Biggest bang for the buck

Buying decisions are tough enough even if money's no object, but when you're on a limited budget—as many of us are—how do you make the tough choices of where to put your hard earned funds? The side of our personalities that want immediate gratification looks for the biggest bang for the buck. If you're going to spend your money, you want an immediate huge improvement or satisfying game-changer. Smaller incremental changes are less exciting. And yet, it's often those smaller less spectacular results that might benefit us more. Not all of us have the discipline and planning chops to be patient, building a firm foundation so that when the project's complete, we have something of lasting value. Instant gratification is always more fun, but not always as long lasting. When people ask me where to place limited funds I am that boring guy that urges them to think about the weak links in the system: an old power amp, tired speakers, a coveted yet obsolete source. Sure, I too love that rush of the instant gratification, but long term the biggest bang for the buck is often the more boring task of strengthening the system chain by replacing and upgrading the weakest links. If you'd like to see more on this subject, check out my video How to get the best bang for the buck.