Analysis on saving money
At a certain point, some things aren’t needed. I spent part of the afternoon doing a cost-benefit analysis on a particular product. Now, I am not a consultant, so the accuracy of my study is questionable. No matter.
In this case, I was looking at a particular model of transceiver (as in ham radio). Model A has a neighbour in the company’s catalog, and the differences are also particular. The more expensive one includes a GPS and a TNC. As in, ready for APRS. I’ll leave you to Google the different acronyms; easier than my inventing a plausible explanation for things I don’t actually know enough about.
The difference in the two products is about $200, which would cover my constructing a TNC, adding in a cheap GPS module, etc. I would miss out on the “hours of fun” that comes from getting all the components to work together. I mean, it could be fun, in a totally technical way.
Here’s the catch: I don’t actually need to have APRS available. The purpose of the product is to allow me to advertise my location (to others) as I drive around. At present, I don’t drive around, and I don’t want to advertise my location, at any time. Just knowing that I could is reassuring. So, my whole analysis was nothing more than a way to fill my afternoon with another form of “hours of fun”. I’ve achieved my goal, at a cost of $0.
If I may generalize; my ability to not spend on things I don’t need should make me into a rich man, on paper at least. For now, I’ve quieted my urge to add new toys to my oversize playroom.
