How Do You Justify Buying An Expensive Pen?

[fly_us]

Why need to justify? If i like it and i can afford it, then it is.

 

If i cannot afford it, then there is no need to justify at all .

[I like mango cheesecake]

Well not everyone is in the same financial boat. Some can afford a Nakaya without a blink of an eye. Some can only afford a TWSBI. It is what you value as your priorities. Food on the table or a months groceries? I wish I could go out and buy a Nakaya or a Rolex or a Maserati but I have financial commitments that I am responsible for.

If you can afford it and you want it then that's different. Do you really NEED it? Well, do you need to put food on the table?????

[mudman]

I try to save up for it, starting from the time I want it. If I still want the pen by the time I have the funds, than it's a green light for the purchase.

 

Realistically we only need one pen. But that's no fun.

[Tresconik]

I can't justify it anymore.

I had wanted to save up and buy a 149 and a Delta Dolcevita sometime, but I've found a brand with which I am very happy. They have pretty great pens at a comfortable price point and the pens look very very good.

I just don't feel the need to buy expensive pens anymore.

[Vpen]

I can't justify it anymore.

 

I had wanted to save up and buy a 149 and a Delta Dolcevita sometime, but I've found a brand with which I am very happy. They have pretty great pens at a comfortable price point and the pens look very very good.

 

I just don't feel the need to buy expensive pens anymore.

And what brand is that ?

[J_MM]

I try to justify all of my more expensive pen purchases. What will this pen do that my others will not? Will I enjoy using it more? I am not interested in collecting unless I can use the pen regularly. As I have tried better pens costing more, I find they do make for a more enjoyable writing experience. So that is my justification.

[Buzz_130]

The word "justify" leads most readers to infer there is a decision among things the person in question values. I can buy an expensive pen "or" something else important. This decision requires the justification, especially with a luxury item like a fountain pen. No one has to "justify" rent/mortgage, water, electricity, sewer, or even internet bills every month. Once people get into discretionary spending, this question is a zero sum game. Some people don't have to make this a justification or an "or." For some, it's an "and."

 

My family takes fountain pens, inks, and paper as a hobby. There's something fun in looking at different inks and how they work with the different nibs on all types of paper. We enjoy looking at how different filling systems work and even the history of some of the great pens (and who used them). Our "justification" is that we can enjoy the collection and use of vintage and modern fountain pens. To me, it's worth it.

 

Buzz

[dropbrian]

I'm a writer; I often write early drafts, raw material from workshops, etc. by hand. The fountain pen THING—the paper, the inks, the pens—is my reward for showing up to my blank page every morning(ish) with a semi-professional consistency.

[torstar]

Used to justify it with whim and caprice.

 

And then one day..... it just wasn't fun any more.

 

And it will happen to all those saying "just buy it" (unless they have millions to toss around)

 

So I enjoy the great purchases made over the 15 years spent like a drunken lord.

[sandy101]

You can't take it with you when you go.

 

However, maybe see if you can try the pen before you buy. You'd hate to spend you hard earned money and find out that it doesn't suit.

[afcart]

I always start by telling myself that it's better to buy something that is I like, will be used, and is high-quality than something that doesn't fit those three criteria. Also, everyone has something they spend money on that is purely for enjoyment and not out of necessity; it just so happens that mine is fountain pens. There's no reason no to if it makes me happy!

[PAKMAN]

I recently bought a tee-shirt that has this saying on it:

 

You can't buy Happiness

But you can buy a Fountain Pen

and that's pretty much the same thing

 

This is my new pen buying philosophy

[Dickkooty2]

You don't 'justify'. If you like it and can afford it, you buy it. Simple enough.

 

'Justify' leads to 'buyers remorse'. Time and brain wasters!

[Sasha Royale]

I am blessed with prosperity, in a "Heaven-rescued Land". I am unapologeticly well-blessed. I make room for groceries, internet costs, giving to charities, and fountain pens.

 

I wish you all as much.

 

"Go thy way. Eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart, . . . . . . "

Edited June 25, 2015 by Sasha Royale

[Feathers]

I think you've received a lot of good advice so far. Some of the responses here have really given me food for thought. I'm one of those people who gets caught up in justifying...well, everything, I guess. And it causes me a lot of stress and takes the fun out of life. I could probably stand to live a little more freely and stop worrying about stuff that, in the grand scheme of things doesn't matter.

 

When making an expensive purchase, I will go and do my research on the pen. If I love the pen, and it makes me happy, if I will use it and not feel guilty about purchasing it later, then I go ahead and purchase it. I have also tried more recently to take the approach of waiting to make a purchase, and telling myself, if it's still there in (x amount of time) then I will purchase it. If it isn't, then I wasn't meant to have it. That extra time allows me to REALLY decide if I LOVE pen, or if it's just a fleeting obsession, which will pass. I've avoided a couple of mistake purchases that way, because I get so darned excited when I see pens, and I want them all That doesn't always work in all purchasing situations, but it's a tactic to consider employing

 

I have a few pricier pens now, and I love every single one of them. I may not have the biggest collection, but each pen that I do have (with the exception of one), I have chosen with care and I feel that I made good, solid purchases. Funnily enough, the one purchase that I did make on an impulse, is the one pen that I am rather indifferent about, however, as it was a cheapie pen, I don't feel badly about it.

 

I would rather put money towards something that is well made, and of good quality than feel as though I squandered it on something that either I didn't love or was poor quality. Those values though, are only something that the person making the purchase can decide. What works for one person, won't necessarily work for another, as we all put different values on things and have our own criteria.

 

Anyway, as I said (and others have too) ultimately, it's your decision and your happiness that is most important. Maybe having 100s of less expensive pens will be more fun and make you happier in the long run, only you can decide. Good luck

[ac12]

As long as it is not diverting $ from important stuff; rent, mortgage, food, taxes, etc. it then falls into "discretionary" spending.

And it is your discretion to spend it or save it. And if you spend, how to spend.

The next hurdle is your head. Mine refuses to pay that much $ for a pen, even if I can afford it.

[the_gasman]

I don't need to justify. I am lucky enough to enjoy a good salary. Despite that I wear department store clothes (no designer stuff or branded clothing), drive a modest 6 year old car, don't smoke, and don't drink alcohol. I recently treated myself to two Onoto pens (a blue-chased Magna Classic and a Dickens Chuzzlewit). I felt really guilty but my wife just said, "you work hard, and barely spend any money on yourself. Enjoy them". Oh boy, do I enjoy them!

[WaskiSquirrel]

It can't be justified.

 

My reasoning is this:

• Can I pay cash for it? (black and white)
• Can I afford it? (mathematical)
• Do I feel comfortable paying that price? (emotional)

Last summer I resolved to buy a Nakaya. I saved money until November. I broke my savings plan once: I purchased a Lamy 2000 when I got a surprisingly large windfall (and I mean large). When November came, I didn't want the Nakaya anymore. But, the Lamy has been used daily ever since. I was okay on the first two considerations, but I broke down on the last one. Emotionally, I couldn't spend that money on a pen.

 

But, you can get a free writing utensil any time you want. Anything else can't be logically justified. Fountain pens are a luxury purchase.

[The Blue Knight]

If you need to justify it you shouldn't buy it.

 

You should have rid yourself of doubt before you buy the pen or other wise you won't enjoy it.

[sidthecat]

Justification is for the weak.