Learning to choose value over cost

​I had been wanting a Tablet for ages ... I waited for the post-Christmas sales and headed on into town. The one I had planned to buy (a Samsung 10 inch one) was out of stock and the massively cut down price of a completely different option lured me in. I've had it for six months and barely used it - due to its weight, its complexity and the rapid run down of the battery.

Finally, last week I gave myself permission to go and get the Tablet I really wanted (although by now it was the Samsung Tab A 8 inch one) and I LOVE it. It's playing at the moment, as I write this. It's simple, efficient and fit for purpose.

I paid full price for it and its cover, and didn't allow myself to get distracted by the swirl of other options. This was a really good lesson for me in choosing value over cost. Funnily enough, this concept of choosing value over cost has come up twice this week - in terms of being an important concept for an infrastructure strategy, and at a conference on resilience.

At the Nelson Aspire conference, John Palmer (Chair of the Nelson Regional Development Agency) talked about how public discussions on big infrastructure proposals (such as dams,  roads and airports) tend to focus on the cost, but not the long term value of that infrastructure for a community.

He also said that taking unpopular leadership positions on important infrastructure investment takes courage and energy!