The old saying ‘you get what you pay for’ isn’t always true, and I tend to be frugal to the point of stinginess sometimes, but there are times when a bargain isn’t a bargain.
Cheap cigarette lighters = not a good deal. Much more than half the time it will break before running out of fuel. Even if you bought two for the price of a better one, I’m not sure the two would last as long as one higher quality one, and even if they did, it isn’t worth the aggravation of being without a working lighter when it suddenly breaks.
Cheap beer = not a good deal, and makes you feel like an alcoholic who isn’t drinking for enjoyment, but just to get drunk.
Cheap ink cartridges = I haven’t had good luck with them, in any case.
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve needed one of these, but going back to my smoking years I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with you. It doesn’t matter how much you pay for a lighter – you’re going to lose it before it dies anyway.
Briston’s First Law of Cigarette Lighters: The amount of time from one’s purchase of a cigarette lighter until one loses said lighter is inversely proportionate to the price one paid for said lighter.
Shoes. I’m not some shoe-crazy *Sex and the City * disciple, and I don’t own many pairs, but I gave up spending $75 on shoes I have to wear to work every day- they hurt my feet and didn’t really last that long. Now I’ll spend $150 or more on a good, comfortable, well made, quality shoe that lasts.
Food. It can be expensive to get or prepare tasty healthy meals, but you can’t put a price on health. And good food is one of the greatest joys of life.
Kitchen knives and pots and pans. I sprung for high-quality cookware fifteen years ago and it’s still in great shape. There’s nothing more depressing than cooking dinner with inadequate tools day in and day out.
Makeup: this was the hardest-but I buy specialised makeup for my skintone and pretty high end stuff. About the only cheap makeup I’ll buy is nail polish and my Maybelline Full 'n Soft mascara. Everything else is pretty expensive.
I do pay above-average for clothes but I still stick to stuff you’d find at a mall-Bebe, Banana Republic, Benetton etc.
Hair Care: my shampoos and I only get my hair cut at high end salons
Beds. True, I’ve only bought one, but I spend 1/3 of my current life on that mattress. It was pricey, but I have the most comfortable matress/sheets/support in the tristate area. 'course, by that rule, I should also buy a better computer chair.
I’m with Hal on the lighters; I never keep one long enough for it to run out of fuel, so why buy the more expensive ones? I get the 4/$1 ones and they light just fine.
My foundation makeup. I can get by with inexpensive eyeshadow and blush, but my foundation has to be Clinique. Nothing else works. And since I always wait until they have a “Gift with Purchase” promotion, I haven’t bought a lipstick in years!
Cheer for Dark Colors. If it was a religion I would preach it. My husband wears 100% cotton scrubs to work - mostly in dark colors. His scrubs don’t fade and get that nasty ashy look and my black t-shirts and jeans don’t grey out. It’s fairly expensive but worth every penny. It can be hard to find so I usually buy two bottles when I find it.
Food. I treat myself to quality food.
Drink. Only the best beer/wine/vodka
My gf recently bought new jeans. They were $125 a pair. I couldn’t believe it. But then she wore them, and I told her she should go back to the store and give them another coupla hundred dollars. Wow.
Sheets. No cheap/polyster 200 thread count sheets will enshroud this body as long as I live.
Salon hair coloring - I could do it at home for far cheaper, but I can’t do the foil highlights and it would never look as good as the stylist could do. $160 every 7 weeks. Sigh.
Hotels - You won’t find me at a Days Inn. In fact, I carry hotel branded credit cards so that I can earn points towards better hotels.
I’ll third the vote for food. I’ve gotten really used to high-quality, fresh food (and feel so much better because of it) and don’t think I coudl ever go back to processed food.
Shoes. Once you start appreciating really well-made and designed shoes, it’s really hard to go back.
**Clothing. ** I used to make do with Old Navy and Target but I’ve started investing in some much nicer pieces for higher end shops. They really do look nicer, fit better, and last much longer than cheaper clothing.
Pretty much everything else (electronics, cars, furniture, household stuff, cosmetics, travel) I cheap out on…
Motor oil. Since I have run up three cars to past 300,000, I will swear up and down that good quality motor oil changed every 3,000 with a good filter does the trick.
And OEM parts on your car, such as plugs and wires.
