The Cost of Maintenance

We all want nice things like a luxury car, the home of your dreams, or a fancy watch, etc. But here’s the thing about nice things – they break.

They get worn down. They will deteriorate over time without proper maintenance. This is the hidden cost that most people don’t consider when thinking of the things they want.

They are willing to pay the price to get into them, but not the cost of maintenance.

The cost of maintenance concept can also be applied more broadly outside of physical goods.

You want that fancy title at your job? Great, now that you have it you’ll spend more of your time reading proposals, contracts, and performance reviews than you will creating. That’s the cost of maintenance.

You want abs? You can get there with an extreme six-week diet, but to keep them requires an ongoing workout routine. Otherwise, you’ll be back to where you started (or worse off) in another six weeks.

You want a $1 million? Great, now you will have to constantly decide which family members or friends get a “loan” from you. You’ll also be expected to foot the bill most times when you go out.

It’s the cost of maintenance.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t want nice things or more for yourself. You just need to be aware of the full cost so that you’re actually happy once you have to live with it.

You can't want that dream home without wanting the upkeep. Know both what you want and what it requires to keep it - that's the cost of maintenance.