Planned Obsolescence, the Myth of Walmart Sustainability and How Durability Saves Money

^{Photo courtesy of Justin Henry, via Flickr}

According to a recent article on the environmental blog Grist, we have Walmart to thank for our stuff falling apart. The argument goes like this: thanks to Walmart's never-ending quest to lower prices, we're seeing a steady drop in the quality and durability of clothing, electronics, and other items. This means we have to replace our stuff more, which in turn means we're spending more and doing damage to the environment.

This line of reasoning has some problems, of course. If we can blame the lowest-prices-ever game on Walmart, we should be able to trace the blame back even further: to consumer demand, a terrible economy, or whatever first cause fits best with your political outlook. But blame doesn't really matter that much. The central premise should be pretty easy for anyone to swallow: when stuff is poorly made, we wind up spending more and creating more waste.

In the interest of preventing damage to your bank account and your environment, here's a list of tips for buying stuff that will last.

Maintain What You Have

Last month, Joe LoCicero became a local celebrity after putting one million miles on his 1990 Honda Accord. What's more, he never had to change the transmission or the engine. Joe's secret was following his car's recommended maintenance schedule, driving safely, and using good parts.

While not every car has that kind of potential, this approach certainly couldn't hurt. It's also worth noting that you can get more life out of computers and appliances, too, by just reading the user's manuals and heeding the manufacturers' advice.

Simpler is Often Better

It's a car shopping cliché, but there's some truth to it: if you don't buy power windows, you won't have to replace power window motors later. You've probably heard the same thing about rear-facing cameras, echo-locating parking devices, and whatever else Lexus is stuffing into their cars these days.

This logic applies to all kinds of purchases. If you buy non-stick cookware, even with proper care, that non-stick coating will likely not last more than five years. On the other hand, a properly-seasoned cast iron skillet could last your entire life, and will do a great job of preventing food from sticking, too.

Similarly, if you find yourself replacing your coffeemaker every few years, you might invest in a good press pot coffee maker. There's no motor to break, and nothing mechanical to replace. As a bonus, many even prefer the taste of french press coffee. For bonus durability points, you can even get a stainless steel press pot that won't shatter if you drop it.

Research!

The easiest way to know if something is reliable before you buy it is to consult people who bought that thing in the past. For this, we have user-reviews on sites like Amazon. For a huge collection of user-review sites, organized by category, check out Stella's post on Rating and Reviewing Customer Rating and Review Sites.

Also, for a list of user-submitted products that are known to last a lifetime (or at the very least, a long time) check out Buy It For Life, a Reddit community devoted to just that.

Have your own tips for buying long-lasting stuff, or making the stuff you already own last longer? Please share in the comments.