Investing vs. Spending (or SIPs vs. Conventional Framing)

February 20, 2014

A friend recently told me a story about helping his son buy a car. His son had little money or credit history and thought the best way to get a loan would be through his dad. My friend agreed to loan his son the money for a three-year term, and figured that buying a cheap car would make it easier for his son to pay him back. The car lasted one year.

That put them back in the same situation, buying another car. This time my friend approached the purchase much differently. He viewed the car as an investment, rather than something to just spend money on. In the tradition of “you get what you pay for,” he’d learned that value is not determined in one day of shopping, but rather over the life of the product.

The same principle applies when comparing Structural Insulated Panels like Thermocore to conventional stick-frame construction. One is just “spending money” while the other provides an investment with a clear payback in energy cost savings. Those who invest wisely in life always seem to come out ahead. When you build a new home, think about ways to invest—rather than just spend—your money.