Hidden costs

Costs are hidden with money, time, and attention. Here are some of the costs we tend to overlook:

The costs of maintenance: Buying a boat seems like a good idea until you realize that renting one is better. Boats need to be maintained and stored in order to work. Upkeep, storage, fuel, time, and energy are rarely a factor on the exciting first day of any purchase.

The cost of space: Buying a bigger home means you’ll need to fill it with more furniture.

The cost of opportunity: Owning a phone means dealing with the dopamine machine. When we trade for convenience, we must also acknowledge that we are selling it for attention that could be used to do something else.

The emotional toll: Work, produce, consume has been the industrial model for two centuries. Driving us toward debt or making purchases we don’t want to make. If we are not careful, the things we own can come to own us.