When is it alright to spend big?

[lizzy_09]

I just arrived after going to the supermarket. While I was there, I was looking at some ingredients for food and I wondered, why would some people buy cheap items when they taste horrible and strange.

Then I'd come up with this question:

1. What are some things you've found that it's just NOT okay to go cheap on?
2. What's some stuff you go cheap on and it's totally OKAY?

In my experience, I wouldn't go cheap on ingredients. And when it comes to staying healthy, I wouldn't regret spending that much just to be fit.

Other stuff like fashionable clothes, which one could always find an alternative if one is creative enough. A big house, used to live in one and one feels lonely. I'd rather have a cottage or an apartment. One could easily get to know ones neighbors.

[whitestripe]

i agree with you on the food front, DF and I spend a bit compared to some people on here in terms of fruit and veges and groceries. we buy mostly organic and locally grown produce, the organic part makes it more costly, but the locally grown part makes it a bit cheaper!

i admit, i skimp on work clothes for my second job. i buy mens polo shirts for $6, and throw them out after about a year.

but clothes in general, is a bit of a mix and match. i buy what i like and what feels good on and flattering, so sometimes it might be a $5 tee or a $50 tee. i don't overspend though.

i go cheap on casual shoes, it's the one thing i hardly ever spend large amounts on. i wear them nearly every day, and they get trashed. i have in the past had good quality ones, and they get trashed the same amount as cheap ones i buy lots of pairs of flats (usually the ballet style flats) for around $10-$15 a pair, and they last me abuot 6 months each pair.

hmmm. oh and kitchen stuff! like plates, bowls, cups etc all come from op-shops. not just because they are cheap though, also because i love the older styles.

[rob62521]

I agree on the food front. Fresh fruits and vegetables tend to be far more expensive that the junk food at the grocery, but we spend quite a bit on them because we feel it is far healthier to eat them. My dh planted a small garden this summer for tomatoes, onions, green beans, and herbs and have felt like we have the life of luxury.

As for kitchen stuff, I'm often guilty of buying stuff. My best find was a pot with a lid for $3 at an antique/flea market. I use it for so many things and feel I got quite a bargain.

[buildmybudget]

To me, it comes down to my budget. I try to get the most quality I can out of every dollar I spend, but I determine what I can spend first by looking at my budget and what I can afford. For example, I want to buy a new tv so I look at my budget to see what I can afford and then begin shopping for the absolute best quality tv I can find within my budget.

I think people have to align their values with their budget in order to determine what they should spend big on--whether it be eating healthy or wearing the newest trend.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by lizzy_09

why would some people buy cheap items when they taste horrible and strange.

This is a rather judgmental question. Just because you think something tastes "horrible and strange" doesn't mean everybody else thinks so. If everyone thought an item tasted horrible, I would imagine the manufacturer would stop making it since nobody was buying it. Heck, if it was up to me, the broccoli industry would go out of business. Can't stand the stuff.

The general rule in our house is that we are always willing to try store brands and generics and cheaper versions of things. If we like them, we'll keep buying them. If we don't like them, we'll go back to the more costly versions. Then there are a few items where I like the store brand but my family doesn't, so we buy both. If you look in our pantry, for example, you will see brand name Honey Nut Cheerios right next to the store brand version of the same cereal.

To answer your question, I think it is fine to go cheap when the cheap version meets your needs and taste.

[supersaversam]

I go cheap any time there's not a noticeable difference in quality. For example, generics instead of brand name, etc.

[devid fox]

In my view,it is never to spend big rather then spend on our limits.
Let me give you an example why:
We maybe sitting in our warm houses and enjoying a first-class line of consumable products but did we ever think about the other ones who cant even think about having a meal in third-world countries?
Did we ever think about the civil war tormented Africa or the war torn Iraq?
Did we ever think about the child who eats grass to live his life?
Did we ever think about the mother who drinks mud in Ethopia to produce milk for her child?
No we dont!
That's why we open threads like this one and think all the garbage we can
Let us try grow humanity amongst us..

[wincrasher]

Well if you want to buy all generics and send the rest to Africa, then bully for you. You should send every spare nickle you have to poor folks around the world. But don't lecture me about it though. I have plans for my nickles.

I spend "big" on items that I know are good and there isn't a cheaper alternative. Not that I'm above trying new things. I think I waste alot of money "trying" stuff, but ending up going back to my tried and true.

I spend "big" on toilet paper. I'm generally not experimenting with my butthole.

I also spend "big" on meat. I look at the cuts first, then the price. When a good deal comes along, I stock up. But quality is #1.

[Staceyy]

I'm a trained chef. I prefer the best ingredients but I cook from scratch and can make practically anything taste good.

[Ima saver]

I agree with steve. We try our the generic version and ofter like it as much or better. I really like the generic macaroni and chesse more than Krafts. I like the better cuts of steak, like NY strip, but I stock up when they are on sale.

[Broken Arrow]

As a generic response, my focus has always been on value. The best bang for the buck. Get the most of what you need or want using as little money as possible.

Sometimes, it does mean you can get away with cheap items. I find generic toothpaste and toothbrushes to work just fine.

Other times, it means to pay top dollar for the best quality possible. My mattress is the classic example of this. It is very expensive, but not only will it last longer than conventional springs, but I do sleep better as well. Hard to put a price tag on better sleep, and yet, because it lasts longer, the overall value is slightly better than constantly replacing and flipping cheap mattresses, all the while generating less waste in the process.

So to answer the original question, "When is it alright to spend big?" To me, the answer is, "Whenever it makes the most sense to do so."

[autoxer]

Originally Posted by lizzy_09

In my experience, I wouldn't go cheap on ingredients. And when it comes to staying healthy, I wouldn't regret spending that much just to be fit.

I'm not sure what ingredients you are referring to, but there was a good article in Octobers Consumer Reports Magazine that compared store brands to the big names and explained which ones are worth spending extra and which ones aren't. As an example, I have found that the store brand of cereal is just as good as the popular brands, but way less expensive.

Link: Buying store brands: Consumer Reports Investigates

[snafu]

All the research confirms there is no nutritional difference between organically grown foods and regular. there is no evidence that suggests there is any negative effect on infants, children or adults of foods produced using fertilizers.

Personally I prefer to buy locally grown/produced foods when possible. I can never figure out whether chickens in the supermarket are imported and if so from which country! The Chinese are in a tear just now as American chickens are being dumped into their market!

[alexis]

No matter if it is organic or not. The difference is the price. Like in quinoa, conventional is less cheaper than organic but in terms of nutritional value they are just the same.
When it comes in maintaining my health, I'd go to hidalgofoods. I used to buy my foods in other sites (not to mention their names) with much higher price but just the same product.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

alexis, didn't you have that seller listed as your homepage earlier today? Are you the seller?

[mtsen]

1st of all, spend big is different than invest big.

in spending big topic, setup an award system for yourself. Everytime you achieve something, then its OK to reward yourself for that by spending a budgetted 'big' money for it ...

[fe2o3ez]

First thing that comes to mind... stay away from cheap toilet paper! It sounds funny and all, but my wife lynched me for going with the stuff that was on sale just because it was on sale. It is now used exclusively in the
"low-traffic" bathrooms.

I will shop for the better bargain on most things, regardless of name/generic brand, but I have a simple rule that governs over my meats (and for those that drink - my liquor). If it is standing on its own - t-bone, filet, shrimp, etc., then buy the good stuff, always. If it is to be mixed, or put in a pasta dish, stew, gravy, thick marinade, etc., then you can get away with a slightly lesser quality and still have a perfectly delicious meal.

[Saving_spree]

I wouldn't go cheap in food items, I don't want to give my family bad food or things which are low on nutrients.. When I buy toys or accessories for my DD I look out for low pries.