Tipping Point

A tipping point is where “momentum for change becomes unstoppable” according to Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote a book titled “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference”.

Just few weeks ago, my sis got herself a new car. She has been putting off getting the car for sometimes. Buying a new car mean a small chunk of money down plus many months to pay off the loan.

But, the old banger that she was using is reaching past useful life both economically and reliability. You would never know when it need emergency resuscitation on the roadside. Being an old car means repairs and fuel economy suffers and so too the wallet. With the new car, the money she spends on fuel drop nearly a third! After factoring in the repairs and time lost waiting to be rescued when the car breaks down, the extra money she spend each month is not a whole lot more. Which brings me to the tipping point.

In anything you spend money on, eventually it will reach a point where it no longer is financially feasible to hang on to it. It makes sense to pay attention to the tipping point so that you know when to get rid of something. Next time, when you want to get a new stuff, it may not be necessarily a waste of money. You might even save more!