You Don’t Need the Best Version of Everything
How many online reviews do you need to read before buying a battery? How many professionals do you need to consult before eating a hamburger? Unless you’re Frank Sinatra , you don’t have to get the best of it.
As the personal finance site Frugalwoods explains, trying to find the exact, perfect, best solution in all situations is tedious. Too many choices and too many weighing factors lead to analytical paralysis . It is difficult for you to make any choice, because you do not know which one will be the best. But here’s the interesting thing: in most cases, you don’t need to make the “best” choice anyway.
Easy access to massive datasets and consumer feedback in cyberspace tempts us into the need to know the “best of x” in all possible scenarios. Before the Internet, it was impossible / practical to 1) discuss the little things in detail with others who cared / put up with you, or 2) buy a huge amount of things that you once offered on the Internet.
Previously, if you wanted to know if a product was good or not, you had to go to the library and look for older issues of Consumer Reports. Or ask your friends. Or just don’t give a damn about everything. While this approach was certainly not the most effective, spending an entire weekend examining lumen levels is also ineffective.
Most of the “good enough” things you buy will do. If you want to spend a few days contemplating which car to buy, that’s fair. However, you don’t need to spend as much time figuring out which set of silverware to get. All of them will do their job very well. Instead of trying to choose the best of everything, accept the fact that some sub-optimal decisions are still acceptable and get on with your life.
The Dastardly Way Thrift Clears Paralysis Through Analysis | Frugalwoods via Rockstar Finance