Yesterday, from their spaceship amphitheater, Apple revealed the iPhone X. They called is X for 10, which is based on the 10th year anniversary of the original launch of the iPhone. They also announced that the price of the iPhone X would be starting at $999.
For those of you who wonder why they put the price at $999 instead of $1000, it is called psychological pricing. The theory that having something priced at just below the rounded up number makes the buyer feel that they are getting a better deal. In the buyer's mind, they are buying something at $900 and not $1000, even though there is only a $1 difference from making it $1000.
Now, for some people, $1000 doesn't seem like a lot. And, for some people, $1000 is more than they will make in a year. It is a lot of money for something that has only a 2-3 year expected lifespan (if you are lucky).
So, the question is: What would you buy with $1000
From a prepper stand point, there are a lot of things that I would buy, instead of a $1000 phone.
Here is a list of thing that came to mind.
- CZ Scorpion Evo 9mm
- 5000 rounds of 9mm ammo
- 3 - Six Gallon Crown Berkey Water Filter System
- 5 Homestead "Lifeline" Package seed buckets
- 6 Month Supply of Mountain House Lunch and Dinner Entries
- 6 month subscription to BattleBox at Pro Plus level
- 12 month subscription to Knife Box at both TacticalBox and KnifeBox
Sure, some of these items would only cover 6 months to a year, but the return would be longer. 6 months of survival food that lasts 7 years at the low end and maybe 20-30 years at the high end. The food is there for you when you need it and you only need clean water to use it.
On the other side, you could have 5 Homestead "Liveline" Package seed buckets. One of the buckets gives you enough seeds to grow 40,000 lbs of food. 5 would give you enough seeds for 5 years, without replanting the seeds you made from the first bucket.
The water filtration system would last you 3000 gallons on a single filter cartridge. Instead of buying 2 extra systems, you could use that money to have extra filters to replace worn out ones. At 2 for $100, you could buy enough to give you 40,000 gallons of fresh clean water. That would be 57,000 days of water for the average person. Or basically, more water than the average person could drink in a life time.
Most preppers learn that 2,000 rounds of ammo is a goal for safety in a TEOTWAWKI situation. Shoot wisely and don't waste ammunition. $1,000 would give you twice that goal in 9mm ammunition. If you have a pistol and a rifle that both shoot 9mm, then you could load up plenty of magazines for both.
Finally, I put box subscriptions. The knife subscription for 12 months would give you enough knives to last a lifetime. You wouldn't need for any other knives. The BattleBox would give you enough gear to get your prepping started very well. Sure, you have to wait each month for the box to arrive, but that would also be part of the enjoyment of the money spent. Each month for 6-12 months, you would get a new surprise box full of stuff that will probably last longer than the iPhone.
So, what would you buy instead of an iPhone for $1000
