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What things do you only use pricey versions of? And why?

165 replies

Limth · 15/07/2024 10:23

For me its:
Gym wear: I find it fits better, lasts longer and doesn't get that weird spring onion smell that I can never seem to get out of cheaper stuff.

Shoes: After many years of many thousands of fast fashion pumps and ballet flats, I've started buying expensive shoes. They last, they don't generally leak, and they're comfortable.

Socks: Wider choice of pretty patterns, wash well and don't wear through as quickly as cheaper versions.

Knickers: I've spent too many years in generic, badly fitting, off the shelf under crackers. Now I invest a little bit more in no cross seam boxers. They're not enormously more expensive but my minge and my arse crack are thankful.

Cheese: Cheap cheese these days just tastes like a whole load of nothing so I invest in good, strong cheese that actually tastes of cheese.

Pies: We eat a lot of pie in my house 😬I find supermarket pies bland and not very 'filled'. We spent about £75/month on pricey pies nowadays.

Some alcohol: Some alcohol is definitely better when you throw some cash at it. Wine, mostly. Not all though - I can't tell the difference between Value vodka and expensive stuff. And Tesco Cognac is my absolute favourite even when stacked against very very expensive versions.

Squash: Once you've had Vimto squash (20p per 100ml), there's just no going back to supermarket own (6p per 100ml).

Foundation: Lasts and can actually be blended properly so I don't end up looking like a paint-by-numbers face mask.

What about you?

OP posts:
Rewq · 15/07/2024 10:27

wellies, I buy some ridiculously priced French wellies, I forget the brand but they’re so comfy, last ages and don’t hurt my feet compared to various cheaper ones I’ve tried.

beguilingeyes · 15/07/2024 11:00

Morrisons pies are excellent.

Timeisnevertimeatall · 15/07/2024 11:01

£75 a month on pie??

Nellieinthebarn · 15/07/2024 11:04

I'm usually fine with own brands, but only buy real Marmite, the generic yeast extracts and Vegemite just don't taste the same. I have virtually no brand loyalty to anything else.

Droolylabradors · 15/07/2024 11:05

Coffee. By post from PACT. Life is too short for shit coffee.

Wool/cashmere jumpers. I buy them second hand on ebay etc. I can't get warm in synthetic jumpers. I did treat myself to a COS cashmere jumper last year and I'm still wearing it in July! At £220 it was expensive but cost per wear so far must be in the low ££s. I'll wear it for years to come.

Seeline · 15/07/2024 11:07

Squash - happy with supermarket own, but it has to be the Hi-juice variety. It's the only one that doesn't have artificial sweeteners in which taste horrible and upset my stomach

One I have recently changed is tea bags - always had to be PG Tips, but since they have changed the mix, they taste revolting. After much searching for a replacement I have ended up with supermarket gold leaf, which while a more pricey own brand, it is way cheaper than PG Tips (although still not as nice as the old PG)

DayIntarnishedarmour · 15/07/2024 11:10

Napolina tinned tomatoes. During Covid my usual own brand tinned ones were substituted in the home delivery and I couldn’t believe the difference when I cooked with the posh ones. I’ve not gone back to own brand ones since.

Limth · 15/07/2024 11:13

@Seeline Oh yes - I forgot about tea bags. We're a Yorkshire tea only household. I love the M&S gold label tea bags which I think I'd switch to full-time but I'm boycotting M&S 😅

@Timeisnevertimeatall 😳Yep.

OP posts:
AffIt · 15/07/2024 11:14

Bin bags. Cheap ones are false economy.

FlannelandPuce · 15/07/2024 11:15

Pritt stick, sellotape, clipper decaf tea, and lancome mascara

Izzynohopanda · 15/07/2024 11:16

Shoes - more comfortable and are cheaper in the long run as last longer (I’ve got a pair of Clarks black ballet flats which are nine years old now, just need a polish to sharpen them up).

pasta

coats

bin bags

toilet rolls - won’t use really cheap, (but don’t do really expensive either)

BlowDryRat · 15/07/2024 11:18

Chicken and eggs - I buy free range so that an animal doesn't have to live a miserable life just so I can eat it.

Ham, bacon, pork, sausages - ditto. It's RSPCA-assured or something. No Danish cage pigs eaten here.

Notebooks - nice notebooks with lovely thick paper are a pleasure to write in.

peachgreen · 15/07/2024 11:21

Food and drink. I avoid UPFs where possible and try to buy organic fruit and veg / higher welfare meat / better quality ingredients and it makes a huge difference to both taste and how I feel. And I prefer to have one bottle of nice wine to two cheap ones. Most clothes, although I do buy basics and kids’ clothes from the supermarket / M&S / Next. I don’t pay extra for designer labels but I will pay extra for quality fabrics and construction.

Tbh in general I would rather go without than compromise on quality – it’s hard enough getting decent stuff these days. But I recognise that I’m privileged to be able to do so. Having said that, I’ve compromised in other areas to make my money go further – so we have a smaller house than most in our position, an old car, no foreign holidays etc.

GameOfJones · 15/07/2024 11:24

DH and I have had this conversation recently. After years of having virtually no spare income and have to buy cheap (and therefore buy twice) we have finally agreed that some things are just worth the extra expense.

My list would be:

Mattress. We have a lovely memory foam mattress.... I'm never going back to cheap sprung mattresses.

Gym leggings. After trying Sweaty Betty power leggings I won't buy any others. They hold their shape, don't ride down and actually make my wobbly bum look great.

Shoes. I need proper arch support and something that won't fall apart.

Coats. I have bought so many cheap coats over the years then finally decided to invest in ones that are properly warm, actually waterproof with a decent hood that stays up and proper pockets.

Jewellery. No more cheap jewellery that tarnishes. I have one proper gold necklace that never leaves my neck and one pair of gold stud earrings. I'm planning on investing and purchasing more when I can afford to but I won't buy cheap in the meantime.

Yoghurt. It's Longley Farm yoghurt or nothing.

Tea bags. Clipper or Twinings only.

Bedding. Life is too short to sleep under polyester.

Kitchen knives. We bought an expensive set of Japanese knives years ago and they're still amazing. Now when we use cheap knives in holiday lets etc they feel actually dangerous they're so rubbish.

Body lotion. I'm addicted to Champneys Body Balm. It smells amazing and is worth it in my opinion.

Things I have no brand loyalty to and am happy to buy cheap are:

Face cream. I've tried cheap moisturiser, I've tried expensive moisturiser. I really don't notice much difference so tend to buy whatever is going cheapest at TKMaxx.

Lip balm. I'm perfectly happy with Nivea or Vaseline.

Coffee. I'm a coffee heathen and Lidl Deluxe Colombian instant which is about £2 suits me just fine.

Pillows. After spending a fortune on expensive pillows I bought one from IKEA for £8 and it's amazing.

NoDishiForRishi · 15/07/2024 11:26

Shoes: Life is too short for uncomfortable feet. I want my shoes to fit well, not hurt and stand up to prolonged use.

Foundation: When I wear makeup I want it to look good and last well.

Bags: I just like a nice quality bag that's going to last well and be fit for purpose.

Umbrellas: I live in the north of England, I need a good brolly.

Coats: Again, I live in the north, a good coat is a necessity.

Hoovers: I will never go back to a wired hoover. It's cordless all the way for me.

NoDishiForRishi · 15/07/2024 11:29

AffIt · 15/07/2024 11:14

Bin bags. Cheap ones are false economy.

YES!

I forgot cat litter as well, I haven't found a better cat litter than catsan smart packs. It makes the whole process so much easier.

ConflictofInterest · 15/07/2024 11:29

Many things despite living on a tight budget! I'm fussy:
Tea: I buy loose leaf Japanese green tea online, supermarket green tea of even the pricier brands tastes of dishwater
Organic fruit and veg: weekly box, I'm scared of pesticides.
Cheese: online box delivered every so often
Clothes: 2nd hand but only expensive brand natural fabrics
Art paper and art supplies: moving to the professional range has really improved my enjoyment which in turn motivates me to practice more and improve.
Pens: I only buy uniball fine waterproof black pens. I've tried every pen going, cheaper and more expensive and these are my favourite.
Compost: has to be organic and peat free so I buy ridiculously expensive stuff online. At least it motivates me to make more of my own.

Probably loads of other things too.

Valeriesimpleton · 15/07/2024 11:29

La Mer skincare because its really good compared to lesser brands. Shoes because I wear the same shoes for life and just add the odd pair, Praia and Gucci loafers and work shoes, never wear out and maintained by craftsmen. Healthcare because if I have a sore throat I want to see an ENT not a flaky GP. Cars because I had a childhood of sitting on the side of the road waiting for the AA. My career is fairly driven by wanting to live a certain way with a work life balance and quality of life and means I work overseas to provide it. On the other hand I find baby bath and lotion is vetter the cheaper you go. Can't stand the stink or texture of Johnsons or the fancy ones. Asda own is the best.

Valeriesimpleton · 15/07/2024 11:32

Add handbags. Either for using they last better and never to use ones as investments they double in price when you leave the shop.when you are smart.

butterfly0404 · 15/07/2024 11:32

Yoghurt, tea, meat, wine,
(I'd rather have one 50 quid bottle and enjoy it rather than 5 shit ones that give you a horrific hangover)
Cars, only drive Japanese for reliability, literally no other make can touch them.
Mascara, Lancome Hypnose, the best out there IMO

Limth · 15/07/2024 11:33

@GameOfJones I forgot about bedding. I switched to 100% cotton, 1000 thread count stuff a few years back. It cost a bloody fortune to kit out the master bed and spare bed but it was absolutely worth every penny.

OP posts:
LegoTherapy · 15/07/2024 11:35

@NoDishiForRishi can I ask what coat you have? Also northern and spend a lot of time outside up hill and down Dale in the wind and rain.

Bonne Maman Jam. I've run out and I'm sad.

Butter- Kerrygold all the way

Breakfast cereal needs to be branded except for oats and DD's weetabix which are waitrose essential range.

Dole pineapple.

VenusClapTrap · 15/07/2024 11:37

Tea. There’s no going back to bags when you’ve got used to quality loose leaf.

Wahine24 · 15/07/2024 11:37

Worth paying for in my opinion
Le creuset pans etc
Contigo/le creuset water bottle
Contigo travel mug
Ringtons tea
Clipper tea for evening (sleepy one)
Vacuum cleaner shark
Fairy washing up liquid ( tried loads and always come back to this )
Kitchen white goods no loyalty
Washing powder the most basic because I' don't like strong perfume smells

Supersimkin7 · 15/07/2024 11:41

Teabags - drinking dust dismal. Yorkshire Gold please.

Day jewellery - vermeil or silver, good designer only. Too old for tat. Annoyingly.

Catfood - pet spoilt.

Bed linen - see above. Frette is bliss and lasts 30 years, shouldn’t count cos it ends up cheaper than Aldi sheets.

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