Things not to buy at the lowest price

[jeffrey]

What things do you rarely buy at the lowest price available and why don't you buy it. For example, I rarely buy the lowest price airline ticket available. The lowest price ticket usually requires multiple stops and means the flight is hours longer -- 3 hours of my time each way is worth more than saving $25 and having to get on and off planes.

What other things do you not buy at the lowest price because that low price comes with other costs that aren't worth it.

[Jerry91]

I personally feel that it won't be a good option to buy electronic gadgets like cameras, tablets, laptops, etc. for a low price. You may end up in paying hundreds of dollars in repairing the item time and again!

[hamchan]

Bread. I think the cheapest bread at the store is horrible. I go for the next "tier" up and get whatever is on sale.

I won't do cheap haircuts either. Beats having to pay more to have it redone later.

[bUU]

Things not to buy at the lowest price

Doctor, dentist, lawyer, etc.

Coffee, tea, herbs, spices from seeds.

Electronic devices that connect to other electronic devices (yours, other people's, or to a communications system, either wirelessly or by wire).

Any no-name brand anything, or any used anything, online.

[moneybags]

Things I don't need. It's not always easy to walk away from a great bargain, but if I don't need it...

[fe2o3ez]

1. Fresh Food: Be careful with anything perishable. If it is priced too low, it may be close to turning rotten.

2. Contractors: I am leery of any price that is significantly less than the others. I would rather pay a little more to get it done right the first time.

3. Insurance: Similar to contractors, I inherently mistrust something that seems too low. I would rather go with a provider with a more substantial reputation and more comprehensive coverage than the cheapest.

4. Plane Tickets: Already stated in the OP.

5. Hotels: Bad experiences with the 'cheapest' alternative have taught me to more carefully evaluate my options.

[JoeP]

Tools

Car parts

Paint (I only buy Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore)

Replacement windows

Meat (we avoid meat that comes with labeling like "Contains up to a 15% solution of water and other stuff to enhance taste and weigh more")

[annibe11e]

Tools and contractors are good ones.

Condoms

Hair dye - this is available at Dollar Tree. It scares me. They also have pregnancy tests there, but they are so basic in their function, I would buy those.

Toilet paper

Electronics

Cured meats - I'm usually not picky about generics, but the sausage type cured meats do seem to have a lot of filler, so if I'm going to buy them and wreck my body, I'm gonna go all out and get top quality, delicious filler.

Dishes

Liquid products like soaps, shampoo, conditioner are often just watered down, so I tend to avoid those. Then I water them down myself at home.

[disneysteve]

Lots of things - almost everything really.

Most things that are ultra-cheap are that way for a reason - lower quality, lesser ingredients, less convenience, lower level of service, whatever. Fortunately, we aren't so destitute that we need to buy the cheapest of the cheap.

[ua_guy]

Toilet paper.

[wjcalderon]

Tires

[disneysteve]

Tires

I always wonder about this when I pass places selling used tires. I could see that perfectly good tires could be salvaged from cars that are junked but I'm not taking any chances with something so important to my safety.

[Mjenn]

Anything I put on my skin - especially while in the US! This means most creams, soaps and any kind of make up. Beauty products practically get a free pass from the FDA, so I want to make sure I know what I am putting on my skin. And it actually costs more to buy products with fewer ingredients that you can pronounce and you actually know what they are!

I tend to go for organic pure almond oils and shea butters, but they can get expensive. And shampoos and conditioners are hard to come by, so you do pay more for products from companies like Lush that let you trace most ingredients and the production process.

But I like to think I make up the savings in making my own laundry detergent and mostly cleaning my house with vinegar and baking soda.