# What do you refuse to skimp on? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 30, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451 "2003-10-30T15:14:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/41 "2003-10-31T00:13:12Z")
Beef and bacon. With everything else, I have very expensive tastes and preferences, but can easily go on the cheap with no complaints. But the few bucks I can save buying cheap beef or run of the mill bacon just isn’t worth it. I’d rather eat like a king while dressed like a peasant than the opposite. If I can’t dress myself head to toe for under $75 including the shoes, forget it. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/42 "2003-10-31T00:22:24Z")
Toilet paper - nothing but the best for my tender brown eye. Coffee Butter Milk and half-and-half - we buy them from a local dairy that still delivers in glass bottles processed right at the dairy. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/43 "2003-10-31T02:22:29Z")
Shoes, Bed (& other furniture). Most of your life your are going to be supported by one your shoes, your bed, or your favorite chair. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/44 "2003-10-31T02:47:19Z")
Pop Tarts. It has to be real Pop-Tarts, generic ones all sucks Cheese. Not a major cheese-snob, but I cannot buy any generic brand. I usually buy Cabot, which is probably some of the best cheese for the price. I also splurge sometimes and get the gourmet kind that’s like $10 a pound (mmm…applewood smoked cheddar…) ---
**Author:** ![Empress\_Jolrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@Empress\_Jolrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Empress_Jolrael)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/45 "2003-10-31T07:16:09Z")
Chocolate. And coffee. I’m a college student. I’ll skimp on everything else, but I like my caffeine delivered in good-quality produts. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/46 "2003-10-31T09:06:33Z")
Good quality imported Italian pasta. Ditto parmeggianno cheese. You can tell the taste of subsititutes immediately and no matter how good your sauce is it will never make poor pasta taste good. I had to test this theory recently. Recently arrived here: Barilla tagliatelli 500g pack - around $6.50 :eek:! Still went in the basket… ---
**Author:** ![Mariemarie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@Mariemarie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mariemarie)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/47 "2003-10-31T12:56:35Z")
Garlic: must have fresh, not dehydrated, garlic. ---
**Author:** ![HDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bb73d2/32.png) [@HDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HDS)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/48 "2003-10-31T13:26:51Z")
Really good work shoes. My Doc Martens cost an entire paycheck (back when I was part time, am full time now) but have literally saved my butt. My job is very, very slippery (wet greasy floors) and they keep me from sliding into the fryer. Crayola markers and crayons. They have the formula right, no other supermarket brand will do. ---
**Author:** ![Planet\_of\_the\_Shapes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Planet\_of\_the\_Shapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Planet_of_the_Shapes)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/49 "2003-10-31T14:21:36Z")
Wow. I feel like a bit of a heathen - the first thing i’ll scrimp on is food, any food. I’ll happily scrimp on pretty much anything else too. In fact, having thought it about it, there isn’t any particular product i won’t scrimp on. Although i am quite picky about my beer - i’ll normally drink the more expensive imported lagers, i’ll grudgingly drink cheaper domestic stuff if necessary, but i will absoluetely refuse to drink the really cheap brands like skol. Tescos (major UK supermarket chain) sell a 4 pack of value lager for only slightly more than what a normal single can of lager costs. I bought some once for a laugh, and tried one sip. I still wonder how Tescos manage to get the cat to balance on the top of those cans for long enough for it to urinate. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/50 "2003-10-31T15:42:55Z")
[ul] [li]Garbage bags- The “don’t get mad, get Glad™” commercials are for real (I’ll also buy Hefty, though).[/li][li]Bread - The cheap stuff goes stale too quickly.[/li][li]CD-Rs - I can burn at faster speeds more reliably with name brand discs.[/li][li]Cheese[/li][li]Lunch meats[/li][li]Cat litter[/li][li]Shoes- Anything I’ll be standing on and walking around in all day has to be good. I’ll gladly pay good money to avoid having sore feet.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![sultana\_of\_slash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@sultana\_of\_slash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sultana_of_slash)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/51 "2003-10-31T18:02:18Z")
Running shoes. ---
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/52 "2003-10-31T20:30:31Z")
Ohmygosh, how could I have forgotten [PICKLES!](http://www.sechlerspickles.com/) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/53 "2003-10-31T21:17:34Z")
Didn’t we had this thread back in July? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Magickly\_Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magickly\_Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magickly_Delicious)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451/54 "2003-10-31T21:23:10Z")
Rum. I’ve thought about it for about seven minutes, and really that’s all I can think of. Guess I’m just cheap. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-refuse-to-skimp-on/210451.md?page=2)