Lo barato sale caro

Yesterday Armelle and I went for a walk early in the day around La Latina, stopping in for a caña at the Mercado de la Cebada because I'd never been. There was a cheerful old man with a toothless grin sitting at Bar Toñi, he was telling Toñi how he needed to get a cheap girlfriend (kiddingly, of course). I said to him, "has oído que lo barato sale caro", in English it's "what's cheap ends up becoming expensive". We had a good chuckle and continued chatting, enjoying the cheap caldo and beer (that didn't turn out expensive at all, €2,20 for a caña and cup of soup). 

The expression made me think of how I got swindled when I bought my Sony Xperia Neo V off segundamano (the Spanish Craigslist) for €40 and spent €40 more on it only for it to die in less than a year. 

I should've known better but it seemed like a good solution, I'd just lost my second iPhone and didn't have a big budget for another smartphone. I bought a cheap clamshell for €10 but What's App is king in Spain, I knew I'd be at a loss without it so I continued searching for a smartphone. I looked on segundamano.es to see what I could find and this phone popped up, sure the screen was cracked but I knew that's an easy repair. I met the dude at the Vicalvaro stop on Cercanias, he seemed a bit sketch but the phone worked with my SIM and my preliminary scan of the phone turned up nothing. Then I got home. I opened up the case and noticed crud all over the inside, dirt or mud in nooks and crannies. Not only was the screen cracked but so was the case and the power button didn't function all that well. I kind of felt the same way I did when I chose my first apartment and later, after moving in my stuff, took real stock of joint; it was not as advertized. 

I bought another case and screen, which I replaced myself, and another battery but after a little over a year my little engine that could couldn't anymore. I've gotta look for another phone (granted, I could go Neolithic with the clamshell and simply grin & bear it but I'm in too deep at this point) and shell out more cash. 

What's the moral of the story? Go with the expensive girlfriend, she'll wind up being cheaper in the end.