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The saying “you get what you pay for” seems to generally hold up across the board.
Some things we don’t mind buying on the cheap, because maybe we don’t expect them to last long to begin with or they’re a fad that’s probably going to go out of style anyway.
Other things, though – tennis shoes, for me, for one – you have to spring for the real deal, otherwise you know you’ll have regrets.
Here are items people say they would never buy on the cheap.
1. I’m bonded with mine for life.
Headphones.
If you get a good one, you will never regret it.
Let me explain, what I meant by headphones, as you know eardrums are very made up of sensitive tissues and bones, you have to take care of it. On top of it you loose sensitivity to lower frequency sounds as you get older. So if you cheap out on headphones, it will hurt you on the long run. So don’t buy cheap imitations or lower quality headphones.
You can find good headphones from a respectable brand within your budget (You have to have at leastR&D department for good headphones development). I would personally keep away from apple or beats because of the high cost.
My favourites are Sennheiser and Sony, for the audiophiles out there r/headphones can help you with a clearer choice.
2. You might have to try a few to find your match.
Pillows.
My back and neck are F*CKED from my service time. I constantly had a locked up upper back and neck and had to go to the chiropractor multiple times per month until I bought a Gemini pillow ($150ish) and oh my God this is what it feels like to live without neck pain. I’ll never buy a normal retail pillow again.
Gone to a real doc, nothing they can fix. “Wear and tear”. They wanted to prescribe me meds. No thanks.
I get massages pretty regularly anyways being an avid fitness junkie. They help quite a bit initially but not a ton long term without continual stretching etc etc.
I’ve gone to a PT too and fun fact, after trashing Chiropractic as psuedo science for alot of my evaluation visit he then proceeded to do Astim and manual adjustments every time I saw him, exactly what the chiropractor did.
What’s helped me THE MOST is using a personal trainer once every other week who specializes specifically in functional mobility. For the most part loss of function comes from 2 things, injury or lack of use. In my case slow burn injury led to lack of use of my full range of neck and upper back motion. Retraining and strengthening the areas has helped a ton.
Hopefully the pillow works for anyone who bought it! I’ve seen some reviews of people who said it didnt/it lost its integrity quickly but it worked wonders for me so just speaking from personal experience. The biggest thing is just finding a mattress and pillow combo that keeps your spine as close as possible to it’s natural alignment as you sleep.
If you use a super soft mattress that you sink into I maybe wouldn’t go the route of this pillow because it’s pretty firm and might prop your head up awkwardly for example.
3. It’s the little things.
Q-Tips for when I go to a hotel.
Man I *H**E* the cheap Q-Tips. The ones that bend the instant you pick them up? No thanks.
4. A short list.
Toilet paper, tools (diy tools, electronic tools, etc), protective equipment (mountain biking, motorcycle riding, skateboarding, skiing).
5. You’ve gotta have them.
Work boots.
After several years of buying a new cr**py pair every year, we got my husband Red Wings late 2019. Already had them re-soled once, but that was $100 I didn’t have to spend on another pair of Wolverine or CAT boots.
6. They’re family.
Animal food.
I always research what’s best and try to get that for my pets.
Besides treating your pets with good care, quality food will save you both a lot of money in vets and the potential heartbreak of loosing your little friend to a health problem caused by c**p food over the years.
7. You will never regret it.
Toilet paper.
Single-ply toilet paper: helping you get in touch with your inner self.
8. Avoid disappointment when you can.
Cheeze-It Crackers.
No generic brand stands up to it, and I’ve had too much disappointment in my life finding that fact out the hard way.
9. That goes for coffee, too.
Tea.
Life is too short anything but the best.
10. It’s not all about the smell.
Shampoo/conditioner.
Anyone with even slightly longer hair whose tried both cheap and salon will tell you there’s a noticeable difference.
11. Unless your kids are small.
Almost all art / writing supplies.
I use “expensive” pens and mechanical pencils on a daily basis. The difference is uncanny. When I have other work to do, I use natural brushes and the best paper I can get my hands on. When I started out I tried to save some money by buying cheap things (paint, pens, pencils, lead, paper) and had to go to the store once or twice a month because something I had broke or didn’t work properly. My last mechanical pencil lasted 5 years because I lost it when renovating my studio.
I am also a firm believer that the better the materials and tools, the better the results. Even if it’s all in your mind, you will perform better at the end of it….
12. It might as well taste nice.
Booze.
I don’t go for the really expensive stuff, but if you are going to harm yourself at least do it with something you like.
I used to not like whiskey or gin until I tried good whiskey and gin and now I like them both. There is a big difference between an $8 bottle of c**p and $70 bottle of booze, if you aren’t drinking for quantity buy quality.
13. Only if you want to live.
Tires and brakes.
Because… duh!
14. Just save up.
Tattoos.
Good tattoos aren’t cheap and cheap tattoos aren’t good.
15. Truer words have never been spoken.
Running shoes.
16. It really will improve your life.
A can opener.
Drives me nuts using a garbage one or that they inevitably break before finishing the job.
17. A solid rule.
Not sure where I heard it originally, but a rule I live by: Never cheap out on things that’s job is to be between yourself and the ground. Shoes, beds, chairs, tires, etc.
My partner and I bought our first expensive mattress last year and I never thought it would make such a difference. It improved my sleep quality so much! We’ve stayed in a nice hotel since then and actually missed our mattress back home.
Doesn’t cure my sleep issues but they’re much more comfortable now
18. You use them every minute of every day, so.
Glasses.
I get all the fixings on my classes because they never leave my face. They are the single thing I wear/use more than anything. Love to read too.
I will shop and shop for whatever frames I want and won’t even look at the price. Glasses and my kids are why I max my fsa.
19. My kingdom for one that doesn’t hurt my back.
If you work at a desk, your chair is an important one as well.
20. They never tear right, either.
Scotch tape. The knock off brands won’t stick to anything.
21. No, not the stuff at the grocery store.
MAPLE SYRUP.
My entire life I have been buying Aunt Jemima’s, thinking it was real maple syrup. until a few days ago I saw this bottle of AJ’s that said “with 10% maple syrup”. I thought they had released a s**ttier version with only 10% real maple syrup. I looked at the price and was baffled because it was more expensive than the regular.
That was when I realized… Original AJ’s is basically just sugar water.
22. Spring for the good stuff.
The school where I teach used to get yearly donations of dozens of Rose Art crayon 24-packs.
But obviously no one would use them. Finally, someone had the balls to tell the org donating that the Rose Arts were going to waste and to just get fewer packs of Crayola.
They complied and it’s been wonderful ever since.
This is a huge problem in charity giving. People buy multiples of the cheap version rather than one of the decent version because they feel like they are stretching their dollar and helping more people.
The rule of thumb is to buy like you would buy for yourself when you give. Getting a 30 pack of socks that you’d never wear instead of a 3 pack of quality socks feels like you are doing what is right, but you aren’t.
23. Seconded.
Bed sheets and bras.
24. You might need all three at once.
Condoms, Helmets, & Defense Attorneys
25. Not if you want to stay warm.
In places with real heavy winters, you can’t buy cheap coats and sweaters. I always save up for nice turtlenecks.
26. If you want it to last.
Anything i’ll be using for an extended period of time (hours in succession) So a bed, PC, Clothes, Chair etc.
27. They’ll save you a pretty penny. And lots of sleep.
Condoms.
That will save you literally $250,000.
28. A very modern answer.
Monitor! Good god, when i took out the old x230 and turned it on, i almost cried. I played over a hundred hours of dark souls with keyboard and mouse on that tiny, horrible screen.
My neck, my back, and my eyes are more important than some money i have to pay once
29. Being an adult is fun.
Toilet paper. I literally cannot afford to pay my bills rn but the last time I bought cheap toilet paper it legit made my a$s bleed lol.
30. You’ll thank me later.
Coats for cold weather.
31. Everything you use every day.
From this thread, I learned I should buy the expensive version of everything.
32. Safety first!
Tires.
I splurged and have the best winter tires I’ve ever had in my life this year. Makes a huge difference!
33. Multiples for the win.
Bras and underwear.
Although I don’t go out of my way to get expensive brands, I don’t check the price tags when shopping. If it’s comfortable, I buy it… and several pairs.
34. Gramps knows what’s up.
My grandpa told me you don’t cheap out on anything that goes underneath you: tires, mattress, shoes.
35. If you know, you know.
Tampons.
as my mom says, buy the good tampons, anything to make your period suck less is worth it! she’s so right, i’m not sticking cardboard up my hoohah if i don’t have to
36. The older folks have learned.
As my Gran says, “Buy s**t, buy twice”.
Gran is wise, a customer friendly version I used to use is: “buy it nice, or buy it twice.”
37. Or just don’t sleep outdoors.
outdoor/backpacking equipment. good quality equipment could potentially save your life. bad quality equipment could be a potential d**th sentence.
38. I like these people.
Foot wear and bedding. You spend so much time in both that it should be comfy!
My mom used to tell me, “never skimp on things that go between you and the ground.”
Footwear: sock and shoes Bedding: home and camping equipment Tires.
I agree with most of these, but sometimes you can still find a really good deal.
What would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments!
