To ask for a guide as to what's genuinely worth spending a bit more on?

[TattyOldbit]

My default setting is cheapest, but I also get that cheapest often costs more in the long run.

Coffee.

Ok, I'll move it to thr house. Only buy it if you love it. And wait until you can afford it, and find something you love.

So shit mass produced art to fill a space, crappy cushion covers, that rug you need, a table lamp. This shit lasts for ever and you feel like you need to keep it.

So buy only what you love, spend on it, and then keep it and love it forever.

Mainly Education...
Then I think:

1. Buy good materials ( eg leather over synthetic for bags/shoes), cotton for bed linen and clothes ( does not need to be expensive eg Marks and Spencers crisp fitted shirts £15, amazing). However designer brands I think ( often ) look tacky ( esp Burberry , Louis Vuitton).

Baked beans, I vote Branston every time.

Knitwear, acrylic is a waste of money. Merino or cashmere - Ebay is your friend here, or nice charity shops.

Down coat, mine still looks as good as new.

Bath oil (rather than bubble bath)

Merino / cashmere - yuck - itches like fuck and aggravates my eczema. Give me acrylic!!

Many cheap things last forever though eg super comfy Tesco wellys going strength after 12 years.

Kitchen worktops
Flooring
Wine
Boots
Mattress and pillows
Sofa

Toilet paper. Cheap stuff is a false economy.

Cornflakes. Still scarred by Somerfield own-brand ones - bleugh!

Tinned tomatoes. Make all the difference to a Bolognese.

Obvious one; shoes, coats and most clothing second hand if you can't afford new.

Meat
Bath salts
Vitamins
Chest of drawers (Chester draws )
Botox

All others have been said!

Mattress - ours was hand made by goats with beards in a shed in Wales or some such. It was £1500 in the sale and is super king (which was expensive for us) It is heaven.
Bedding - 400 count cotton
Coffee machine - bean to cup

Oh and wine, life is too short for shit wine.

Toilet roll.

Merino and cashmere bring in the moths and carpet beetles.

Bedding, slippers, sofa, dining out

toothbrushes (amazon is my friend I have sensitive teeth :)) ditto toothpaste, good shampoo & conditioner, shoes (age is catching up -hotters :)) tea, coat-warm & waterproof for winter

Shoes, nice bed.

As a friend of mine says: "The quality is still there long after the price has been forgotten"

Ebay is definitely your friend for a lot of these things.

Especially furniture. Our sofa set is over £2000 at John Lewis - We got it for £200 on eBay!

Bikes and walking books - I'd much rather spend a reasonable amount on a second-hand item than spend the same on a new one. The new one won't be made as well.

I don't think Car's are worth spending a lot on. Especially when people buy them brand new. A used car will get you from A to B just the same as a new one will.

I am a complete cheap skate though, OH doesn't let me choose wine anymore because I kept coming back with the cheap stuff.

I dint trust ebay. There's nothing to say it's genuine!

Haircut although Not necessarily expensive but regularly so gets expensive
Pillows
Decent cotton Bedding

Dresses
Coffee - ditto haircuts it's more the frequency that makes it pricey
Chicken 🐓

Cheddar cheese. Good vintage cheddar is unbeatable.
Free range eggs instead of battery, preferably from a stall outside a smallholding where you can actually see the hens outside.
Tomatoes. Can't stand the pithy watery forced ones.

Shoes and mattresses. Always brand new, always as good as I can afford, and I've never regretted it.

It's worth getting good quality coats and really nice jewellery too, but those can be second hand without it being a problem (in fact it's usually a much better deal).