Yes, obviously it will be to do with priorities.

However I doubt if people way up every possible pro and con, nor have a complet list of their priorities, when they are deciding whether or not to buy that vacuum cleaner or packet of upmarket sausages or that dress or that box of CDs or that insurance from the man at the door or that new type of iPad.

I used to sell secondhand books.

Sometimes people would jib at £1.20 or £2.50 for one. Until I asked them what the last thing was that they'd spent £1.20 or £2.50 on. They'd often remember something pretty inconsequential and laugh.

And I was selling at a university and therefore to people who, by and large valued books [after a fashion.]


My basic questions still remain, somewhat.

In the case of an individual, at what financial level do you think or say "I can't afford it"?

At the government level,when the gov. "income" runs to billions, how do they decide the exact figure they come up with for x,y or z?


I'm somewhat more interested in the question for individuals.