To ask what you think is worth spending a bit extra on?

[ethelfleda]

And what you think isn’t?
Can be anything - food, clothes, holidays etc etc?

For example, I’ve just bought some socks that are a cashmere blend and wonder how I could now ever go back to boring old cotton.
Likewise, I usually spend a bit more on coffee for good quality. But some food items such as tinned pulses - I don’t think it matters buying cheap.

What items do you spend a little more on because you think they’re worth it? And which do you buy the cheapest of because you can’t notice any difference?

Thanks for taking part in a mundane thread

Coats, boots, handbags and haircuts! Spent years walking out of cheaper hairdressers wanting to cry until swapping to my current extortionate hairdresser who gets it right every time.

Always get holiday clothes cheap, I never see enough sun for them to get worn out in one year so they last several summers.

Make up and skincare
Any product that is going to go on my hair
Toilet roll
Teabags
Coffee
Catsan cat litter
Chocolate
Yoghurt

Most other things I can economise on, but this is my non negotiable list

Shoes, jewellery and whisky are the main things where cheap versions are just a pile of crap. Oh, and dogs from a responsible breeder who’s done genetic testing and breeds from healthy good quality dogs. The last thing you want is a badly bred dog with health issues or behavioural problems.

Moisturiser is one of the few things where quantity is more important than quality. You need to slather it on so it’s no good buying expensive stuff if it means you can only afford to use a small amount. As long as it contains sunscreen and is cheap enough to apply liberally.

Spend on
Flights
Teeth /dentist
Haircuts
Shoes (reasonable rather than Laboutin)
Tights
Eyeliner
Handbags
Cheese
Coats
Swimming costumes
Bedding
Towels
Scent
Cooking pans

Free or cheap
Eggs
Honey
Apples
Pears
Quince
Veg in season
Logs
Meat
Bread
Makeup
Toiletries
Cleaning products
Wine bought back from France
Alcohol generally
Social life
Never buy anything just for the label.

Worth paying more for: jeans and shoes, especially children’s shoes. Lovely M&S Gold teabags.

We always intend to buy organic & ethically sourced food and sometimes do, but unfortunately can’t afford to do it all the time. If it’s on special offer that’s different!

I once bought charity shop bedclothes, which was a mistake as they were all bobbly from overwashing. My grandmother always told me to go to John Lewis in the sales for really good sheets, which I have done in the past and have been very pleased with them! So much softer and thicker!

Everything else we buy secondhand or own brand, really.

Food (dont mind cheap tinned stuff, cheap pasta, flour pulses etc but will spend more on fresh fruit and veg, meat, treats, etc)
Clothes especially shoes and coats, bags, I spend a lot on my sons (more than I should tbh given they are so young and outgrow quickly
Gadgets all top range (e.g laptops, TVs, but I do for for entry level phones of a reputable brand)
Household appliances and soft furnishings
Furniture
Crockery and baking aids
Cosmetics and face creams
Cosmetic procedures
Sheets and bedding
Underwear (cheap socks though lol)
Holidays

Agree on paying for natural materials and decent tech (although I do try to buy refurbished Grade A tech to reduce the environmental cost)

Taps and brassware

First class train travel

Good bread

Technical ski gear

Save money on: cars. Often have no car, never paid more than 1.5K for a car. The one we have now cost 1,250 4 years ago.

Meat - must be free range
Eggs - ditto
Butter
Bedding

The nice independent cinema. It's only £3 more, the screens seat fewer, but have more space per person and they give you a little bottle of water and tub of Pringles! And can bring wine to your seat.

Waterproof, windproof coats
Also decent boots (one pair of Dublin boots are on year 5, the other on year 4).
You can't put a price on being warm and dry in the middle of a British winter.
Jeans
We have a mixture of supermarket and Mini Boden PJ's for the DC. The supermarket ones are wearing just fine and have handed down from one DC to the other, but the Boden ones are far nicer in every way. I have a lot of Boux PJ's and the same can be said for them.
Bed linen
Teabags
Sarcens vinegar. I can go own brand for pretty much everything else. But no other vinegar will do.
A decent sofa (my back thanks me for finally upgrading our cheap one)

Tinned tomatoes. Cheap ones are rank.

Pillows and mattresses
Cheese
Beer
Gin, and tonic
Meat
Bin bags
Bras

Bedding. Hotel quality, high thread count bedding, goose down duvet plus a great mattress. Bed base doesn't matter in general.

High quality food. You really can tell good ingredients from bad.

Quality leather shoes (not the ones with the red soles).

scented candles. The good ones burn slowly and evenly and the fragrance is usually stronger and so much nicer than cheaper versions.

Hairdressers.

Holidays/travel

Doctors/surgeons/dentists. The difference between cheap and expensive is astonishing.

Spend:
Meat - organic and free range. As a result I don't buy it very often.
Eggs - free range as a minimum.
My musical instrument - but that will last me a lifetime, in fact it will probably outlive me!
Sulfate free hair products.

Save:
Most dried and canned goods
"wonky" supermarket fruit and veg
Stationary, ring binders etc. I usually reuse, condense filing and pick them up from work when they're being got rid of.

I buy good quality :

Meat
Wine
Coffee
Cheese
Butter

Kids shoes
Kids coats
All our winter gear (live abroad, you can't muck around with cheap gear when it's minus 25)

Any dental/medical treatment I would not skimp on.

I actively shop for and save on:

Veg and fruit ( a broccoli is the same in a fancy shop as in a cheap shop)
Clothes for me (sometimes H&M, but sometimes expensive stuff that's reduced I. E. Got my eye on a Paul Smith coat that I'm waiting to go on sale)
Buy all wrapping paper /gift bags, cards etc at the dollar store

I don't buy expensive make up, shower gel or shampoo, it's often midrange that's on special.

Business class flights - no way I can go all the way to the UK and back in economy class.
Chocolate.
Cheese.

Fairy Liquid, it scores fare more for for pure grease cutting with Which ?and the rest are just rubbish...

Butter not spread
Strong foil
Shoes and Boots
Socks - bamboo or wool
Sofa - long time sitting to be uncomfortable
Sheets and duvet - we have cotton sheets and wool duvet
Running shoes
Meat
Underwear
Coat hooks - cheap can't cope!
Foundation
Fabric conditoner

I am quite poor so everything else is second hand.

Coffee. There is a roastery in my town and its definitely worth paying more for something that hasn't been stored for months before it reaches you when it comes to flavour.

Milk. I buy local, organic milk from a vending machine on the farm. Almost twice the price of supermarket stuff but its lovely to drink (and I can refill the same glass bottle so cuts down on plastic waste).

Dishwasher tablets and shoes

Meat
Coffee
Shoes
Bags
Coats
Kitchen Paper

Food , furniture, shoes .
Don’t care about makeup, shampoo , flights , hotels

Special K. I've tried ALL the cheaper versions, but its the only nice one. All my other cereals are Tescos own!

Spend a bit extra on??

For me your lady to make her feel special, and loved, valued and wanted:)

Pay more for:
Flights
Perfume
Handbags/shoes
Coffee

Less for:
Groceries, I try to stock up on my fave brands when they are cheaper
Same with beauty products available at the supermarket, always get my Olay moisturiser on sale etc.

Coats and shoes i always buy good quality nothing worse than a cold coat or a leaky worn out shoe after a few months wear. I buy pretty much everything else 2nd hand though and food is all supermarket own brands and cheap as possible tastes the same as expensive brands to me