I often watch a man on YouTube that creates excellent videos about construction, building, creating, and life.  His channel is called The Essential Craftsman.  You should give him a look. 

Whenever reviewing a piece of equipment or a tool, he always says, “buy once – cry once.”  This is his way of saying, although it may be expensive, buy the best you possibly can and maybe just maybe you won’t have to buy that particular tool again. 

Just as important is the notion that the proper tools make the job go easier and the craftsman more productive.  

If we do not learn this lesson until late in life it can create a lot of frustration and expense.  We think we are being frugal, but we are not.

As a young homeowner, husband, and dad, I wanted to be frugal.  The family raked leaves and carried them off on a sheet.  Everyone hated it.  We live on a mountain in the woods.  There are a lot of leaves.

I decided to buy a rake you pull behind the lawn tractor.  It rakes the leaves into a large bin that has to be emptied every two laps around the yard.  Everyone else was happy.  Although it was easier than raking by hand, I hated it.

After a couple of aggravating seasons, I decided a handheld blower would be appropriate.  It wasn’t.  It was good for the decks and driveway but was useless in the tall leaf piles in the yard.  It created even more work because I had to blow leaves every day to keep up.

The backpack blower was next.  I bought the smallest cheapest version.  It was nice but again could not keep up in the yard without constant daily attention.  I suffered this one for about four years.  

I finally broke down and bought the big daddy RED Max blower.  I can stand in the middle of the yard and turn a 360 and blow all of the leaves to the woods.  It could blow the house down if I am not careful.  Seriously, it will blow leaves.

All children think their parents wait until they are grown to buy the “nice” equipment just to make their lives miserable.  I know I did.

What they don’t realize is their parents are simply going through the process of learning to buy once – cry once.

Where are you in the process?