Repair or Replace?
I think this single question is the “To Be or Not To Be” dilemma of frugality.
Recently a friend gave me a strip-cut shredder to replace a broken cross-cut one my dad gave me to try and fix. I am really bad with shredders. I was Fawn Hall at one company and had to shred entire file cabinets of old documents to make room for the current stuff. (Please God, tell me the younger folks remember who she is.) Since I had access to an industrial shredder I would throw in huge chunks of paper at a time. Uh. That doesn’t work so good with the home shredders you can buy at office supply stores. Not by a long shot. Read those directions and take good care of your office machines.
Basically, I break every shredder I have. My dad broke the cross-cut when cutting used lottery tickets. Retailers take the winning cards and report the results to the Lottery Commission, but they don’t have to send in the cards anymore, so he shreds them. That was his second shredder, like father, like daughter. Anyhow, I tried my best to repair the damned thing, but couldn’t. One of my friends decided that strip-cut wasn’t good enough for her and got a cross-cut one instead. She knew I had a broken one and offered me her strip-cut for free just to get it out of her house. She said it didn’t work great, but it’s better than nothing.
Well, I ended up breaking it too. I resorted to my old practice and shoved in too many papers doubled over, i.e. whole envelopes of junk mail. It’s max 5 sheets, but really works best with about 2 at most. I had almost given up hope, but decided to get out every single piece of paper stuck in the damned thing to see if that would help. I broke out the chopsticks, needlenose pliers and tweezers. I cleaned out every piece of paper I could from the thing and TA-DA! It worked like a charm once again! The AUTO setting didn’t constantly grind because the sensor wasn’t blocked. I got the REVERSE setting back too! It worked better than it did when my friend gave it to me. (Please remember to unplug your shredder when attempting repair!!!)
The point is, I was going to replace that first broken cross-cut because I couldn’t fix it. When faced with the karmic opportunity of a second shredder, I couldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I took it and repaired it to spare myself the expense of a third shredder.
Ask yourself, when do you give up on fixing things? When is the repair not worth the replacement? I love fixing up my old shoes because I hate the pains and aches of breaking in new shoes. I get joy out of repairing things myself because I’m a nerd like that. But when I read Maus, by Art Spiegelman
I don’t like living in a disposable society. We don’t take care enough of the world in which we live. Stewardship matters, and if that means repairing things instead of replacing them, we should think about doing so. Making your car or TV last an extra year on a lifetime of cars and TV’s is a lot of money. Think about that.
Karen wrote:
I recommend the MailMate shredder by Staples. You can put in entire envelopes full of stuff without problem. I get them out of the mailbox, walk to the shredder and they are gone. It also shreds CD’s and credit cards easily. It’s compact too….much more so than my last “hang it on the side of my garbage can” shredder.
HTH.
Posted on 12-Apr-07 at 12:09 pm | Permalink
Mary wrote:
I have the same shredder problem! I think the key is spending a little extra cash upfront to buy something of a better quality, rather than the $9.99 version I bought twice at Target before upgrading to the $25 version at Office Max.
Posted on 12-Apr-07 at 3:22 pm | Permalink
mapgirl wrote:
OH Mary! These *are* the good ones! They are both Aurora models from real office supply stores.
Posted on 12-Apr-07 at 4:39 pm | Permalink
sfmoneymusings wrote:
I’m contemplating the same conundrum - repair or replace these open toe heels I bought at mervyns 3 years ago for $20 on clearance. the heel or the shank broke because it’s all wobbly when I walk. i already invested $20 last month to fix them and I’m not so sure I want to sink another $20.
i’m going to dig up the receipt and ask the shoe repair store to fix it again without charging. otherwise im hoping my credit card can help me. worst case scenario i’ll go buy new shoes this time better quality that will last a few years.
Posted on 13-Apr-07 at 6:44 pm | Permalink
philskaren wrote:
http://www.slickdeals.net/
Today, there is a link to a free after rebate shredder at Staples. I saw it and thought of your post
Posted on 15-Apr-07 at 11:28 am | Permalink
No Credit Needed » Blog Archive » Festival of Frugality wrote:
[…] Mapgirl’s Fiscal Challenge asks the age-old question, “Repair or Reuse?”. […]
Posted on 17-Apr-07 at 8:44 am | Permalink
70th Festival of Frugality is up! at Clever Dude Personal Finance & Money wrote:
[…] Mapgirl keeps killing her shredders and asks “When is it time to replace vs repair something?“. […]
Posted on 17-Apr-07 at 10:11 pm | Permalink
Mapgirl’s Fiscal Challenge / The Festival of Frugality #70 is Up! wrote:
[…] Yours truly has a submission, Repair or Replace? […]
Posted on 18-Apr-07 at 8:42 am | Permalink
KMull wrote:
I got a $50 shredder from office depot a while back. I make sure to never put more than 8 pages in — or to run it continuously for long periods of time. If it starts to heat up, I wait for a little while.
I also go through my mail and shred just the portions of applications that could be used to apply in my name. I throw away the regular paper.
Posted on 18-Apr-07 at 10:12 am | Permalink
Debt Hater wrote:
I am not a fix-it type gal, but I would have plucked every last piece of paper out of the shredder befgore I bought a new one! If it’s bigger than a bread basket, fix-it. If it ain’t, consider buying a gently used replacement. I think the same goes for clothes… it’s amazing what a good seamstress (or a safety pin) can do for less than a new garment!
Posted on 18-Apr-07 at 12:07 pm | Permalink
karla (threadbndr) wrote:
For me, the ‘tip’ point of repair vs replace depends on the item. For your shredder - certainly try to clean it out first. For a car, it’s when the cost of repairs approaches a car payment averaged over about six months. That’s usually ‘replace the engine’ time for the way that I drive.
For an historic house or a classic car or antique furnishings or hand knit sweaters or socks? Fixing those are labors of love and money doesn’t really come into it as much. Some things are worth perserving, even when it doesn’t make perfect financial sense. (WalMart socks vs darning my handknit socks made of merino wool???? nope, pennies won’t win that contest!)
Posted on 18-Apr-07 at 5:28 pm | Permalink
mapgirl wrote:
Karla, You rock! I darn my handknit wool socks too.
Search my old posts for a darning how to link. (The DIY category)
Merino for the feet?! My that is fancy! What yarn did you use? Trekking XXL is my absolute favorite sock yarn. It fluffs nicely, gets the right gauge for my size 2 sock needles. It’s sock perfection, but I did buy some Socks that Rock yarn at Rhinebeck last year, but have yet to knit them. (Spinning my Ashland Bay Merino-Tencel blend first.) oops. The yarn freak just showed herself. Have to stuff her back into a storage bin with the other yarns…
Posted on 18-Apr-07 at 9:21 pm | Permalink
Thursday Money Blogs Roundup: Credit Card National Bank Edition wrote:
[…] Repair or Replace? by Mapgirl @ Mapgirl’s Fiscal Challenge. […]
Posted on 19-Apr-07 at 3:21 pm | Permalink
kristi wrote:
You are so right. We definitely are a disposable society. When I was overseas, I was delighted that the peanut vendor sold me my treat that was wrapped in used printer paper. Why can’t WE do that? Oh, forgot..Ewww! Wrap my goods in USED clean and dry paper that has PRINTING of god knows what on it?? I’m an American consumer, I want your brand all printed all over it, in blister wrap and totally sealed with two layers plastic wrap and a convenient zip lock top…
Posted on 24-Apr-07 at 1:25 pm | Permalink