

Why do we spend money on things we used to get for free? - SuperChihuahua
http://blog.trejdify.com/2012/02/why-do-we-spend-money-on-things-we-used.html

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delinka
Speaking to the headline, it's because we got "free" services from someone
like Google for long enough to realize the fallacies of free-- no support,
lack of privacy protection, less input into the design & development process
--and then purchase a service that gives us more control.

Speaking to the article itself, water is only "free" (the consumer of the
water didn't fork over cash on the spot) if you use a public restroom or a
water fountain. You pay for the water coming out of your tap at home. Maybe
you actually get a water bill, maybe it's bundled with your other utilities,
or perhaps it's included in your rent, but you are directly paying for the
water. (Sure, you're paying for the cleaning of the water - dubious
distinction.)

Speaking to the 'silliness' of bottled water, I agree that it's absurd to have
water bottled in Italy and shipped around the planet to sell it in the US just
so that someone can purchase "sparkling Italian water." But in general,
bottled water has its purposes: we stop at the convenience store, decide
hydration is required, decide sugar won't do, want water to carry along- it
needs to taste good or we're not going to drink it.

Is all bottled water the same? Absolutely not. Coca-cola is absolutely
obsessed with consistency with its products. HFCS Coke tastes the same
everywhere. Sugar Coke tastes the same everywhere. Dasani bottled water (yep,
made by Coca-cola) tastes the same out of every bottle. I can't get that kind
of consistency from the tap. The public water supply cares about water quality
as far as it doesn't make someone sick and they couldn't care less about
taste. Yes, I can taste the difference. I can also taste the difference
between Dasani, Aquafina and Deer Park bottled waters (Deer Park tastes like
dirt - I'm guessing 'minerals' are to blame for this. Aquafina? Can't remember
exactly because I avoid it and it's been so long.)

When making flavored drinks at home (coffee, tea, iced tea) the additional
flavors do an acceptable job of masking the flavor of the tap water.
Acceptable enough that I'm not buying filtered bottled water to make them. I'm
not a complete taste snob, but I do expect consistency in the products I've
purchased for a high markup from a corporation that claims to care about it.

~~~
jvdh
"Speaking to the article itself, water is only "free" (the consumer of the
water didn't fork over cash on the spot) if you use a public restroom or a
water fountain. You pay for the water coming out of your tap at home. Maybe
you actually get a water bill, maybe it's bundled with your other utilities,
or perhaps it's included in your rent, but you are directly paying for the
water. (Sure, you're paying for the cleaning of the water - dubious
distinction.)"

There is so much difference in price between bottled water and tap water, that
you might as well call it free.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Hm. I have no water bill. I live in the county, far from civilized things like
sidewalks, streetlights, police protection, neighbors and water bills.

Still, I suppose money spent on repair of the storage tank valve counts as a
bill. But in 25 years, I spent $5000 for the well and septic system, then
really nothing since then. Ok, $1 for a gallon of chlorine bleach every year
to re-sterilize the well pump assembly, but that's about it.

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yason
I think it revolves around the fact that these days we can afford to go hi-fi
and seek something like finesse at nearly everything.

THis is usually a sign of filling some sort of a void because one needs to
have the time, motivation, and energy to narrow yourself down in the array of
products and options.

Some time ago, nobody could care less about the taste of water. It was just
great if you got it from the tap and you didn't die of it, and even greater if
you also got hot water from the same outlet. Water was water and the more pure
and clean it was the less it tasted. Water doesn't in itself taste of
anything.

Some time ago, nobody could care less about which make, model, or brand your
car was. If you owned a car in the first place, that was in itself remarkable.
Maybe there were cheap cars and expensive cars, but as far as everyone was
concerned just about _any_ car was more convenient than horse wagons or
walking.

It's no longer like that.

At some point of your life you buy your first stereo set. If you keep thinking
about it, you'll probably upgrade to basic hi-fi loudspeakers and amplifier
later. Unless the price ranges become too high for you, you will probably go
through a few iterations of more and more expensive equipment that you each
time consider a bit better choice for your audiophilic needs.

Depending on your financial situation and what matters to you most, you go hi-
fi with some areas in your life and stay at a basic level with other areas. It
can be it gardening tools, computers, biking gear, hiking gear, cars, power
tools, mobile devices, clothes and fashion, restaurants and cuisine, hobbies,
sports, ordering your latte in a coffee shop, or just about whatever you
happen to get into.

For a lot of people in western economies, that is so. We can afford to
distinguish ourselves and our appearance in search for who we are, and because
who you are is a major question for everyone it is a huge void to fill. Pour
in the brands and fool yourself to think there's a difference!

At one extreme, some people can be really anxious about their choices and it
seems as if their identity fumbles down into pieces if they could only find a
bottle of San Pellegrino instead of Perrier. Most people stick with something
and try to rationalize it away to avoid constant reconsideration of their
choices and thus, their identity. I'm a Perrier man because it's the most
original water. Or a Marlboro man. Or I drive a BMW because it allegedly has
the best technology that gives me the best drive. Or I chose my headphones
because Sennheiser gives the cleanest sound.

At the other extreme, there are people who have some sort of innate balance
about themselves and somehow they manage their lives without paying much, if
any, attention to what water they drink, what car they drive, or what clothes
they wear. And when they do decide to choose something, they understand the
irrational and almost comical nature of their preferences. Some people can
recognize tastes between different waters. Some people do, yet they decide it
doesn't matter.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
There's something called 'the tyranny of choice' where people actualy leave
more dissatisfied when presented with a wide array of choices, versus having
just 3 or 4. Perhaps because they know they didn't have time to really
optimize their choice with too many to consider.

~~~
keithpeter
_The Paradox of Choice_ by Barry Schwartz is an entertaining read on this
issue. Page 235, Chap 11 section 11 'learn to love constraints' might have
wider relevance on this forum: sensible defaults can help users avoid wasting
time - but you all knew that anyway.

I've found I spend a lot less time customising software &c since reading
Schwartz, I try to spend the time on producing work instead. But sometimes I
end up here.

The article will provide a fun maths estimation exercise.

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riffraff
Please excuse a somewhat OT question from a non US-resident: don't US have
bottled spring water that is not imported?

I'm asking cause I've seen many bottles of french brands, and the NG article
refers to italian and polish brands.

But I'd bet there are springs on the other side of the pond?

~~~
falling
I moved to th US from Italy a couple of years ago and I was (still am)
fascinated by the silly obsession with San Pellegrino water. Seriously, $2.5
for a pint of water?

People here see San Pellegrino about the same way in Italy we see Evian, but
nobody drinks Evian and it's rarely explicitly called out in menus or put on
display on shelves behind the counter at the café.

~~~
vyrotek
I lived in Bergamo a few years ago and fell in love with that city. I also had
the opportunity to visit the San Pellegrino casino and spring. So, in the name
of nostalgia I have an excuse to obsess over it right?

 _Si, sono Italiano_

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kkt262
Pretty terrible article considering that they only gave one example, and not
even a good one at that.

We buy bottled water because we want to ensure our health and safety. I
personally use the water filter and drink tap water.

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sebkomianos
Coke is 95% water but you need 2.5 litres of water for 1 litre of coke?
Perhaps I should give my degree back?

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jcnnghm
I buy crates of bottled water, and keep them in the back of my car so I always
have some handy. For this I pay $5. I am not paying $5 for water, I am paying
for convenience, the disposable bottles, somebody else to fill them and make
it easy for me to purchase the bottles and transport them to my car.
Sometimes, I pay an extra $1 a crate for bottle caps that don't need to be
unscrewed to drink. Those paying for San Pellegrino are probably paying more
money for status than for water. In a convenience store, buying a single
bottle, I am primarily paying for cold and ready to go. I'd say overall, I
feel that I am paying less than $0.05 for the actual water, if I broke it
down. I am paying for it because it is cheaper, easier, and more convenient
than doing it myself. There are many things like this.

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rsanchez1
I wish my university would give away empty bottles. They installed "filtered"
water fountains a year ago, which should give people more confidence about the
water. However, they don't give away empty bottles first.

