Buy and Hold: The BIFL movement
A distant cousin to the lauded FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement , Buy It for Life (BIFL) promotes high-performing goods made to last for decades, even into the next century. BIF rejects buying short-life goods or "latest models" whether a phone or jacket, but it is not the same as frugality. Frugality begins with a discernment between want and need, BIFL assumes consumption and advises "buy less, buy better.". Therefore, a BIFLer will buy a $500 Arcteryx parka in a favourite colour (after all, they're wearing it for decades); the frugal shopper will look for secondhand or more affordable brands. BIFL affirms durability, but it's one thing to buy a Lodge cast iron skillet, another to invest in a high-quality winter coat. Why is that? I have several hypotheses: 1. We may get dressed alone, but we live in society Even 30,000 years ago—when humans figured out how to sew with bone needles—adornment had purposes beyond survival: status, r...
