Planning Your Purchases: The DUMPSTER List

     I’ve been using a checklist of criteria for all new purchases to ensure anything we spend money on will give us the “best bang for the buck”. It’s not terribly interesting, but it does what it is supposed to do, and in the least it keeps supplies from ending up in the trash.

The basic points of the list are as follows:

• DURABILITY
• UTILITY over fashion
• MULTIPLE-USE
• PORTABILITY
• SALVAGEABILITY (it can be repaired if it breaks)
• TRADEABILITY
• ENERGY consumption/method
• REDUNDANCY

I submitted a write-up on it to survivalblog.com, and you can view the full text (including examples and a lot of hot air)  here: http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/10/the_dumpster_list_by_inforodeo.html

By following the DUMPSTER list, you’ll save money in the long-term and greatly enhance your self-sufficiency abilities.