WEBVTT - Avoiding the Trap of Planned Obsolescence #266 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.640 Welcome to How the Money. I'm Joel and I and 0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:06.040 Matt's and today we're discussing avoiding the trap of planned 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:29.160 obsolescence played obs lescens That's one of those terms that 0:00:29.240 --> 0:00:31.080 were here thrown around a good bit, you know, it's 0:00:31.120 --> 0:00:33.000 one of those terms that we are familiar with, but 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:35.560 we may not necessarily know exactly what it means. And 0:00:35.560 --> 0:00:37.880 so we're gonna talk about how it impacts our money, 0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:40.760 how it affects the amount of money that we spend 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:43.200 in particular. And the thing is too, we're also gonna 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:45.800 get to why it's not necessarily an all bad thing. 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:47.120 You know, like a lot of times you hear that 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:49.520 planned obs lust since it's sort of this evil conspiracy 0:00:49.560 --> 0:00:52.559 that companies implement in order to fleece us, you know, 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:54.680 to get more money out of our pockets. But it's 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:57.520 not all bad. So that's what we're gonna discuss man. Yeah, 0:00:57.520 --> 0:01:01.040 And sometimes you know, there is planned obsolescens by certain 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:04.520 manufacturers or certain industries. And at the same time, there's 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:08.399 ways in which we consider the things that we own 0:01:08.480 --> 0:01:10.640 to be functionally oppositely. So we're gonna tackle that as 0:01:10.680 --> 0:01:12.720 well in the show today. But Matt, before we get 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:15.160 to that. You and I were celebrating a little bit 0:01:15.160 --> 0:01:18.120 today because we both paid off a big debt that 0:01:18.120 --> 0:01:19.600 we had in our lives. It's gone out of our 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:22.080 lives now. You and I both have paid off some 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:25.120 big chunks of debts. So, Kate and I we've been 0:01:25.160 --> 0:01:27.200 working really hard over the past a year and a 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:29.800 half two years to pay off the helock that we 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:32.200 took out on our house to help fund the renovation 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:34.640 that we that we did here at the house. And you, man, 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:36.800 you recently paid off a full mortgage on one of 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:39.240 your investment properties that you've been working really hard at. Yeah, 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:41.560 that's right. So it was one of the ones that 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:43.760 I did not do a refin on. I refined a 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:46.600 couple recently, and I realized, Man, there's this this one 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:49.400 property I have, it's at above market interest rate. I 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:52.080 don't want to refinance it and pay the closing costs 0:01:52.120 --> 0:01:54.120 in order to rEFInd. It's too low of a balance, 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:56.680 and so I'm just ready to be done with it. 0:01:56.960 --> 0:01:59.560 And I had enough in my savings where I felt 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:02.520 comfortable paying that sucker off and also having enough to, 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:05.360 you know, to have that minimum six months right of 0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:07.640 living expenses set aside. So yeah, like, man, it's like 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:09.880 they weigh up the shoulders to have one mortgage down. 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:11.680 Now it's like four to go. I guess yeah. And 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:13.720 so I think the bigger question that folks are probably 0:02:13.720 --> 0:02:16.079 been asking is like, what are you doing paying off 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:19.040 mortgages that have pretty low interest rates? And I mean, 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:21.480 and I'll say, like I'll I will readily admit that 0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:23.400 the HELO that we paid off, man, it is sitting 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:26.880 at three and a quarter percent. That's really low. And 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:29.280 a lot of the number nerds out there are thinking, oh, 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:31.760 bad move, Matt and Joel, you guys both should have 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:33.760 you know, been taking that money and investing it instead 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:36.040 putting it in the market. But the fact is, man, like, 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:38.119 this is an instance I know for us where it's 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:40.200 not all about the numbers. Over the years, man, I 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:43.240 found myself varying from the camp that's only looking at 0:02:43.240 --> 0:02:45.600 the numbers, that's only looking at interest rates, and I 0:02:45.639 --> 0:02:49.200 am considering just the emotional and the mental impacts uh 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:51.760 that paying off you know alone like that can have. 0:02:52.240 --> 0:02:54.240 And so you know, the the stage of life that 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:56.800 we are in for sure is one of simplifying, and 0:02:56.800 --> 0:02:59.639 we're trying to find ways to remove things from our 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:03.600 minds that take up space and clutter our minds basically, 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:05.400 and so for us, this was definitely one of the 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:08.040 ways to do that, because, yeah, it's not all about 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:11.919 the numbers. There's certainly some power behind feeling free mentally. 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:14.079 This is sort of an experiment to see how we 0:03:14.280 --> 0:03:17.040 respond and how it feels to eliminate some of this debt, 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:19.919 even though by the numbers that may not necessarily make 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:22.480 the most sense. Yeah, I think to Matt, there's something 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:25.280 about being a little bit conservative in one area of 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:27.960 your life that can allow you to be more aggressive 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:29.840 in another area of your life. And so for me, 0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:33.000 paying off this mortgage allows me to be even more 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:36.840 confident with my stock allocation, you know, in my investing 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:39.440 pairple It's like, if I'm a little conservative over here, 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:42.800 I can make sure that I'm never forced to sell stocks, 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:46.480 that I'm always able to maintain that aggressive allocation. And 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:48.200 so for yeah, me and my family, it felt like 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:50.640 the right move for us to make. And again, yeah, 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:53.240 the numbers, is it the best move overall for the 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:55.800 coming decades, that's the question we asked ourselves. But at 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:57.880 the same time, paying off a debt is I think 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:00.800 almost never a bad idea as long you can continue 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:03.640 to to invest and say for the future. Um, paying 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:05.800 off debt is a good move for people, and we 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:08.040 should all be encouraged, I think, to to look at 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:09.440 the debts that we have in our lives, take them 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:11.760 a little bit more seriously, and work a little bit 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:13.880 harder to get rid of them. So yeah, congrats to you, 0:04:13.920 --> 0:04:16.360 my friend, Thank you, and congrats as well to you buddy. 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:18.240 Thanks man. I almost feel that we should have some 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:21.280 champagne this episode instead of or not, maybe champagne, but 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:24.000 like a nicer big bottle with a Cajun cork. They 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:26.000 do make something called the Champagne of Beers. Is that 0:04:26.200 --> 0:04:27.600 so we're talking about that? Sat If they made a 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:30.320 seven fifty bottle of the Champagne of Beers, then maybe 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:34.040 that would feel appropriate. But no, this episode, you and 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:37.560 I we are enjoying a beer called Juicy I p 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:41.240 a uh and this is by Squatters Craft Beers. Big 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:43.039 thanks to Sam there at the brewery for sending this 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:44.960 one our way. I'm looking forward to enjoying this one 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:46.880 with you, buddy, and we will yeah share our thoughts 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:49.080 on this beer at the end of the episode. Sounds good. 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:51.400 All right, Matt, let's get to the topic at hand now. 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:55.200 Today we're talking about avoiding the trap of planned obsolescence. 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:57.760 And but I think we've all heard a time or 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:00.560 two one of our grandparents maybe exclaim they don't make 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:02.680 it like they used to. And I, man, I think, 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:04.080 like the older I get, I think I've been guilty 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:06.320 of saying something like that. Speaking of dad jokes, which 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:08.400 is the beer we did have recently? Yeah, yeah, I 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:10.720 feel like that's the typical dadline. As I'm growing up, 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:13.400 getting Yeah, I say stuff like that now and my 0:05:13.480 --> 0:05:16.800 kids notice. But I think planned obsolescence is a part 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:19.599 of the reason that people say that. It certainly feels 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:21.960 at times that lots of items don't last as long 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:23.560 as they used to. And I think it can be 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:26.200 frustrating for all of us to purchase something with hard 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:29.120 earned money and then have to replace it before it 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:31.840 feels like it's a lifespan is up just because it 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:34.520 wasn't made well. Planned obsolescence. For me, it took a 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:38.480 massive leap onto my radar with the iPhone battery scandal 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:41.720 just a few years ago. Battery gate. Do they call 0:05:41.760 --> 0:05:44.080 it that? They call everything on a gate? Why is that. 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:46.640 Actually I don't. I don't know Watergate, but like, was 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:49.440 it because the hotel was the hotel's name. Hotels they 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:51.080 just add gate to the end of their gate to everything, 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:53.400 all of a sudden, it's a scandal, exactly beer gate. 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:57.760 I wonder what that would involve. But in seventeen, Apple 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:00.599 actually admitted to slowing down older iPhones, which was really 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:03.400 frustrating to people because it felt like they had noticed 0:06:03.440 --> 0:06:05.200 that for years, like, man, why is my iPhone so 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:07.720 sluggish after just owning it for a year or two? Uh. 0:06:07.760 --> 0:06:10.560 And then they were basically forced to massively reduce the 0:06:10.600 --> 0:06:13.360 price of a battery upgrade in order to make customers 0:06:13.400 --> 0:06:15.520 whole to provide them with a fresh battery so that 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:17.680 their older phone could continue to work. Um, and that's 0:06:17.720 --> 0:06:19.440 kind of when playing obsilection. So I feel like the 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:21.720 red lights were the red lights were blinking, and I 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:23.640 started to like think about it a lot more in 0:06:23.680 --> 0:06:25.440 the past few years since then. Yeah, and there were 0:06:25.440 --> 0:06:28.000 even reports last year that that some people were experiencing 0:06:28.000 --> 0:06:31.000 issues with even you know, just newer iPhones right after 0:06:31.200 --> 0:06:33.680 the latest model was announced. I haven't seen any like 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:35.839 verified reports of that, and so I might kind of 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:39.480 just chalk that up to kind of conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theory. Now, 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:42.480 I think that man like, you know, subconsciously, like we consumers, 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:46.160 might perceive our current products as inferior once there is 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:48.159 something kind of new and shining on the scene. You know, 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:51.440 there certainly are instances where, you know, it's the products 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:53.000 where it seems that they're designed to fail after a 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:55.680 certain period of time or maybe like after a certain 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:58.880 number of uses. But it's also important to consider whether 0:06:58.960 --> 0:07:02.360 or not this obsolescent is due to our own habits 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:05.000 of consumption, you know, and in fact, like evidence points 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:07.279 to items like cars and TV is actually being built 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:09.720 to last even longer these days than they used to. 0:07:09.840 --> 0:07:12.560 And so I think we can feel that planned obsolescence 0:07:12.640 --> 0:07:14.640 is this thing that's kind of out to get us 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:17.680 and out to to steal our money essentially, But in 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:20.200 a lot of cases, I think sometimes that perception is 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:22.800 only occurring within our own minds. Yeah, you and I 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:26.679 we actually talked recently about the failure rate of televisions 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:29.800 these days. It's like three or something like that, And so, yeah, 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:31.559 I think I was in our insurance episode, we're basically 0:07:31.560 --> 0:07:34.680 telling people to forego getting the extended warranty on a 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:37.000 TV because they're so well made. And I think that 0:07:37.160 --> 0:07:39.960 sometimes it's easy to to see the negative point out 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:42.240 the bad, but we don't necessarily take a look at 0:07:42.440 --> 0:07:44.040 what's gotten better. And yeah, a lot of items that 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:46.760 we use in our everyday lives have gotten better. Right. 0:07:46.960 --> 0:07:49.600 The biggest, most obvious reason math that you and I 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:52.520 hate planned obsolescence, though, is due to the costs that 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:54.840 we incur when something does break, when it stops working 0:07:55.120 --> 0:07:58.440 or it's no longer effective. And there's also the environmental impact. 0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:00.840 I think sometimes we develop a throw a mentality, which 0:08:00.880 --> 0:08:04.920 leads to increased waste, more items in the landfill, and ultimately, uh, 0:08:05.000 --> 0:08:08.720 it accelerates global warming. And the planned obsolescence of products 0:08:08.720 --> 0:08:11.680 like lightbulbs, smartphones, or even just cheaply made furniture can 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:14.160 be annoying and frustrating. It certainly seems like some of 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:16.480 the things we buy these days just aren't meant to 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:19.280 last very long, and that means shelling more money out 0:08:19.320 --> 0:08:22.600 in the future for replacement. Yeah, most definitely, you know. 0:08:22.680 --> 0:08:26.520 And while some planned obsolescens might feel a bit nefarious, right, 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:29.440 there are some positives that are a results of it's 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:30.920 and we want to make sure to cover those two. 0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:33.720 You know, there are certain luxuries and creature comforts that 0:08:33.920 --> 0:08:36.040 united that we get to enjoy as a result of 0:08:36.080 --> 0:08:38.959 the effects of planned obsolescence. You know, for instance, going 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:40.960 back to when light bulbs, when they were first introduced 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:44.040 the filament, it was actually made with carbon and so 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:47.160 these light bulbs were much more expensive to produce. But 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:50.160 due to the demand of the masses, you know, everybody 0:08:50.200 --> 0:08:53.160 wanted to have electric lights in their homes. And because 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:55.040 of that, that was a product that had a huge 0:08:55.080 --> 0:08:57.559 barrier to entry and a lot of people weren't able 0:08:57.600 --> 0:09:00.000 to you know, enjoy that product. So that's a simple 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:02.640 example where reducing the quality also brought down the cost, 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:05.240 which then made it much more accessible to everybody else, 0:09:05.400 --> 0:09:07.480 not just not just the rich. Yeah, that's really cool. 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:09.760 I yeah, I didn't know that, and I think that's 0:09:09.760 --> 0:09:13.040 fascinating and it is an example of how planned obsolescence 0:09:13.160 --> 0:09:16.760 it's not necessarily a conspiracy theory. Sometimes it's just a 0:09:16.760 --> 0:09:19.679 functional necessity. And there's some other upsides as well. Right, 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:22.400 just thinking about all the jobs that come about as 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:25.880 a result of producing goods that aren't meant to ask forever, Right, 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:29.280 and another positive is that progress is made because items 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:31.920 eventually wear out and need to be replaced. So while 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:33.760 in this episode will do our best to help you 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:36.559 avoid the traffic planned obsolescency, it is important to admit 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:38.840 that it also does play a role in the innovation 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:42.760 and there are other side effects, positive effects of planned 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:45.720 obsolescence in our lives. Yeah, and this progress in this innovation, 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:47.440 it's it's a good thing, you know, Like nobody's going 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:49.760 to argue with the fact that we pretty much all 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.320 have airbags in our cars now. But what that means though, 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:54.560 is that, you know, that progress it comes at the 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:58.040 expense of these older vehicles that don't have those features, right, 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:01.000 And so it's not that those old items or old 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:03.319 products no longer work, it's just that, well, they just 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:05.439 don't happen to have the you know, the latest features 0:10:05.520 --> 0:10:08.520 that a lot of individuals are wanting in specifically in 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:10.559 this case, in their cars today, you know, specifically to 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:14.360 keep us safe exactly. But plan obsolescence it's not always 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:16.319 a good thing, and it can affect us negatively. And 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:19.640 so we're gonna focus on avoiding products with a shorter 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:22.760 life cycle in order to save yourself some money. You know, 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:25.360 if we update our our gadgets every single year, you 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:27.440 know it's gonna cost us. Or if we we purchase 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:30.040 items that are more likely to break or wear out 0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:32.439 in a few years and instead of maybe a decade 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:35.600 or longer, it will mean spending more, along with a 0:10:35.720 --> 0:10:38.760 rising level of frustration. And so after the break, let's 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:42.680 detail a few areas in addition to handheld electronics where 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:46.200 plan obsolescence has been frustrating Lee in Vogue for quite 0:10:46.200 --> 0:10:48.640 a while now, and then we'll also discuss how we 0:10:48.640 --> 0:10:50.560 can take a different route. We'll get to that right 0:10:50.600 --> 0:11:02.079 after this. All right, we're back from the break, And Matt, 0:11:02.120 --> 0:11:04.520 I love the example you just gave up the light bulb. 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:06.320 I feel like that clicks in my mind in like 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:09.320 in a really awesome ways, like a light bulb went 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:10.800 off in my head. When if you want to really 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:14.280 expensive nice lightbel that costs I don't know, fifty dollars 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:16.360 or you know, like the one dollar one. Now I'm 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:18.760 into that. Well, you remember too when elid bulbs first 0:11:18.840 --> 0:11:21.040 hit the market and they were like what twelve fifteen 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:23.760 dollars per bulb, and it was like so expensive to 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:27.559 replace them. But I'd love too how the more manufacturers 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:29.640 were producing these bulbs that the costs have come down. 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:31.679 You can get great LED bulbs for a dollar a 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:34.280 bulb now, Um, they're they're just so easy and cheap 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:37.720 to replace. But let's give a couple examples of places 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:41.040 where planned obsolescence wears a Tuckley had in a major way. 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:45.280 And Matt first example is textbooks. It's all of our 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:47.720 recent college grads out there. They're they're thinking, yes, text books, 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:50.360 they're terrible. They cost me a lot of money every semester, 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:53.360 and they're this classic example I think of planned obsolescence. 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:56.880 School systems pay an outrageous amount for textbooks every year 0:11:56.920 --> 0:11:59.560 for their kids, and college students have to budget hundreds 0:11:59.559 --> 0:12:02.560 and hundred of dollars each semester just for books for 0:12:02.600 --> 0:12:04.720 their classes. And so I think there are ways to 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:07.320 combat a couple of these these major areas where we 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:10.479 see planned obsolescence. So instead, when we're talking about textbooks, 0:12:10.640 --> 0:12:12.960 maybe check with your professor to see if a previous 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:16.920 edition still works. Oftentimes that previous edition costs a fraction 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:19.600 of the price of the newest one because that's what 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:22.320 everybody is using now. Or share with a friend. Sometimes 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:23.920 that can work if you're going through a class together, 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:28.079 and sometimes Matt the teacher, the professor doesn't even use 0:12:28.160 --> 0:12:30.440 the textbook. It's it's listed as something you need to buy, 0:12:30.640 --> 0:12:32.199 and then you get the class and they're like, yeah, 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:34.360 I don't really do the textbook, which just lecture based, 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:36.160 and then you're like, crap, did I spend a hundred 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:38.160 eighty dollars on that book now? Or you look at 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:41.199 it like twice since? Right? Pointless exactly. And you can 0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:43.840 even rent textbooks these days via sites like Amazon and 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:46.720 cheg right that prevents that loss of a new edition 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:48.920 does come along for the next semester, making that book 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:52.199 that you purchased now worthless. So renting a textbook instead 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:53.800 of buying it makes a whole lot of sense for 0:12:53.840 --> 0:12:55.720 a lot of people. Yeah, and depending if you maybe 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:57.800 are in an English or like a literature class too, 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:00.280 Like they're like a lot of the classic books that 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:03.319 college students are assigned to read sometimes can be found 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:06.600 online for free right there, open licensed and I saw 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:08.120 two that you can go to a site like open 0:13:08.120 --> 0:13:10.520 stacks or Project Gutenberg and you can check and see 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:12.320 if a book that you that you need for a 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:15.040 certain course can be found online for free, uh in 0:13:15.080 --> 0:13:16.880 a digital format, which is a really nice way to 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:18.439 to save some money as well. And so Jill, you know, 0:13:18.480 --> 0:13:21.680 speaking of textbooks, fast fashion like that is another textbook 0:13:21.679 --> 0:13:25.560 example of planned obsolescence. Beautiful pod, we gotta embrace those 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:28.840 dad jokes. A new wardrob bottom that maybe you purchased recently, 0:13:29.040 --> 0:13:31.080 it likely wasn't made to look cool for very long, 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:33.800 you know, or even to last until spring, because of 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:36.480 how cheaply it was made. In fact, there are reports 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:38.240 of how H and M how they can turn out 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:41.080 a new style from drawing board to the stores in 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:43.640 just two weeks, man, And so that means, you know, 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:46.240 there's cool new threads might be out of style after 0:13:46.480 --> 0:13:48.959 you even wear them once. And so we would recommend 0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:51.600 for folks in this case to avoid fast fashion in 0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:54.719 the pursuit of well made, staple items that stay in 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:57.720 the test of time, you know, instead of fashion like 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:00.760 work to develop your own personal style that doesn't change 0:14:00.760 --> 0:14:03.080 with time. I think my wife wishes mine with change 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:05.840 with time maybe, but it's not. It's here forever. Okay, 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:10.199 it's here forever, and it's affordable exactly. No. It is funny, man, 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:12.320 I think about some of the shirts that I own 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:15.240 that I've had the longest. Literally, some of them are 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:18.040 fifty years old because I bought them fifteen years ago 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:20.160 in the third Store and some old man was wearing 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:22.000 them for thirty years before that. And those are some 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:24.120 of my favorite shirts still. And when I pop a 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:26.600 button or or uh, you know, get a hole in it, 0:14:26.600 --> 0:14:28.480 it makes me so sad because it's really hard to 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:31.360 match a fifty year old button. Exactly. It'll make them. 0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:33.720 They'll make them like they used to, Joel. They don't 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:37.880 dig it. You did. Well. Yeah. Another area mat we're 0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:42.200 playing obsolescence definitely weird exactly, head is in ink cartridges 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:45.680 for printers. That is in large part because these printers 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:50.080 were created to waste ink, and printer manufacturers sell printers 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:52.360 for twenty or thirty bucks because they're not hoping to 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:54.680 make money on the printer. They're planning on making money 0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:57.160 every time you have to replace the inc and some 0:14:57.280 --> 0:15:00.560 manufacturers are working to change that though, they're working to 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:04.480 create printers that that don't function with this planned obsolescens mentality. 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:07.160 So look to those printers instead of getting the cheapest 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:09.040 printer you can, because that one's actually gonna cost you 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:11.880 more over the time that you own it. Brother has 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:14.960 an investment printer and Epson has an Eco tank. Both 0:15:15.000 --> 0:15:17.120 have opted to change things up in the way they 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:20.720 in their approach. The Eco tank implemented refillable cartridges so 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:23.440 you don't have to replace them for a long, long, 0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:26.880 long time. Filling up that ink instead of constantly replacing 0:15:26.880 --> 0:15:29.480 the cartridges is going to save you just a massive 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.200 amount of money, and it's gonna reduce waste at the 0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:35.200 same time. Chucking those used cartridges just in the in 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:37.120 the trash can. Yeah, and we all know that there 0:15:37.120 --> 0:15:40.160 are very few things that that are more inconvenient than 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:42.160 running out of ink, you know, when you're interesting trying 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:44.440 to get some printed out before dashing out the door. Truth. 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:46.200 All right, So those are some of the ways that 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:49.360 we see planned obsolescence in our lives, right, cell phones 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.280 and other personal technology may they are also an example 0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:54.920 that you know that comes to mind where planned obsolescence 0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:57.480 seems to be working on a predictable you know, to 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:00.080 your schedule, where folks feel the need to replace the 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:03.160 items costing them tons of money. But there are in 0:16:03.200 --> 0:16:05.560 fact ways to make your technology last longer. And that's 0:16:05.560 --> 0:16:07.200 what we're gonna talk about now, So when it comes 0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:10.400 to our personal electronics, Uh, let's talk about replacing batteries. 0:16:10.400 --> 0:16:11.960 You know, we touched on this at the beginning of 0:16:12.000 --> 0:16:14.280 the episode. And it's not as you know, easy to 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:15.880 d l why this as it was maybe in the 0:16:15.960 --> 0:16:18.360 early days of cell phones, right in the early days 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:20.480 of you know, the droid phones in particular. Man, I 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:22.880 remember my first EVO just like pop it out, popping 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:25.800 the news exactly. That's super easy. They used to be 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:28.560 so easily removed in many of those models, but the 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:31.920 battery is a likely culprit and white people tend to 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:34.920 toss out an older laptop or an older phone. Uh, 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:37.120 and so instead we would recommend for folks to to 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:39.400 look to replace it. So whether that means taking your 0:16:39.440 --> 0:16:42.760 iPhone maybe to an Apple store for replacement, or ordering 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:45.760 a replacement battery for your laptop, and those are are 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:48.880 typically easier to install. But you can easily get twice 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:51.840 as much life out of a device with that one 0:16:51.880 --> 0:16:53.720 simple move. You know. A lot of the experts say that, 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:55.400 like on your phone, you can check, you know, your 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:57.640 battery health and once it gets down to like around 0:16:57.640 --> 0:17:00.360 six or less, you know, you're like you're You're device 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:02.360 is not going to be functioning at the level that 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:04.760 it needs to be in order to probably keep you happy, 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:06.600 and so that would definitely be a good time to 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:09.120 get that battery replaced. Yeah. Another way to to make 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:12.080 your tech last longer is to clean your gadgets and 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:14.359 your appliances, right, just toss them in the washer with 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:15.960 your pants. That's what I do with my phone. I 0:17:16.040 --> 0:17:19.480 tossed in the dishwasher, good to go, super clean, high 0:17:19.480 --> 0:17:21.480 temperature washed. It really doesn't affect it. And we have 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:22.959 to put a disclaimer after that just in case one 0:17:22.960 --> 0:17:24.920 of our listeners actually does that. Now we don't, okay. 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:29.560 Uh So. One of the reasons things break down oftentimes 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:31.480 is due to a build up of dirt and grime 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:34.439 and those canned air salt cans or even like a 0:17:34.440 --> 0:17:36.879 sewing needle, depending on on you know, what's messed up 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:38.880 with your phone or what's getting grimy. They can help 0:17:38.880 --> 0:17:40.879 you blow out or dig out some of the grime 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:43.359 and nastiness and funk that's on a cell phone or 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:47.040 laptop or or a desktop computer, and desktop computers can 0:17:47.080 --> 0:17:49.120 even be opened up once a year to blow out 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:52.560 the fan household appliances to write your fridge will will 0:17:52.640 --> 0:17:55.600 last longer and perform better if you vacuum the coils 0:17:55.680 --> 0:17:57.280 every year. There are all these ways that you can 0:17:57.320 --> 0:17:59.720 take care of the things that you have, keep them clean, 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:02.480 and then they'll they'll last longer, they'll they'll perform better 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:04.399