Inside: When you consider quality vs quantity, which one wins? Here are five reasons why choosing less is best.
We live in a society that celebrates consumerism. The pressure to buy is relentless. Companies spend billions of dollars every year to advertise their merchandise and try to convince you to buy their product.
For many of those companies, a major selling point is the fact that whatever they’re selling is affordable. Cheap. A deal you don’t want to miss.
Unfortunately, many of those purchases don’t end up getting used as you’d imagined and then become clutter in your home.
While manufacturers have made it easy to buy lots of stuff, thanks to mass production and other efforts that drive down prices, that doesn’t mean that endlessly spending and shopping is the right approach.
Instead, choosing less is best.
By spending your hard-earned money on fewer high-quality items you’ll end up spending less in the long run and prevent clutter from piling up in your home.
Reasons to Focus on Quality vs Quantity
Not sure why it makes sense to prioritize quality over quantity? There are quite a few compelling reasons that make a case for the “less is more” approach.
Here are just a few arguments that you can make for focusing on quality vs quantity:
#1: A More Minimalist Lifestyle
If you’re trying to embrace a more minimalist lifestyle, it’s easy to see how prioritizing quality over quantity can help you achieve it.
By focusing on spending more intentionally and really capitalizing on the ‘less is more’ philosophy, you’ll keep your space free of clutter – and reap all of the benefits that come along with it.
You’ll spend less time cleaning and organizing. You won’t struggle to find space for the stuff that you own. You’ll be less overwhelmed, more relaxed, and able to think more clearly. And that’s just the start.
With so many benefits tied to choosing a simpler more minimalist lifestyle, it’s easy to see why choosing quality over quantity just makes sense.
Reason #2: A More Sustainable Approach
When something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
This saying rings true for many things – including the ultra-cheap stuff you can buy. Sure, you could stock up on cheap clothes, electronics, furniture, or even food. However, there’s usually a trade-off involved in choosing that less expensive option.
Those $5 t-shirts? They aren’t going to last. A few wears and washes, and they’ll lose their shape and fall apart, forcing you to replace them. Where will they end up? The landfill, contributing to the already shocking amount of waste we produce.
Those cheap electronics? They’re going to break before you know it. And when you realize it costs more than you paid for the item itself to get it repaired, you’ll just end up getting rid of it and replacing it.
Same with furniture – those super affordable couches, chairs, and tables won’t hold up over time, and they, too, will wind up in the trash.
On the other hand, companies that produce quality goods often embrace more environmentally friendly practices than their cheaper counterparts. And their items won’t end up in the landfill nearly as fast – if ever.
If you’re concerned about protecting our environment and embracing a more sustainable way of life, focusing on quality over quantity is truly the way to go.
Reason #3: Your Health and Safety
Another reason to choose quality over quantity? Your health and well-being.
In today’s world, there are endless places to shop online for cheap stuff. But most of that cheap stuff – especially the cheap stuff that’s manufactured in and sold from other countries – isn’t well regulated or tested.
And for some things? This lack of regulation can be downright dangerous.
Over the years, governments and safety-minded organizations have developed standards for manufacturing and testing to ensure items don’t contain harmful chemicals and don’t pose a meaningful threat – and purchasing items produced without those standards in mind is risky at best.
Quality children’s toys, for example, go through rigorous testing to confirm they aren’t made with toxic materials and they don’t pose a choking hazard.
When you shop for quality items from reputable sellers and producers, you can feel more comfortable knowing they’ve put their products through testing and designed them with safety in mind.
Reason #4: More Cost Effective
Quality items typically do cost more. There’s no getting around the fact that a focus on quality in your life will likely mean you’re spending more money on the things that you own (unless you opt to buy secondhand).
At least, up front.
But over time? You might be surprised to learn that buying quality items is actually a great way to save money in the long run.
Fast fashion isn’t designed for longevity, but a wardrobe with high-quality, well-made pieces will endure for years.
An expensive piece of luggage might feel like a splurge – until you’ve used it for a decade to travel the world without finding your items damaged at your destination.
And a well-made sofa will cost you several times more than a cheap one, but it’ll hold up better over time. You won’t find yourself needing to replace it in the next few years.
Add up the costs of replacing all of that cheap stuff constantly, and you’ll be spending more over time than you would if you prioritized higher-quality items in the first place.
Reason #5: Greater Aesthetic Appeal
One of the biggest differences between quality items and mass-produced cheap stuff is the way it looks.
The attention to detail and level of care that goes into producing quality items is unmatched by the manufacturers that try to achieve the lowest possible price point.
They choose materials that are designed to last and put effort into the design process, instead of figuring out how they can reproduce the same exact thing consistently and affordably.
This attention to detail is visible in virtually everything including clothes, purses, shoes, and furniture to name a few.
Higher-quality handmade pieces may have the option of being customized to suit your needs. They also have a level of craftsmanship that you’d never find in a mass-manufactured product.
Final thoughts on quality vs quantity
When you’re a discount shopper (as I am) it can be more challenging to accept the benefits of quality over quantity. It’s tempting to buy things because they’re a great deal even if they aren’t well made and you don’t truly need them.
A few years ago we replaced our dressers. We had hand-me-downs that we’d used for many years, but they were never our style and began showing their age.
Unfortunately, we discovered that finding high-quality furniture has become very difficult. While we could have gone with the much cheaper Ikea option as a replacement, we opted for quality and bought a set of Amish dressers.
Were they more expensive? Definitely. Did it take more time to get them? Yes. But they’re beautiful and very well made and we don’t anticipate needing to replace them in our lifetime.
While quality often does cost more, shopping secondhand is a great alternative for finding well-made pieces at a significant discount.
What are your thoughts on quality vs quantity? Share them in the comments section below.
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