In America value for money means how much ‘more’ I can get for my money. The more the better. If I can get 12 beers for the price of 10 beers that’s value. If I can get 4 steaks instead of 3 and pay one dollar more, that’s value for money.

In Poland the culture is different, value is not more, value is – is this worth what I am paying? Yes? Then that’s value for money. It’s more about quality, the value is quality and reliability or durability. That’s interesting because that plays into economics and behavior and how services and products are priced. As an expat living in Poland I’m frustrated by how I can’t get more for my money. If I want more, I don’t get a better price, I just pay the equivalent that one unit costs. Which made me realize another thing about where I live and the culture I live in.

Two pitchers please!

In Poland, when you go out with friends, everyone gets their own drink/beer and then you sit and you drink together. In America, where value for money is king, the bars usually offer pitchers of beer, PITCHERS of Long island iced tea at a better price. So we buy a pitcher or three and get some glasses and drink from the pitchers. Value for money! The bar sells more beer and we get to drink more for less money. Polish people don’t serve alcohol in pitchers. So a new word for the week, pitcher! So what is value to you? Is it quality or quantity? Maybe it’s neither, maybe it’s experience. Is the experience worth the money? Is it worth my time?

Shaping your life

It’s an important question, and we should ask ourselves what we value because it shapes how we shop, our lifestyle, our work, our hobbies, our social circle, and well, everything really. The truth is that depending on where you are in life, the value bars move up and down and fluctuate. That’s fine, sometimes you want to party, sometimes you don’t want to drink and sometimes, you want to enjoy each sip. When we take the time to assess the value to our own criteria and be honest about what we care about the most, the least and somewhere in-between; well, we’ll have a lot less to regret later.