This week I had one of those experiences when spending more money makes more sense.
My longtime readers know that I love my Instant Pot. Lately I’ve taken to making my own yogurt in it. I’ve found that for relatively little effort, I get nearly twice as much yogurt for the same money, and it tastes better than what I buy in the stores. The downside is that it ties up the inner pot of my Instant Pot for the better part of a day (6 to 8 hours of cook time, plus at least another 6 hours sitting in the fridge to set). I started thinking that it might be a worthwhile investment to buy a second inner pot to give myself more freedom to cook on the weekends. My research found that the going rate on an inner pot for my 6 quart cooker is between $20 and $25. Not a bad investment, considering that the money I’m saving on yogurt will pay for it in less than 2 months.
It seemed like a plan. Until the little voice in the back of my head reminded me that there are times that I wish I had TWO Instant Pots. Every time I roast a chicken in my magic pot, I wish that I could be making mashed potatoes in the same pot at the same time. Or rice at the same time as chicken and broccoli. If I had two, I would be able to make a main dish in one and a side dish in the other. A second Instant Pot would solve both the yogurt issue and the side dish issue. So back to the internet I went. How cheap could I find a second-hand second Instant Pot?
A quick trip through eBay yielded exactly what I wanted—a nearly new 3 quart Instant Pot (a fancier model than my other one) that sells new for $100. It has all of the pieces I need and has just one very tiny ding on the side of it. And it was $40. Only $15 to $20 more than just the inner pot for my existing cooker. I took the plunge. It arrived this past Friday and I’m tickled. The ding is barely noticeable. It works perfectly. I can hardly wait to make chicken and mashed potatoes next weekend!
Did I spend more money than was necessary? Yes. Do I get additional value from that extra investment? Absolutely! To quote a friend, “Cost and value are often confused, but seldom related.” I got a value this week that to me was absolutely worth the cost.