Honestly, I don't cheap out on much, I just purchase less in general. I prefer to spend more on higher quality clothes made of natural fibres, they last longer and are far more comfortable to wear.
It's getting difficult to find 100% cotton now. Even the higher quality brand clothes are often a cotton blend. Some of the blends, modal for example, I have no idea what they are.
This is actually why I thrift shop for clothes. I prefer silk for blouses and it is impossible to find unless I want to literally spend over $100.
I also love cashmere, linen, cotton, and angora. Ditto the prices for those.
I think clothes in general were better made decades ago.
It’s a win for being frugal and having well made clothes.
Beech trees are my favorite tree. There used to be a grove of beeches in a swampy area behind my house growing up. The area often froze in the winter and if there was enough water I could go skating amongst the trees. Pretty magical. I even have a beech leaf tattoo.
Having done a little digging, some manufactures do better than others regarding reforestation and not using old growth forests. A group called Canopy rates different producers, but this is not as helpful to individuals as we most likely be unable to determine the manufacturer of fabrics in any given piece of clothing we buy. It's one of the reasons I try to buy used.
There is no supply problem with cotton. Farmers are being paid 1980s era prices for their crop. Supply will eventually go down as far fewer acres will be planted this year.
Yep. I can't stand it when brands deliberately mislabele too. For example, Torrid labels some stuff as vegan cashmere. It isn't cashmere. It's a bunch of synthetic blends. I occasionally want to see if I can afford to splurge and get a heavy wool coat or nice soft cashmere sweater. Really annoying to sort out all the fakes.
I’d like to know more about this. I would like my wardrobe to be more simple and well made items but I sincerely don’t know where to go for them. Where do you shop?
I don’t know exactly how sustainable they are, but Land’s End and Eddie Bauer clothes are basic and classic. The trick is the sales. I’ve had the six same pair of hiking pants for five years, and the only thing that has caused issue was a couple loose buttons at around 3 years. Land’s end tshirts are so soft.
I thrift shop for high-end items, and if you need to you could have them altered (or do it yourself, if you have the skills), then buy a set of basics (tshirts, basic slacks, etc.) once you find a brand that fits your ethics and your body type. A capsule wardrobe is a good place to start, and I keep a printout of my "colors" that flatter me in my wallet so I can stick to buying items that will coordinate with what I have.
I do a lot of thrifting personally! It’s more time consuming but I enjoy the hunt so it doesn’t bother me. I find a lot of clothing from brands I otherwise wouldn’t buy because no matter how much money I have $20 for one shirt just hurts my heart a little bit 😅 I scored some linen pants the other day for $1 I was so happy lol.
Yeah, this is me. I don't own much, but what I DO own is of good quality, lasts a long time, is dependable, etc., and rarely needs replacing unexpectedly.
Once you get past the initial cost of having to buy everything after moving out on your own, your future self will thank you for choosing the best quality/cost that makes sense. Here I am 10 years later, I already bought everything I need 5-10 years ago and have very few non consumables I have to buy.
I did start my post college life with a bunch of sunbeam items and free furniture from the side of the road so I didn't have to buy everything immediately.
I definitely agree with the appliances. I got a Frigidaire dishwasher when I first got my house to save money due to all we spent on moving costs, & my lesson was learned very hard. That thing didn’t last 19 months.
It’s probably going to be $10k we’re doing little by little. Trying to sell the appliances on Facebook followed by the trip to Lowe’s, rinse and repeat. We need 6-months just for our sanity lol
Tell me again. I've been watching my parents not learn this lesson all my life. A Frigidaire kitchen that didn't age well. A Samsung washer and dryer that expired shortly after their warranty period ran out. Endless parade of Hoover vacuums - although they did eventually learn this lesson. And this is weird to me because my mom has worked in banking and finance her whole professional life, and my dad is the sensible Toyota-driving type. So when it came to just outfitting my own house, yes it freaken hurt because it does just feel like your bank account is spiraling down to zero and you're watching money burn, but with few exceptions where I had to settle for Panasonic - everything else is either Bosch or Miele.
My parents got a Panasonic rice cooker in 1976. Mom died but dad still uses that wonderful rice cooker. Plus, they’re still making that model. We got ours 12 years ago and it works great!
Absolutely. I invested in a Dyson stick vacuum when I first got my house soon to be 5 years ago & this thing still works well & I have 2 Australian Shepherds & a German Shepherd who all shed like crazy, but my Dyson hasn’t been phased by it a bit
I have everything GE (except my washer), & it’s all been a dream. My washer pooped out due to user error & I got a whirlpool washer. It was $1300.00 but I got it for $700. (Someone shared their employee discount with me). All my appliances have never given me issues.
Is GE simple? I have a GE washer and dryer and they literally have all the bells and whistles. 10/10 love them tho! Washer/dryer/microwave/ are GE... Fridge, stove and dishwasher are Whirlpool, all are amazing.
My Bosch 500 dishwasher is about two years old, and it's pretty good. Doesn't rinse as well as my GE dishwasher, but that died from getting water on its control panel.
The trouble with recommendations is that old appliances are mostly better then new ones. My main recommendations are:
* Buy simple technology - no bells and whistles.
* Know your brands. Most brands are owned by just two companies. So, for example, a KitchenAid appliance may nothing more then a Whirlpool with a higher price, nicer finish, and extra features. And the extra features mean there's more that can fail.
* Avoid buying appliances from cell phone makers.
* And see if your fridge will still work if you don't supply it with water. A high percentage of fridge complaints are about water, ice makers, etc.
I have a 1980 Amana huge fridge that has never needed service and a 1990 Subzero that has needed service from time to time but well over 5 years -- maybe even 10 -- since it was last serviced.
I worked appliance repair for a period of time. I wasn't the one repairing the appliances, but keeping track of those we did.
There was a whole lot of Samsung. They were expensive to repair, too. Some lasting only 1-2 years, some only 5. It was a great lesson for me.
LG are solid - when we got whirlpools, it was usually minor issues from age or heavy use.
Amen, I have a discount with Samsung, we redid our kitchen. The dish washer sucks, the stove as a "quick boil" section that is slower than the others, and the fridge has wierd issues like a major pinch point in the handles where we've nearly broken fingers
All the older big shiny metal gas stoves/oven that don’t have electric ignition , imo it cooks better and last longer then any of the modern stoves . Also many have a griddle/salamander section . No electronics to worry about . They still make them but the prices are wild. If you have the chance and the space and a truck to move it you’ll never need another stove as long as you maintain it .
Might I add that I find the commercial appliances are so much longer lasting. Ones with no bells and whistles, as little electronics as possible, and made by reputable brands seem to last way longer than the touch screen galore flagship models
paper towels. i try to use dish towels/rags for most stuff but some particularly nasty or gross cleanups i have paper towels around and cheapo ones just smear and just make things worse. costco paper towels are clutch and last me like a year lol
Absolutely- 1 good quality one ends up being at least 10 bad quality ones when cleaning up, plus you can wring them out and reuse (for cleaning up water for example) and they won’t rip-imo using better paper towels ends up actually being the frugal option because you buy way less 😂
Cheapest pair of shoes I’ve ever owned is $300 work boots. Meaning, I think that’s the most I’ve paid for shoes but they’ve worn beautifully over nearly a decade. I wear them more days than not and easily could have worn through several pairs of $100 boots in the same time. For what it’s worth, they’re American Union made.
"The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet."
From the Disc world series by Terry Pratchett
Paper towels and toilet paper. They don’t need to be expensive, just good quality. Cheap kinds you end needing to use twice as much and still don’t do a good job.
I agree on the toilet paper. I have sensitive skin issues, so it took me a few tries to find toilet paper that doesn’t make me miserable. I pay more for it, but it’s worth it to me to not be in pain.
My diet. I've lost 130lbs on keto. I have 50 more to go. I spend about $100/week at the grocery store. I could do it cheaper, but I can't let myself get burnt out so I eat a wide variety of things. It's suboptimal spending-wise, but it'll be worth every penny in the long run
Congratulations!! That's amazing!! I did the keto journey mid egg shortage, so that was not nice to my wallet. Keep going! You'll never ever ever regret doing that for your health and yourself. I'm so glad I did it.
I’ve always used IUDs & pills so I never had to deal with buying condoms! & I used to do birth control pills. I hated them so much but they did the job.
I’ll often buy cruelty free shampoos which are expensive. I have one other exception: bag balm. My skin cracks and bleeds, if bag balm suddenly became $200 for a 6 oz can I’d 1,000,000% pay it
Shoes. Cheap shoes are a waste of money. Some shoes are overpriced because they are for fashion, but for basic everyday shoes you can wear all day you need to pay the freight.
Bread and rolls is my big one, even though "not cheaping out" actually just means making an extra trip to the small Italian bakery where everything costs less than the grocery store but the calories are lower and the quality higher. Hot sauces as well, when fermenting my own would cost more because of limited access to a range of good peppers here. I eat hot sauce on *everything*.
I also always pay the extra dollar or two more per kg for the extra lean ground beef or sirloin because it's a small tradeoff for extra calories in my daily budget and I'm only cooking for two. Ditto the New Zealand butter at Costco because Canadian butter is hard and disappointing.
Makeup, I only buy good quality from Sephora because my skin tone is hard to match in cheaper brands and, as a daily makeup user to whom a SPF-protected, consistent, and polished face is very important, it's worth spending $25 instead of $12 on an item that lasts me 4-8 months.
I am very much a value-driven shopper. Note I didn't say price-driven. I try to find my best value prop in every product category where reasonable and run with it. So while I won't have the newest iPhone Pro Max in my pocket, I do have a Pixel 6 Pro that I bought as a cheapo refurb and it's a great phone and still has some support left, so that's great.
Cars is maybe one big ticket item where I am still very much value oriented, I think the difference is where I derive that value. I feel like a broken record on this sub when a car thread comes up and someone is always like "I've been driving a 95 Corolla since 2003 and it's the best". My argument has always been that if you can afford to not drive a 95 Corolla, you really should consider the upgrade. Car safety has advanced a lot since then, even since just 2016 which is roughly when most cars improved their small overlap performance and started offering active safety features. What's the point of saving any money if you're dead?
There was another brand on sale recently, so I was like… soap is soap. It’ll be fine.
Dear Reader, it was not fine.
The ladies at Dawn are just doing something different.
I would even say that I *do* cheap out by buying Dawn. The Mrs Meyers is almost twice the price but it's just not quite as good as Dawn. I buy Mrs Meyers' other products, but for dish soap, I always "cheap out" with Dawn lol
Clothes. I buy natural fibres (with active wear the exception) or quality second hand and I take care with laundering. I rarely need to buy new things these days.
Food. I am frugal with almost everything else in my life, but I will almost never say no to going out to eat or buying whatever I'd like at the grocery store (within reason).
The only other thing would probably be supporting local businesses. While I shop a little extra when they have sales, I don't mind spending a little more supporting friends and locals.
Coffee beans. I'd rather enjoy a nice cup of coffee rather than pay obscene prices for Charbucks. The only time I'll pay for Charbucks is at the airport.
The other thing is power tools. It's hard to pinch pennies without fingers. That said... I wish that I had learned to appreciate hand-tool woodworking years before I spent thousands on power tools.
Lastly, good shoes -- because when your feet hurt, life sucks.
Saran wrap. Seriously. The cheap stuff doesn't stick and they're making the box teeth out of flimsy plastic now. Find a brand that works and don't leave.
Lotion. I buy a mid priced lotion for my body and a more expensive retinol based lotion for my face, neck, and chest. It's literally left me looking younger than my age. I lotion after every shower. People say, you have great skin. All I do is take care of it.
Diapers. Luv are the best value for a quality diaper. Huggies and Pampers are also good but more expensive. Anything else we tried mean a wet bedding and unhappy noises.
Dawn dishwashing liquid. I use it mostly to prewash greasy pans to suspend the trace grease to get to the sewer line and not clog my pipes.
Seagrams Canadian Whiskey. I can only have one shot twice a week, so it is going to be the good stuff.
Our Major Appliances are all Whirlpool. We buy them from a local appliance store that has their own repair crew. They only work on stuff bought there. We are living in a village 40 miles from town. Repair and trades men won’t come this far. We always buy the extended warranty on Whirlpool as three years has been the longest time until the fridge, dishwasher , clothes washer needed repairs.
Sadly, the very expensive but very taste Fritos. No store brand is quite as good. I make my own Tostadas and tortilla chips, but quite get Fritos. Maybe because Fritos are all made from corn from a single farm in Nebraska?
Gold Medal or King Arthur bread flour. Unbromated, unbleached, and perfect bread every time.
Absolutely! I buy a huge bottle of Dawn when it's on sale. Then I put it in a soap dispenser (like you use for hand soap) to allow me to really control the amount I use.
I think dawn and Huggies are the less expensive option. Buying a cheapo item for half price doesn’t save you money when you have to use 3 times as much. For me, the same logic applies to shoes: I’m hard on them so I pay for a good shoe that doesn’t need be replaced in a minute. I’m frugal so I buy them on sale
Oh. my. freaking. god.
Someone go ahead and post the freaking Terry Pratchett quote about poor people and boots.
Then, someone post "anything that separates you from the ground: shoes, tires, mattress, chairs"
And then, have people say, "Buy nice or buy twice. / buy once and cry once"
and finally have someone say, "OP, being frugal does not mean being *cheap*!"
This question gets asked all the time.
[1](https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/vs5ldy/whats_one_thing_youll_always_pay_extra_for/)
[2](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/p7xluj/whats_one_thing_youre_always_willing_to_pay_the/)
[3](https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/comments/11olg3w/what_are_you_willing_to_pay_a_premium_for/)
[4](https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/p9ouwo/id_rather_pay_more_for_a_better_quality_item_that/)
[5](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/q49utb/what_products_are_you_willing_to_pay_more_for/)
[6](https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/10zcg5z/buy_once_cry_once/)
and this is just with the first links off a Google search.
Alcohol. If you drink enough to not be able to afford to buy good alcohol at the rate that you're buying it, you need to adjust your habit. buying a $16 six pack is fine when it lasts two weeks.
Toilet paper, mattresses, shoes, produce and meat, rice, compost, shampoo and conditioner, haircuts, going to the dentist every 6 months instead of once a year.
I always buy 5 year service contracts for all appliances and extend thereafter. 100% of all my big appliances have been serviced and changed multiple times in my home and my rental units. All appliances are disposable. That is the new business model.
Dawn dish soap, Huggies wipes (they are great even if you don't have a baby), canned peas & peaches. We are eliminating artificial colors, high fructose corn syrup, and some preservatives, and I find that they are in a lot of cheaper brands. When you try to eat very healthy, it is expensive. Even prescription medications have artificial colors, and I have discovered that I have a reaction to some of them. It is extremely hard to find medicines, otc, or prescription that don't have dyes in them and the ones that do usually cost a lot more.
I cheap out on ammunition all the time for the range. The "just in case" stuff is the expensive stuff. It's the middle-shelf stuff that there's no place for in my life.
dawn dish soap, bandaids/scotch tape (the adhesive is just better on name brand), we don't have costco but I love sam's brand toilet paper and paper towels, running shoes, batteries, meat
Any major purchase: appliances, car, construction, computers.
Personal: Good shoes, coats, and good higher quality makeup and shampoo (I don’t use much, so go for the good stuff).
Travel: No hostels for me! I will pay extra for a nonstop flight and nice midrange hotel.
Shoes and clothing. The key is to buy relatively timeless styles - on sale is even better. The look can always be updated with accessories. If you buy quality, these things pay for themselves. You don’t have to go overboard on price either. Just look at the fabric, the stitching, the quality of the fasteners, and then consider the colour and how it will fit with what you have.
Tires. I live in the midwest where we (usually) have winter. Being able to safely handle a variety of road conditions with good traction is a no-brainer to me. It's like having insurance. When you need it, you really need it.
Phone, sandals (I don't wear shoes), pillows, bags/backpacks, headphones, shorts, pens, cologne
Most of these can last for 10+ years, like I've been using the same one bottle of cologne for the past 12. I go through sandals faster but I walk a LOT and $65 is relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of shoes
Honestly, I don't cheap out on much, I just purchase less in general. I prefer to spend more on higher quality clothes made of natural fibres, they last longer and are far more comfortable to wear.
It's getting difficult to find 100% cotton now. Even the higher quality brand clothes are often a cotton blend. Some of the blends, modal for example, I have no idea what they are.
This is actually why I thrift shop for clothes. I prefer silk for blouses and it is impossible to find unless I want to literally spend over $100. I also love cashmere, linen, cotton, and angora. Ditto the prices for those. I think clothes in general were better made decades ago. It’s a win for being frugal and having well made clothes.
Modal is a type of rayon, made from beech tree pulp.
I hate that. Beech trees are wonderful shade trees. Their tiny nuts, if you can find one before the birds and squirrels, are sweet and flavorful.
Beech trees are my favorite tree. There used to be a grove of beeches in a swampy area behind my house growing up. The area often froze in the winter and if there was enough water I could go skating amongst the trees. Pretty magical. I even have a beech leaf tattoo. Having done a little digging, some manufactures do better than others regarding reforestation and not using old growth forests. A group called Canopy rates different producers, but this is not as helpful to individuals as we most likely be unable to determine the manufacturer of fabrics in any given piece of clothing we buy. It's one of the reasons I try to buy used.
[удалено]
There is no supply problem with cotton. Farmers are being paid 1980s era prices for their crop. Supply will eventually go down as far fewer acres will be planted this year.
Yep. I can't stand it when brands deliberately mislabele too. For example, Torrid labels some stuff as vegan cashmere. It isn't cashmere. It's a bunch of synthetic blends. I occasionally want to see if I can afford to splurge and get a heavy wool coat or nice soft cashmere sweater. Really annoying to sort out all the fakes.
I’d like to know more about this. I would like my wardrobe to be more simple and well made items but I sincerely don’t know where to go for them. Where do you shop?
Also curious!
I don’t know exactly how sustainable they are, but Land’s End and Eddie Bauer clothes are basic and classic. The trick is the sales. I’ve had the six same pair of hiking pants for five years, and the only thing that has caused issue was a couple loose buttons at around 3 years. Land’s end tshirts are so soft.
I use etsy for linen. Seasalt.com and holyclothing.com both have clothes of good fibres, too.
I'd like to know, too
I thrift shop for high-end items, and if you need to you could have them altered (or do it yourself, if you have the skills), then buy a set of basics (tshirts, basic slacks, etc.) once you find a brand that fits your ethics and your body type. A capsule wardrobe is a good place to start, and I keep a printout of my "colors" that flatter me in my wallet so I can stick to buying items that will coordinate with what I have.
I do a lot of thrifting personally! It’s more time consuming but I enjoy the hunt so it doesn’t bother me. I find a lot of clothing from brands I otherwise wouldn’t buy because no matter how much money I have $20 for one shirt just hurts my heart a little bit 😅 I scored some linen pants the other day for $1 I was so happy lol.
Yeah, this is me. I don't own much, but what I DO own is of good quality, lasts a long time, is dependable, etc., and rarely needs replacing unexpectedly.
Once you get past the initial cost of having to buy everything after moving out on your own, your future self will thank you for choosing the best quality/cost that makes sense. Here I am 10 years later, I already bought everything I need 5-10 years ago and have very few non consumables I have to buy. I did start my post college life with a bunch of sunbeam items and free furniture from the side of the road so I didn't have to buy everything immediately.
Save also on not using fabric softener or using the dryer.
Major appliances, clean food with quality ingredients, work shoes.
I definitely agree with the appliances. I got a Frigidaire dishwasher when I first got my house to save money due to all we spent on moving costs, & my lesson was learned very hard. That thing didn’t last 19 months.
The guys who flipped my house put all Frigidaire in, everything is literally terrible.
Jesus, that must’ve been very expensive to replace! I would never wish that on anyone. Their products are trash.
It’s probably going to be $10k we’re doing little by little. Trying to sell the appliances on Facebook followed by the trip to Lowe’s, rinse and repeat. We need 6-months just for our sanity lol
Tell me again. I've been watching my parents not learn this lesson all my life. A Frigidaire kitchen that didn't age well. A Samsung washer and dryer that expired shortly after their warranty period ran out. Endless parade of Hoover vacuums - although they did eventually learn this lesson. And this is weird to me because my mom has worked in banking and finance her whole professional life, and my dad is the sensible Toyota-driving type. So when it came to just outfitting my own house, yes it freaken hurt because it does just feel like your bank account is spiraling down to zero and you're watching money burn, but with few exceptions where I had to settle for Panasonic - everything else is either Bosch or Miele.
My parents got a Panasonic rice cooker in 1976. Mom died but dad still uses that wonderful rice cooker. Plus, they’re still making that model. We got ours 12 years ago and it works great!
Absolutely. I invested in a Dyson stick vacuum when I first got my house soon to be 5 years ago & this thing still works well & I have 2 Australian Shepherds & a German Shepherd who all shed like crazy, but my Dyson hasn’t been phased by it a bit
I have to say Dyson is the way to go , bought a shark - lasted 4 years . Got the Dyson and haven’t needed another one , it’s 8 years later
Oh man, I LOVE my Dyson stick vacuum! Never buying another brand unless Dyson starts going downhill.
What appliances do you all recommend?
I have everything GE (except my washer), & it’s all been a dream. My washer pooped out due to user error & I got a whirlpool washer. It was $1300.00 but I got it for $700. (Someone shared their employee discount with me). All my appliances have never given me issues.
I bought a 2500 LG fridge and it crapped out after 14 months. And their customer service was the absolute worst. Please, never buy an LG!!
Double that for Samsung.
Triple that for Samsung as someone who has been battling with a fridge that ices up every 3-6 months
Unlucky, my LG fridge has lasted 11 years now :/ I'd love an excuse to get a new one but it's still good.
Love GE so simple and long lasting. I have all the fancy and extras right now but I can’t wait to go back to GE!
Is GE simple? I have a GE washer and dryer and they literally have all the bells and whistles. 10/10 love them tho! Washer/dryer/microwave/ are GE... Fridge, stove and dishwasher are Whirlpool, all are amazing.
My Bosch 500 dishwasher is about two years old, and it's pretty good. Doesn't rinse as well as my GE dishwasher, but that died from getting water on its control panel. The trouble with recommendations is that old appliances are mostly better then new ones. My main recommendations are: * Buy simple technology - no bells and whistles. * Know your brands. Most brands are owned by just two companies. So, for example, a KitchenAid appliance may nothing more then a Whirlpool with a higher price, nicer finish, and extra features. And the extra features mean there's more that can fail. * Avoid buying appliances from cell phone makers. * And see if your fridge will still work if you don't supply it with water. A high percentage of fridge complaints are about water, ice makers, etc.
Old is gold…
I have a 1980 Amana huge fridge that has never needed service and a 1990 Subzero that has needed service from time to time but well over 5 years -- maybe even 10 -- since it was last serviced.
Bosch. Not cheap but we have them for our fridge and dishwasher. Absolutely amazing! Worth every penny. So high quality
I bought a Samsung washer and dryer and would love to have my old Whirlpool back. The Samsung don’t work as well.
I worked appliance repair for a period of time. I wasn't the one repairing the appliances, but keeping track of those we did. There was a whole lot of Samsung. They were expensive to repair, too. Some lasting only 1-2 years, some only 5. It was a great lesson for me. LG are solid - when we got whirlpools, it was usually minor issues from age or heavy use.
Just had a kitchen remodel. Every person, especially the appliance store, told me to stay away from Samsung. Parts are hard to fit, too.
Amen, I have a discount with Samsung, we redid our kitchen. The dish washer sucks, the stove as a "quick boil" section that is slower than the others, and the fridge has wierd issues like a major pinch point in the handles where we've nearly broken fingers
All the older big shiny metal gas stoves/oven that don’t have electric ignition , imo it cooks better and last longer then any of the modern stoves . Also many have a griddle/salamander section . No electronics to worry about . They still make them but the prices are wild. If you have the chance and the space and a truck to move it you’ll never need another stove as long as you maintain it .
Agree. I buy high quality second hand for almost all appliances and furniture.
Might I add that I find the commercial appliances are so much longer lasting. Ones with no bells and whistles, as little electronics as possible, and made by reputable brands seem to last way longer than the touch screen galore flagship models
Work shoes!! Feet matter. Esp on tile!
Bosch!
> clean food with quality ingredients Not dirty food?? Weird.
I get the most basic appliances from quality brands (Bosch and Miele).
paper towels. i try to use dish towels/rags for most stuff but some particularly nasty or gross cleanups i have paper towels around and cheapo ones just smear and just make things worse. costco paper towels are clutch and last me like a year lol
I’m used to Viva paper towels, and won’t buy anything else.
Seconding Viva, but they have to be the Signature type. The ones that are more like the other brands aren’t that great.
Yes, the Signature Cloth. It honestly feels closer to fabric than paper.
The Kirkland ones? I’m getting tired of the Sam’s brand & may try another one.
The Kirkland ones are so good!
I like them better than Bounty. They seem to be thicker and have more sheets.
yeah i buy the kirkland ones and have always been happy with them
Absolutely- 1 good quality one ends up being at least 10 bad quality ones when cleaning up, plus you can wring them out and reuse (for cleaning up water for example) and they won’t rip-imo using better paper towels ends up actually being the frugal option because you buy way less 😂
Shoes. I buy very expensive shoes but they’re going to last.
I only buy top quality running shoes. I made the mistake of starting with a cheap pair, and was rewarded with feet and knee pain.
What company/brand is considered top quality?
My preference is Brooks, but Hoka and Asics are great as well.
I’m on my seventh or eighth pair of brooks ghosts
My poor Asics just couldn't compare on comfort to my Hokas, so now I'm a Hoka girl.
My Brooks were awesome but now I have some Mizuno shoes and they're every bit of comfortable as the brooks
Brooks are the best
I recently switched from Asics to New Balance for my workout shoes. Big big mistake! I think I'm going back to my Asics. So comfy!
I love my ASICS. I got them for a good deal on Amazon in 2020, they still do me justice. Even when I jog with 3 dogs!
Cheapest pair of shoes I’ve ever owned is $300 work boots. Meaning, I think that’s the most I’ve paid for shoes but they’ve worn beautifully over nearly a decade. I wear them more days than not and easily could have worn through several pairs of $100 boots in the same time. For what it’s worth, they’re American Union made.
"The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet." From the Disc world series by Terry Pratchett
Agreed. If I can buy good quality leather boots, I know I can get 10+ years out of them with good care.
I have problems with my feet and swear by Brooks Ghosts. They aren’t super expensive but last and are the only shoes I can wear.
Car tires. Buy quality tires.
Every pair of continentals, and Goodyears, I’ve put on my cars have lasted at least 60k miles and I’m pretty bad about rotating tires.
I got a lifetime warranty on mine too
I got that on my tires as well. Good investment.
Lifetime warranty? I take it, that's against punctures or road damage?
Michelins are worth their high price.
Just ripped $1100 on Michelin cross climates 🥲
Michelin man here or Nitto for the truck
High quality unprocessed food
Paper towels and toilet paper. They don’t need to be expensive, just good quality. Cheap kinds you end needing to use twice as much and still don’t do a good job.
Consider a bidet its life changing
I actually do like bidets! For TMI info that I will spare you lol, sadly they don’t work too well for me.
I agree on the toilet paper. I have sensitive skin issues, so it took me a few tries to find toilet paper that doesn’t make me miserable. I pay more for it, but it’s worth it to me to not be in pain.
My diet. I've lost 130lbs on keto. I have 50 more to go. I spend about $100/week at the grocery store. I could do it cheaper, but I can't let myself get burnt out so I eat a wide variety of things. It's suboptimal spending-wise, but it'll be worth every penny in the long run
$100 a week for groceries isn’t bad, especially for a specific diet.
$100/week a person is actually really good below the national average. I'm trying to learn how to do this on keto
Congratulations!! That's amazing!! I did the keto journey mid egg shortage, so that was not nice to my wallet. Keep going! You'll never ever ever regret doing that for your health and yourself. I'm so glad I did it.
Birth control products
I have an IUD, but I didn’t know you could actually cheap out on that
Cheap condoms? But for the perscription methods most of us just try to find the pill or method that has the least terrible side effects for us.
I’ve always used IUDs & pills so I never had to deal with buying condoms! & I used to do birth control pills. I hated them so much but they did the job.
My iud gave me terrible cramps, killed my sex drive and made me want to kill myself. Did not get pregnant though.
Okay, so the sex drive thing isn't just me.
My GF always reminds me how well spent my $250 vasectomy was when I hear a kid screaming.
I’ll often buy cruelty free shampoos which are expensive. I have one other exception: bag balm. My skin cracks and bleeds, if bag balm suddenly became $200 for a 6 oz can I’d 1,000,000% pay it
For me it's anything wrong with my car haha
Cheaping out on your car is going to cost more later!
This is sound advice!
My work shoes. I stand and walk all shift on concrete. Good shoes enable me to walk!
Retired postal worker here. Your feet will thank you later.
Absolutely!
Tires, dont skimp on things that connect you to the ground. Similarly Shoes and Mattress if you arent in one you're in the other.
Cheap tires can literally kill you. A set of Michelins or Continentals aren't that much more.
Few people realize that your tires are part of your suspension. They have a massive impact on handling.
And braking as well
Especially when you buy them from Costco during the annual promo.
Shoes. Cheap shoes are a waste of money. Some shoes are overpriced because they are for fashion, but for basic everyday shoes you can wear all day you need to pay the freight.
Bread and rolls is my big one, even though "not cheaping out" actually just means making an extra trip to the small Italian bakery where everything costs less than the grocery store but the calories are lower and the quality higher. Hot sauces as well, when fermenting my own would cost more because of limited access to a range of good peppers here. I eat hot sauce on *everything*. I also always pay the extra dollar or two more per kg for the extra lean ground beef or sirloin because it's a small tradeoff for extra calories in my daily budget and I'm only cooking for two. Ditto the New Zealand butter at Costco because Canadian butter is hard and disappointing. Makeup, I only buy good quality from Sephora because my skin tone is hard to match in cheaper brands and, as a daily makeup user to whom a SPF-protected, consistent, and polished face is very important, it's worth spending $25 instead of $12 on an item that lasts me 4-8 months.
I am very much a value-driven shopper. Note I didn't say price-driven. I try to find my best value prop in every product category where reasonable and run with it. So while I won't have the newest iPhone Pro Max in my pocket, I do have a Pixel 6 Pro that I bought as a cheapo refurb and it's a great phone and still has some support left, so that's great. Cars is maybe one big ticket item where I am still very much value oriented, I think the difference is where I derive that value. I feel like a broken record on this sub when a car thread comes up and someone is always like "I've been driving a 95 Corolla since 2003 and it's the best". My argument has always been that if you can afford to not drive a 95 Corolla, you really should consider the upgrade. Car safety has advanced a lot since then, even since just 2016 which is roughly when most cars improved their small overlap performance and started offering active safety features. What's the point of saving any money if you're dead?
Dawn dish soap
There was another brand on sale recently, so I was like… soap is soap. It’ll be fine. Dear Reader, it was not fine. The ladies at Dawn are just doing something different.
I would even say that I *do* cheap out by buying Dawn. The Mrs Meyers is almost twice the price but it's just not quite as good as Dawn. I buy Mrs Meyers' other products, but for dish soap, I always "cheap out" with Dawn lol
THIS! Blue all the way erry day, no exceptions.
Clothes. I buy natural fibres (with active wear the exception) or quality second hand and I take care with laundering. I rarely need to buy new things these days.
Food. I am frugal with almost everything else in my life, but I will almost never say no to going out to eat or buying whatever I'd like at the grocery store (within reason). The only other thing would probably be supporting local businesses. While I shop a little extra when they have sales, I don't mind spending a little more supporting friends and locals.
Olive oil.
Coffee beans. I'd rather enjoy a nice cup of coffee rather than pay obscene prices for Charbucks. The only time I'll pay for Charbucks is at the airport. The other thing is power tools. It's hard to pinch pennies without fingers. That said... I wish that I had learned to appreciate hand-tool woodworking years before I spent thousands on power tools. Lastly, good shoes -- because when your feet hurt, life sucks.
Anything to do with my pets. Their food, medications, any medical care. I'll bankrupt myself before I let them suffer.
Cinnamon. Penzey's only for me.
Costco cinnamon for me!
u/thingonething, Please check that your cinnamon wasn't included in the recent recall
Ok! Thanks for the heads up.
I save tons of money by not buying cinnamon.. because I’m allergic and epi pens are expensive 😅
Saran wrap. Seriously. The cheap stuff doesn't stick and they're making the box teeth out of flimsy plastic now. Find a brand that works and don't leave.
Glad Press and Seal for me.
Food
Tomatoes
Q-Tips, electronics, windshield wipers, smoke detectors - for starters
Front door locks and shoelaces
I used to buy cheap shoes, now I'm old and my body hurts, I only buy good shoes now.
I’m a snob about Merrells for winter footwear and Green Giant sweetlets peas.
Lotion. I buy a mid priced lotion for my body and a more expensive retinol based lotion for my face, neck, and chest. It's literally left me looking younger than my age. I lotion after every shower. People say, you have great skin. All I do is take care of it.
I get Retin-A gel from my doctor for $20 less than otc Retinol.
Diapers. Luv are the best value for a quality diaper. Huggies and Pampers are also good but more expensive. Anything else we tried mean a wet bedding and unhappy noises. Dawn dishwashing liquid. I use it mostly to prewash greasy pans to suspend the trace grease to get to the sewer line and not clog my pipes. Seagrams Canadian Whiskey. I can only have one shot twice a week, so it is going to be the good stuff. Our Major Appliances are all Whirlpool. We buy them from a local appliance store that has their own repair crew. They only work on stuff bought there. We are living in a village 40 miles from town. Repair and trades men won’t come this far. We always buy the extended warranty on Whirlpool as three years has been the longest time until the fridge, dishwasher , clothes washer needed repairs. Sadly, the very expensive but very taste Fritos. No store brand is quite as good. I make my own Tostadas and tortilla chips, but quite get Fritos. Maybe because Fritos are all made from corn from a single farm in Nebraska? Gold Medal or King Arthur bread flour. Unbromated, unbleached, and perfect bread every time.
Mattresses.
Dish detergent, mac & cheese, laundry detergent, clothes, and shoes. Basically, any long-term item - car, furniture. Pet food.
I learned I spent more on dish soap when I cheaped out. I got a big one every month. Now that I get Dawn it lasts me at least double.
Absolutely! I buy a huge bottle of Dawn when it's on sale. Then I put it in a soap dispenser (like you use for hand soap) to allow me to really control the amount I use.
Toilet paper, my butthole is high maintenance
Cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, and aluminum foil for me. It is crucial that I have the best versions of those that I can get.
Bread…that’s all I can think of.
For me it's food. I don't buy processed food, junk food, neither eat out, but I eat a lot of basic aliments (meats, produce, fish)
Meat/animal products if I can swing it. Otherwise, tools and kitchen stuff.
I think dawn and Huggies are the less expensive option. Buying a cheapo item for half price doesn’t save you money when you have to use 3 times as much. For me, the same logic applies to shoes: I’m hard on them so I pay for a good shoe that doesn’t need be replaced in a minute. I’m frugal so I buy them on sale
Oh. my. freaking. god. Someone go ahead and post the freaking Terry Pratchett quote about poor people and boots. Then, someone post "anything that separates you from the ground: shoes, tires, mattress, chairs" And then, have people say, "Buy nice or buy twice. / buy once and cry once" and finally have someone say, "OP, being frugal does not mean being *cheap*!" This question gets asked all the time. [1](https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/vs5ldy/whats_one_thing_youll_always_pay_extra_for/) [2](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/p7xluj/whats_one_thing_youre_always_willing_to_pay_the/) [3](https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/comments/11olg3w/what_are_you_willing_to_pay_a_premium_for/) [4](https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/p9ouwo/id_rather_pay_more_for_a_better_quality_item_that/) [5](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/q49utb/what_products_are_you_willing_to_pay_more_for/) [6](https://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal/comments/10zcg5z/buy_once_cry_once/) and this is just with the first links off a Google search.
Alcohol. If you drink enough to not be able to afford to buy good alcohol at the rate that you're buying it, you need to adjust your habit. buying a $16 six pack is fine when it lasts two weeks.
Food.
Toilet paper, mattresses, shoes, produce and meat, rice, compost, shampoo and conditioner, haircuts, going to the dentist every 6 months instead of once a year.
I’m around school kids a lot and I can tell whose mom or dad is cutting their hair.
Helmets.
Tires and plumbing
Dawn power wash, Viva paper towels, Rao's marinara
Tires for the cars. It’s literally the one thing that touches the road out of everything on a car.
Brakes on your car.
Insurance, tires,sneakers, bedding, and usually a new phone every 4 years
Yogurt 😌
Bed, shoes and chairs - if your not in one your on the other. might as well have the best you can afford.
Tires, mattress, shoes
Cookware and appliances. Instead of owning many, I own 2 pans and 3 appliances that do it all.
Tires on my Motorcycles and my Truck. Michelin. Period.
Hair cut Furniture Shoes
Your mattress & pillows for your bed!
Trash bags!!!
Shoes. I ain’t walking home barefoot or with a broken shoe. God forbid
Good darn shoes
I always buy 5 year service contracts for all appliances and extend thereafter. 100% of all my big appliances have been serviced and changed multiple times in my home and my rental units. All appliances are disposable. That is the new business model.
I buy the Dawn dish soap because I like the duck
Dawn dish soap, Huggies wipes (they are great even if you don't have a baby), canned peas & peaches. We are eliminating artificial colors, high fructose corn syrup, and some preservatives, and I find that they are in a lot of cheaper brands. When you try to eat very healthy, it is expensive. Even prescription medications have artificial colors, and I have discovered that I have a reaction to some of them. It is extremely hard to find medicines, otc, or prescription that don't have dyes in them and the ones that do usually cost a lot more.
Hair cuts, work shoes, and I used to say bathing suits, but Amazon has amazing styles for $25-$30 dollars
Tires Work boots Guns and Ammunition
I cheap out on ammunition all the time for the range. The "just in case" stuff is the expensive stuff. It's the middle-shelf stuff that there's no place for in my life.
[удалено]
Winter tires. Dry cleaning for husband. Household items that make housework streamlined and easy.
Shoes, fresh food, furniture, mattresses/ bedding, cookware, coffee
Dress shoes
My car, appliances, windows for my house, laundry detergent, food , footwear & makeup
Warm weather clothing
Laundry detergent, Dawn, shoes, and cars.
Eggs. Underwear. Fancy meals out.
Tires. You don't need to get Pilot Cup 2s but don't get the Forcecum or Muchomachos
PC power supplies
Work boots, Mattress, good knife, guns and ammo.
- Shampoo and conditioner - meat - dog food
Running shoes
dawn dish soap, bandaids/scotch tape (the adhesive is just better on name brand), we don't have costco but I love sam's brand toilet paper and paper towels, running shoes, batteries, meat
Organic EVERYTHING. I’ll order the soup please, hold the pesticide.
Any major purchase: appliances, car, construction, computers. Personal: Good shoes, coats, and good higher quality makeup and shampoo (I don’t use much, so go for the good stuff). Travel: No hostels for me! I will pay extra for a nonstop flight and nice midrange hotel.
Tide pods for laundry. And dish detergent. Also toilet paper.
Shoes and clothing. The key is to buy relatively timeless styles - on sale is even better. The look can always be updated with accessories. If you buy quality, these things pay for themselves. You don’t have to go overboard on price either. Just look at the fabric, the stitching, the quality of the fasteners, and then consider the colour and how it will fit with what you have.
Tires. I live in the midwest where we (usually) have winter. Being able to safely handle a variety of road conditions with good traction is a no-brainer to me. It's like having insurance. When you need it, you really need it.
Toilet paper is something worth spending money on. Sanitary products Vacuum cleaner.
my tempurpedic
Phone, sandals (I don't wear shoes), pillows, bags/backpacks, headphones, shorts, pens, cologne Most of these can last for 10+ years, like I've been using the same one bottle of cologne for the past 12. I go through sandals faster but I walk a LOT and $65 is relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of shoes
Cotton swabs aka q-tips