By Julia Lawrenz | Broadcast Reporter
College is the point in life where money is tight and resources are limited. As a college student, I always hear people saying they are spending too much money and their bank accounts are running dry. Being in a situation like that, it is so easy to always want the cheap things when you are shopping. Whether I am shopping for food, clothes or extras, I usually always believe in buying for quality over quantity.
Yes, quality usually means that things are more expensive, which is tough, especially when you are on a tight college budget. However, I would rather have fewer clothes that are durable and can last me for a long time than a bunch of clothes that don’t fit well and are made with cheap products that will be unwearable in a short amount of time.
As an example, I bought jewelry from Forever 21 because I needed a few bracelets on a short notice for an event. The bracelets were under $15 and while they did work for the event with no problems, after a few more uses and hand washes, the bracelet started to rust.
A few weeks later I decided that I needed some staple bracelets that I could wear every day with all outfits. While at the mall, I found a small jewelry shop called Gorjana. The products were all super cute, but once I looked at the prices I was shocked. They wanted $38 dollars for one bracelet. I was not prepared to pay that for a simple bracelet. I talked to the sales clerk about how I loved the products but not the prices. The clerk said, “We take pride in our products and have a 100 percent happiness guarantee.” The policy means that if there is ever a problem with a product at any point in time, they will take it back with no questions asked and replace the item. I decided to go out on a whim and treat myself to bracelet, and I was pleased with the quality. To this day I still wear the bracelet and recommend the company to my friends.
The first time I bought from Gorjana was about a year ago. Since then I have bought more products and enjoyed wearing them. This past spring break, I noticed that one of my bracelets was starting to discolor. So, I brought it in to the store and showed the sales clerk. Within in three minutes, I was walking out of the store with a brand new bracelet for no cost.
I am not saying that we should always buy the most expensive things. Although, if you feel strongly about a certain item, I believe you should choose to have the nicer product. I do encourage people to find good deals to save money and not spend outside of your means, but if you have the ability to afford quality things I believe you should splurge.
For example, if you are at the grocery store and you have the option between organic and non-organic chicken and there is a $8 dollar price difference and you do not think you can taste a difference, you might want to buy the cheaper non-organic product and save money.
At the end of the day, there should be balance. When it comes to money, people all choose how and where they would like to spend their money differently.
