For me, besides quality, BIFL is also about minimizing waste. One downside to BIFL that I don't see talked about a lot is that, once you've bought it, you have it for a really long time. For example, I have some kitchen knives that have lasted me over 10 years, and they still work great. But now that I've gotten more into cooking since when I bought those knives, I wish I could upgrade to nicer ones. But the moment that I do that, I'd have to find a way to get rid of the old knives that are not wasteful. So, BIFL isn't just about buying the nicest quality things, it's also a bit about making a commitment to the things that you buy.
That means trying to figure out how the thing you buy might be maintained and repaired into the future, buying things that have a design appeal that is timeless, or at least not so aesthetically tied to a trend that they become undesirable or unfashionable in a short amount of time, and spending the effort to find appreciative homes for the objects that you do want to get rid of. And, it also means, if you can't make that commitment for a specific purchase, to try to just not buy it, and buy less stuff.
Anthop t1_j65db08 wrote
Reply to What's your personal philosophy on how to buy better objects? by knowhow_LM
For me, besides quality, BIFL is also about minimizing waste. One downside to BIFL that I don't see talked about a lot is that, once you've bought it, you have it for a really long time. For example, I have some kitchen knives that have lasted me over 10 years, and they still work great. But now that I've gotten more into cooking since when I bought those knives, I wish I could upgrade to nicer ones. But the moment that I do that, I'd have to find a way to get rid of the old knives that are not wasteful. So, BIFL isn't just about buying the nicest quality things, it's also a bit about making a commitment to the things that you buy.
That means trying to figure out how the thing you buy might be maintained and repaired into the future, buying things that have a design appeal that is timeless, or at least not so aesthetically tied to a trend that they become undesirable or unfashionable in a short amount of time, and spending the effort to find appreciative homes for the objects that you do want to get rid of. And, it also means, if you can't make that commitment for a specific purchase, to try to just not buy it, and buy less stuff.