time for any real revival of the appreciation of maintenance over replacement, but then again, maybe not.

Honestly, you know it is going to be a hard sell when even your own government is against you – albeit inadvertently. I have always had a problem with the fact that with many consumer electronics so often it really is cheaper to replace something rather than maintaining what you already possess. A while back I needed to replace the installed battery in my electric beard trimmer. The short of it is that any estimate I got on it would see me paying at least as much to replace permanent battery as it would have cost for the latest model of that brand of trimmer. I ended up going and buying the new model and recycling the old one – but only because they could not guarantee a very long lifespan on the old one if I got the battery replaced. that was disappointing. Another example of this is with DVD players and CD players; If your player should give up the ghost, then you may find that the cost of repairs may perhaps be as little as a few dollars (say for something like just a faulty disc loading mechanism), which is great, or it could set you back nearly as much as a new player would (if we are talking about more internal issues). Certainly,who wouldn’t want to go and purchase a brand new player for the equivalent price, especially if it might happen to include extra bells and whistles and a shiny new warranty to boot? I have in addition championed the maintenance of your trusted household appliances whenever possible, but when I start hearing people protest that they could get a brand new appliance for just a little more than the price of a few necessary replacement parts, I am not stunned that they might choose to go the replacement route. I have read complaints on assorted household appliance websites from individuals who have found to their disappointment that the cost of the rival crock pot parts (such as a replacement lid or liner) that they require would likely end up costing them approximately half the cost of that original crock pot. Ouch. When the issue of cost is a wash in the equation then most people will go for the new if for no other reason than we lack discipline on such issues, even when we know the benefits to the environment of following the mantra of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. I suppose it is just a rather fuzzy concept in the back of our brains for the majority of us. Now we have this latest decision by the US Federal Government to kick start consumer spending by introducing its recent ‘cash for clunkers’ program which is encouraging Americans to get rid of their older car for a shiny new one. Now it may be that a large amount of the trade ins are actually near the end of their days of service, but I would not be astounded to find out that a number of still reliable automobiles were traded-in along the way. Not surprised at all. Well, at some point in the imminent future I honestly do expect this debate to take on a whole new feeling of urgency, however only time will tell…

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