You can never spend too much money on…

[PissPotPourri]

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?

Coffee
Sausages
Bacon
Eggs
Bread

Basically anything breakfasty.

If you can even afford a blender. It would be the pestle and mortar here. Just buy a jar of really good pesto instead.

@beingsunny

Ok, how do people feel about a high quality kitchen bin?

I'm currently in disagreement with my DP (who moved into my house) about replacing our now broken bin like for like.

I bought an EKO bin which cost around £65.

We live near the beach so the cheaper ones (like the one in my bathroom rust really quickly)

He wants to replace it with a cheap plastic one.

I think something you use 10 times a day should be good quality, I don't want to replace in a year.

I've been using a £7 plastic IKEA one for years. It gets bleached, the lid goes in the dishwasher etc and it doesn't rust.

@HasaDigaEebowai

Now I fancy gooseberry and cinnamon yoghurt

Make sure you check the date!

Handbags
Shoes
Candles
Perfume
Wine

With the chopped tomatoes thing, buy the plum tomatoes, get a good pair of kitchen scissors and chop them up in the can!
(Nigella tip)

@daisyjgrey we don't have a dishwasher, I'm the only person to ever clean the bin. Clearly this is about more than the bin replacement.

Thanks for taking his side though

@Allmyarseandpeggymartin

Big bags and condoms - cheap ones end in a big mess

The mind boggles!

@HasaDigaEebowai

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

It's the only thing that's caught my eye so far and I'm already googling recipes!

Motorcycle leathers - a career in A&E has taught me how lifesaving the best kit can be. I don't actually ride a motorbike but thought I'd share

I do not agree about the whole/plum tinned tomatoes. I’ve tried those many a time over the years and perhaps they’re mildly better than same make chopped tomatoes. Honestly, try the Mutti Polpa (chopped tomatoes) and you will never go back.
For the poster asking about the kitchen bin, I’m completely with you on that. We had cheap for year and then we invested in a SimpleHuman model. Number one, it looks small but has a huge capacity which means in a family of five, we change it once a week max. Number two, it’s robust, easily cleaned, looks great and has a handy pocket which literally passed you the next bin bag as you remove the old one . Simple things make me happy

*50Crayfishforyou

Needapoodle

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.

Peak middle class Mumsnet at it's absolute finest. What the fuck is pecorino?

It’s the foot shavings from a giant envy*

And parmesan is desiccated baby sick, according to my DF.

@PissPotPourri

I do not agree about the whole/plum tinned tomatoes. I’ve tried those many a time over the years and perhaps they’re mildly better than same make chopped tomatoes. Honestly, try the Mutti Polpa (chopped tomatoes) and you will never go back. For the poster asking about the kitchen bin, I’m completely with you on that. We had cheap for year and then we invested in a SimpleHuman model. Number one, it looks small but has a huge capacity which means in a family of five, we change it once a week max. Number two, it’s robust, easily cleaned, looks great and has a handy pocket which literally passed you the next bin bag as you remove the old one . Simple things make me happy

You only change your bin once a week? Mine stinks after a day!

I never understand why anyone buys pesto
Cheaper and easier than buying the various ingredients, pine nuts in particular.

Buy the best ingredients you can afford, everything you cook will taste good
A lot of people can only afford the cheapest…

Lots of snobbery on this thread!

This is like the antithesis of the Yorkshire men sketch .

With all food waste going in the food bin, and various packaging being recycled, there’s nothing much to make it’s stink. It’s mostly crisp packets and snotty tissues!

That was a failed reply to Icelace100

Meat
Butter
Olive oil
Tomatoes
Saucepans
Crockery- Denby as everyday will last for years.
Sofas
Children’s shoes
Gardening gloves
Sheets- usually bought in the sales
Adult shoes / winter boots . I buy these in the sale at the end of the season. Same for coats.
I must treat myself to some good quality knives, mine are a bit rubbish.

I buy cheap bin bags.

I bought a jar of tahini to make my own hummus. Chucked it out about two years out of date. Used it once! The idea was better than the reality. I buy pesto from Lidl😂

Bed linen, duvets and pillows. At home we have 100% goosedown quilts, good quality bedding and I have a Mulberry silk pillowcase. I love our bed. Just back from a (very pricey) AirBnB in Cornwall and the bedding was so nasty and cheap, and the quilt even worse. Don't even get me started on the paper thin mattress! Slept very badly as a result 😡

I wonder if the pesto-buying posters are the same ones who faint with derision at posters who buy a jar of pasta sauce? Same thing, different snob level.

Agree with whole tomatoes over chopped. You can snip the grotty bits of skin off the ends first instead of coming across them while eating!

My own no expense spared item is marmalade.

I’m completely allergic to natural fillings for pillows and duvets. They make me so ill. So I have to buy the man made stuff. Maybe not as fancy but definitely better for me! Goose down is my idea of hell 😕

@MummyJ12

I’m completely allergic to natural fillings for pillows and duvets. They make me so ill. So I have to buy the man made stuff. Maybe not as fancy but definitely better for me! Goose down is my idea of hell 😕

I'm allergic to real wool. Doesn't matter if a jumper has only 5% wool, I will be covered in hives within minutes. So I know how you feel. Bizarrely, I'm absolutely fine with cashmere, but again only the very good stuff, not from supermarkets etc.

I’m exactly the same as you with wool @peaceanddove. My husband thought I was making it up because I only wanted cashmere then he saw what a wool picnic blanket did to me just being sat on it!! 😂