Examples of false economy where cheap means crap

[unn]

. Buying cheap baking trays and tins
. Buying economy washing up liquid. You need half a bottle to produce suds

Moons ago,I had a cheapskate boyfriend (now thankfully an ex)

Everything he bought was the cheapest of the cheap (unless others paid) and I needed to redecorate my lounge

He insisted on going to the pound shop and buying rollers/brushes from there

Waste of money-the rollers fell apart as I took them out of the wrappers and the brushes fell apart as I painted-there where dried in bristles on the walls (and they are properly still there)

When I moved in with my now dp,I asked his builder father what he thought where the best brushes (he said either Harris or Harrison-I can't remember)and paint-he said dulux,johnstones⁰ or farrow and ball and to avoid crown or b&q's colour match paint (can't remember the name)

What a difference-he was bang on

See also
washing up liquid
Bin bags
Paint
Bread
Jam
Picture frames
Coke/diet coke
Margarine
Shampoo/conditioner (the washing up liquid type)
Shoes
Nail hardener

Oddly I use cheapy perfumes from Ebay and always get comments on how nice they are and I use aldis own hairspray which does the job and smells nice

Crisps

Coffee and teabags
cheap are blurgh

Bed linen 400 thread count from John Lewis on sale, still feeling luxurious after 30 years.
Ultimate towels from Dunelm - previously sold by BHS, soft and long lasting. When I changed the bathroom colours, I gave the old ones to a friend for her dog but she said they were nicer than their own towels so she used them herself.
Bought a Burberry Mac 35 years ago, still looks brand new, just passed on to DD. Also a silk Liberty scarf, still looks luxurious after 45 years

Mason Pearson hairbrushes, used several times a day, lasted 45 years until rubber started to perish a little.
Fairy Liquid but Aldi biological washing powder for whites and liquid gel for colour.

Supermarket paracetamol and ibrufen have the same active ingredients as branded.
Tu children’s clothes but good shoes and trainers.

My GF used to say he was too poor to buy cheap things. Never understand it until I got my own money and realised how much replacement cost overall😒

Sadly even pricier versions are now shit. Looking at you skechers....

This. My DH insisted on buying this pack of four massive rolls of cheap tape on Amazon and it shreds into tiny bits. And it's going to take me about a decade to use the stuff up.

So much this.

You do realise that those scuffs on leather are normal wear and tear and that’s when shoe polish and brushes come into use. They will then look as good as new when polished and buffed.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow you've got the job, first official Stitch Quality Inspector!!!

Weed killer

Good point. You very quickly regret buying cheap bin bags

Shoelaces

My late aunt aunt to say never buy cheap shoes or cheap mattresses - because if youre not in one, you're in the other 😊

Wish we still had the 😂reaction!

Coffee and tea...i wont economise there....but have to say that a set of diy filling tools from poundland, years ago are excellent quality and still in use after over 10 years for diy jobs !

I still have Harris bristle brushes that must be over 40 years old...looked after and still going well.

@Tollington , I was looking for weedkiller and most of them seem to be acetic acid based. I'm not paying ££ for vinegar.

Yes this, aldi bin.bags in particular are awful and split.

Nasty. You are talking about people.

My daughter is wearing my French connection tshirts bought in late 90s have worn to death and still nice with cotton good stretch sadly I’m no longer a size 8. They were expensive at the time but wow they have lasted.

Shein and Temu.

It's not a universal rule. Plenty of cheap products are fantastic and worth buying, from food to small appliances etc.

It also doesn't always apply to large things. Sure you can get a 2k couch, and it last 20 years. My £190 couch lasted 7 years before it was on the edge of replacing, and another 2 before it was really needed. So that 2k couch actually needs to last 70+ years to be as much of a value proposition.

Norty, both of you 🤭

The problem is that you need to tie this in with the reverse: when does expensive not mean good quality.

But my posh Ercol sofa was a sale return and cost £500 with a Iifetime warranty... I'm 12 years in and thinking I might get some new cushions soon...maybe recover it when I retire.