What is the best value? Is it better to buy a single quality item or have a few inexpensive items?  One way to figure the cost is to look at cost per month over the expected lifetime of an item. If item 'A' costs $120 and item 'B' costs $60 which is the better value? If they will last the same amount of time item 'B' is a better value. However, over the life of the item if item 'A' will last 10 years the cost per month is $1. If item 'B' will last 4 years the cost per month is $1.25. Therefore item 'A' would be the better value.