Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Fundamental Dilemma

"Debt, n. An ingenious substitute for the chain and whip of the slavedriver." - Ambrose Bierce

So I paid Nikon to fix my camera.  And when I got it back, I was exactly the same as before I sent it.  Cleaner.  Software updated.  But still with problems.

As I wish to become a professional photographer, my next goal after buying a new car is to save for a full frame, professional camera.  So I really don't want to put any more money into a camera that may not ever work properly again.  So, I need to replace it.
But, because I had to buy my new car sooner than I anticipated, it left me without the cash reserves to purchase a new camera outright.

Debt makes me angry. I spent a huge chunk of time digging myself out of a fairly large financial hole and pride myself on "living within my means" and not carrying consumer debt.

Do I replace my camera with the same model I have for a smaller amount of money that I can pay off in a couple months?  Then begin saving for the professional model, having spent several hundreds of dollars on a camera that, for all intents and purposes, is only temporary?


Or

Do I buy the professional camera now, placing myself in greater debt that will take a significant bit longer to pay off, but not "wasting" money on the less expensive (but not cheap) "temporary" camera.

Do I stick closer to my values in the short term, or go against the grain for something that will be of greater benefit in the long run?

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