Does it Matter?

That one simple question can reveal and eliminate a lot of unnecessary worry.  It can also save us money.

An example- The broken gas cap:

About a year ago, I pulled into the gas station to fill up the Civic. Unfortunately for me the gas cap release trigger had conked out since the last refill, so I had no idea how I was going to fill up.  Things weren’t looking too good; I probably didn’t have enough gas in the tank to get home, and certainly not enough to make it to the Honda service shop.

Thankfully I was able to track down the number to the Honda shop, and the guy on the phone helped me find a quick fix.  I had to pull back the carpet-lining in the trunk and remove the cable-locking mechanism that held the cap in (see picture below).  When I was ready to lock it back up, I had to plug the cable back in.

After the Honda guy saved my day, the rest of the conversation went something like this:

Me:  Well then I don’t really need to have it fixed, do I?  I can just do this every time.
Honda guy:  Well you could, but I would definitely recommend having it fixed.
Me:  Right.

I think he could tell the chances of me having it fixed were slim to none.

And honestly, why would I?  It’s only a minor inconvenience, taking probably 5-10 seconds each time I fill up my car.  In January when it’s 2 degrees outside the inconvenience factor is a tad higher, but I still don’t think it’s worth taking the time and spending the money to have it fixed (especially with the cost of labor).

• Does it affect the performance of the car?  Nope.
• Does it affect the value of the car?  Yes, but I will drive it until it falls apart anyway.
• Does it affect the safety of the car?  That’s a negative.
• Is the inconvenience great enough to justify spending money on it?  Nein.
• Do I look a little goofy filling up?  Maybe, but I don’t care.
• Could I put the repair money to better use.  Absolutely.

So, in the grand scheme of things, it’s clear that the broken gas cap doesn’t matter in the slightest.

I can think of a few other areas in my life where this question puts things in perspective:

1.) The old, faded, sandals:  I don’t know how old they are by now; probably 6-7 years.  I’ve had to superglue them the sides back on 3 times now, but it’s a quick fix and they’re good to go again.  My grandma, upon seeing how dingy they look recently, swore to buy me a new pair as a college graduation gift.  I don’t see why they need replaced though; they’re perfectly functional!

2.)  The Goodwill shirts.  A couple buddies and I used to go to Goodwill just to have a good time and buy funny, completely random shirts costing between $1 and $2.  A few years later, a couple are still in great shape, so I still wear ‘em.  They don’t fit in with all the Abercrombie shirts around, and I don’t even know what the heck the writing on a few of them mean, but it’s like the sandals; they’re functional and clean, so who cares?

There comes a point when inconvenience, cleanliness, or discomfort makes a level of frugality irrational or just plain dumb.  But for the most part, we can still save money without really sacrificing anything at all, simply by questioning what really matters.  In a world of limited resources, the question ‘does it matter?’ can certainly help get our priorities in order.