Where you absolutely refuse to go the cheap way.
For me its deodorant. Everything else I’ve found but my chosen brand fails me.
Toilet paper
Cheap toilet paper just means I’m buying preparation h later. Good toilet paper is an investment in my butts health.
Disclaimer: my wife has a chronic neck injury.
Car! We’ve had Renaults for years, but last time we went for a BMW and the difference is night and day. My wife had to do lots of stretching exercises just to go and buy bread. In the BMW she can happily drive 5-6 hours with no (extra) discomfort.
Coffee beans for sure (gotta love freshly roasted specialty beans!), but also vegetables (organic & local are the best). Oh, and also headphones, for sure.
To me these are all totally worth it because the jump in quality is very noticeable. After a certain price point, though, the law of diminishing returns kicks in hard
I unfortunately can’t tell the difference between organic fruit and regular fruit.
But I can tell the difference between fresh eggs from somebody’s lawn and cost like $6-8 and supermarket eggs that’s like $3. Fresh eggs is so good
Laptops that are designed to support Linux
Don’t forget laptops you can repair
Hell yeah
Sushi
Anything that connects me to the ground. Shoes, Mattress, Tires, etc.
Pretty much everything, nowadays.
I came across a saying “Buy nice or buy twice” and that resonated with me. Another variation I have seen is “Buy once, cry once”.
Getting cheap trash that will fall apart in a few months that you will have to eventually re-buy isn’t going to help, but that doesn’t mean you buy gold-plated or diamond-encrusted items. Spending a little bit more for most items usually gets you something that will work better, last longer, or both. Good quality stuff is usually backed with good warranties too.
I spend my time researching to see what product is the best for me, look for deals online, or even buy used if I have to.
I totally get why you might not but for me, quality underwear has been a great purchase. They last longer, breath better, stay put, and synthetic ones are washable in a sink in a pinch when traveling(I mean they all are but these dry really quick)
I only buy ones certified by inspector 34.
Any tool I’m going to use more than once.
I buy the cheap stuff first, then when it fails or i otherwise end up using it enough to know what I’m looking for, I’ll spend good money on good tools
I call that the Adam Savage approach from some half-remembered statement from him.
he talks about it in his autobiography
Same, honestly if you treat the cheaper tools half decently they last forever
Never skimp on what you apply ON or put IN your body.
Good underwear and a nice pair of wool socks. Nice undergarments are a big quality of life improvement.
Darm Tough socks are sure legit, lifetime warranty
Plus one for darn tough.
As some have mentioned, OEM car parts, particularly anything electrical. It’s just not worth the money saved on cheaper aftermarket parts that may not work even though they are new. It often leads to unnecessary troubleshooting and sometimes even more parts, only to land right back where you started.
Really not worth it imo. When my front left speed sensor went out it would have cost ~$160 for the OEM replacement part. The $6 sensor I bought on Amazon works fine.
To be fair, it also matters where you buy them. Prices can be all over the place - dealer, retail, and online. I’ve seen a difference of up to 300% between sellers of the same type. But you can also often find quality brand stuff (denso, ngk, etc.) for a few bucks more than the chinese stuff that’ll last 10x longer and perform better from a few usual suspects (rockauto, parts geek, fcp, etc.). Old or cheap fuel pumps, oxygen sensors, injectors, and plugs may be functional, but putting in a brand new quality part will make the engine run better and stronger than a lower-quality part. Not to mention I’ve seen a lot of cheap alternators, starters, ignition coils, cv joints, and suspension components have to be changed out within a year because the parts failed again just due to a crappy build quality. That includes AutoZone brands. There are some parts I would be ok with cheaping out a little bit more than others, but it’s not a rule of thumb I would recommend by any means.
Correct answer, and ESPECIALLY automotive electronics are insane for OEM…
Sandpaper. Cheap sandpaper loads up, and wears out so fast that it’s never worth the savings. Spend a bit more and it will last 3 to 5 times longer.
Recs? I just buy whatever home Depot is selling when I need to sand something.
I’ve never had much issue with Home Depots sandpaper. I get 3m when I can afford it. Avoid Harbor Freight sandpaper at all costs.
3M cubitron 2 is the best value to performance I’ve found and I’m buying it for a fabrication shop that goes through hundreds of discs a month on sanding aluminum, steel, and stainless steel.
PC power supplies. God, do not cheap out on them. That and a bed mattress. A good sleep is more important than money.
A good sleep is definitely more important than money - when you have money. Until you have money your sleep doesn’t matter, you get to lay in the filth of others or sleep on a mattress that will slowly poison your lungs with fibreglass.
Food. I’ll give you everything else I own for food if I really need it.
