lifetime utility

maybe the best way to think about stuff is in terms of what i'm going to call "lifetime utility"

according to wikipedia, utility is defined as a measure of the relative satisfaction from, or desirability of, consumption of various goods and services

the trick is to not think of utility in the present or near-present, but in terms of the lifetime - either yours or the product's (whichever ends sooner, haha)

before any purchase, i think through three questions

- how much utility am i get of this thing

- how much is it going to cost me now (in terms of $usd, usually)

- how much is it going to cost me later (in terms of hassle associated with worry, maintenance, etc.)

all three questions boil down to one fundamental question:

- do i really need this

obviously, if i'm buying a hot dog, the calculations are not that difficult. but when it comes to, for example, a house (which i'm thinking about buying), the calculations become much more complex. maybe we can make a deal: i promise to really think hard about buying an xbox 360, if you'll think really hard about buying that prada bag, or those pair of diesel jeans.