When it comes to making purchases, we often go with the cheaper option. After all, do we really taste the difference in that two times more expensive lettuce? However, some items and services are actually worth spending more money on, even if they might be considered expensive. The added value is just too much to miss out on.
A post on Reddit by the user LetsGetJigglyWiggly asked everyone to share these gems, and many people agreed to reveal what makes them dive deeper into their wallets and why. It also highlights what buyers are looking for in different products, and that what might be considered costly for some, might not be for others.
This post may include affiliate links.
My dog!
Little bastard managed to get f****n scabies the same month his heartworm s**t expired, 300 unexpected dollars.
But I had a bad PTSD episode coming out of a nightmare and his 70lb a*s crawled on top of me and snuffled my face until I could be present. Best $80 I ever spent, shelter bro for life.
Edit:
uhh, did not expect anyone to see this, haha. Thank you to whoever gilded me. Here is his handsomeness, as requested
http://imgur.com/a/nidIZ
Quality tools.
As Adam Savage once quoted: "first buy the cheapest tool you can find, and when you break it it means you used it a lot buy the best one you can afford"
Mattress is amazing. You're spending 30% of your life on it can't cheap out.
Expensive does not mean quality. I bought a $4K mattress many years ago. It sagged within 6 months and caused horrible back pain for me and my partner. We replaced it after 3 years to a $300 bed in a bag and it has held up beautifully and we have no back pain from sleeping. It has been almost 4 years
Tires.
Literally where the rubber meets the road. If you think good tires are too expensive then stop kidding yourself, you and your loved ones are worth more than that.
Extra-length phone charger. No more hunching over the side of your bed toward the outlet to send those last couple of texts because the cord is too short
A good bra
Yes! A good bra is a garment you do not want to take off ASAP because it supports well. Bras aren't cheap, but you don't need to pay $$$$$$. Just go to a specialist shop and get measured properly (and that includes a young teen who needs her first bra).
Dog food.
Feed your pets well! Makes a huge difference.
Note: expensive doesn't necessarily mean better. Look up pet food reviews to see how much filler they have. A lot of the protein may not be absorbed by your cat or dog due to it being certain types of plant protein, but it may look impressive to see for example 17% protein om the bag
Kitchen knives. Get a nice chef knife, keep it sharp and your cooking will be a thousand times more pleasant. Plus the quality knives last a lifetime.
Avoid overpaying for sets of the cheaper versions of name brand knives. Go to a restaurant supply store and get the specific tools you’ll need & use.
Work Shoes. I'm a chef and on my feet all day. I buy a new 150-200 dollar pair of clogs every year. I bought cheap shoes when I was green and could barely walk at the end of my shift.
As a Nurse, yep to the Hoka Hoka's! The only difficulty I faced with them was that my feet get terribly hot. I sometimes have to swap them out for Birkenstocks to keep my feet from feeling like they are made of lava.
Load More Replies...
Buy two pairs of the same work shoes and alternate them. Your feet sweat a lot and if you wear the same pair everyday, they never completely dry out and will break down inside much quicker. They’ll last longer and give you more support.
After my career in the military, went back to school to become a respiratory therapist, I learned during clinicals, and when working full time (night shift) good shoes are important, especially when you can 3-4 floors to cover. I spent most of every shift on my feet.
To be fair, Crocs are actually great for working in the kitchen
Load More Replies...
As i was always told look after your feet and your feet will look after you.
Same for Work Boots. I've had the same pair since 2008 and had the soles replaced every other year. Best $400.00 I spent since 08. Foot wear is essential care for your feet, take care of them.
Former (retired) chef here too and you are so right... comfortable, non-slip shoes are of the essence. Otherwise your feet will hate you by the end of the service.
I‘m probably starting an apprenticeship to become a cook soon and personally I would buy special kitchen shoes. I cannot number of times I nearly fell because I slipped on wet floor
Sketchers are fantastic if your on your feet all the time and they have different types for different things
Same with cashiers. I usually switch between pairs of shoes pretty often. That way they last longer but once I feel like they are too worn out I buy a new pair
I was just about to ask why cashiers need good shoes instead of good pants. then I remembered that other countries than mine exist and not every cashier has a chair at their workplace.
Load More Replies...
LEGO over all the knock off brands. Sure it's more expensive, but at least you can be sure that every brick will stick together, and will continue to do so for another 25+ years.
If you buy ot from ebay you can save tons of money. We have a lot of Lego classic and Lego Duplo at home for the kiddos.
Anything I buy for my siblings. My parents kinda... just let them loose and don't buy them much in the way of new clothes or shoes, or help them with the layout of their rooms. One room has four teenagers in it, and it got bedbugs. So after the bedbugs were removed (took months) I spent $300 and built them a quadruple bunk bed that kept them off the ground in the case of more bugs. I just bought them a desk for that room too. I guess this isn't really a product but just a point that often spending money for other people feels a lot more justified than spending it on yourself.
Roomba. Imagine literally never vacuuming again. I haven't in two years. I'd pay the $400 again if it broke tomorrow.
My apartment. Basically, I should still probably be living with a roommate to save a couple hundred bucks a month. But f**k it, i love having my own goddamn space.
Not a product, but having a housecleaner come once in a while has saved my sanity.
Better computer chair
A fully ergonomic set-up, for that matter. I’m wondering if there’s yet data about injuries occurring from work-from-home offices during lockdown. Repetitive stress injuries are no joke. Our business & wc insurancs gives us a discount because we have each desk/chair adjusted by an outside ergonomic physical therapist. I imagine not many people were having this done in their home offices.
Socks and underwear. If your feet and balls are uncomfortable, there is no way anything else can get done.
Good shoes/boots are a definite number 2 on this list as well.
Face moisturizer and SPF. I live in Buffalo and our winters can get so cold and for so long. Sometimes my hands crack and bleed because it's so cold. Healthy skin is so important.
Pans... Cast iron, ceramic and stainless (preferably with removable handles), and one very large wok... plain a*s metal, not non-stick. Once your pans are properly seasoned and if you are using proper amounts of cooking fats and proper heat, you don't need non-stick teflon junk that flakes off in your food over time.
I love cooking with ceramic. Way better than non stick, and healthier
Quality Headphones
Just remember, just because its the trendy brand, doesn't mean its a quality brand.
Car suspension parts, brakes, wheels and tires
I've noticed a trend: shoes, mattresses, tyres. Basically anything that separates you from the ground, invest in.
An humidifying air purifier
My toddler son was always coughing. The pediatrician said he had an "irritable" respiratory system, and it could lead to asthma.
I went online and read that a humidifier and an air purifier could help. We already own an air purifier so we only needed a humidifier.
The thing with the cheap ones ($50-100) is that the design is often prone to mold and bacteria which can make matters worse. So I went all out and got the best one on market ($600) that is both a humidifier and an air purifier. It has a bunch of weird beads and filters in the water tank to suppress the growth of mold and bacteria.
He sleeps much better now!
Not for everyone, though. Go to the doctors first. I couldn't have a humidifier, it would make my allergies worse.
A nice pc with a great monitor. You can spend more hours on that thing than anything else in your house.
Gynecomastia(Man boobs) surgery. It changed my life. It made me want to workout. It made me want to improve how I look. It stopped my depression it was worth the 7k.
Taking good care of your car. Regular service from a good mechanic. My first car was nice and I treated it horribly and it was in bad shape within 5 years. My new car is 4 years old and I take it to a great mechanic and it's going to last me a very long time. Paying $300 for a full service oil change, tune up, brake job, etc. is worth it in the long run.
I tend to get about 200,000 miles out of my cars. My best was my 1988 Toyota Tercel, I got that car last 300,000 miles. I really just do the regular maintenance. I'm not getting tune ups or anything like that.
Good shampoo and conditioner, the sulfate and parabin free stuff. I used to use cheap c**p for most of my life and my hair got really thin and brittle. Then I learned how bad that s**t is for your hair and started buying better quality hair products. Now I have thick beautiful shiny hair and I'll never go back
Sheets/Pillows. You don't need 600 threadcount. But somewhere around 400 threadcount is perfect. And buy two sets. Wash them once a week, rotate them out so they last a long time. A good mattress cover is a good idea as well.
But don't cheap out on the pillow either. Make sure you buy something for the style of sleep you do, side sleeping, on your tummy, or on your back.
Someone has already mentioned mattresses. Also worth the money.
Edit: Bed Bath and Beyond is your friend. Personally one of my favorite stores (at least after Linen and Things went bankrupt.) They'll have all the assortment of pillows and bedding you could ever even think of. I don't recommend them for mattresses though (they might be good, I just don't have any personal experience.)
Thread count is a myth. It all depends on the type and weight of the yarn along with the stitching. You can get 2000 count, but it’s extremely cheap, thin & mostly synthetic c**p. If you can afford something like Brooklinen or the like, go for it. Depending on your taste, good Belgian flax linen is as good as it gets. Target actually has an awesome line of Threshold sheets sold as separates that beat their pricier Fieldcrest. A little knowledge about threads, materials, particularly cotton, and how sheets are stitched makes all the difference. Also, “Egyptian Cotton” is a marketing technique.
Fountain pen. Hear me out: they write without any pressure on the paper, so if you're talking a lot of notes by hand, your hand won't get tired from writing a lot. They also don't need to be that expensive. You can get a Pilot Metropolitan for $15, a Pilot Petit1 or a Varsity or a Platinum Preppy for around $4.
I do programming, heres my trifecta - mechanical keyboard, second monitor, espresso machine.
two monitors is a game changer, you can never go back to one, turn the resolution down a little to make the text bigger, save them eyes.
Sponges dude. Those cheap a*s sponges don't scrub jack s**t. You always need those yellow and green ones
Not expensive overall, but good quality socks. Spend $15-20 pretty pair some quality socks and your life will be better every time you put them on. Swiftwick, Balega, Injinji, something like that.
Good quality charcoal. It sounds odd since you're just burning it up, but good quality lump charcoal gives more heat, and better flavor. It also doesn't leave half the charcoal unburnt. The heat lasts twice as long too.
Bounty paper towels. Most other brands really don't work as well; I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't actually cheaper because I need to use so many more to do the same job. Same with dawn dish soap. It's so much better than other kinds.
Edit: I get it, you guys like Viva.
A bicycle. It doesn't really matter what kind you get, but pay the money for one with quality parts and that is comfortable so that you will actually ride it.
I usually consider bike costs on a per hour of enjoyment basis rather than the up front cost. If you get one that is uncomfortable, breaks down all the time, or that you don't ride because it's not fun, a cheap bike will be very expensive. But an expensive bike that you ride all the time will be cheap.
A light laptop with a good battery. I'm a law student, so having a laptop is kinda mandatory. And even though my laptop can't run any games (which sucks a little, because I am a gamer) I'm super happy with it. It's light and I can work on it for most of the day without having to recharge it. A classmate of mine has this great big gaming laptop and Idk how his back doesn't run screaming.
I have two laptops. One is my company issued MacBook, very light weight, but otherwise meh. Then i have my gaming laptop. Super heavy, but I'm not carrying it around
Dress clothes that are tailored to your body
I used to buy my Navy uniforms from the Navy's own supply, and then take them to a tailor (who understood i couldn't afford bespoke tailoring). They'd make alterations, and i'd get a tailor-made look that i afford. Works with civilian clothing, too, if you find a helpful tailor.
Last may. I spent about $350 dollars on tickets to see Roger Waters live in Tulsa. And I have one of the tickets to my dad as a birthday present. Not only was it the best concert I've ever been to. It was also the happiest I'd ever seen my dad, and he is usually a really upbeat guy.
Computer power supplies. Don't cheap out on them because you think they're not as important, but they're the real heart of your computer. Basically what I'm saying is, never buy from a brand called "DiabloTek".
And better yet, a battery for your computer. Plug it into a socket, plug all the computer cords into it, when your power goes out it'll keep your computer on for whatever amount of time it can and you can save your work/games so you don't lose your progress if you haven't saved in a while. They are very expensive but very worth it.
Kerrygold butter.
I get my butter from the dairy farm down the road. Freaking delicious.
Running shoes. Pay from 60 to 100 and you're guaranteed a decent shoe with decent arch support.
San Marzano tomatoes. A little bit more expensive than normal tomato sauce, but god damn if it's not the best base for tomato sauce I've ever had.
Try Rao sauce ... made from San Marzanos. It's expensive but worth it.
Bare Minerals makeup. My acne breaks out like nobody's business when I use anything, even Este Lauder or Lancome. I hardly even use makeup, but I like to doll myself up now and again. The last straw was when I put on foundation, and about an hour later, my whole chin and forehead were completely broken out. I remembered my coworker was aways raving about Bare Minerals, so I tried it out. Best. Makeup. EVER. Yeah, it's a bit pricey, but I don't have breakouts when I want to be girly for the day. It goes on so smooth and even, and you don't feel the weight like liquid foundation. Such amazing products.
I tried that stuff once and the foundation destroyed my skin. Never had such bad blackheads in my life.
Sushi
A good watch will last not only your lifetime, but generations if you make sure it gets serviced when needed.
I went through watches like crazy at work - always smacking my arm into something as I was walking by or whatever. Finally got a G-Shock for maybe sixty bucks and it's run like a charm and never quit on me. Not a dress watch but if you just need one that's functional and reliable you can't go wrong with it.
Litter Robot. Best 400$ we ever spent. Dont have to scoop litter at all anymore. The machine slowly turns on the inside making the cat poop fall into a hole at the bottom which is normally closed unless its turning. It has a motion sensor too. So if its tripped by the cat going in while its spinning it stops and resumes awhile after its not detected movement. The cat litter is dumped into the bottom thats lined with a bag. We just take out the bag and replace it with a new one about once a week.
Honestly if you're into it, a nice DSLR camera. $500-$700 cameras can be an amazing investment if you travel often.
Expensive flashlight
I got five Cree flashlights from Amazon maybe eight years ago for fifteen bucks (without batteries) and they're all still working great. Bought a much more expensive flashlight (maybe eight bucks) and it's not any better.
A decent wetsuit. I bought one about 10 years ago when I was bodyboarding through winter. The guy told me I should invest in a decent one and look after it and it'll last me many seasons. It's been quite a few years since I've worn it, but then I busted it out this weekend just gone and whatdoyaknow, it still fits and it's still warm as f**k. Best $250 I ever spent on a hobby.
I don't usually eat plain vanilla ice cream, but when I do, it is Costco's Kirkland Signature Super Premium Vanilla Ice Cream.
Your nearest small-scale dairy processor who makes their own ice cream will blow your mind!
Harmonicas. The quality difference between a $3 piece of s**t toy and a $40+ professional instrument is night and day.
my fancy Japanese fuzzy logic rice pot. it wasn't much more than $100, but i got a good deal on it.
A $300-400 good quality motorcycle jacket
Just full motorcycle gear. Could be difference between sh#t my bike is damedged from the fall and he/she was a good person
Nutella. I pay like $20 per jar, and it's so worth it. Btw I've got like 20 tons of it, if someone wanna buy from me.
yeah it's no secret , generally speaking, that better quality items are more expensive, but if you don't have the $ then you don't have the $.
Eye care. Quality prescription glasses fitted at the eye doctor. Zenni cannot even come close. And my cat. He was free but you pay the price when they die and there’s no higher cost than that. Still worth everything.
Old saying, buy quality and cry once, buy junk and cry every time you look at it
I would wholeheartedly add a good quality blender (i.e. Blendtec or Vitamix). My first one died after 7 or 8,000 cycles, but because I'd bought directly from the manufacturer, and it was still in warranty, they replaced it at no cost. (come to think of it, I may be on my 3rd now, but I can't remember for sure). The current one's on over 10,000 cycles. They've also replaced jars on warranty at least twice after the seals developed leaks. Best $300-$400 dollars I ever spent.
Under the category of tools: if you use a squeegee on a regular basis (cleaning your shower walls or house windows or car windows), get one of the good ones that has a nice handle and lets you replace the blade when it wears out. It makes a boring chore much more pleasant.
The litter robot. It's a $600 litter box. But 4 cats in a one bedroom apartment. Saves me a ton of time scooping litter and I use like half the litter I did before. It was expensive but worth every penny. Also my apartment never smells like a litter box.
yeah it's no secret , generally speaking, that better quality items are more expensive, but if you don't have the $ then you don't have the $.
Eye care. Quality prescription glasses fitted at the eye doctor. Zenni cannot even come close. And my cat. He was free but you pay the price when they die and there’s no higher cost than that. Still worth everything.
Old saying, buy quality and cry once, buy junk and cry every time you look at it
I would wholeheartedly add a good quality blender (i.e. Blendtec or Vitamix). My first one died after 7 or 8,000 cycles, but because I'd bought directly from the manufacturer, and it was still in warranty, they replaced it at no cost. (come to think of it, I may be on my 3rd now, but I can't remember for sure). The current one's on over 10,000 cycles. They've also replaced jars on warranty at least twice after the seals developed leaks. Best $300-$400 dollars I ever spent.
Under the category of tools: if you use a squeegee on a regular basis (cleaning your shower walls or house windows or car windows), get one of the good ones that has a nice handle and lets you replace the blade when it wears out. It makes a boring chore much more pleasant.
The litter robot. It's a $600 litter box. But 4 cats in a one bedroom apartment. Saves me a ton of time scooping litter and I use like half the litter I did before. It was expensive but worth every penny. Also my apartment never smells like a litter box.
