35 People Share Times They Cheaped Out On Something And Couldn’t Go Back To Its “Luxury” Version After
Money has never been such a sensitive subject as it is now, as we live in times of a cost of living crisis. Most households have been forced to rethink their priorities when it comes to spending and rethink most of their purchases very well before actually buying them.
Meanwhile, we have long heard about investing in more expensive things because it’s more sustainable and the chances are you’re going to use them for longer. In fact, we previously wrote about expensive purchases that really paid off according to people in an article you can find here.
But this is not always the case. Often our tight budget forces us to look for cheaper alternatives and they don't always disappoint us. Quite on the contrary, cheaper versions of the same products can be very pleasantly surprising if you know what to look for, according to people from this Ask Reddit thread.
This post may include affiliate links.
I absolutely love candles and recently discovered that Michael’s (the craft store) sells these large yankee-resembling candles that are permanently on sale for $3. It’s way more satisfying to have 6 matching candles burning throughout your house than one nice $20 one in a single room by itself.
* If you're committed to name-brand candles, check your local TJ Maxx, Ross, HomeGoods or similar store to get them for like half the price.
* IKEA also makes great cheap candles. Their tealights in particular are surprisingly fragrant.
* To the people expressing concern about all the chemicals I'm inhaling when burning cheap candles: Just wait 'til you hear about my [drug] problem.
My washing machine.
back when I first moved out of home, my father went with me shopping, and kept pushing me to buy the basic model. its got no electronics that you can see - just two knobs you turn and click into place. let it do its magic.
that was ...god... 2001? 2002? it's still going. my dad didn't get a choice and my mum wanted all the bells and whistles. since then they've gone through three. my sister moved out of home a few years later, her husband is a snob when it comes to home appliances. they're up to machine two themselves. mine is still going strong.
Clothing from second hand. Now I can not buy expensive clothes.
Bonus, sometimes the clothes you can get second-hand are higher end as well!
Also i have found that the variety I get in new clothes store is often no to my liking and I find ‘my’ kinda stuff in second hand stores.
Load More Replies...
Better for the environment too. Modern fashion industry is a horrible polluting eco-killing mess not to mention the slave wages paid to those making even high end clothes in the far east
They actually dump hundreds of thousands of items in tips annually not recycle or hand them out to impoverished areas. Waste in our Western society is shocking. Food is the same.
Load More Replies...
I have consistently found named brands at the charity and second hand shops.
I cannot bring myself to shop for clothes, shoes, and housewares except at thrift stores. Under garments I will buy brand new and not at thrift stores. But shoes, shorts, pants, and shirts I get at thrift stores. We bought my husband three pair of pants for $15 where it would have been well over $70 at wal-mart or target. With and without inflation, we are saving everywhere we can
A lot of thrift stores near me have started selling cheap packs of brand new underwear (only the basic stuff, nothing fancy or patterned) and it’s decent quality, so it’s win win. Thrift your outerwear and buy new underwear from the same store. The only thing you can’t get is bras.
Load More Replies... 
That's the only place I buy clothes for myself & hubby . Only buy underwear at retail. Just remember to wash the clothes first. For shoes,spray with Lysol
Load More Replies...
Second-hand shoes my beloveds. I have a pair of converse that were £25 from a second-hand designer shop. Anywhere else it would've been £140+ (they're an old limited edition no longer in production). I've also gotten ~£125 docs for £30 second hand, because they had the tiniest, most invisible bit of damage to the toe (they're pink fushia pascals- there's a lot of similar listings on ebay). I'm very picky with my shoes- my feet are very narrow and a lot of cheaper shoes rub or are uncomfortable. I've never had an issue with docs, converse, and vans for some reason and it's always nice to get them cheaper than normal
Same. My family joke about my shoe ‘obsession’ (I do own a lot of shoes), but most of them are second hand or from discount outlets. Plus, a lot of the second hand shoes need much less breaking in time versus the brand new stiff shoes (in my experience at least)
Load More Replies...
Las Vegas thrift stores are the reason I have several $8000 Brioni suits for which I paid $9 each.
yes! I got my homecoming dress for $25 at a consignment store! Meanwhile my friends are over here with a $100-$200 dress. I also got two other dresses that I plan to wear
I couldn't agree with this more. I'm a bigger guy, so it can be difficult to find clothes for myself, but they're out there, shoes as well. Everything I've bought over the past 7 years or so have been from Goodwill, or a consignment shop or on clearance.
no idea where you're from... wife and 20yo daughter tried vinted once (Flanders, Belgium) and got disgusted with the reactions, quit after an hour or two. 'Potential' buyers not only reacting with inappropriate price offers, but being aggressive about it as well.
Load More Replies...
I have a specific Goodwill store I go to, that where I get all my $100 jeans from, Ralph Lauren collection (and no, I'm not talking about the ones you get in the discount stores, I'm taking about the ones at Saks, Neimans, joe jeans, diesel and most of them still have the tags! I asked a clerk how is it that they get so many nice items with the tag and she said the stores donate the out of sedan items that haven't sold and get a tax write off.... Shhhh,
Where do you think they all come from? Rich people that wear a garment for one season and their kids out grow their designer duds.Sometimes the tags are still on them. Only trouble though, is that there are a lot of size 0 to 6. So if you're a tiny person...expensive clothes for cheap.
People tend to mistake second-hand as cheap and broken, but I really depends on how the people have taken care of it. I've even seen wedding gowns in these places! And they were beautiful!
People give brand name, brand new clothes away to thrift shops. Everyday.
I buy brands at a consignment shop that I would never pay full price for: Banana Republic, Calvin Klein, Ann Taylor, etc. It's great.
My dad used to buy brand new Pendleton flannel shirts from the thrift stores - good times.
Can't remember the label but coat that suede soft as a baby's butt with a two-skin blond mink color. Now I would never, but I didn't even have to alter it and I had it cleaned and stored twice. Original to me $12. 2 "vacation spa trips" for it $50 each. I thought it was well worth it but then I sent it back to the thrift store to have another life.
I cannot buy expensive clothes because I cannot afford expensive anything :')
I've found stuff at Goodwill that still has the tags on them. (Pro tip: go to the nicer neighborhoods. The wealthy LOVE to donate.)
Unfortunately, second hand clothing around here is outdated and frumpty if you are of a "large" persuasion. The rest just smell. The clothing that is in style is now very much overpriced and out of reach of most.
Yup. You wear something new twice and it looks second-hand, anyway, so why pay for the depreciation?
I don't mind buying clean boots because I'd be wearing socks but the idea of clothes of unknown origin is distasteful
I have bought a couple of simple second-hand clothes I still have as they are quality I could not usually afford to buy!
Used to drive a forklift in a chilly warehouse. All my sweats, flannels and thermals came from Sally’s.
Years ago I took my kids to our favorite thrift store on $5/bag day for school shopping. My oldest son was 16, and 6'6" tall, and very slim. Finding clothes that fit his height AND his slim build at the same time was a challenge. We'd been there a bit, and he came to me with a three piece Brooks Bros suit, a matching silk tie, matching dress shoes and a fedora and asked if he could get them if they fit. I said ok, so off he went to try it all on. When he came out, I was stunned. It all fit him like it was tailored to him. All that plus school clothes for five bucks!
I have MAD designer and name brand clothing from 2 local like Salvation Army type stores. I got my husband $80 jeans for $17... He already has 2 pairs. I almost had a heart attack over the sales price. they're even his size. He's had them for over a year now. They were brand new tag and everything. The SHOES I get omg... I'm telling you shopping smarter has paid off.. haha paid off 😂
Yeah... the life-advice that works well... got to the consignment/2nd hand stores in and around the "expensive" neighbourhoods - WOW.... lots of people with more money than sense offload tag-still-on high-end clothes...
I love shopping at Winners too, less expensive and my favorite shirt was $10
I've found super bargains in thrift stores that l would have never been able to buy originally. Some items still had new tags
Wish I could. At least where I live second hand isn't available for fat people.
I work in clothing manufacturing and if y'all knew the mark up on new clothes you would run to the thrift stores. I cannot buy new because I know how much it cost to produce and it hurts!
This! l buy most of my stuff from consignment stores. l get designer purses for half price and clothes that were made in France and Italy. Vintage stuff that is barely used for a quarter of the cost of retail and much better quality.
Goodwill is the best! When my husband had to wear nice suits/jackets and ties at work, he found a genuine Tom Ford jacket, as well as some Hermes ties, and a Zegna suit. This prompted him to learn how to tailor and he was the best dressed guy at work. We still have a room we call the tiny tailor shop.
Absolutely! To me shopping second hand clothes is like a treasure hunt. Plus you know everyone else isn't going to be wearing the same item/style/colour.
This!! I used to get so sick of going to the mall and only finding whatever happened to be “trendy” and then I discovered consignment stores and my shopping improved 100%. The clothes are good quality, it’s better for the environment, you’re typically supporting a small women owned business, and I’m constantly discovering new brands. Plus some things are literally new with tags!! The only downsides are that if you really like something and it’s too small you can’t get it in a larger size. I’ve also discovered that some things have flaws you’d only notice wearing it for a while, like a wrap sweater that falls open but those are usually easy to fix.
I love me some Goodwill!!! My FAVORITE jeans are getting there and have found AMAZING shirts!! Just because the price is cheap does not mean the clothes are!
Unfortunately what I’ve found with the second hand shops, it’s still the cheap fast fashion clothes that are being donated and just not worth it.
I win this one, I think. We live in the country, but in our nearest town there is a small thrift store. There is a celebrity in the area, who wears the same sizes I do. Apparently when you are famous, people just give you expensive clothes. He gives the bulk of them to the thrift store, and they sell them to me for a couple of dollars. Most of them are new, and they often have embroidered logos from film projects or prestigious sporting events.
I shop goodwill and thrift stores all the time, most of my clothes come from them as well as clearance racks. I try not to pay full price if I can help it.
Pro tip: Go to the second hand stores in wealthier neighborhoods. You'll be amazed at the high end brands you'll find
Mercari, my friend. My wife uses this app and often gets jeans that retail for $160 USD for quite literally $16 USD plus like $5 shipping.
Secondhand clothing is the best. And every once in a while you might find some cash someone left in a pocket. You won't be wearing the same thing as everyone else also.
I have found some gorgeous and really unique pieces of clothing shopping at charity and consignment shops. Yes, it does take more time, however, you can come away with some real gems for an amazing price.
It goes without saying that the cost of living crisis has massively affected our finances, the way we spend, and our lifestyle, which has left many of us anxious and uncertain about ways to cope. Not only are we rethinking our spending habits, we have realized that things we used to afford are no longer attainable.
In such financially challenging times, it’s all about saving when you can and spending cleverly. Bid farewell to impulse shopping and retail therapy and welcome to the world of sustainable consumption, whether it’s groceries, homeware, or clothing.
Speaking of clothing, sustainability, or rather the lack of it, has long been an issue of fast fashion. More and more people, designers, and fashion experts are speaking up about the negative impacts of wasteful consumption on our planet and its people. The idea of consuming clothes thoughtfully and buying less is as appealing as ever since today, many people no longer have the budget for it that they used to.
Makeup. You can get some really brilliant products for such a cheaper price rather than having the "brand" on it. Kylie's brushes are dog s**t, for example, and they're retailed at $318. All of my brush sets have cost me £20 at most, and I'm a makeup artist so I need good quality stuff. Brands don't make it good.
Shampoo. I used to spend a fortune thinking maybe THIS time my hair will be silky and beautiful and life will be great. Now I buy a cheap sulphate free bottle and run through the tiniest bit of any conditioner at the ends. Saves me a fortune.
And as already mentioned, all drugs I buy are generic from the supermarket. My 16p paracetamol works just the same as the named brand £1.50 lot.
I buy my moisturiser from Aldi. It’s the best facial cream I’ve ever used.
Bleach for 50p from the supermarket bleaches just as well as the £2 domestos bottle.
Man I’m starting to sound like my granny.
So to find out about shopping cheap, as well as making sure you buy clothes as rarely as possible to make sure your wallet and our planet don’t suffer, we spoke with Orsola de Castro, the co-founder of Fashion Revolution and the author of “Loved Clothes Last.”
According to de Castro, people don’t have enough knowledge of ways to make their clothes long-lasting because brands don’t encourage clothing repairs and clothing longevity. “Of course, the emphasis is always on buying new.”
De Castro argues that if we had cheap repair stations in all fast fashion stores, then there would be a direct correlation between buying cheap and being able to afford repairs. Meanwhile, if all luxury brands offered in-store repairs for their expensive clothing, we would understand the value of maintenance.
Most Asian car brands. They may not impress as a status symbol but most Hondas/Toyotas/even Hyundais are more reliable, will take you to a mechanic a lot less, and will hold their value better than many other brands, including luxury options like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Jaguar, Cadillac...etc.
For years I paid 35+tip for a men's haircut at Korean Salons... because Korean women "know how to cut Korean men's hair"...
Last year I started going to a barbershop that cuts my hair for 13 bucks. Not only does my Mexican barber cut my hair for a fraction of the cost, he cuts it better than any Korean woman I've met.
Mid range Android phones. Just got a moto g5 plus for $200 on Black Friday. Never paying for a flagship ever again. This phone has everything I need plus the battery still has 50% left at the end of the day.
While I agree regards not paying stupid money for flagship phones. Especially as with many you're just paying for the brand name while the workers are exploited. As a cyber tech I've to express concern regards some of the cheaper models - especially the unknown Chinese brands. Many of these contain serious spyware and connect/report everything to servers in China.
“The world of fashion is ensuring that citizens keep buying without a real sense of responsibility for what has to come next,” de Castro said.
“The way things are now, we’re very used to buying things that are incredibly cheap. Sometimes repairing might seem even more expensive than actually buying cheap. So that’s a difficult mindset to change. People do believe that buying something cheap is also a way of saving money,” de Castro explained. According to her, “the trick is to do both–buy cheap and maintain.”
Kind of out there, but last year my partner and I purchased a electric meat grinder. It had all these fancy attachments and nozzles, so we assumed it would be able to do a lot.
The very first time we used it, it got stuck several times, sent the mince out with black bits through it even after washing, and was so loud that the neighbours could hear. Eventually, one time we used it sparks flew up the machine and it promptly died.
We got a nice little 'stick on the counter' manual one after that and its done everything we throw at it with perfect precision. Would never ever go back.
TJ Maxx. Seriously. I get like 3x the amount of athletic gear there, the same big name brands.
Underarmour, Nike, Reebok. All for like $15 each depending on the clothing. Big name sports bras? $7 at times.
I’ve been waiting for this thread. About a month ago I was staying at a friends place and forgot a razor.
I needed to shave bad as I was starting to look like hair lip Steve. So I asked my wife to get me a razor from the grocery.
She came back with a pack of 8 top of my usual top of the line Gillette triple double whatever things. $50. But no stick. Just the heads.
The friend I was staying with gave me one of his humble shick duos. $8 for 12 INCLUDING THE STICK.
Friends - it was the most incredible shave. I didn’t cut myself once. It sliced right through my disgraceful hair lip like a dream. Will honestly never ever go back to those 15 bladed wank fest pat rafter shaving con jobs.
Hear the truth and believe it people. Luxury razors are a scam.
Moreover, one of the biggest problems is activists and people saying that fast fashion is so badly made you might throw it away after a few wears. “That’s not strictly true. Fast fashion is simply made, which means it’s simple to repair. If you take a beautiful vintage piece, the delicacy and the intricacy of the hemming would be difficult to repair,” de Castro explained.
Bath towels. We're a beach towel family, now. Bonus is they are much larger and wrap around bodies better, with more area for drying and covering your bits. The different designs make it easy to keep track of whose is whose, too.
Domestic sewing machines. The more money you spend, the more time and money you'll be wasting on repairs. Keep it simple, Sally. You'll often find that something ancient, beat to hell, and dirt cheap outclasses modern computerized machines that cost thousands of dollars.
I've been using a basic 1968 machine for decades, I only bought a new one because the wiring went on the old one. The new one is basic and sturdy too (and I found someone to rewire the other one so now I have TWO machines!)
POPSICLES
I'm a poor college student and I was at the grocery store when suddenly I had the craving for some popsicles. So I stop by the frozen desserts aisle to buy some and find these generic brand popsicles in a plastic bag for $1.79. The bag had 10 popsicles in it and I figured: why not? So I bought it and tried one, best popsicle I have ever had in my life. Now I eat two everyday, only problem is now I'm back home for Christmas and having withdrawls.
Meanwhile, any old Zara, H&M, or Boohoo piece can be easily repaired. Anyone can pick up a broken hem. Anyone can resew a broken button. Moreover, “the materials they use are often a combination of polyester and cotton, which makes them sturdy and resilient, but also impossible to biodegrade.”
It turns out that a blender fabric is not recyclable, but since it’s sturdy, it has very good longevity, so make sure you maintain it as long as you can.
My roommate used to buy chai lattes in coffee shops. Then she noticed they were basically just pouring liquid chai over the steamed milk and being done with it.
So she tracked down the stuff on Amazon, paid 18 dollars for 6 cartons, and will never buy chai lattes in a store ever again
Cables. 99.99999% of people do not need the $200 gold plated HDMI cables.
De Castro argues that if you've bought cheap clothing from any of the fast fashion brands, that doesn’t mean you’re unsustainable. “A trick to actually spending less is if you have bought cheap, then repair it by all means.” Otherwise, another way is to invest in good quality clothing, which does not always mean expensive.
“Add another layer–invest in good quality clothing that is either designed by a sustainable brand or buy secondhand. Try to look for good quality clothing that is either vintage or secondhand. Before buying, apply a checklist: turn your clothing inside out, check for seams, check for quality, and check for the overall state of the piece. And whatever it is you have in your wardrobe that is fast fashion–mend it,” de Castro said.
boxed mac and cheese. no one believes me that i think it tastes better than any homemade, baked, 6-cheese, 2-noodle delicacy. i just want my neon orange powdered b******t, alright?
Those knock off brand cereal bags. They are bigger cheaper and I usually can't taste the difference.
Pregnancy tests. $2 at the dollar store in a panic, or even cheaper if you plan ahead and buy them in bulk online. Never buying a $20 drugstore test again. Cheap enough you can just... take one whenever you need peace of mind.
Mascara. Drug store mascara is just as good if not better than any $25+ premium makeup brand mascara.
How am I the first to mention the Ozark Trail (Wal-Mart brand) knockoff Yeti tumblers? $7, and they might work better. We have one Yeti and four knockoffs...
Plates.
I had always bought fancy plate sets that looked good in the past and they always ended up chipping and breaking on me. One day I decided to just get the plain white 10 dollar Canadian tire pack. I've never had a better plate. No chips, no b******t, the bottom doesn't scratch my table. Very satisfied.
The smartest thing to do: buy professional dinnerware made for restaurants. Not the fancy sets designed for specific dishes, the basic ones. Easy to wash, immune to any temperature or hard sponges, never chip or get scratched, almost unbreakable. And they are not expensive. Maybe not as cheap as a basic ikea set, but definitely less than any other casual brand.
I got a safety razor handle and use double edged razor blades. Way cheaper than Gillette/Schick and still get several weeks out of a blade. Also doesn't clog on my double thick whiskers.
A lot of Target brand stuff like their basic groceries and cleaning products. But most notably Target brand Nyquil tablets actually has decongestant in it unlike regular Nyquil. It makes a lot of difference.
I always find good stuff in this store too (there are always huge discounts if you look properly)
French press > coffee machine
I have a Bodum French Press since like the beginning of times (and a also the Traveler edition). Best coffee ever, at least for me.
Amazon Basics has really good HDMI cables for $6.
On the other hand, Amazon overworks their employees so much that they have to pee in bottles.
Laundry detergent. My roommate is obsessed with trying out the most crazy, fancy, smell-goody laundry detergent and she let's me use it. From what I can tell it does the exact same thing the generic detergent my mom used does
Here’s the thing, it really has an awful lot to do with your washing machine. I had an ultra fancy front loader, and went through a bunch of detergents trying to figure out which one would actually get my clothes clean. Turns out, it was that crappy front loader. Replaced it with a really basic, no bells and whistles, top loader, and now my clothes get clean no matter what detergent it use.
Towels. Expensive towels are soft, but they don't absorb water. You keep rubbing them on your body after a shower, and you're still all wet, and the towel is barely damp.
A $5 towel that's rough on the skin dry MUCH better than a $40 soft one. "Super absorption" only applies if the towel is in contact with the water. If the towel is soft, it's because there is little friction and there isn't much surface contact.
Expensive towels have a lot of fabric softener in them at the start. If you wash them a few times without the softener, they will absorb the water very well, and they are usually denser, wich makes them better than cheap non-dense ones. Just make sure they're cotton, and not polyester.
The Home Depot version of the Magic Erasers sponges. They are half the price and work just as well.
Tuna, the name brands are now just cans of some tuna-like puree whereas the off brands have nice large chunks (shout out to Aldi).
I think with tuna it is important, on the other hand, to be careful about the brand. So many dolphins and other sea animals get caught in tuna nets or hooks. Tuna is not something to consider lightly.
WyzeCam is a $20 1080p security camera that I discovered this year. It beats the more expensive Arlo by miles, in price, quality, customizability (local micro-sd or free 14 day cloud recording), and affordability (No fee or subscription for cloud recording). I returned the 720p Arlo camera. I prefer Headphones from Audio Technica over Bose beats. Colour Pop lippie sticks are better quality than any lipsticks you'll find from luxury makeup brands at a ridiculously low cost. They're highly pigmented, last longer, animal cruelty-free and made in L.A. not China. Kylie Jenner loved them so much she literally copied them, ingredient for ingredient and makes her lipsticks in L.A. too. I used to buy Warby Parker eyeglass frames but now I'm using Goggles4U.com. Store brands like Kirkland, Up & Up, Equate and Great Value make comparable products in almost every category that are less expensive than the more recognizable branded ones.
Pop tarts. The store brands have more icing, are softer, and generally taste better all around.
Walmart brand has nearly twice the filling, too, which definitely improves the flavor
2 buck chuck Pinot Grigio. Even cheaper and just as good....Aldi’s Winking Owl
Personally I can't agree on the cheap wine. Ok, expensive wine isn't always necessarily great and cheap wine doesn't have to be bad. And paying thousands for a big-named vintage wine is more a collectors item than a wine to drink and I certainly wouldn't do that. There are well priced wines, at good value and very enjoyable. An if - like me - you like to explore vineyards in different countries (Napa, Rioja, Tuscany etc.) then you might find good wines from small, unknown producers for little money. But there is often a difference between cheap, mass-produced wine and wine from a more refined producer. But in the end: It's all a matter of taste. Drink what you enjoy...enjoy what you drink. I never found a great 2$ wine that I enjoy though. But for 10-20$ you can find something quite enjoyable.
Saline solution for contacts. 2x 16oz bottles for less than 1 12oz bottle? Yes, please!
I’m talking about typical multi-purpose disinfecting solution meant for contact lenses. Not pure saline solution.
Note: this post originally had 47 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
I absolutely love how everyone on Panda comes together as one when we have a money-saving post. YOU ARE MY PEOPLE!!!!
Yep. Got all different shapes and sizes for my gallery wall. One can of matte black spray paint and they all match.
Load More Replies...
I'm a nut for free software. I've got two favorites: 1. Gimp. It's an image-editing software. It's not pretty, and it takes some getting used to, but it does everything I want it to do. 2. Audacity. This free audio editor is better than a lot of paid software I've tried. It's my go-to audio editor.
Inkscape is also a pretty good vector art tool and is free. If you want it just for inking, you can turn off the 'fill'. It's got its issues, but, again, free. Worth checking out, at least.
Load More Replies...
Aluminum foil and plastic wrap. Why anyone would pay grocery store prices for these things when you can get it from a discount store way cheaper is beyond me. You're not keeping these things so why pay top dollar for them?
I/we hand-wash & reuse Ziplock bags. Well, the "heavy duty" large & small shortage bags get reused. The thinner "sandwich" or "snack" bags don’t get reused, but we don’t buy/use that size often. The "heavy duty" bags don't last forever, but they last longer than ONE, SINGLE use. 💯 Double-bag and suck the air out, and it's a great way to store all sorts of frozen foods in the deep freezer.
Load More Replies... 
Stud finders -- I have two fancy ones which have never worked very well, then I spied a little gizmo at my local hardware store, It's a rare earth magnet in a small housing that also has a level for under ten bucks - the magnet finds the screws in the sheetrock every darned time. It's super fast and has been 100% reliable.
Store brand mouthwash. Exactly the same ingredients as Listerine but one third the cost.
There's a very prevalent myth among music-lovers that's been disproven by science that gold audio connections are somehow better. The gold prevents them from corroding; that's all. It seems a little odd to jack up the price of a cable from $5 to $50 to buy gold rather than buying a new audio cable every 350 years, or not letting your guitar amp sit it water for weeks at a time.
On the other hand, even if you can't isolate the sound, given the fact that your ear drums are acoustic, your brain can register the "inaudible" difference between acoustic and digital, because there's lots of wierd compression going into digital. In fact, I think it's pretty fascinating how much audio coding leaves up to your brain to fill in the gaps. So yes, go with lower levels of compression, even if you can't understand why you like "the same" sound better.
Load More Replies...
Buying store brand items at the grocery is the the way to go. Many are name brand products with a different label. They always have a money back guarantee, in case you don't like it.
Got this little lotion travel pack with two scents, coconut milk and rose vanilla. I got at the dollar tree because my hands were dry and it was a two pack. BEST LOTION EVER!!! I went back recently for more pens (they write like butter!) and I saw two big bottles of the same two scents!! I stretched out of the line to reach over and grab them both!! The brand is Spa Luxury if you're interested. It smells amazing and absorbs nicely leaving my hands smooth for hours.
People really pooh pooh generic or store brands, but we didn't have a choice when the pandemic hit and the shelves were empty at the grocery store. So, we tried the Kroger brand of refried beans and they are SO much better that the name brand I had always bought in the past. Much creamier and about 79 cents cheaper per can
Strange to see so many people thanking Aldi for their products. Aldi where I'm at sucks. Constantly out of everything and 90% of the time the food is SO ripe, you have to eat it within that day or the next or it rots
I go to Aldi specifically for chocolate and sweet pickles. The rest is just about the same as any other supermarket around
Load More Replies... Sun glasses. Sun glasses and I have complicated relationship, in which I am the aggressive part, and I switch my fellas on a regular basis after completely breaking or scratching them to the core. Those RayBans may have a name and possible quality with them, but no fella can survive my Godzilla mode, not even RayBans. So I stick to the cheap models that feel right when I look through them.
I discovered you can buy wholesale sunglasses and I'm never going back. A box of 15 for $30-40. Stash them everywhere, doesn't matter if you lose them because they're so cheap and you have so many.
Load More Replies...
Nope. I bought cheap brands instead of the top of line brands, and will never buy cheap again. Especially clothing, and food items.
Washing machine repair. Do some homework on the model you own on youtube. Lucked out the model i was using only needed a -$12 part + delivery. Saved hundreds on buying a new machine. Also tools, IKEA and thrift Shops like Daiso/Ninso/MrDIY have like really cheap tools for everything. Once bought screwdriver for 25cents.
The only thing I've really found that the name brand taste better the generic is Campbell soup. Tried many generics over the years and they always taste like the can. So I'll buy the store premade +usually plastic unfortunately) or make my own in my instant pot. My only problem with making my own, never. Manage to make a small batches I freeze some and then give the extras and there's usually 2 to 3 serving per container I give away. Also my grocery store every week that if I buy a product I get another product for free. I use this a lot. If the product I want is the free I look at how it balances out and I buy it for the free one and then donate to a local food bank..
When I worked at a dollar store in college, we had regular customers who would come in and buy about a dozen pairs of $1 reading glasses every month or so. They said most pairs got lost or broken in that timeframe, so there was no way they were spending $400 for a pair of bifocals that was gonna end up gone or busted in a few weeks.
I absolutely love how everyone on Panda comes together as one when we have a money-saving post. YOU ARE MY PEOPLE!!!!
Yep. Got all different shapes and sizes for my gallery wall. One can of matte black spray paint and they all match.
Load More Replies... I'm a nut for free software. I've got two favorites: 1. Gimp. It's an image-editing software. It's not pretty, and it takes some getting used to, but it does everything I want it to do. 2. Audacity. This free audio editor is better than a lot of paid software I've tried. It's my go-to audio editor.
Inkscape is also a pretty good vector art tool and is free. If you want it just for inking, you can turn off the 'fill'. It's got its issues, but, again, free. Worth checking out, at least.
Load More Replies... Aluminum foil and plastic wrap. Why anyone would pay grocery store prices for these things when you can get it from a discount store way cheaper is beyond me. You're not keeping these things so why pay top dollar for them?
I/we hand-wash & reuse Ziplock bags. Well, the "heavy duty" large & small shortage bags get reused. The thinner "sandwich" or "snack" bags don’t get reused, but we don’t buy/use that size often. The "heavy duty" bags don't last forever, but they last longer than ONE, SINGLE use. 💯 Double-bag and suck the air out, and it's a great way to store all sorts of frozen foods in the deep freezer.
Load More Replies... Stud finders -- I have two fancy ones which have never worked very well, then I spied a little gizmo at my local hardware store, It's a rare earth magnet in a small housing that also has a level for under ten bucks - the magnet finds the screws in the sheetrock every darned time. It's super fast and has been 100% reliable.
Store brand mouthwash. Exactly the same ingredients as Listerine but one third the cost.
There's a very prevalent myth among music-lovers that's been disproven by science that gold audio connections are somehow better. The gold prevents them from corroding; that's all. It seems a little odd to jack up the price of a cable from $5 to $50 to buy gold rather than buying a new audio cable every 350 years, or not letting your guitar amp sit it water for weeks at a time.
On the other hand, even if you can't isolate the sound, given the fact that your ear drums are acoustic, your brain can register the "inaudible" difference between acoustic and digital, because there's lots of wierd compression going into digital. In fact, I think it's pretty fascinating how much audio coding leaves up to your brain to fill in the gaps. So yes, go with lower levels of compression, even if you can't understand why you like "the same" sound better.
Load More Replies... Buying store brand items at the grocery is the the way to go. Many are name brand products with a different label. They always have a money back guarantee, in case you don't like it.
Got this little lotion travel pack with two scents, coconut milk and rose vanilla. I got at the dollar tree because my hands were dry and it was a two pack. BEST LOTION EVER!!! I went back recently for more pens (they write like butter!) and I saw two big bottles of the same two scents!! I stretched out of the line to reach over and grab them both!! The brand is Spa Luxury if you're interested. It smells amazing and absorbs nicely leaving my hands smooth for hours.
People really pooh pooh generic or store brands, but we didn't have a choice when the pandemic hit and the shelves were empty at the grocery store. So, we tried the Kroger brand of refried beans and they are SO much better that the name brand I had always bought in the past. Much creamier and about 79 cents cheaper per can
Strange to see so many people thanking Aldi for their products. Aldi where I'm at sucks. Constantly out of everything and 90% of the time the food is SO ripe, you have to eat it within that day or the next or it rots
I go to Aldi specifically for chocolate and sweet pickles. The rest is just about the same as any other supermarket around
Load More Replies... Sun glasses. Sun glasses and I have complicated relationship, in which I am the aggressive part, and I switch my fellas on a regular basis after completely breaking or scratching them to the core. Those RayBans may have a name and possible quality with them, but no fella can survive my Godzilla mode, not even RayBans. So I stick to the cheap models that feel right when I look through them.
I discovered you can buy wholesale sunglasses and I'm never going back. A box of 15 for $30-40. Stash them everywhere, doesn't matter if you lose them because they're so cheap and you have so many.
Load More Replies... Nope. I bought cheap brands instead of the top of line brands, and will never buy cheap again. Especially clothing, and food items.
Washing machine repair. Do some homework on the model you own on youtube. Lucked out the model i was using only needed a -$12 part + delivery. Saved hundreds on buying a new machine. Also tools, IKEA and thrift Shops like Daiso/Ninso/MrDIY have like really cheap tools for everything. Once bought screwdriver for 25cents.
The only thing I've really found that the name brand taste better the generic is Campbell soup. Tried many generics over the years and they always taste like the can. So I'll buy the store premade +usually plastic unfortunately) or make my own in my instant pot. My only problem with making my own, never. Manage to make a small batches I freeze some and then give the extras and there's usually 2 to 3 serving per container I give away. Also my grocery store every week that if I buy a product I get another product for free. I use this a lot. If the product I want is the free I look at how it balances out and I buy it for the free one and then donate to a local food bank..
When I worked at a dollar store in college, we had regular customers who would come in and buy about a dozen pairs of $1 reading glasses every month or so. They said most pairs got lost or broken in that timeframe, so there was no way they were spending $400 for a pair of bifocals that was gonna end up gone or busted in a few weeks.
