What do you feel is worth spending extra on?

[ChocolateHobbit]

I've got a bit obsessed with saving money, and as a result I'm constantly buying everything on the cheap. However, I sometimes wonder if I spent a bit more on certain things I'd benefit in some way.

For example, perhaps I'd properly hide my dark circles rather than sort of hide them, with a more expensive and better quality concealer.

Maybe if I bought a really decent brand new SUV, rather than stick with my older trusty Volvo which I own outright, I may worry less about whether it'll pass the MOT this year. Maybe it's a worthy investment.

Just a couple of examples.

What do you feel is worth spending a bit extra on, and what's NOT worth it?

Perhaps they huddle for warmth around the roast chicken that feeds a family of 5 for a week 😂

😂😂😂

DH and I, average income. Not rich, not poor.

I won't scrimp on:-

Food - nothing processed or ready made meals etc, always buy butcher meat.

Drinks - No cheap coffee or from concentrate juice. Happy to drink tap water though although that isn't cheap either!

Clothes - not into designer labels but avoid plastics. Prefer to wear wool not acrylic.

Craft materials - I tend to buy premium materials, e g £20 skein of hand dyed merino wool, not £2 ball of acrylic. Organic fair trade cotton fabric, not polycotton.

Heating - happy to pay for a warm house, no way I'm working full time to shiver under a blanket.

Pets - high level cover pet insurance

Rolls - WFH and generally have a filled roll for lunch. Bulk buy from local bakery and freeze them.

Holidays - 5* adult only. Would much prefer to have one amazing 2 week holiday per year than several cheap mini breaks throughout the year.

Food.

What I don't care about ; make up, skin care (except sunscreen), clothes etc

For me:

Fancy weekend bread (basically a loaf I can hoover up in a weekend which will get stale before then anyway) and;

Good butter. The two combined are heavenly.

Olive oil to drag through said bread when not using fancy butter as above;

Pasta: De Cecco is my favourite but if there are others of a similar quality I would be interested in hearing.

Bin bags: the uh oh moment when an inferior bag collapses from bin-to-door.

Footwear, mattresses, weatherproof jackets, heating, garden tools, kitchen knives, saucepans, travelling often rather than luxuriously.

Most things really - pay cheap, pay twice (generally). These are what come to mind immediately:

Phones
Coffee
Bread
Chocolate
Laundry capsules
Shoes / trainers
Washing up liquid
Eggs

Love my bamboo socks but feel a bit guilty about the environmental impact of processing bamboo.

I have loads of hand made wool socks but they aren't practical in the warmer months.

Guess cotton is bad for the environment as well though so not sure what the best option is.

Definitely

Food, tea and coffee. We've recently been ordering organic fruit, vegetables and eggs (the eggs actually taste like eggs) online and also game meat (We don't like the factory farming process) and it's so much nicer and healthier. We also get loose leaf tea which is much better than teabags which just contain the sweepings up.

A wise woman relative once told me that you should always spend extra on quality shoes and mattresses. Because if you’re not in one, you’re on the other. Makes sense to me

What bra do you buy? I’m struggling to find a comfy bra

Cheap sellotape is awful

I agree. I work for a company that sells office products and basically own brand anything that has an adhesive - sellotape, magic tape, post it notes etc are not worth buying. Original brand all the way for quality. I would say the same for pens as well.

Food. We are obsessed with making food as cheap as possible and I think we have lost sight of the importance of it, instead tolerating putting absolute crap in our bodies that’s having god knows what impact. Obviously if you’re on a tight budget that’s one thing, but I’ve really had to change my way of thinking and ensure I was prioritising better quality food than needlessly keeping the shop as cheap as possible for less important things.

Seaview rooms on beach holidays. I'm getting older and when I get tired in the afternoons and have a couple of hours sitting on my balcony chilling with a glass of wine, reading and enjoying the view I don't feel I'm 'wasting the holiday' being in my room whereas if there isn't a beautiful view I feel I should be out there . I don't always want to be out there with everybody else but I do still want to feel on holiday. Likewise adult only hotels and a balcony cabin on a cruise.

Loo roll.

Flights. Good times and from local airport if on flight route

Hold luggage. I just cant be arsed lugging 10kg around an airport for 2 hours preflight

Nicer hotel rooms with a seaview. Hotels with a gym

Business class flights so I am first off the plane into the post-Brexit passport queues.

And recently discovered that cheap eye masks from Amazon are not as good as the likes of Sensory Retreats.

And agree cheap chicken is horrible and cheap candles smell of nothing.

Agree with this. We used to go to the Channel Islands a lot and couldn't always get the sea view rooms if they were sold out, and it made such a difference to the holiday - not in a good way. Sea views and the gentle sound of the sea in the morning when you are still in bed are well worth paying extra for. Sadly that particular hotel has been taken over and we don't go anymore.

Just thought of something else - expensive balsamic vinegar.

Agree with a nice room and view and Im not that old. I dont go away often and I feel disappointed when I go with family who want to book the cheapest accommodation because ‘the room doesn’t matter.’ I live in a small place and really appreciate staying somewhere nice on those rare occasions.

Totally agree on good hotel rooms

i have Wolford tights older than DS15 still in perfect condition

Cotton or linen bedding.
Decent towels.
Matress if you are older than 30.
Decent shoes (although not talking designer just something that isnt going to fall apart in 5 mins)
Bin bags
And a decent hoover esp if you have pets and kids.

Perfume
Bedding including mattresses
Bread
Tyres
Always cashmre or merino wool jumpers.
Shoes
Bras, knickers and tights.
Anything which makes travel more comfortable or convenient.

Frizz treatment