You really do get what you pay for

There's this idea that I have floating around in my mind that cheaper is always better. Evidence of this idea can be found on my desktop computer, which has oodles of shareware programs on the hard drive. I've mentioned before that I have this need to save money anywhere and everywhere I can. I change my own oil, make minor repairs around the house, and buy used books rather than new. I'm finding more and more, however, that there are some things where you really get what you pay for.

An obvious example of this (to me, at least) is with computer software. An alternative to purchasing Microsoft's Office Suite is a free download of OpenOffice.org's office software suite. Free, you say? Sure it is, but the OpenOffice software sucks RAM like a Hummer H2 sucks gasoline. The functionality is similar, but Microsoft's Office is much less bloated, so it runs faster on my old computer.

Another huge example is the difference between the expensive Adobe PhotoShop and the freely available GIMP image editing software. PhotoShop is one of the premier image editing programs, and there's a reason: professionals use what works. GIMP, on the other hand, is quirky and clunky. I couldn't even get it to run on my computer without crashing regularly.

If you're going to use software on a regular basis, it might be worth your while to buy it. I know that goes against the grain of some frugal types, including myself, but sometimes it makes sense. If you still want to save money, buy the previous version of the program. You'll get much of the same functionality, but you can get it at a much lower price.