Saving money, comparison shopping, and bargain-hunting, we are told, are all good things, right? Are they not the keys to a sound financial plan and prosperous future? Well, good advice as this may be, I believe there are limits.

For example, I think we all know of at least one person who will drive to the next county because a retailer there has Brand X toilet tissue on sale for 99 cents! Now unless my calculations are off, this person needs to be driving a Geo Metro that runs on either tap water or lawn clippings for this to be any kind of bargain. Or what of the billionaire (that's with a "B") who repairs his worn shoes rather than buy new ones? Well, time is money, and if you were to add up what his investments earn in the time it takes him to resole his loafers ...

On a related topic, with regard to some products, we need to take a serious look at the concept of value. Take toilet tissue. Do people honestly consider it a good buy to use something akin to newsprint or #240 sandpaper? Sure, it was 20 cents less than the name-brand, but in my opinion, life is just too short to be penny-pinching when it comes to products of this nature. Frankly, I don't care if Charmin goes to $4.00 a roll; the value of the product is sometimes worth the shelf price.

I do admit I take this line of reasoning further than some. I am sometimes criticized for always wanting the best, and for buying brand-name products. I was once asked if I wear a certain designer-name shirt because of the name on the label. The answer was YES, because to me, the quality is worth the price (VALUE!). Don't get me wrong, buying expensive items that one can not afford purely for brand recognition and personal image is shallow and ludicrous. But, when there is a value attached, it is a different story. For one thing, how do these bargain-hunters think name-brands got to be name-brands?

If you market a shirt of $20 quality as the "Ferrari of Men's Fashion," I'm sorry, but it is still a $20 shirt. If a $50 shirt is more comfortable, looks and fits better, and lasts three times as long as the cheap one, then that is the one I'll take up to the counter every time. Sale or no sale. It's still a better value.

So, bargain-hunting and penny-pinching may (at times) save you money in the short run, but remember, in the long run, you usually get what you pay for.

(For a related Fribble, see Sometimes a Bargain Isn't a Bargain in the Archives.)