things to not cheap-out on when purchasing them...

Shuga

Shuga

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there are certain things that i used to buy the 'cheap' versions of, but i heard about the boot theory (basically if you're cheap and you buy cheap things you'll end up needing to replace them more often and so you'll have worse stuff AND it will cost more...)

like if one guy can only afford $20 for work boots that last 6 months, but another guy can afford $100 for work boots that will last a few years he'll end up spending less than the guy who needs to replace his boots all the time AND he'll have better protection and better quality boots. having enough money to buy the good stuff upfront saves you money in the long run.

here are some things that i started buying better versions of.

- sunglasses (still dumb to pay $200 for brand name ones, but i did - instead of spending like $20-$30 for a new pair each summer and losing them or breaking them. my hope is that having expensive ones makes me take better care. this is the dumbest thing on the list, so don't give up reading yet.)
- bed (spend a lot of your time in bed, have a good one! comfy sheets, nice blanket.)
- pillows (i used to buy the cheap $10 pillows every few months because they would get flat. last time i spent about $40 and i've had it longer and it's still perfect and way more comfortable.)
- shoes (growing up we always got cheap shoes because our feet were still growing. my feet are done growing so i spend more on nice shoes now.)
- computer chair (i spend more time in my chair than in my bed so i found a great deal on a used chair that was in perfect shape and would have been about $1400 new.)
- food (i started eating better in the past few months. healthy food is generally more expensive if you want quality ingredients and all that but i think it's worth it. it is to me, anyways.)
- hair clippers (always done my own haircuts. i'd usually get the $20-$30 electric razors and they wouldn't last very long. last time i dropped $100 on it, it's wireless now which is way more convenient and it cuts way, way better and more quickly. great investment.)

that's what i got off the top of my head. what are some things in your day to day life that are worth paying more for quality and ultimately saving money in the long-run?
 
Things I don't cheap out on are:

Bed: everything related but specifically the mattress. You spend around 1/3rd of your entire life on it. Make it good. It'll benefit you in the rest of your life.

Computer Chair: same as above, especially if you work full time internet and also relax at the computer after.

Healthy Food: fortunately, healthier food tends to actually be less expensive in many cases.

Toilet Paper: whether this be paper or wet wipes, don't cheap out here. Treat your angus well and keep it clean.

that's all I can think of at the moment as well. I'm sure more will come.
 
Cat Food - Don't get cheap cat food full of food coloring. If and when they puke (all cats eventually puke up a hairball. Even more short haired cat ate my dogs hair and puked) it'll stain whatever it lands on thanks to all that food coloring. Go natural colored.
 
After reading that headphones thread I'm going to have to add those to my list of stuff to spend extra money on, can't wait to get a new pair!
 
I'm going to have to add Socks and Underwear and T-shirts.

I upgraded from Walmart and K-mart to Target brands and it's a world of a difference. I wonder where it stops being worth it though. Even if they feel good, I'm still going to drip food or get into something and ruin them before too long.
 
Bed - Specifically the mattress, much like mrmoneybags has explained, I have some crazy mattress with a thick foam layer just above the springs. Best purchase I have ever made, I heard its not great for small/light people. I'm standing at 6ft 5 weighing around 15stone. So for me after a long beast building session, I look forward to a short nap.

Shower - Needs to be powerful, I'm interested in a shower room but not quite there yet.

Computer - I live on this mechine so I thought it would be stupid to go half way when building it. Spent around £2-3k from what I can remember.

Computer Chair - Same as the computer, live in it so needs to be good, although I didn't splash out I went through several different ones to get to the one I'm in now.
 
Yes @ Shower. Having a roomy shower that feels welcoming and comforting is a must. It's not always possible to remodel a shower but even just getting a very nice shower head can help out a ton. If you don't have glass doors but have a rod, you can get one of those curving rods that angles outwards. That helps so much. (reference: I just got an angled shower curtain rod and new shower head :D)
 
Firearms - If you are fortunate enough to live in a state/country where you are legally eligible to own firearms with which to defend yourself from criminals....buy once cry once. Don't roll the dice with your life.

Tires - Again, don't roll the dice with your life. POS tires can turn your car into a deathtrap. Buy something performance-oriented that can handle breaking, traction at the limit, and wet weather driving.

Cars - When you're putting $5,000 wheels on your car...make sure it's not a POS for the love of God.
 
turbin3 said:
buy once cry once.
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My father used to say, when we would do wood-working projects, "Measure twice, cut once." Same concept.

I learned as well that you should save up and buy the GOOD stuff the first time, rather than cheaping out and upgrading later. You'll spend more money ultimately, and possibly end up settling for the worse version too.
 
1)Jewelry- Real gold, precious gems etc. last way longer and don't turn your skin green.
2)Leather goods- Belts, handbags, wallets, shoes etc. real leather looks better with time.
4) Clothing- Good quality fabrics affect the fit and drape of your clothes.
5)Bed Linen- more comfortable and last longer
6) Pillows and Mattresses
7) Makeup/Skin care products in general.

We also must remember that quality and price don't always correspond. In many cases designer goods are more expensive but not necessarily higher quality. You should use your own judgement and asses each individual item.
Luckily, where I'm from it's very easy to find high quality food for cheap. Usually cheaper than the processed junk. Mainly because most of the processed shit we have is imported from the US. (No offense to any Americans here). Fresh fruits and veggies, organic meat and dairy are all pretty cheap, or even free if you know a farmer well. So it's actually more expensive to eat poorly... Fast food is pretty expensive here too, so I tend to avoid it as well.
 
JT1 said:
Helmets - If you ride bikes don't cheap out on your helmet.
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As an avid cyclist, this is CRUCIAL! Saved me from some serious head damage at least twice. Nothing feels better than landing on a Helmet rather than on your bare head when somersaulting and landing on your helmet after crashing in a pace-line doing 17mph!
 
I agree with most things on this thread- except for the sunglasses. I too thought that buying expensive sunglasses would make me take better care of them but instead I ended up: sitting on, having stolen, losing 3 pairs of designer glasses. Now I buy £12 sunglasses and don't worry.
 
RiverStyx said:
I agree with most things on this thread- except for the sunglasses. I too thought that buying expensive sunglasses would make me take better care of them but instead I ended up: sitting on, having stolen, losing 3 pairs of designer glasses. Now I buy £12 sunglasses and don't worry.
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When I was in college, I would buy fancy pens where I'd refill them with different cartridges. I'd buy nice mechanical pencils and refill them with lead. Then I realized that I kept losing them and/or people kept stealing them. In the end, I'd just buy packs of 20 cheap pens or pencils for a fraction of the price. No, they didn't write as good.

But now, I have a very nice pen on my desk and I know I won't lose it. If it ever goes missing its because the cat swatted it off the desk, and I find it. It's the most balanced writing utensil I've ever held. It doesn't write as good as it feels though. Ball point. I should have went with a gel pen maybe. Maybe I should have learned something about pens before I bought a nice one. It's still an entry level "nice" pen.

Speaking of writing utensils. We shouldn't cheap out on our keyboards either. Or mouse.
 
The guy who said Cat Food for sure. Another one is Cat Litter. Huge implications beyond just having a hell of a time with clumping and smells. Tick your cat off and he'll start pissing on other stuff just to get back at you, or he'll invent a new place to pee. I tried a cheaper litter last time just to see if it worked okay, it didn't. And the cat started pissing in the bathroom sink, which was good, versus the carpet or something. Don't cheap on cat litter!
 
Water Filter because you just never know what could possibly be in there. I don't care what your water treatment plant says it does. Go look at what went in first. Why not have one last little layer of protection?
 
JEANS!
I hardly ever go shopping for clothes at all... but I'll definitely drop some extra money for higher end stuff. It just lasts longer....and most Levi's aren't made for tall/lanky idiots like me. I have problem dropping $70 - $250 on a pair of jeans that will last me 3 years and always look brand new.
 
I know it's been said before...but pillows. Seriously. I'd been using some cheap $10 pillows from wal-mart for about a year. My wife recently picked up two of these for each of us and the difference is insane. You don't have to spend crazy to have good quality. Just shop around!
 
Red Wine ... (or both white and red, and third one is rose...)

Sometimes it's possible to get decent wine for something like $7 but, that's just by pure luck. Good red one most often will cost at least $20.

Beef ... especially when it comes to loin or ribeye. It should cost a bit more the the regular stuff. REALLY good stuff costs 10x more than the regular stuff. And the BEST stuff can cost even 20 times more... I'm happy with just a bit more expensive beef (for now :wink: )

Pants ... Especially if you like to run a lot, and long distances. Good pants are worth more than good shoes...
 
Yes and dog food...

My eats 80% raw pork, beef and chicken meaty bones. Plus sometimes some vegetables mash and time to time potatoes with butter and some greens. He is 7 years old happy puppy :smile:
 
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