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.

I’m of the buy cheap buy twice - but that really depends on what you can afford....

Wardrobes - you are going to have them for a long time so buy well - similarly bed / mattress

Sorry posted too soon

However loo roll - I’m a convert to supermarket own brand - no one notices the difference

Vitamins
Coffee
Shoes
Coat
Perfume
Wine
and organic milk and meat, and free range eggs.

Haircut
Glasses
Phone charger
Towels

Loo roll, not necessarily more expensive, but better quality otherwise fingers go through it.

Pastry, butter is better, not the cheap crap made with palm oil, it tastes nasty and leaves a coating in your mouth.

To the PP who mentioned Bosch may not still be as good, trust me they are not. Some of the cheaper appliances are just as good.

As for acrylic jumpers, I would rather those than itchy wool or moulting angora any day. Even cashmere has itchy stitching round the neck these days and is high maintenance.

Bras (certainly if you are over an f cup)

I’ve had a list entitled
DO NOT CHEAP ON, for ages!
Shoes
Haircuts
Wine
Kitchen roll
Washing up liquid
Handbags
Bathroom fittings
Scarves
Art

I don’t have anything high end or expensive and I am just fine (I think!)

For a lot of things there's a certain price point beyond which, the extra money doesn't necessarily buy extra value or quality, so you're needlessly spending the extra. We paid £600 for a mattress, so not bargain basement and not stupidly expensive and it is amazing.

And there are some cheap things that are very good. Eg Ikea - I have Ikea furniture that is 20 years old and good as new, so why pay more? A lot of stuff ten times the price is still veneered these days.

You only have to watch a few episodes of Eat Well for Less or Shop Well for Less to realise that once the branding and packaging is taken away, a lot of people have no idea what is expensive, and what is cheap - especially things like toiletries.

And some expensive things are rubbish. I paid £50 for one good chefs knife, like you are supposed to, but it's very high maintenance as in it can only be hand washed and needs sharpening all the bastard time, so I don't use it. The best knives I've found is a set of 4 from Ikea that costs about £10. OK, they do break/blunt eventually, but they go in the dishwasher and stay sharp without needing sharpening more than a couple of times a year, but to me they are far better than my one expensive knife that was a total waste of money.

Tights. I used to buy cheapest go if and went through them in a wear. Someone got me a pair of Wolford tights and they have just lasted and lasted. And they feel gorgeous!

And childcare.

This thread is getting to the point where everything is being listed as worth spending more on!

Maybe we need a 'things you can just buy cheap' thread

I disagree about haircuts as well though that may be because I have slightly curly hair that springs up while being cut.

Worst was at a top salon in major city most I've ever paid for a haircut best cheap as chips at an old-fashioned hairdressers in small town.

It used to be that you'd get quality with more money or with certain brands and now a days that often isn't the case.

Food is relatively easy to try cheaper brands and see if there is a difference - sometimes there is sometime not. It's really hard for more infrequent purchases.

Paint. Cheaper DIY shop own brand needs several coats so you spend more time and money in the end.

^^ This is what I've found as well.

Tomatoes. The really cheap ones taste of nothing.

Wine
Skin care
Kitchen knives and utensils
Kids school shoes/trainers
Tv

With most things it is worth upgrading from cheapest to mid range.

It is hardly ever worth upgrading from mid range to luxury.

There are some exceptions to this but not that many and they take a lot of searching to find.

Maybe we need a 'things you can just buy cheap' thread

I'll go with this; dog leads. Our dog whisperer (who we had to book because our spaniel is a twat) insisted we buy this flashy bullshit lead system that rivalled something Ed Stafford would use to scale a cliff in Namibia. I would spend the first fifty minutes of any potential walk trying to wrestle her into it and eventually binned the whole lot, bought her a cheap lead and shoved a crispy rasher of bacon in my pocket so she learned to walk alongside me to get a sneaky bit of bacon every now and then. Less money on leads equals more money for bacon.

It's not necessarily about spending the most money - it's about buying the quality that you need.

I like 100% cotton sheets with a thread count of 400 - more than that makes them a bugger to launder so even though they feel lovely, I prefer the lower thread count because it makes life a bit easier.

Dog food - I don't buy the most expensive brand out there, but the stuff we use is not cheap by any means. Worth it though as it solved multiple digestive issues! Cheap dog food can be a complete false economy if your dog is constantly at the vet with various digestion problems.

Shoes - you spend a lot of time in them! The best pair I've bought recently were some Sketchers. Memory foam insoles, very supportive, ideal for hoofing between tube stations in a rush. They were only £35 so you don't necessarily have to spend 3 figures.

Skincare - I use a lot of Korean and Japanese products. One thing I will spend money on is sunscreen - the Asian SPFs are hands-down better than what you can get here.

Food - I buy organic milk and free range eggs. I'd rather have less of them than buy cheaper. Meat is of the highest welfare standard I can find and afford, although I am trying to cut down on how much meat we eat.

Chocolate - although it's a very occasional treat as I am trying to lose weight. I don't like dark chocolate but am also trying to avoid palm oil. Godiva is lovely and worth the money I think.

Bras - if you have large norks then good quality bras are essential. Mine come from Bravissimo but I try and stock up in the sales to save money.

Things I have economised on -
Own brand cereal - Tesco rice krispies, shreddies and special K are just as good and half the cost of the branded equivalents.
Dishwasher tabs - Sainsbury's own have exactly the same ingrediants as Fairy Platinum and having given them a go, I'm sticking with them as they work really well.
Shampoo & conditioner - if you like the Aussie stuff then go to Aldi as their versions are really good and much cheaper. I actually prefer the smell of the Aldi ones!
Leggings - best ones I have found are from Sainsburys (the soft touch luxury ones). Wash well, don't bag at the knees and they don't bobble either.
Pants - if you aren't bothered about matching sets then Asda multi-packs of cotton pants are good. They wash well and keep their shape and are very comfortable. I used to buy Sloggi but wouldn't bother again - and the Asda ones are better than the M&S ones I was also wearing.
Hand cream - Nivea soft. It's better than any other I've tried including some of the really expensive ones. Cheap, non greasy and works really well.
Baking supplies - from Aldi or Lidl. I bake a lot and the price difference for flour, sugar etc. is noticeable and the quality is fine.

Cheap stuff is so often so good these days that I struggle here.

Maybe commercial paints. And foundation.

And for personal preference / pleasure but not because it lasts longer, food and holidays.

Otherwise with discriminate shopping, not sure there’s necessarily a huge difference

I shouldn't be on this thread. I have bought everything anyone has ever recommended on here except the heated airer. In just about every case I would probably have been just as happy with a cheaper version

But probably the only thing worth getting would have been the heated surer!

Heated airer

Most things are a matter of taste and preference. However the few that in my experience would be universally true are:

• paint as previous posters have said. A good brand will use fewer coats and look a lot better.

• tyres for your car. This is so important. Even if it’s an old banger (in fact, especially if it’s an old banger), the tyre is the only thing between you and death if you need to stop in a hurry. It doesn’t matter how good your brakes are, at the tyre that is in contact with the road and is the thing that actually stops you moving. Please always check your tyres, replace as soon as needed when worn and buy the best quality you can afford. This is definitely not one of those things that you want to learn the hard way.

Going back to my point about buying things made from quality materials, what I really mean is the best quality of those materials. I have some cheapish cashmere jumpers that are nowhere near as good as M&S lambswool ones.

So if you want cashmere, you need to buy good cashmere or you would be better off with "good" lambswool.

Similarly, cheap leather belts are usually made with cardboard, then coated with a thin veneer of leather. A belt made from actual leather will last so much longer.

furniture - real wood looks and lasts better than chipboard.

What doesn't seem worth spending money on is stuff that is expensive because of the brand name.

are nowhere near as good as M&S lambswool ones

When did you buy these though? M&S wool seems nothing like as good as it used to be. I’m late 40s and have been buying it my whole adult life. My Christmas sweaters are already bobbling

I'm currently wearing a Tesco lambswool jumper that I've worn regularly for several months and there is no bobbling and it was half the price of the ones I looked at in M&S.

I really feel the cold so live in jumpers for all but high summer and have learnt that what you pay for a jumper bears little resemblence to lack of bobbling and general fit/niceness.

My last few jumpers have been Oasis (relatively expensive - admittedly we're not talking high end here) - quickly bobbly.

Asda, bought at the same time as the Oasis one but was about £12, still looks good after 3 winters regular wear.

And the Tesco one that I have on now, no bobnling and I've lived in it since about October.

I don't spend a lot on jumpers and jeans because they all get ruined by the cats claws anyway and I would cry real tears if they ruined a fancy cashmere jumper.