Dorothy lacks cash to pay for a $720 dishwasher. She could buy it from the store on credit by making 12 monthly payments of $65. The total cost would then be $780. Instead, Dorothy decides to deposit $60 a month in the bank until she has saved enough money to pay cash for the dishwasher. One year later, she has saved $770.40-$720 in deposits plus interest. When she goes back to the store, she finds the dishwasher now costs $849.60. Its price has gone up 18 percent, the current rate of inflation.

From the financial standpoint, was postponing her purchase a good trade-off for Dorothy?