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Original poster

You can never spend too much money on…

238 replies

PissPotPourri · 15/07/2021 17:31

My old boss used to say “you can never spend too much money on a paint brush”. Perhaps badly phrased, but what he meant was “buy the best paintbrush you can afford” as according to him, a cheap paintbrush will leave hairs in the paint and a bad finish.
I know most people would agree that a pair of jeans is another one- worth paying a bit more for a pair so they don’t sag and bag after one wear. Take the cost and divide by the number of times you’d wear them and suddenly they’re not expensive anymore.
For me, I would advocate buying the best chopped tomatoes you can afford, as I have recently switched to a more expensive brand and my cooking has been revolutionised! No more adding sugar to a sauce, no more acidity.
So, it got me to thinking, what other items should I not be economising on? What every day item is worth spending as much as I can afford?

OP posts:
roseinthedark · 15/07/2021 20:45

@PegasusReturns

i never understand why anyone buys pesto, it can be made in the time it takes to boil the pasta, you just put basil, some garlic cloves, pine nuts, parmesan, pecorino and olive oil in a food mixer and blitz it

This is peak MN. I love food and cook almost everything from scratch but by the time I’ve found basil, paid £6 each for pine nuts and pecorino, splashed out another £8 on olive oil I really don’t want to be arsed with scrubbing the little bits of the blender.

🙏🙏🙏 great comment!!
JaninaDuszejko · 15/07/2021 20:46

Classic mn - by the end of this thread it will be entirely about the cost of home made pesto..

Specially for you. Sainsbury's fresh green pesto is £2 for 150g. I've costed up the price of making it myself and it costs £1.57 to make 200mL.

TwoZeroTwoZero · 15/07/2021 20:47

Kitchen knives

Loose tea. The whole leaf stuff is much better than the powdered crap. It's easier to get out of the teapot too when it's empty.

Interested in this thread?

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General money
Evergibbon · 15/07/2021 20:48

@Dollywilde My granny used to say the same 😊

BashStreet1 · 15/07/2021 20:49

Cheese from a proper cheese shop where it's been well looked after!

IceLace100 · 15/07/2021 20:49

Bras if you have hefty tits like me.

Bread and pasta.

T-shirt's. Cheap ones warp. Price ones last forever!

ShimmyYay · 15/07/2021 20:50

I received an expensive set of knifes for Christmas which I use EVERY day and it’s a pleasure! They will last me a minimum of ten years …

Chunkymenrock · 15/07/2021 20:51

Marigold washing up gloves.

IceLace100 · 15/07/2021 20:51

@PegasusReturns

i never understand why anyone buys pesto, it can be made in the time it takes to boil the pasta, you just put basil, some garlic cloves, pine nuts, parmesan, pecorino and olive oil in a food mixer and blitz it

This is peak MN. I love food and cook almost everything from scratch but by the time I’ve found basil, paid £6 each for pine nuts and pecorino, splashed out another £8 on olive oil I really don’t want to be arsed with scrubbing the little bits of the blender.

Lol this x 1000!
ShimmyYay · 15/07/2021 20:52

A good expensive foundation is also key for a good make up look ! You can definitely get away which cheap mascara and lipstick but foundation must be good quality 😜

user27424799642256 · 15/07/2021 20:53

@JaninaDuszejko

Classic mn - by the end of this thread it will be entirely about the cost of home made pesto..

Specially for you. Sainsbury's fresh green pesto is £2 for 150g. I've costed up the price of making it myself and it costs £1.57 to make 200mL.

But how much do you actually have to spend to make that 200ml?
Polkadots2021 · 15/07/2021 20:55

Vitamin/mineral supplements Grin forget anti ageing creams, diets, skin creams, posh shampoos etc, just get all the vits & minerals you need & you'll feel and look awesome without trying Smile

lemonyfox · 15/07/2021 20:56

Toilet roll

HasaDigaEebowai · 15/07/2021 20:58

Specially for you. Sainsbury's fresh green pesto is £2 for 150g. I've costed up the price of making it myself and it costs £1.57 to make 200mL

That’s if you’ve found somewhere that will sell you a tiny bit of Parmesan, a tiny bit of pecorino, a few pine nuts etc. Look I love cooking, make pesto and have a large herb garden but you can’t realistically cost things that way

moynomore · 15/07/2021 21:02

Mascara
Foundation
Flooring
Bath towels
Coats
Scented candles (if you're going to buy them it's a real false economy to buy them cheap)
Socks
Cat litter
Laundry detergent
Phone chargers

moynomore · 15/07/2021 21:04

@daisyjgrey

I never understand why anyone buys pesto, it can be made in the time it takes to boil the pasta, you just put basil, some garlic cloves, pine nuts, parmesan, pecorino and olive oil in a food mixer and blitz it. And there's so many delicious variants, my kids are obsessed with wild garlic pesto and I have to make loads of it and freeze it so we can eat it for a longer season.

Oh yes @JaninaDuszejko I've consistently got fresh basil, pine nuts (a fiver a bag in my supermarket) and pecorino (natch) languishing in my cupboard/fridge. SO simple to just whizz it all up whilst Jocasta practices her arpeggios in the drawing room.

Christ alive.

Grin
ChaToilLeam · 15/07/2021 21:04

Winter boots (so they are comfy and don’t leak)
Hiking boots (likewise)
Paint (cheap stuff doesn’t cover well)
Tights (I buy Snag and they last forever)
Washing up liquid

MargosKaftan · 15/07/2021 21:08

Stock cubes (I know, I know, proper MNers will make their own).

In lockdown down got substitute on the order for some fancier ones than my usual oxo. Everything tasted better. Not going back.

daisyjgrey · 15/07/2021 21:13

@JaninaDuszejko

Classic mn - by the end of this thread it will be entirely about the cost of home made pesto..

Specially for you. Sainsbury's fresh green pesto is £2 for 150g. I've costed up the price of making it myself and it costs £1.57 to make 200mL.

And then initial outlay is.....?

AlwaysOnAbloodyDiet · 15/07/2021 21:14

Cleaning products
Paint
Shoes (buy cheap, buy twice - false economy)
Meat
Wine
Sofa
Bed/mattress
Hotel room. I’d rather stay at home than stay in a 3 star Blush

IceLace100 · 15/07/2021 21:15

Seriously who can be arsed to make their own fucking pesto.

Forgothowmuchlhatehomeschoolin · 15/07/2021 21:15

Running trainers

frumpety · 15/07/2021 21:19

Decent wellies, mine are 11 years old and have done some hard graft, still watertight and warm and cosy, best £75 ever spent, they are not pretty though !

FizzyPink · 15/07/2021 21:20

Yes to hotels and holidays. I refuse to stay anywhere that isn’t as nice as my own house.

JaninaDuszejko · 15/07/2021 21:20

That’s if you’ve found somewhere that will sell you a tiny bit of Parmesan, a tiny bit of pecorino, a few pine nuts etc. Look I love cooking, make pesto and have a large herb garden but you can’t realistically cost things that way

It's the only way to show the real cost though. I have 3DC who eat lots of pesto, it's an easy lunch they all eat so we probably have it once a week. Basil is the only ingredient that has to be bought fresh for making pesto (assuming you are not growing it), everything else is a store cupboard ingredient for us that is used in other meals so I'm not e.g. buying 200g of pecorino and throwing out 170g of it because I made pesto once 2 months ago (the cheese isn't essential anyway as I discovered when DS had CMPA). I make my own burgers and pizzas as well, I grew up on a farm with a cookery teacher for a mother, so food is important to me.