Recently, my laptop pooped out. The four-and-a-half-year-old computer had been through thick and thin. I had traveled the country with it, and even dropped a glass of soy milk into the keyboard. It helped me create graphics, write graduate papers, and start Frugaling.org. The device was essential for my new book, too.
Not having a computer sent me in a tizzy. I needed one for nearly everything I do from work to play to school. My book wasn’t finished either, and I needed a dedicated computer for proofreading and formatting. Immediately, I investigated my options and surprisingly sold my old, broken one for a tidy sum.
My previous computer was an Apple. The laptop was reliable considering what I threw at it. In an effort to be frugal, I looked at Google Chromebooks. Unfortunately, certain academic and work responsibilities would necessitate a real computer – whether Mac or Windows.
Considering resale values, reliability, build quality, and my own knowledge base, I decided to get another Apple. Because it was “Back to School” season, the company had a special sale. Buy a computer, get an education discount, and receive a free pair of Beats headphones.
Regularly $200, the headphones would be shipped with the purchase. When I agreed to the payment options and clicked order, I planned to sell the headphones. They would ultimately lower the real purchase price of the computer.
I ravenously opened the boxes. Despite everything I preach about immaterialism and anti-consumption, my computer was a necessity. There wasn’t another way for me to write, publish, comment, and work on Frugaling. And I was lusting over the product.
Then, in another box, were the Beats headphones. I left the box sealed – brand new and ready for auction on eBay or sale on Craigslist. As the days ticked by, that unopened box stuck out like a sore thumb. It begged to be open.
So, I did.
As I ripped the shrink wrap and took the shiny headphones out, I felt this guilt. If I’m supposed to be frugal, am I allowed to own Beats headphones? Furthermore, can I truly afford them if my budgets are still so tight? The frugal friend on my shoulder said, “you can’t afford this.” The baller on a budget said, “maybe you can.”
When I put the headphones on my head, I looked in the mirror and saw Lebron James suiting up for his next basketball game. I was a walking, listening ad for Beats.
With their iconic lowercase “b” logo on either ear and a red cord dangling down, I was embarrassed. The look, fit, finish, and advertisement-like design bothered me. I felt like a hypocrite. How could I spout frugally inspired words and wear these?
The next day I took the headphones to school. Everywhere I went, people asked about them. In fact, someone in the Iowa City community who struggles with homelessness that I’ve interacted with regularly approached me.
He grabbed ahold and said, “Wow, nice headphones!”
When I heard that, I felt shame. How can I walk around with these bulky Beats that flash status in the face of those with less? How can I reconcile the decision to keep/accept flaunting $200 sitting on my head, while he struggles to find shelter?
In these moments, I think many people ignore this dissonance. They rationalize their ownership by stating that those with less get what they deserve. This is our capitalistic society working as it should.
For me, I balk at symbols of excessive wealth. These are unnecessary reminders of classism that pin rich against poor – privileged against disenfranchised. I don’t need to look like Lebron James walking to game time. Likewise, I don’t need to look like I’m better than anyone else – because I’m not.
But is there ever room for something like this in a frugal lifestyle?
What would you do? Would you keep the brand-assailing Beats headphones or sell them off?
Part of me says – you got them for free as part of a promotion, so not sure how much more “frugal” you can get than that?
But on the other hand, I also don’t like products that make me a walking ad. I don’t wear t-shirts with logos, I ordered an RV without stripes, I took most of the chrome badges off my truck. I wouldn’t like headphones that have such strong branding.
I know what you mean. I got a Pandora bracelet from my Mother in Law a while ago and found myself shortly thereafter in a conversation with my friend where we talked about how broke I was and then she complimented me on my new new bracelet. Sure it’s not $200 but I felt that same guilt, even though it was a gift and I told my friend as such. Perhaps I don’t want to be viewed as one of those people who can’t make responsible financial decisions and is always because they spend what they have on themselves. Perhaps it’s because I already feel guilty for spending any money on myself or something that I feel I can actually do without (like a restaurant or movie) because I’m in debt and have so little in savings. I hem and haw over spending $10 on makeup because I know I can do without it and should throw that $10 at my debt. Then another voice tells me that a tight belt can still find room for a $10 fun purchase. So I flip flop on it a lot.
Like you, I think I’d sell the headphones. I don’t like anything so attention-grabbing, even if it has no logo. But I definitely try hard not to wear visible logos, except for the unavoidable small ones on outdoorsy jackets. The idea of visible wealth is something we struggle with a lot. The big city where we used to live was all about visible wealth, and while we would never pass for “wealthy” there, we never thought about what it meant to wear an engagement ring there, for example. But now, living in a much smaller place, we feel much more conscious of these status symbols. Plenty of people here have lots of money, and we often sometimes feel self-conscious around them that we look different (not wealthy). But then the other half are normal, working-class people, and around them I feel super self-conscious if I wear my engagement ring. So feeling self-conscious about wealth symbols isn’t just about logos!
Hands down I would have sold them. I still look at some items and have a bit of materialistic drooling that happens. But like you said…I don’t like being a walking advertisement. There is a difference between purchasing a TOOL I can use professionally and academically (newer, fully functioning, updated laptop) that is a long-term investment and purchasing an item that is based in marketed desire. I’ve looked at the beats headphones and decided that if I am going to invest in high quality headphones I would go with a brand that was not as flashy, but still met my desired specifications.
I can relate to how my purchasing/possession ownership mentality has shifted throughout my own minimalism/frugaling journey. I really assess what I need and want in order to be comfortable and then try to give to others who are demonstrating a need that cross my path. I want to live a life that is rich in kindness, love, and giving versus excess material items.
Selling them is the right thing to do. They are too expensive for what they are… You pay for the brand and that does not fit in the frugal lifestyle.
I would definitely not keep them. You did the right thing. Companies should be paying us to market their brand, not the other way around.
I’m a big sports fan and I always see those Beats commercials featuring NFL or NBA athletes. It’s sad seeing all these kids emulating their favorite athletes. It wasn’t things like headphones that got the athletes to where they are, it was consistent hard work from a very young age. I’ve never really seen the allure of headphones personally. The ones that come with my iphone work perfectly fine and last for years.
Good choice to sell. The commercials for those kinds of things drive me crazy. With one pair of headphones you can drive a nice car, wear a nice suit, get all the ladies, and have money falling from the sky (on second thought… maybe you should keep them!). On the flip side, I also don’t think we should be avoiding things just because they’re “too nice.” Your apple computer is also a walking advertisement in a way that non-Apple computers rarely are. But you chose it because it was the best fit for your purpose and it made the most financial sense to you. Those are intentional choices. So it’s hard to judge.
I am a big fan of minimalism, which can partner well with frugality, but not specifically. So as a minimalist, I say, if they aren’t useful to you, then of course sell them. But, I also think that caring about what people think of your frugality is no better than caring what people think of your wealth. If you won’t use them, then, fine, they are wasted on you so sell them. But to do so in order to be thought better of by others seems no different to me than buying something for the same reason.
That’s a great point. It shouldn’t be about what others think, but should be about what’s right for me. I forget that sometimes
Great comment, exactly what I think.
I don,t like being a walking ad either..HOWEVER..do you find them to be valuable to you and your life?? Are they useful?? Do you really enjoy them ? Are they quality? will they last?? Don’t discount them because they are name brand or expensive. You need to balance the whole equation out. Being frugal is not being cheap. Its finding intention.
I agree with Karen. If they provide value and are quality/will last a long time, I don’t see anything wrong with keeping them.
My take on the headphones is do you need them for your work as you bought the laptop for work? Will you use them regularly over the next 6 months? If the answer is yes to any one of the questions, then keep them. If not sell them.
I’ve struggled recently with something similar. I just started working full time, and my current cheap apartment is 21 miles away. I decided to move as close to work as possible. I also will only live in a non-smoking building. The only nonsmoking apartment close to work is a new, luxury building that has gotten a lot of attention, with their prices listed on their website. Once I factored in the real cost if commuting, not just the gas, I realized it isn’t more than my current place surprisingly.
The reactions I’ve received when I tell people where I am moving have been hard. Even when I mention the real cost of commuting, I can see that people don’t get it. Family and coworkers make comments about me moving up in the world, or living in luxury. I’ve struggled to figure out how to deal with people thinking I am throwing my money away. I’ve been very uncomfortable.
It’s funny that I don’t care what people think about my being frugal, and can handle those comments just fine. But this has been hard. I realize that many people I know see me as an advertisement for being frugal, and I think that’s part of the reason all this bothers me.
I wouldn’t keep them for practical reasons. They’re too big. I have a small, inexpensive pair of over-the-ear headphones I use for running and travel. My favorite things about them are that they stay on while running and they don’t take up a lot of space when I travel. That being said, if I found myself in possession of a really great pair of headphones that sounded considerably better while meeting the other requirements, I’d probably keep them no matter what they looked like, as long as they didn’t have flashing lights or something.
Seeing as the price was right (free) if they are perfect for your need (not too big and bulky) you can stick your own logo over the big B like maybe an F. Then when someone asks you what brand they are you tell them they’re a Frugal, cause they came free with your purchase! Woo hoo! Bar-goon!!! I also don’t like to wear or purchase brand labeled items and if another item is of the same quality without the label, I’d buy it.
I take the middle ground. I’m more of a minimalist. The few possessions that I have tend to be good quality in that they will perform well and will last. I have a used pair of Beats headphones which I mainly with my MacBook at home rather than out. I’m not at all bothered about showing off with branding. Surely if you get years of use out of a possession then you’re being more frugal than using cheap poor quality items that don’t last or perform poorly.
Dude, after all–they are just headphones! If you like them, they are useful to you, you can afford them, if they “spark joy”, then why can’t you have something nice? If the logo means they are a quality built object, what’s wrong with that? (Yea, I’m not a bit fan of logos, but I’m not obsessive about not having them either–but some are more obnoxious than others.)
Of course, the headphones now do not “spark joy” for you–they create angst. I’m guessing that at least part of the reason for that angst is that your intention upon purchasing the computer was that you would sell the headphones to mitigate the cost. Not keeping your word to yourself could have caused your troubles. Hey, it’s just a thought… I could very well be wrong on this, of course.
At this point however, these headphones have so much bad juju attached to them that I think you are right to sell them, as was your original intent. Next time you may want to allow yourself some happiness (if that’s what you want/need) without the guilt. You personally can’t fix all the bad stuff in the world. If we all do what we can to make the world a better place, we all should be able to enjoy the good stuff that comes our way, right? You do a LOT of good stuff, and so should be able to enjoy the fruits of your labors without the guilt. Well, that’s my opinion anyway… Best wishes!
Let me tell you about my Mercedes. I had been looking for a solid work car. Considering a Volvo. I ran across this 1980 250dl for a give away price. I mean what would the harm be if I drove a 14 year old Diesel South American taxi cab. Well, it started with comments like:”Mercedes, eh.” And then I found people looking at it and saying “wow, nice car.” Then I noticed that if I parked close to the front door of a store that I went to the staff greeted me at the door with an eager smile. Then someone stole the hood ornament and a hubcap and the trunk badge. Anger, aaaargh! I stated parking it where I could see it from my office window. Considered an electric shock device for the hood ornament. Look out for door dings! Don’t park near “lesser autos.” A lightbulb clicked. Aha! I traded it for a pickup. Feel better now.
Having never spent over $20 on a listening device, and having spent less than $200 on a new laptop this year, I can’t even comprehend how headphones can cost that much, or be worth that much for what they do. It does sound like you’re mostly paying for the name brand, so I definitely think it was best to sell them.
I love music. I mean I *LOVE* music. That said, I’m not exactly an audiophile…I probably couldn’t tell a pair of $30 headphones from a $300 pair. So if it were me, I’d absolutely sell them. But if I were an audiophile and these were the best headphones I had ever heard (although from what I understand they really aren’t), I would keep them. While I don’t like being a walking advertisement either, I would make the decision based on my needs and wants, and with some consideration for what I could do with the money they’d otherwise generate. Personally, I use some $4 earbuds that were on clearance and they suit me just fine.
Frugal people are allowed to have nice things, too. Even uber minimalists have one or two possessions that they really love (and possibly cost a pretty penny). So my stance is that, if these are something you really want and would enjoy, there is no harm in you keeping them. Personally, headphones of any variety are just not my thing – so I’d have sold them in a heartbeat 🙂
I don’t use headphones much, so I would sell them, but it sounds like you actually use them and like them- except for the fact that they look expensive. This may sound ridiculous, but if you put a piece of duct tape over the beats logo, they will look old and broken, but still sound great. Then you can enjoy your FREE headphones and not feel self-conscious wearing them!
I actively try to avoid labels. Even if I get something from a thrift store, I don’t like to be a walking advertisement for a company. Shoes are hard though, especially high quality running shoes. I personally would sell the headphones, but mostly because I am a minimalist and it would just be one more thing to take care of, store, carry around, etc… It would be superfluous to me. If you want to feel better about the decision, how about selling them and take a portion of the money and donate it to a homeless shelter or food bank and put the rest in the bank.
Forget how they look. Do you like how they sound? Do you like how they feel? If so use, if not, sell. Stop trying to be invisible. Forget about keeping up an image. Personally, I think Beats are overpriced for their sound because they are valued for their looks/status. I would have sold the box unopened, for a slightly higher price on ebay or Amazon.
I think there are two separate issues here. First, owning one really nice thing doesn’t mean you’re not frugal. I own very few things, but some of the things I own are high quality and expensive because they are important to me so I saved for them.
Second, there is the culture of paying for labels in order to be seen as owning the expensive thing. Rather being paid to be a billboard, people pay for the priviledge of advertising not only the brand but their own affluence.
Either keeping or selling the headphones would be a frugal move. By them costing nothing; that is a frugal move. Selling for profit would be a good way to generate side income as well. So enjoy using or enjoy selling, you are still frugaling!
I’d sell them, but I don’t like or use headphones, and try to avoid labels. I don’t think there’s a right or a wrong answer, but the fact you’re thinking about it means that you’re Consuming Consciously and not just buying something because society tells you to. I think you need to follow your gut on this one. What does it tell you?
I see this as a debate about maintaining integrity –maintaining commitment to minimalism/frugalism- and both concepts center on “intentionality” with money.
If I go to a store that has a ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ sale but I only intended to add one pair of jeans to my closet, for example, then I am filling up my closet and my life with an accidental acquisition (i.e., not intentional). If being frugal is primary, then I say sell them as you didn’t plan to buy them and can add positively to your bottom line (your initial reaction to the headphones). If being minimalist is primary, then I say sell them, because you are probably duplicating something that you already have on hand for that purpose. Also, I totally agree with the title here –not being a walking billboard — that is an additional problem you have been given by being distracted by the ‘free’ shiny object that more than likely did the job by enticing you to select that model laptop in the first place. This last issue makes three strikes and another good reason to box them up!
Ugh…they’re not even that good! I’d sell the Beats immediately and get another pair of on-ear headphones instead.
Beats are popular only because they’re status symbols: they’re flashy and high-priced, with a huge marketing budget. You can get better-sounding headphones from Sony, AKG, Monoprice, or Audio Technica for less than a third of the price! It endlessly ticks me off when I see college students all over campus wearing Beats headphones–college students, of all people, can’t afford that overpriced junk!
The most popular article on my own blog is titled “The 14 best value headphones.” My recommendations are under $50 (and most are under $30); my favorites are the Sony MDR-ZX310 for $20 at Amazon. They sound less distorted than the Beats but they still give you very good sound (I know, I own the Sonys). They look good, but they’re not flashy. They’re just well-engineered, reliable headphones with great sound for only $20! The AmazonBasics on-ear headphones are highly recommended as well, and they only cost $15!
There are certainly some people in the music/video production industry who might want to spend $200 on professional-quality headphones…but they know better than to buy those hyped-up status symbols. Beats can take their overpriced, underperforming $180 piles of junk and shove them!
End rant 🙂 I just feel very strongly about this topic–I really believe that people who pay that much for Beats headphones are getting ripped off in the worst way.
I love music; I love classical music which can be very nuanced. I don’t have an exquisite ear but I have never paid for then $10 for headphones. I know that you can get less costly ones than $10, but that’s the price point for my ears. They stay in firmly and erase outside noise. I also avoid all logos.
But I would pay $200 for something that might give me huge, sustaining value over the years. As others have said, however, if you are angsting over these, get rid of them. They are worth a lot less now — currently being sold at about the cost of an hour of therapy with a psychiatrist.
And perhaps Lebron James got paid a lot of money to wear them, which would add a further taint of contamination and yet another cash nexus.
Best wishes; I have been really enjoying your blog.
I don’t like wearing or driving anything flashy. It makes me feel like a target for crime or just plain wrath from people who can’t afford it. And I really never liked headphones. So as for your question … if I could afford it, I’d probably give them to that homeless guy who was admiring them. That would make his day and mine. But if I were you, I wouldn’t get rid of them if I really liked them because of what other people said or felt. Life is to be enjoyed, not spent in a constant state of reactionary guilt. The world’s problems are not your sole burden to bear. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. They have their own P’s & Q’s to mind.
I live a fairly minimalist life, but headphones was the one thing I was willing to spend some money on a few years ago. I never had a nice pair, it’s a lot cheaper than speakers, the hours of enjoyment I would get over the years would make them worth it, and I really wanted to hear my classical music in the best quality I could afford. I still paid less than $200 in the end. Headphones are something where there’s definite diminishing returns, spend over $300 and you’re chasing about 5% of sound quality most people can do without.
That said, these aren’t headphones you would wear out in public because they’re open-backed, which gives them a larger “soundstage,” but also means you can hear noise around you. I definitely would have sold the Beats, no offense but from my experience their sound quality is quite poor and you’re mostly paying for the brand. Most good headphone brands are the ones most people have never even heard of!
I also don’t like wearing flashy stuff, it can be hard to find clothes without logos, especially hoodies!
I’m guessing you had headphones that functioned properly before receiving the “free” headphones. From an accounting standpoint, they’re not free at all. You paid $200 for them. As a long time reader of your articles, I was disappointed reading this, sorry to say.
At the end of the day, it’s your choice whether you want to stand behind your message or not.