Do you get what you pay for?
But it’s important to consider that expense is not necessarily an indication of quality. And even when the more expensive item is of higher quality, it might not be the best buy.
The following are five examples that illustrate that the more expensive option isn’t always worth the extra expense.
Kitchen Gear
While researching this post, I happened upon countless articles advising to spend big on a quality chef’s knife. That’s exactly what I was planning to do a couple of years ago, until I read the Cook’s Illustrated review on chef’s knives. (For me, Cook’s Illustrated is the final word in cooking — they’ve never steered me wrong.) They tested brands that varied widely in price, giving the highest rating to a $30 Forschner Fibrox knife, noting that “knives costing four times as much would be hard pressed to match in performance.” I can attest that it’s a good one.
Food writer Mark Bittman says in most restaurant kitchens chefs use an eight-inch, plastic-handle stainless alloy chef’s knife that costs $10 at a restaurant supply store. Bittman also shows readers how they can equip a basic kitchen for $200.
It seems despite the standard advice of “investing” in a chef’s knife, the pros use and recommend the cheaper ones.
Prescriptions
There are a few exceptions to the rule, but in general, generic brand medications are equivalent to their brand-name counterparts. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), generics can be sold at a substantial discount because generic manufacturers don’t have to pay investment costs to develop the drug. The FDA requires generic drugs to have identical purity, quality, strength, and stability as brand-name medications.
The prescription drug commercials we see on TV would have you believe that their brand-name drug is superior, but the FDA says it isn’t so.
Cameras
Haje Jan Kamps from Photocritic.org on why he doesn’t need an expensive camera:
All I’m saying is that at my level (and, I wager to say, at the level of many other photographers), the 450D (and any equivalent low-level SLR cameras) are plenty good. The problem with photography is that it’s simply too tempting to splash a lot of money for everything and then end up bankrupting yourself on the wrong things.
I used to have a bad habit of thinking that I needed the newest and most expensive Stuff for both established and new hobbies. It’s tempting to get top-of-the-line equipment, but most of it is unnecessary unless you’re a professional. A pricey camera won’t make you a better photographer.
J.D.’s note: April is absolutely correct. A better camera does not equal better photos. Lenses are much more important. And most folks would be much better served by paying a couple hundred bucks to take a photography class at the local community college.
Skin Care
Ever heard of Creme la Mer? It’s the ridiculously expensive face moisturizer touted by various celebrities. And by ridiculously expensive, I mean $125 for one measly ounce of the miracle cream.
One beauty blogger decided to pit Creme la Mer against Crisco (yes, you read that correctly, the big, blue tub of vegetable shortening). It turns out that everyone from beauty experts to doctors recommend Crisco as a serious skin moisturizer, and in the blogger’s trial, there was minimal difference between the La Mer side of her face and the Crisco side. A 16-ounce tub of Crisco is about $3.50. A 16-ounce jar of Creme la Mer is $1,350.
I can’t say I’m going to try this one myself, but it shows that there are cheap and effective skin care alternatives that work just as well as the ones that cost a fortune.
Wine
In Evolved Primate, a Psychology Today blog, social psychologist Daniel R. Hawes discusses an experiment where wine tasters rated the same wine differently depending on what they thought it cost.
…when tasting the same wine, the participating wine tasters systematically reported superior taste for the wine that came out of the $90 bottle, in contrast to the wine that came from the $10 bottle.
The study suggests that we perceive the quality and likability of a wine relative to its price.
In the article Expensive Wines Doesn’t Always Mean They’re Better, wine critic and author Matt Kramer writes that a more expensive wine is better than a less expensive one to a degree, but not to an extreme degree, and price is determined by many factors:
…there’s no “right price” for a wine. If you can get people to pay a high price, because of quality, public relations, high scores, marketing muscle, or just plain luck, well then, you’ve found the right price. It’s that simple — and that complex.
My favorite wine is Brunello di Montalcino, but it’s expensive and therefore a rare treat. I have to wonder how I’d fare in a blind taste test, though. Is it truly the taste of the wine I enjoy, or the feeling of indulging myself and the memories of the little trattoria in Florence where I had my first glass?
Good News: Consumers Aren’t Morons
Even though consumers may perceive expensive products to be of higher quality, that doesn’t mean we’ll buy. A Cornell study found that although a more expensive product may generate a more favorable view, it doesn’t necessarily mean consumers will buy it.
Cornell behavioral economist Ori Heffetz was surprised by the results, expecting larger effects:
More expensive products might be perceived as more attractive — which could increase demand — but they are also more expensive, which our study showed decreased demand.
In other words, I may think a $1350 jar of moisturizer is superior to a tub of Crisco, but that doesn’t mean I’m blowing the rent on face cream. Score one for consumer sensibility.
What are some more examples of when the expensive product isn’t the best option or the highest quality? What is the cheaper solution that works better?
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There are 108 comments to "Do you get what you pay for?".
Two words: HDMI cables. This is one of the biggest scams out there and a $5 wire online is just as good as anything you’ll find at Best Buy for $65-$100.
April, as a recent professional cookery student, your example of chef’s knives is one that stood out for me in the post.
For this specific example, I think that it’s not a case of cheaper/more expensive being better, but rather a middle ground where budget/quality/performance have to meet up in a friendly compromise.
So, the $10 knife you’ve mentioned probably isn’t a keeper. Yes, in high volume kitchens I have no doubt that cheaper, plastic handled knives are the norm, as chefs will go through them more quickly than may be the case in a restaurant with lower turnover. (Very) cheap knives don’t tend to last very long.
I think it’s also important to remember that the average chef earns a fairly low wage and most probably can’t afford a $$$ knife!
Equally, however, I don’t feel there’s any need to spend £200/$300 on a knife (see the amusing link to a store selling Henckels below!) Yes, fully forged blades with riveted handles and better balanced blades are a nice luxury, but we can probably survive without them. While many chefs I’ve spoken to swear by their favourite brands of high-end knives, very few of them use them for work purposes.
Your $30 knife is probably the best combination of quality/value. It’s perfectly possible to buy a fully forged knife with a riveted handle and a razor sharp edge without making your credit card weep!
Once again, moderation in all things is the only universally acceptable answer 🙂
What can be the difference with brand vs. genetic drugs is the stuff that is NOT pharmaceutically active. The filler. I have heard cases where people have reactions to the generic and have to continue to use the brand-name.
Electronics in general in the retail setting, especially when then first come out are way overpriced. If you have the patience to wait a few months or use the last model, you can save a lot of money.
There is certainly a difference between price and value! Above the level of utility, in my humble opinion, the correlation between price and value diminishes and perception (usually false) drives the purchase decision.
Cars and clothing are a few examples.
“A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.” –Oscar Wilde
By no means am I into fashion, but there is some association between cost and how long and well clothes wear well before falling apart. It’s definitely not perfect correlation between price and durability, but I’ve bought lots of clothes at Kohl’s that start looking shabby after a few washes.
Baby formula is another example where the generics are the exact same thing as the brand names, for half the price. The exact indgredients are dictated by federal regulations.
bottled water: it’s amazing to see what people will pay for ‘designer’ imported bottled water vs. no-name. There are even bottled waters that are simply bottles of tap water.
Compare both of those to tap water, perhaps filtered, at home.
And finally, consider the cost (to someone, if not the initial user) of disposing of all the plastic bottles.
I wouldn’t touch Crisco with a ten-foot pole. It’s full of nasty trans-fats. Your skin is your body’s largest organ and what you put on it does get in! There are other oils that work well. Coconut oil is fantastic, for example.
I had to laugh yesterday as I had folded a lot of laundry and had it laid out on the bed. I looked away for a second and my cat was curled up to sleep squarely on the most expensive pair of pants. I figured that goes to show they were expensive because they’re made of quality materials that feel good and not just a brand name.
I doubt she (or I) could tell the difference between these $90 pants and a pair of $500 pants though. The extra $410 is mostly for the brand.
I’ll throw “bikes” out there. I do triathlons, I did my first dozen or so on a 10 year old road bike and to this day I still use an entry level road bike that cost around $600. I constantly see people on tricked out bikes that cost $2k-$5k. Riding a bike like this can gain you a few minutes in a sprint or olympic race. If you’ve maxed out what your body can do and a couple minutes is the difference between a medal and not, then go for it. But most of the people I see are middle of the packers who could get the same effect by training an extra hour each week and save themselves a few thousand dollars.
You might save money in the short run with generics. I’ve spent the past decade working for a research based pharma company and I can tell you that generics kill innovation. Next time you pop a generic, the generic company pockets the cash. Pharmaceutical companies use the money to discover new medications for unmet medical needs, post marketing follow ups, etc. Generics sell cheap knock offs. Yes the active ingredient has to be similar to the real thing, but the “fillers” don’t and they will go the cheapest route possible all to make a buck for themselves.
Cat food.
First of all this is an awesome post. One correction generic drugs are not exactly the same as brand name drugs. The FDA allows some variance of up to 10% in the drug formulation. For most people this does not matter. Okay so like I have a well-equipped kitchen and I am going immediately to your link about equipping a kitchen for under 200 dollars.
Software – most expensive isn’t necessarily the best quality.
@Sunny: False. While we don’t feed our cats THE most expensive cat food in the pet store, we get them one that’s about $20 for 6.6lbs of food (Evo). (If you’re wondering, the most expensive brand in our store is Ziwi Peak, which is almost all pure meat and is $13 for about a pound. We feed them this as an occasional treat and they love it.) This last us about a half a month, so we pay $40 a month for cat food for two grown cats. There was a dramatic difference in their fur coat, energy level, poop, and health using that compared to what they were fed at the shelter (Iams). Additionally, because it’s high protein and no grain, they eat less of it than the cheaper ones that have grain as filler, so it doesn’t really end up costing much more than the cheaper types. My uncle changed his cat from Purina One to Wellness, another higher-end brand, and noticed similar results. It really is worth it. I’m willing to pay an extra few dollars a month to ensure my cats’ health. Paying less than $1 a day each to feed my cats higher-end food is a mere pittance to the joy that my cats bring me on a daily basis.
Referring to the actual article: Crisco probably does moisturize just as much as Creme de la Mer, but the oil in it would probably make a lot of women break out. I go for the “middle road” (or not even that) and just use regular body moisturizer, not even a dedicated facial moisturizer, on my face and have done so for years, and it has worked out great. The big bottles of Aveeno moisturizer cost less than $10 and last me about a year for my entire body.
Sharpen your knives! A sharp knife is a safe knife. A dull knife will slip easily and cut you. I used to work for a very high volume catering company and we’d spend $60/month to sharpen our knives. The rate of cuts rose every month in the last week before we’d send the knives off to the sharpeners.
I have cheapie knives the equivalent of the $30 one mentioned above but I get them sharpened every few months for about .50/inch. It’s worth it!
Regarding cameras.
JD wrote that lenses are much more important which is completely true. You don’t need a Canon EOS 1D unless you are a professional, but you DO need some good lenses for anything more than parties and vacations, and lens quality is highly correlated with price. If you pay more you will get a sharper image, less chromatic aberration, less barrel distortion, more zoom/wide angle and larger aperture.
Sigma do make some reasonable lenses at a lower price than the original brands, but they are still expensive and you should also expect to pay a lot if you want a good Sigma lens.
Never save a few hundred bucks on a cheap lens unless you know exactly what you are doing.
I’m going contrary here — there is something that is worth the extra money, every time: fresh roasted coffee. I live in a coffee town (Portland) and it is well worth the extra cash to buy fresh roasted beans from Stumptown in comparison to anything available in the grocery store. I have a very tight grocery budget ($250 for two adults) but I don’t skimp on the coffee!
A long time ago I implemented a rule for myself (well maybe my wife had some say in it as well). When buying tools I will buy the cheaper tool first and replace it with a much nicer one if it ever breaks. This does not mean I buy the cheapest tool I buy the one that is quality but still in the lower price point.
@1 – totally agree. I try to support the local stores but when buying some computer cables last week I would have spent roughly $60 at the store versus $16 online. the online was a better quality cable as well.
Completely agree with Carmie – a blunt knife is a dangerous knife, regardless of the original cost.
A steel etc. can be good for keeping an edge on the knife, but it won’t do much for a blunt knife.
Personally I’ve had very good results using an inexpensive Japanese knife sharpener using small ceramic wheels.
Definitely software! Depending on your needs, free software will be your answer 99% of the time. I work as an IT consultant for three large call centres, and use free software extensively.
Microsoft Office is a prime example. Most people will never use 80% of the features in MS Office. They just want to type letters and suchlike. OpenOffice offers nearly all the same functionality as MS Office, but is free.
WinZip can be replaced with 7zip, which offers a lot more formats to boot.
VLC can replace any other media player you care to name.
Paint.NET for picture editing.
GIMP can replace Photoshop.
Tons of stuff like that!
I used to always insist upon the “best” that I could “afford” (which usually meant the best that I had room for on a credit card). When I bought a new computer, it would be the highest end computer with the professional grade accessories. (Note: I *do* use my computer for professional work, so this was a legitimate concern, not a pure indulgence)
In the past 5 years, as I worked to gain control of my finances, I’ve learned to try out the entry level products first. Without exception, I’ve found that the basic consumer level products serve my needs fine, and because they aren’t “over engineered”, they are actually more reliable and easier to use than the professional models tend to be. I remain open to the possibility that a particular project might require an upgrade, but in all the time I’ve been doing this, I’ve never yet found that I needed to spend more to achieve the results I desire.
The software comments are spot on! I switched from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice after losing my original CDs and it’s perfectly decent for basic office functionality and a little more.
When I cooked in a restaurant, we rented our knives from some company that came in periodically and traded them out for “new” ones, sharpened them,etc. I am not really sure about the $pecifics, as I was not involved in the business side of things.
Crisco works alot better than diaper cream.
Put it on overnight and the rash will be gone by morning.
I am all for generics but not when it comes to medicines or supplements. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people that has a body that reacts to the fillers and/or the the things that are left in them. My health is important enough to me that when I do need to be taking something I’ll work my budget around the real deal. Fortunately, I haven’t had to stay on an expensive drug or supplement for a long period of time.
Anything where you need to go to one source for proprietary replacement parts to fix or maintain, do not go cheap on or make certain you read the manual completely. A friend and I bought the same gas grill, him a year before mine and we both went the cheap route. I noticed after I bought mine I spotted some bad reviews saying the burners, which were stainless steel, were rusting and requiring expensive replacement parts & the shipping of said parts. Upon closer reading of the owners manual, I think it said to keep the burners lubricated, so I started using Pam cooking spray on it. My friend did not do this and has not been able to use his grill after it went through one winter and would have to go through a single supplier and pay shipping to repair his grill.
Another friend said he bought a Weber gas grill years ago and never had a problem. These grills were more expensive, but the quality made it worth it.
Video games is a good one. I get satisfaction from seeing ads of the new $50 games and $300 systems…. I just imagine myself playing them 2-3 years from now after I get them used off ebay for a small fraction of retail.
It’s a far more effective birthday gift to my kids to buy a last generation system and 20 quality games for like $100 when that same money might get me 3 games on a current platform. It’s new to us and every bit as fun!
I also react to fillers in medicines but luckily have not needed medicine since discovering this.
We will be needing new pots and pans soon as we are using a really old set currently. I am going to check into the resources you provided in the article!
Another example on the software side is movie script writing software. I write and draw a webcomic centered around movies, and I use screenwriting format to write each strip. I thought long and hard about buying Final Draft ($250) and Movie Magic Screenwriter ($250) until I found Celtx, a free screenwriting program (Mac only).
Since I’m writing four-panel comics and not Gone With The Wind, this has been a great program for me. So next time you think about writing The Great American Screenplay, I highly recommend Celtx.
Totally agree with buying for quality. I can’t find it now, the the team of Freakonomics also did a wine comparison study…they did it with professors who claimed to be wine experts, but they were unable to tell the difference between the cheap (around $10) and expensive. The authors did say though, that a very small portion of the population, professional wine tasters, can definitely tell the difference.
I like using http://www.consumersearch.com before making many purchases.
Regarding spending on photo equipment….
I spent a whole bunch of money on a cheap tripod and ball head. Then they didn’t perform very well. So I had to buy another set (see reallyrightstuff.com), and sell my old stuff at a loss, to someone who will use it and be disappointed and also have to spend more money.
If I were truly frugal, I would have realized this dynamic earlier, plunked down the real money for the tools that are really worth using, and been happy. In both cases, I didn’t get what I paid for, because I paid for two tripods and only use one.
I Love playing less and getting more. However I was in a unique situation, when I was in high school I was scammed into selling cutco knives. Part of the deal was you get demo knives for about $130 back in 1998. I was a horrible salesman but I still have the knives and they are probably the best knives I have ever used. The best part is that if they ever go dull or anything happens to them you can send them back, half the time they charge you 5 dollars for shipping and they last another 2-4 years the other half the simply replace your knife for free.
So if you invest in Cutco, those knives will last you forever and longer. No receipt is required so you can even pass them to your kids and they will have them as long as the company sticks by its guarantee.
If you look on ebay you can even get them new for half the price.
I totally agree with Sarah (#9). Unless you are already super fast, a $5-10K tri bike will do pretty much nothing for you.
However, one thing to definitely save for (anyone who exercises) is running shoes – you don’t need to get the $300 ones, but don’t spend only $25 a pair – you’ll end up hurting yourself and waste your money and time…
As far as kitchen knifes go, I work in a restaurant and we buy the cheap 10 dollar wooden handled knifes (kiwi brand). They typically last about 2-3 years, and the only reason we get rid of them is because they cannot be sharpened any more.
My advice would be to buy an ok knife, and a wet stone, and learn to sharpen your own knife. It takes 1 minutes on a wetstone(which will last forever) and lasts an entire week of constant use.
My other advice, after sharpening said knife, do not say out loud that “this knife is sharp!” because you will cut yourself.
For me, buying something of a higher quality, even if it costs more, is what separates being cheap and being frugal. Cheap people are only interested in price, whereas us frugal types will pay more for quality. And yes, sometimes you do get what you pay for.
I typically research all major purchases starting with Consumer Reports, and then reading a number of review sites, etc.
@Colin (#3) absolutely. The active ingredients are the same but the “filler” ones are not.
In my case, I am allergic to many generic medications.
As a result I need to stick to the brand ones, and I’ll be more likely not to even give the generic ones a try when taking a new medication.
Unfortunately, they don’t usually list what they use as a filler so I’m unable to pinpoint what I’m reacting to in order to be able to avoid it.
However, for people who do not have such a reaction, I have no doubt that generic is the way to go. The medication part is the same, so it will do the job the same, and it’s much cheaper. And unless you’re allergic to it, I don’t think the fillers they use are bad for you.
@Tim- Hey that’s a good rule about tools! I’ll have to remember that. For those of us who don’t use them professionally that would be a good compromise. I get a lot of satisfaction pulling out tools that I got cheap over 10 years ago that STILL are functioning well.
As far as maximizing utility per last dollar spent though… a person could drive themselves crazy! Like I just bought a $.99 plastic spatula. I know it’ll last several years, just like the last plastic one did. And if you look at the utility per penny spent… there is no way a decent $5 one could beat it. But there’s the environmental factor of buying something so disposable, the satisfaction a person feels handling a spatula of higher quality. It’s really hard to measure what those things are worth at the end-consumer level.
@Nate (27): I am a huge video game fan so I couldn’t do what you do, but I think this is the perfect idea for someone unlike me who doesn’t have to have the latest, greatest games, which is most people. Game prices go down faster than ever these days, and even I am finding myself waiting a few months after a new game releases to save some money if I don’t have to have it the day it comes out. I also sell any games I don’t foresee replaying in the future on Amazon Marketplace to recoup costs.
Jacob # 31 – I love my Cutco knives. They are awesome! I didn’t know about the gaurantee – my husband got them back when he was a Citco salesman. I think I will send them my paring knife for sharpening – thanks for the info.
The Shopping Bags (a Canadian show) did a segment on knives and found that chefs did indeed use the cheap knives in the restaurant kitchens – but only because the extremly high use meant that they were replacing them all the time, and it was much more cost effective to use a cheap knife. For their at-home use, they all had expensive knives.
People complain about the price of brand name prescription medication, but very few people seem to care about why they are so expensive, sure development costs are high, but the patent process combined with the FDA certification makes it a nightmare. A patent only gives a company exclusive rights for a couple years longer than the typical FDA process. That means a company has to make as much money as possible on that new drug before the generics move in and glut the market, forcing prices down.
When I buy knives I don’t look at the brand, I look at the steel. There are various grades of steel and the good ones hold an edge better than others. After that I look for comfort. If I’m going to be spending up to an hour a day with a knife I want one that fits without repetitive stress. Regarding cheap knives at restaurants, a friend of mine who ran a restaurant told me he stocked cheap knives because his staff didn’t take care with them. So he paid for sharpening rather than nice knives.
Regarding power tools, we typically buy nicer tools, but DH knows what he wants and he is the sort that is very hard on things. He is a very strong man and he has broken more than one piece of tooling by putting more force on it than the cheap ones were made for. He’s gotten better with time, but he frequently doesn’t know his own strength and he underestimates the strength of his materials.
Another confirmation as to why I never spend more then $8 on a bottle of wine.
I have to agree about the Cutco knives. They are expensive, but the guarantee makes it worth it. If they need repair or sharpening just send them back to the company, no questions asked.
As far as other kitchen stuff goes, I always try to buy a good middle of the road appliance. I have a friend who buys a new dishwasher every 3 years. She buys cheap (about $400), and has to go through the hassle of getting the thing installed again and again. but for about twice what she spends, I have a dishwasher that is nearly 20 years old.
“Food writer Mark Bittman says in most restaurant kitchens chefs use an eight-inch, plastic-handle stainless alloy chef’s knife that costs $10 at a restaurant supply store.”
I’m so surprised at this. All the cheap knives I have bought have been terrible, and J.A Henckels that I bought has worked out amazingly.
Maybe I need to check out a restaurant supply store.
In a different direction, prices for goods are set by the market. Which means it’s a balance between supply and demand. Some things, like generic drugs, have a lot of supply (because they are being made cheaply, without research costs). Kitchen knives are an example of the average person adding perceived utility to something that’s basically the same.
The key is to find something that you value differently than the general public. If you don’t care what color your car is, or how much status it brings you, you can find a bright pink Toyota Yaris for much cheaper than getting the equivalent features in a nice silver Lexus. Most people wouldn’t want to drive the pink yaris, so the price will have to be lower for the same features.
Categories with lots of subjective value can have a lot of fluctuation in pricing. What measurements can you do to tell the difference between a good battery and a bad one? What about speaker wire? Wine is a great example. I used to sell speakers, and I can tell you, there are a lot of differences between different manufacturer’s, and their prices. But really, what kind of sound do people enjoy? Even listening to them side by side, people struggle to find the nuances, and at home, with only one set of speakers, you won’t get more utility out of $3000 speakers than you would out of $100 ones. I have a set of logitech 5.1 computer speakers on my TV and they sound a lot better to me than a bose setup would.
Categories with little subjective value are harder to find deals. For example, computer components are relatively equal, because they contain components from very few manufacturer’s (think processors, not laptops). Building materials generally have specs like redwood 2x4x14′. It’s hard to get a good deal on that because most people will shop around and see no difference between Lowes and HD and local lumber shop products. So HD and Lowes will have the same price as local lumber store.
I usually check Consumer Reporter first before making any purchases…
@Tyler Style
I agree with Tyler, and would even like to add Ubuntu Desktop for an older PC… It’s fun and free, and of course WordPress software 🙂
Sadly, the best shampoo and conditioner I have found costs about $90 (for an 8-oz bottle of each). But it actually lasts a long time because you have to use so little of it, and since I have curly hair I only use shampoo once a week and conditioner twice a week. The rest of the time I just re-wet!
The FDA allows 20 percent variability in the activ ingedients of generic versions. Guess which way that 20% will go. We found this out the hard way when my husband switched to a generic version of Dilantin. After he started having seizures again we tested his level and he was 20 percent below his previous levels. The problem was that he started having those seizures while he was driving. Imagine my horror to be sitting next to him and realize that nobody was driving. The money we saved was definitely offset by the accident, fortunately no one was hurt.
For medications that MUST work exactly the same way every time you must be consistent, either always generic from the beginning or always brand. Otherwise, YMMV.
Bed linens and bath towels—I have been burned and learned to pay for quality on these items!
Towels that are essentially all lint and that become thin after a year of washing, towels where the binding comes off or the loops get snagged out–not worth it. I’d rather pay twice as much as have towels that last and look good for 5 years or more.
I recently purchased a cheap comforter and sheet set–& I bitterly regret it. The sheets were too small for my (standard size) bed and wouldn’t stay on, the pillowcases were also too small for my (standard size) pillows–bizarre. The comforter filling disintegrated into lumpy piles after 1 washing. The cotton fabric of the set is also weirdly rough and every bit of lint sticks to it so it looks terrible. I endured using the set for a full year, but now it’s going to Goodwill and I’m going for higher quality/more expensive bedding from a company that I know from experience sells bedding of appropriate size, good quality material, and that won’t disintegrate when you wash/use it.
I agree re knives.
I’ve had Henckles (wedding presents) and they didn’t last very long. You have to really know how to properly sharpen knives like that or you can easily wreck the edge (my husband did so almost immediately while trying to use the steele to sharpen them.)
Now I use Chicago Cutlery from Target. Very sharp, long-lasting edges even though I don’t bother trying to sharpen them. Wooden handles so I just hand wash them. I’ll probably replace them in 5 yrs or so, but they’re not very expensive. I’m an enthusiastic home gourmet cook, so I use them a lot.
The other thing I buy cheap? Non-stick frying pans. It’s impossible to use them without wrecking the non-stick coating, so I don’t bother with the Calphalon. Again, something from Target that I can replace when it gets too bad is fine.
@Turling #42, I try not to spend more than $8 for a bottle of wine as well, but mostly because we drink a bottle a week. At that rate, we have to consider economics. 🙂
Regarding wine quality, I’ve discovered some terrific low-cost wines by learning what varietals I like and trying a wide range of those. The great Italian wines like Brunello or Barolo, for example: Brunello is made with Sangiovese, and Barolo with Nebbiolo grapes. Lower-cost wines made with those grapes can often deliver a comparable drinking experience.
That said, I have no objection to occasionally spending way too much for an exceptional bottle. We just save ’em for special occasions.
@Karen #50, you may know this – and your husband may have learned! – but the steel isn’t to sharpen knives. All it does is smooth out the little notches and dents that accumulate during use. To sharpen a knife requires a whetstone, time, and skill.
Our farmer’s market regularly features a knifegrinder. I’ll be taking ours in this summer.
About 8 years ago I needed to buy a set of pots & pans. The range was from $30 for a set to hundreds of dollars. I bought the $30 set and it has lasted me until just last week, when the handle came off the biggest lid. And the set has done me just fine. So yeah, I will continue to buy the $30 set every time it’s required!
And I’ve tried tons of different wines and I always go back to my favorite- the cheapest one at $15 for 1.5 litres, haha.
My favorite knife is an IKEA knife that I assume was $10 or $15 – I don’t know because I got it for $3 at a thrift store. I keep meaning to get a “real” knife but have never gotten around to it.
My mother is a big Cutco fan, and I used to be too; but once I did the research I realized they aren’t that good and are definitely overpriced. The reason al(most al)l Cutco knives are serrated is to give the illusion of sharpness. And the “free sharpening” isn’t as big a deal once you compare the shipping and handling ($5) to the cost of sharpening a normal, straight-edge knife locally (also about $5).
The linked kitchen gear article says you have to have a salad spinner – I have never owned on, is it really necessary? We do eat a lot of salad but I just do my best to shake the water off by hand.
JEANS. OMG jeans jeans jeans. The ridiculously priced designer jeans are not by any stretch of the imagination better quality than a mid-range priced jean.
Also, I’m gonna go out on a limb here but my PERSONAL experience with sunglasses isn’t great. I’ve bought cheap ones, mid-price ones, and expensive ones. They all get scratched and beat up pretty evenly.
And last but not least, underwear as in panties. Cotton panties are cotton panties are cotton panties. They’re going to get used and abused. You do NOT get anything more out of a pair of cotton panties with Victoria’s Secret on it than you do with Hanes or whatever. Stick to 100% cotton and you’re pretty much good.
I’m also going to rush over and check the $200 kitchen article.
re: knife sharpening:
Based on a recommendation from Cook’s magazine we got this: http://www.consumersearch.com/knife-sharpeners/chefs-choice-120-diamond-hone-3-stage-professional-knife-sharpener (Actually I think we have the 130 version, but it’s probably the same). It works beautifully.
My FIL who does a lot of hunting says it’s no good for sharpening hunting knives because the angle on those is different, but it does a fantastic job on our Shun knives (bought before the $30 chef’s knife recommendation from Cook’s came out… they are pretty though). And it is super easy to use and idiot proof– even I can sharpen the knives without messing up.
We’ve also done the whetstone… time consuming and very finicky.
As a faculty member at a school of pharmacy, I always find the hostility to using generic drugs fascinating. People come up with all kinds of reasons that they themselves can’t use generics, even though the research showing that they are equivalent to name-brand drugs is simply untouchable. Put simply, people only think generic drugs don’t work for them when they know they’re taking generics. When they believe they’re taking brand-name drugs, they don’t have side effects/allergies/whatever. When they believe they’re taking generics, they do. If you provide people with a generic drug that looks the same as their brand-name drug they’ll tell you it works. If you give people brand-name drugs that have been modified so the pills look different and tell them it’s the generic version, they’ll come back to complain that it’s not working.
My students who work in retail pharmacies tell me they often hear an unsophisticated version of this from their customers, who will come in to ask, for example, why the cherry-flavored cough syrup works so much better than the grape-flavored cough syrup. Maybe because your cold was already getting better when you took the cherry cough syrup? Maybe because you like the cherry flavor and felt better about taking it? The placebo effect is very real. And evidently it works even when the only difference is the letter stamped on the pill.
I and everyone I work with use generic drugs exclusively when they’re available. And I am particularly cautious of drugs that lack generic equivalents, because they’re the kind of drugs that often have sketchy research supporting their use (e.g. Vioxx). We send lots of our students to work for pharmaceutical companies and they assure us that the industry is extremely profitable. So we don’t worry that our choices will bankrupt anyone either.
Clothes for the kids. I would absolutely LOVE to buy my 5 year old girl brand name clothes, and they ARE cuter that the $3.50 Wal-mart Granimals brand, but it is not going to happen.
In pretty much every case in both the article and the comments, people are talking about alternatives that offer more value per dollar than the more expensive options. This is a perfectly valid metric, but it’s worth noting that the more expensive options *are* strictly better in most cases. The difference may not be enough to justify the cost for you, but they’re still better products. It becomes an issue of setting your point of diminishing returns rather than getting more for less, which rarely happens. Instead, you’re getting a little bit less product for significantly less money.
Someone mentioned bicycles, saying a $600 entry level road bike works fine. It does, it’s a reasonable bike, but I’ve owned those bikes and I ride a $1600 road bike. Is it two-and-a-half times as good as the cheaper one? No, but it is still noticeably nicer.
Or software, yes openoffice is cheaper than Microsoft office, but it’s worse. It may be “good enough”, but it’s not better.
The question is: Are you willing to pay twice as much for something that’s only 10-50% better? Sometimes, for things you use often, the answer may very well be “yes”, other times it won’t be.
You also have to realize that a lot of the time you are paying for something else besides the product: prestigious brand names, quality customer service, the ability to be the first one to have a new technology. These are all qualities of a product that people are willing to pay extra for, even though they’re transient or non-corporeal.
I think you *do* get what you pay for, as long as you realize that above a certain point, most things increase in price exponentially faster than they increase in quality or usability.
I was very lucky. When I was 25 a dermatologist told me the only effective moisturizer was water. Whether you drink it or bathe in it, get water into your skin and slap some grease on it to hold it in-olive oil, petroleum jelly, Crisco, whatever, price is no indication of quality.
This advice saved me a fortune over the last 30 years and my skin looks great.
I use store brand, no frill$ diapers. Babies-R-Us to be exact. My little one is going on 14 weeks and I have not had a single leak with no frill$. They also hold in odor better than Huggies. I will spend 25.00 on a box 130+ count of diapers vs the same amount for less than half name brand diapers.
Note: I purposely used the $ in no frill$ to irritate JD. LOL
Yeah I decided recently to treat myself to a pair of designer jeans. I usually buy jeans in the $20/$30 range from Old Navy or Target.
Went to Nordstroms, tried several pairs and found that at $180 they fit no better, and feel not much better, than the ones I usually buy.
The fabric was a little softer than Old Navy but about as soft as a wonderful pair I have from Target. I left without buying. A week later I bought a new pair from Target that I am LOVING! (for $30)
I disagree about software. Yes, for simple things you can use an alternative to MS Office, but Gimp is not a viable replacement for Photoshop and I don’t know of anything free that even comes close to InDesign or Illustrator. I suppose the average user can get by with Paint or Gimp, the same way someone who doesn’t know how to use a manual camera doesn’t need a DSLR. However, if you work with these products for any amount of time, you know that there’s a reason Adobe is the industry standard.
However, the way to save money even when you buy quality software is to not upgrade. There may be new features in the latest version of Adobe CS, but it’s rarely something you can’t live without. If you were able to do your work with the old version before, you still can.
Target diapers are not only half the price, but they were way better than Huggies or Pampers, at least for our skinny little guy with sensitive skin. Pampers leaked, and both name brands increased diaper rash (probably because they were so fragrant). We did not have luck with the standard generic diaper anywhere else.
In the past before it was so easy to research things we did often try to use price as a signal as quality and were often burned with overpriced pieces of junk. Many times the second least expensive toaster/microwave/etc. at Target/Walmart held up better than the expensive one we had to return. I wonder if price is better correlated with quality these days when there’s more information available… or if we just don’t notice because we’re more careful before buying these days.
Regarding medications – I believe there is now evidence that name brand drugs can be statistically better than generics due to a placebo effect. I believe when the FDA tests generics, it is a blind test. However, when the patient is aware of the brand, there seems to be a placebo effect that helps the brand names perform better.
So I believe it can be worth it to buy the expensive stuff. While your logical mind tells you no different, your subconscious will convince your body otherwise.
Gimp is a great free alternative for non-professional image editing/processing!
As a doctor, I am surprised how many people are sticking up for drug companies and the cost of innovation etc! The companies spend way too much of their ‘research’ budget on finding more drugs like Viagra that aren’t saving lives, rather than a new antibiotic, or “me too” drugs.
I saw someone up there arguing that the patents they get are only good for “a few years” before “generics flood the market” – they get 20 years, 20 YEARS to milk their market and can even file for extensions on that that are often granted, while they monopolize the market and make billions off the sick, elderly etc. If that is not enough for a business to make a GIANT profit, then that is a heck of a lazy business.
I almost always advise my patients to take generics, and I use them myself. can’t wait until my own med goes generic… only about 5 more years…
oh p.s. my favorite thing to buy cheap is previously expensive clothing at thrift shops. Nothing makes me happier than spending $5 for Express jeans (I’m wearing a pair I got that way right now!), or an LL Bean sweater. Talk about getting what you pay for, plus it’s for charity.
A good resource for cosmetics is beautypedia.com and cosmeticscop.com It’s easier to make an informed decision about things when you can find out what is actually in them. It’s helped me wean my mom off of department store stuff.
@Karen, what is this great sheet company? I am looking for jersey knit sheets that aren’t too thin and that are big enough to stay on the bed.
@Nicole, I have a friend who likes to go with the second most expensive thing in general. He said the most expensive thing is for show-offs and the second most expensive thing is the best buy. He feels this is true with restaurants, appliances, power tools, and more.
The generic canned tomatoes at my favorite grocery store have less salt than the name brands (or no salt) and cost less.
My experience is also that ten-year-old reliable cars are better than two-year-old cars of merely average reliability, especially after I have owned them for five or eight years.
I’ve had really good luck with mail-order eyeglasses, though you are saving money partly by measuring your old glasses. Since I have a tiny head, I actually get a better selection online than in eyeglass shops.
I also like Revereware better than the more expensive Calphalon and All-Clad, unlike all my friends (and it’s much better than the cheap aluminum stuff I cooked with when camping–it’s so much easier to clean). Finally I figured out that it’s because most of my cooking involves boiling something (where it’s nice to have a lighter-weight pan while draining the boiling water) or something that gets stirred constantly (so I don’t really need a thick heavy pan to distribute the heat evenly).
I like to buy glass glasses (even though more expensive than plastic) at thrift stores. I like them to be mismatched. Then at parties, people can tell their glass from everyone else’s. (I do like them all to be clear, colorless glass, though, so they sort of match.)
I disagree about cameras. Get the best that you can afford body-wise. I do agree with getting the best “glass” though since they can last forever.
I’m a beginning photog and yes, it would probably be better for me to get something low end like the Rebel Xti compared to something like (cough) a Canon 5D Mark II out the gate, but when (not if) I would keep upgrading my camera bodies to the 5D, which is a “pro-sumer” camera, I’ll be spending MUCH more in the process.
The other reason is mostly my social situation. My friends all have 5Ds or above so if I wanted to borrow some insanely expensive lenses to shoot or learn on I can. If I start low-end I’m out of luck since the lenses won’t fit on the XTi.
Really this is more for career advancement more than anything (everywhere I go a requirement for my job is “painter or photography skills) so I see it more of an investment.
One place with tools not to cheap out on is anything that’s going to be spinning like crazy.
I bought the cheapest brand multipack router bits at Home Depot, and within 30 minutes of use the bit head had shattered.
I was wearing safety goggles of course, but if it had hit my throat or cheeks or something, I still would’ve been hurt pretty badly.
For a while, my wife and I bought one expensive Gold-touch non-stick pan from Williams-Sonoma per paycheck. We now have about five different pieces. I love these pans and think they are high-quality, but they are EXPENSIVE. I am consoled a bit that they have lifetime guarantees. Then again, we could probably buy ten pans for the price we paid for one. I’m pretty sure we won’t “cash in” on the guarantee ten times.
I appreciated this article because I’m looking for some new pans. I’ve mostly been checking out prices at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. Might just try to find the local restaurant supply store, now.
On another note, while price doesn’t really tell you the quality of items, I have noticed that usually higher-priced furniture is of better quality than lower-priced options, especially when looking at the construction of the item. If it’s leather furniture, lower-priced options are usually “bonded leather,” which isn’t really leather at all.
quinsy: “I saw someone up there arguing that the patents they get are only good for “a few years” before “generics flood the market” – they get 20 years, 20 YEARS to milk their market and can even file for extensions on that that are often granted, while they monopolize the market and make billions off the sick, elderly etc.”
20 years from the date they file the patent. Which is well before the patent is even granted (2+ year backlog at the USPTO), clinical trials, FDA approval, production, etc etc. Assuming that the patented compound even makes it to the market, the statement that they only have a few years of exclusivity is definitely true – the market exclusivity for pharmaceuticals is almost always less than half of the patent exclusivity. Extensions are rare and are only granted (at the time the patent issues) for certain, specific reasons – a company can’t simply request a patent term extension for the heck of it.
That said, I will still take generics for most things – except extended-release formulas. The generics must release roughly the same *total* amount of active compound per dose but they do not have to have the same release profiles, which means the level of drug in your system can fluctuate rather than stay constant as it’s intended.
And I definitely second Madeline Arce’s comments about jeans and sunglasses – I have never paid more than $40 for jeans and $15 for sunglasses!
Hah! Great post because it made us think about what we use and why we are so insistent on paying $$$ for it instead of the alternative. I just want to add a comment from one of my best friends.
“There are two things you do not skimp on in life – mayonnaise and toilet paper.”
JLA:
This sounds like rationalization, an EF lens will fit on an EF-S camera (like the XTi), though there will be some cropping because of the smaller CCD chip in the camera. The point of not jumping into the deep end on your first purchase is so that if you don’t end up becoming an avid photographer, you haven’t spent thousands of dollars on something you never use or don’t use to its potential.
If you want to learn photography, you don’t need a $500 camera or a $1000 lens, you just need something that lets you shoot full manual and has a 50mm prime lens. A good photographer can take better pictures with a point-and-shoot than an amateur can with the best equipment in the world.
Re the drugs: the “filler” can have a big effect on how the drug is delivered if it is a controlled release drug (i.e. it doesn’t enter your bloodstream all at once). You can ask your pharmacist if the prescription is controlled release or not. If you are taking a pharmacologically active drug, you may want to stick with the name brand, because you may notice a big difference with the generic. Certainly you may want to try the generic but keep this in mind.
I totally agree. As for skin care, I have found that vinegar is a wonderful cleanser/ toner and the best oils that moisturize my skin are Olive, jojoba or coconut oil. If oils are too heavy rose water & glycerin work fine. All inexpensive stuff from the kitchen and I don’t worry about hidden poisons in them…
@quinsy (66) & Courtney (72)
When I was in an engineering class that talked about patents etc six years ago I believe the number was 17 years average from patent application to approval. That means a company has, on average, 3 years to make back the majority of development costs for not just the drug under question, but any flops that haven’t made it to market or the FDA ultimately rejects.
@ pharmacy (57)
“And I am particularly cautious of drugs that lack generic equivalents, because they’re the kind of drugs that often have sketchy research supporting their use (e.g. Vioxx).”
Are you really who you say you are? Because that sounds quite ignorant. Typically there isn’t a generic equivalent because a patent is still in effect. It isn’t sketchy research as much as a lack of history that I would think would give a professional pause. Any time there is money to be made on an approved drug there are plenty of people willing to manufacture it.
and finally, at quincy again:
“The companies spend way too much of their ‘research’ budget on finding more drugs like Viagra that aren’t saving lives, rather than a new antibiotic, or “me too” drugs.”
While I applaud your back seat driving technique I have to point out that Viagra wasn’t developed for what it’s used. It was developed as a high blood pressure medication and they found it helped the men in a couple *ahem* OTHER ways. And while thinking of ‘research’ dollars (what’s with the quotes?) as a pie that is shortchanging the IMPORTANT work might make emotional points, it just doesn’t pass the smell test. They spend money to make MORE money that can be spent on MORE research, both the kind you approve of, and the kind you don’t.
And while I’m not a user of Viagra, I find it rather condescending that you don’t think it’s important. It makes for a good punch line but it has done significant good for the quality of life of many men (and their women). Are anti-inflammatories wasteful research? They don’t typically save lives, but they can make life bearable for people with debilitating arthritis. Personally I’m glad all of the research is conducted and if a higher profit margin gluts the market with more greedy professionals to make better drugs for worthy and not so worthy reasons, I’m all for it.
“This sounds like rationalization, an EF lens will fit on an EF-S camera (like the XTi), though there will be some cropping because of the smaller CCD chip in the camera.”
Understandable, but in my line of work to learn new techniques for post-production I need a full-frame CCD and resolution. Also, I forgot to say I got it also for the 1080p video (and now at film-like 24-fps with the firmware upgrade!).
The point of not jumping into the deep end on your first purchase is so that if you don’t end up becoming an avid photographer..”
Actually it’s almost a requirement that I need to be an avid photog for my gig now. 😛
“If you want to learn photography, you don’t need a $500 camera or a $1000 lens, you just need something that lets you shoot full manual and has a 50mm prime lens.”
So, if I want to learn macro photography or panoramic photography for creating HDR images for tone mapping and compositing post-production in 3d software I can do that on a 50mm lens and a $500 camera? Ehhh…
“A good photographer can take better pictures with a point-and-shoot than an amateur can with the best equipment in the world.”
I agree on that one.
This 3-year old is already kicking my ass.. 🙂
http://www.rubyellenby.com/index.htm
I would tend to look at a full range of prices for an item and buy somewhere in the lower 50% region. It’s a case of diminishing returns when you get to the higher price brackets – for example, riding a $1200 road bike is a much nicer experience than the $600 model but the $3000 model is definitely not twice as good as the $1200 one.
I use everyday grocery items such as eggs, honey and olive oil to moisturize my skin, hair, and body. I make a moisturizing cream for my face that costs about $1.50 to make and lasts six months. My skin looks better now because there are no fillers in my face cream like there are in other products that you purchase from the store.
This doesn’t answer your question, but one does pay more for quality. For example, you can buy cheap slave labor tools made in China. However, when you take more expensive Craftman tools made in the USA and do an actual comparison to the cheap alternatives, the Craftman tools are much higher quality and come with a life time warranty.
People should not just consider cost, but the social ramifications of the purchase. If two items are of equal quality and one is cheaper but build in a place that devalues human life and the other costs more but is build in a place that values human life, one should consider paying more for the more expensive product.
People wonder why their neighbors are unemployed. It is because you can’t compete with free labor nor should you have to.
Great article…this one brought a smile to my face. I have to say, I’m becoming an April Dykman fan. Her recent articles have all been well-written and on-target.
Keep ’em coming! Great stuff.
Great (less expensive) sheets that are so soft and have plenty of room to fit the mattress are Northern Nights (sold on QVC.com)! You can’t go wrong w/these sheets!
Great (less expensive) diapers: Luvs or Berkeley & Jensen (BJ’s warehouse brand). Just about as good (and soft) as name brand.
Justin, if you’re not opposed to shopping at Walmart make sure to check out their Tramontina triply 18/10 pans. I splurged on 3 a few months ago and they’ve been awesome. You can get some pieces in the store and more are available online.
I’ve also read good things about Costco’s Kirkland brand of clad pans but I have a tiny kitchen and just needed the 3, open-stock pieces.
I just thought of something else that applies to this post:
Everyone’s heard of the 80/20 rule by now, right? It states, roughly, depending on what you apply it to, you get 80% of the output from the first 20% of the effort.
What that implies is that for the last 20% of the output, you have to put in the remaining 80% of the work.
So, a product that’s 100% as good as it can be has five times as much work invested in it as a product that’s only 80% as good as it could be. You end up paying five times as much for 25% more quality.
That’s if you believe the 80/20 rule, anyway.
Clothing is a big one for me, as has been mentioned. A $400 coat that fits correctly and lasts 4 years is a much better deal for me than an ill-fitting $70 coat that tears after a winter of use.
I have a classic Navy Peacoat that was purchased at Sunny Surplus 20+ years ago. I can’t remember what I paid for it. But, it is so well made and very warm. I still wear it, and after 20+ winters it still looks great.
I just had a conversation with my young adult daughter who just got a queen size bed (for free, chip off the old block!) I told her it was important to buy as good sheets as you can afford because they last forever, wash well, and help you sleep better. I have sheets I bought ten years ago (which of course I got on sale), and I can’t get rid of them because I love them so much.
I used to believe in buying salon shampoos. I was skeptical at first, but I actually do see a difference in how my hair looks and feels. But then I discovered Sally’s Beauty Supply. Cheap knock-offs that are nearly as good as the real thing, and still way better than the stuff you can get at the grocery store.
The Orange County Register (CA) did a great article a couple years back on the quality of clothing.
Bottom line was that most clothes are manufactured similarly, and that the variations in quality were minimal, if even noticeable.
The piece went on to say that wealthier folks were buying their simpler pieces, such as t-shirts from places like Target for $10-$15, rather than spending outrageous amounts for designer pieces that are very similar.
Good article about weighing the cost and quality of various items. I usually take each on an individual basis. Some items I lean toward cheap, others I lean towards quality. I also agree that price does not always reflect quality.
As for generic drugs – my peeve is that many of them are manufactured in India and China. I don’t appreciate my insurance forcing me to purchase items made overseas.
When it comes to my health, I do not use generics!! I recently read a article regarding how variable the potency is for generics and my doctor said that his patients that use generics do not have consistent bloodwork results due to the lack of consistency in potency. I will never use them as long as I can afford to do so. Affordability being key here. As with any purchase, we always ask ourselves, “How much do we use it?” and then buy the best quality within our budget if we use it alot. I do alot of research on the item and use Consumer Reports magazine to make an informed decision.
Peggy, there is absolutely no danger in putting trans fats on your skin. They will not “get in”. The main function of your skin to keep things out. If substances could penetrate the skin so easily we wouldn’t have to eat or drink. We could just smear food on our skin or soak our feet in vodka.
It is, in fact, quite difficult to get drugs to be absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin. Pharmaceutical researchers have had to spend years finding ways to deliver medications that way, and there are very few successes (the nicotine patch and contraceptive patches are some examples).
Cosmetics and skin care companies spend millions of dollars on advertising to make you think that the stuff they put in their products “nourishes” the skin.
as my better half says “if they need to advertise it, there is a less expensive, and usually comparable quality option.”
Not that GRS readers would overlook such a thing, but I find a special Cost vs. Quality sweet spot in figuring out what my very, very best option might be in a particular purchase . . . and then picking it up slightly used, for substantial savings. I have handme down antique Limoges china, a slightly used Mini Cooper S, and so on. “High end” purchases end up being the equivalent of mundane choices, but I feel like I got a treat AND I feel smart for the money savings.
Some things I do pay more for quality and some things I don’t.
Electronics–absolutely–you can’t go for the lowest price.
T-shirts that I know are going to be rags in a few years anyways (meaning like plain, wear around the house stuff) I’ll shop for the bargain.
Generic brand food is another example.
I think you have to use a combination of both and know when to spend more for quality, because as you say, sometimes the extra money you spend is for nothing at all.
@DebbieM #68:
The best sheets I got are from Pottery Barn. Expensive, yes, but they don’t skimp on the fabric size and quality, and it’s not a crap shoot–everything they sell is very good. The bad ones I got were from Crate & Barrel–which I was very surprised by since they weren’t cheap.
I disagree about “designer” jeans–I think they are worth it.
I only buy jeans every 3-4 years because I only wear them at home/going out. I like the soft, pre-washed ones, and being a woma in my late 40’s I was desperate to fine a good fitting pair!
I bought some designer jeans online (7 for all mankind) on a whim & I was astonished—-they have an amazing fit that is comfortable and actually very flattering. I even get compliments on how my jeans look all the time! They are very soft denim and yet wear like iron (I am still wearing one pair 4 years later). The sizing is true, too–I ordered another pair a year later and they fit identically.
I am happy to wear only these designer jeans, and skip the low quality stuff from Gap and Limited that falls apart very soon (if it is at all stone-washed), that don’t run true to size, and that are cut so unflatteringly.
I don’t need many pairs of jeans if they fit great, look great, and last forever.
Value is all in the eye of the beholder. I’d rather buy a top of the line tool if it is going to last me a lifetime than the lowest price tool if I have to replace it every 2 to 3 years. But I won’t pay up for beauty products, wine, clothing, cars….
Great post. One reason I like to buy quality is because I’m more apt to take care of it and maintain it.
I do have a nice chef knife, bought a good set of knives when I was in college (not on credit, paid cash). I still have them 18 years later and with a little sharpening every other month they’re in tip top shape.
On prescription medication, I take generics but only when necessary. I usually try to find an herbal or homeopathic alternative, which are often WAY cheaper and don’t have the side effects. I am highly skeptical of the drug business. I’m happy that my Dr is also this way, she usually recommends old tried and true cheaper over the counter alternatives to super expensive new presicriptions. She says she’s not comfortable telling her patients to take things that haven’t been proven well enough.
I would also suggest trying to find a good quality used item. I got my camera from a friend (professional photographer) when the upgraded. Now I have a nice “new to me” camera that I don’t feel bad lugging around the garden for my blog photos. I take good care of it, but I’m not worried about it getting dirty or a little dinged.
On beauty care, I discovered using all natural products to be much cheaper, not the store bought manufactured ones. I buy green clay in bulk and use that instead of soap on my face and I use rose hip oil for a moisturizer. Can’t believe how much better my skin looks and I’m happy it’s cheap and non-toxic!
My free-after-rebate cell phone makes calls just as well as expensive phones. Since I dislike texting and love my camera, I’m good to go.
I also like Mondoro Asti Spumanti ($13) much better than any other champagne/sparkling wine that I’ve tasted.
Loved the Martha Stewart curtains and sheets when she sold them at Kmart. Yes name brand but cheap and good!
Kept on happening where my favorite shampoo or conditioner got phased out or hard to find. Currently using Suave coconut shampoo and conditioner and they are almost as good. (However if you can find Neutrogena triple moisture daily moisturizer, best one I’ve used and- if you can find it- around $5).
Husband wears Wrangler jeans ($14.50) and they look good on him.
As far as wine, found many $7, 8 dollar bottles of wine I’ve greatly enjoyed. However I’ve also have had some bad $4,5 wines and one time at a bar ordered their cheapest red and it was undrinkable, so I am now wary of buying the “cheapest”. It’s no bargain if it’s unpleasant to drink.
Instead of expensive bath salts, get a big carton of epsom salts. Can always dress it up with essential oils.
Circo pull ups are a great bargain – one of the cheapest by unit cost but work great.
Red Baron frozen pizza if not looking for exotic pizzas. Don’t just compare the price, look at the size/weight of pizza.
I liked this post. As a professional drummer, I have a lot of expenses that come with that. In the last 15 years of playing, I have wasted tons of money on products that should do the job well, but don’t make the cut. I spend money now on what last. My cymbal stands alone run 200 plus, and I have 4 of them I constantly use. I’ve had mine for almost 10 years, with general upkeep, they work very well. I also have to ask myself, “Does this feel like it can withstand a serious beating everynight?” How the products are made, and who makes them, goes a long way in my field. Great post.
With skincare
1. Price is irrelevant
2. Quality – somewhat irrelevant
3. Everybody’s skin, genetics, conditions, health, habit, allergies are different.
4. The highest skincare cost is probably the trial and error stage (even if you’re buying drugstore creams, this cycle can be expensive, to get it right)
5. CHEAPEST solution is to quit smoking, drink lots of water, get enough sleep and cut down the caffeine. Your skin will cooperate so much better with the products you use. $ or not.
In defense of kitchen knives that aren’t the cheap $10 variety: It’s true that there’s no need to spend $100s of bucks on a knife. But trust me, spend the $40 or $60 for a knife that has a good weight and a good handle. Those $10 knives fall apart after awhile with their plastic handle peeling and feeling weird in your hand. And their lack of weight feels like you’re working twice as hard to chop the same veggies.
I bought a pair of great Chicago Cutlery knives for $30 almost 10 years ago. I keep them sharp and they’re the best I’ve ever used. Now if I could just keep my wife from putting them in the dishwasher…
The best doctor is always the cheapest in the long run. (even if his fee is double)
I was a professional cook for over thirty years, and yes, an inexpensive knife is often as good as an expensive ‘high quality’ knife. Use it hard in the first few days so that if it has a flaw, it will break soon and you can exchange it for another. Very rare though.
Don’t buy a knife that has a thick ridge on the part of the blade close to your index finger. It is supposed to protect your finger, but you don’t need it and it interferes with correct sharpening of the blade. Knives with this thick metal ridge (often the ‘high quality expensive ones) tend to get a concave shape after a lot of sharpening. It makes it very hard to cut food on a cutting board. A good chefs knife is convex so you can cut with a slight rocking motion, just rocking up the back part of the knife enough to clear the height of the food. The tip stays on the cutting board. This will save you some nasty cuts.
Buy a sharpening stone, two sided, one that is coarse and one fine. Make sure it is a water stone, not an oil stone. Then you don’t have to buy and keep special oil for it. If you have an oil stone, DONT use vegetable oil. It will eventually gum up and be very hard to clean. If you already have, soak in heavily dish-soaped hot water. Scrub clean with a brush. Repeat until clean. Use either proper oil or only water. Most oil stones work with water if you clean the oil out first.
Use a wooden cutting board, keep it clean and disinfect with a solution of 30ml bleach with 1 litre water when you are finished using. Label and keep in a bottle away from food. This is a very inexpensive but useful disinfecting/cleaning agent. If you have to use a sponge, always clean it with this disinfectant. The same with cleaning clothes, rags, etc.
Keep a separate cutting board for meat, fish and poultry and always clean, rinse and disinfect between different kinds of meat.
Btw, I found that I can do most of my cutting with an eight inch french or japanese style knife, including filleting large salmon and deboning most cuts. A deboning knife can come in handy for large cuts, but you can often get away with a sharp paring knife. I bought mine for $3, it has its own plastic box and is as sharp today as the day I bought it. Keep all your knives so they don’t rub other metal items. Don’t just toss into a drawer, they will get dull. Don’t toss into a sink full of dishes, they will get dull and someone will cut themselves.
The only other knife I really use is a serrated bread style knife, ten inches long. Again, I found an inexpensive one worked as well, if not better then the expensive ones.