We own stuff.
We work so that we can own stuff.
But how much does this stuff cost?
Let's say I buy a smartphone for 300€.
Is this cheaper than another one for 900€?
If everything else is equal: yes.
But is everything else equal? Probably not.
Maybe one phone breaks less often. Or the battery dies faster. Or the software doesn't get any updates.
So I think saying stuff like "A phone for 300€ is cheaper than a 900€ phone." is pretty useless, because this only includes the one-time cashflow of buying it.
It's also way harder to compare the phone to another device, e.g. a laptop, or even your housing cost.
Idea
Instead of thinking in "cost of buying", I use "cost per month".
Examples
Motorola smartphone: I bought it in 2015-02 for 120€. It lasted for 90 months so far. => 120€ / 90 = 1.3€/month
Thinkpad X230: I bought it in 2022-02 for 120€. It lasted for 6 months so far. => 120€ / 6 = 20€/month
It's interesting to see that if I'll use my Thinkpad just for some additional 6 months, the cost per month will half down to 10€/month.
Just for comparison: If you buy a new phone every 3 years for 240€, you pay 6.6€/month. If you buy a new phone every 5 years for 600€, you pay 10€/month.
| Moto E 2015 | Normal Phone | Sustainable Phone | Thinkpad X230 | Housing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost (€) | 120 | 240 | 600 | 120 | - |
| Used (Months) | 90 | 36 | 60 | 6 | - |
| Cost per Month (€) | 1.3 | 6.6 | 10.0 | 20.0 | 600 |
| Work per Month (Hours, 20€/h net) | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 30.0 |
These numbers seem to be low.
Especially in contrast to paying 600€ per month for housing.
Buying a sustainable phone, that lasts longer, should be affordable for many people.