Many years ago, makers of Sweet 'n Low were in a quandary. How do they increase their sales when their product is everywhere already? Being in sweetener business, they tried to think of creative ways of selling more Sweet 'n Low. Then they realized that they were not in "sweetener" business after all; they were in "packaging" business. Instead of selling more Sweet 'n Low, why don't they package other condiments? Catsup, mayonnaise, relish, mustard, etc. could all be sold to their existing customer base. A single word changed direction of their entire organization.

At one time train industry was trying to figure out how to attract more passengers. Then they realized that they were in "transportation" business, not "passenger" business. Suddenly they had an entirely new market, and began transporting freight, oil, coal, vehicles, etc. A single word is all it took to change history.

What is it that you do? Instead, maybe I should ask, "What is it that you THINK you do?" Ponder that for a moment. Here's an exercise: define what you do and write it down in twenty-five words or less. Be very careful, concise, and clear in your description. Expand your thinking for a moment: are there any other words that could be used to describe what you do? One of those new words just might give you a surprising insight into what you COULD be doing.

There are other considerations besides price and your time. Availability, for example. If I needed that printer for a project that had a deadline, there would have been a cost associated with getting it too late to do that project. That situation may have made it worthwhile to pay more in order to get it sooner. How about out-of-pocket costs to purchase item? If I had to drive 100 miles round-trip to save $30 on printer, is that a good thing to do? No, because it will cost $34 in auto expenses (at current IRS rate of $ .34 per mile). Not to mention time it would take. Unless I really need that printer right now, it doesn't make sense, does it?

The point I'm trying to make is that, no matter what you purchase there are tradeoffs. Time versus money. Convenience versus money. Opportunity versus money. Be sure that you consider all of factors, not just 'sticker price'. Whether you like it or not, true cost is a combination of all of those factors. Saving money is great. But it's gonna cost you!