How much effort are you willing to put in to get the best price for a particular item? We're not talking about big ticket items like apartments and cars, but small items such as electronic products. Will you go the extra mile (literally) to save RM20? I know Dad won't, but David (roommate) will.
This disparity is obvious when it comes to cameras and electronic items. David will go all the way to Low Yat/Sg. Wang to buy a scanner just to save around RM50, even if it means spending 2 hours travelling, and the tiredness associated with lugging a large 7kg box around town.
Dad, on the other hand, doesn't mind spending an extra RM30 to save himself some trouble. Case in point - I felt it was high time we got a cheap scanner to digitize all the old photos before the termites got to it, so I went to source for Canon LIDE 35, a fairly cheap and fast scanner. In Penang, the offered price was RM335 while in Low Yat it could go down to around RM305. You can guess which one Dad chose.
I guess this is due to the fact that Dad has an income while David does not. But even then, David probably has a stronger 'thrifty' gene. Or perhaps it has more to do with the psychological victory associated with being able to obtain the lowest price. In short, ego. Interestingly though, he doesn't mind spending money on food, especially good food.
This is also in stark contrast to me. I am pretty nonchalant towards the quality and taste of food I eat, and I dislike the idea of expensive food (not the taste, just the price). However, when it comes to spending money on other things, I can have a pretty loose wallet sometimes. Which is all to the detriment of my cash reserves, of course.
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