Let's discuss expensive things that save money in the long run. Buy one expensive thing can be cheaper than buying 10 cheaper things that break.
1) Cheap Cars. It's ok to buy a used car, but it's not OK to buy a crap car. Spending $1k on a car that needs $2k of repairs annually and you would have been better off spending $5k to start with on a better car.
2) Cheap education. It's ok for some degrees to be taken at local crap schools. Teacher degrees, etc. It's not OK to get a law degree or an MBA from a stripmall. Without the right name for certain type of degrees, you won't get hired and you will have wasted your money.
3) Cheap appliances. If it keeps breaking and you dont have the skills and tools to fix it, then its cheaper to buy new or higher quality.
4) House! If you are going to need to move in 2 years because you are going to have kids, then it makes sense to postpone buying until you can afford the place you need.
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1. Choosing the better health insurance option from your employer, especially if you have children (which always seem to be germ/illness magnets and accident prone).
2. Buying a better laptop if you are going to buy one. Choose a laptop with as much RAM, processor speed and disk space that you can afford. It won't reach it's end-of-life as fast as a cheap piece of junk laptop with barely enough memory to run Windows, and you'll be a lot happier.
3. Spend a little more and buy good shoes that fit right, not cheap Payless\Target\WalMart crap. Most people take their feet for granted and wear old, worn-out shoes with inadequate support or space for their toes. I didn't realize how important the feet were until I wore a pair of heels that were a little too tight. Now I have chronic toe pain, and have to wear not-so-cute dress shoes.
4. Buy better food. Eating McDonald's everyday is cheap, but will harden your arteries which will cost you more in healthcare bills later, if it doesn't kill ya.
Shouldn't this thread be called "things not to cheap-out on" or "times to not go with the cheapest option"? None of the examples in the OP necessarily need to be "expensive", you could buy a moderately priced car or appliance, no need to buy the Miele appliances when the Whirlpool Gold will do, for example
TxAggieJen said:1. Choosing the better health insurance option from your employer, especially if you have children (which always seem to be germ/illness magnets and accident prone).
2. Buying a better laptop if you are going to buy one. Choose a laptop with as much RAM, processor speed and disk space that you can afford. It won't reach it's end-of-life as fast as a cheap piece of junk laptop with barely enough memory to run Windows, and you'll be a lot happier.
3. Spend a little more and buy good shoes that fit right, not cheap PaylessTargetWalMart crap. Most people take their feet for granted and wear old, worn-out shoes with inadequate support or space for their toes. I didn't realize how important the feet were until I wore a pair of heels that were a little too tight. Now I have chronic toe pain, and have to wear not-so-cute dress shoes.
4. Buy better food. Eating McDonald's everyday is cheap, but will harden your arteries which will cost you more in healthcare bills later, if it doesn't kill ya. I agree with all except the laptop... for that it all depends upon your usage. Devices moved around all the time should be cheap and carry an extended warranty (all ours have died every 3-4 years).
Devices that are not moved around frequently,AND dont use the internet or intensive programs (such as just doing email word processing/spreadsheet) can work just fine for 10+ years
The only caveat to this is where you or your spouse like to change the item because the "style" changed or you/them need the latest gee whiz bling/gaget/whatever. In which case your not frugal anyway.
TxAggieJen said:2. Buying a better laptop if you are going to buy one. Choose a laptop with as much RAM, processor speed and disk space that you can afford. It won't reach it's end-of-life as fast as a cheap piece of junk laptop with barely enough memory to run Windows, and you'll be a lot happier.
I beg to differ. Does everyone NEED everything that expensive laptops have these days?
The majority of laptops that you see most likely have 2GB of RAM and 160GB of HD space at the very least, even for the $300 WalMart specials (or even netbooks!) And I don't think most people even need a dual-core processor.
Barely enough memory to run Windows? What are you talking about? Back in the day, my high school ran Windows XP on old POS Pentium-II machines with *64 MEGABYTES* of RAM. The solution is: run XP or (if you so desire) a good flavor of Linux, and you will be totally fine. (Windows 7 might be fine too, but I'm not sure how resource-intensive it is.)
The majority of people will be fine with almost any entry-level laptop on the market these days, and a dual-core CPU thrown in for good measure (the only application I can think of would be video-intensive apps down the road). And rather than "investing" an extra $100-200+ in your computer now, you can put it towards HD/RAM upgrades (when you need them and they get cheaper) or a new one a couple of years down the road.
If you're a gamer, I would reconsider getting a laptop to begin with, as you'll likely find yourself wanting to "upgrade" (read: buy a new one) every year or two. Do what I did, and buy a fairly inexpensive laptop for schoolwork/internet, and use your desktop for gaming.
Only good reason to put $$$ into a laptop is either for quality/durability, or if you NEED the extra memory/space/cpu speed/etc. Ironically I splurged on a Macbook (well, at least compared to cheapo laptop standards) because I really like the Mac OS, it'll last a good while (better build quality; I move my laptop around a lot), and that I can use my desktop PC (cheap parts/upgrades) for anything intensive that the Macbook couldn't handle.
Message edited by: scottxmso on 2009-11-07 00:35:46 CST
Going to a dentist, keep your dental health in good condition. It does cost now..dentist aren't cheap but it will save you money in the long run. Waiting on a filling can lead to a root canal or cap, which is mega bucks compared to a filling.
Making sure you have adequate insurance on home and car.
Message edited by: cp102 on 2009-11-07 05:44:11 CST
I think your best bet is to figure out what matters to you, figure out what your saving goals are, meet those savings goals, and then spend money on the things that matter to you.
I like cars, so I am willing to spend more than I need just for transportation. Same thing with electronics. I go cheap in other areas of my life where I don't care as much about - not eating out, cheap clothing, furniture, not traveling, ect.
I agree that you can still be frugal when purchasing higher end/high quality items that last longer. I, as most here, rarely pay full price for anything. Also, a large part of the equation is properly caring for whatever you purchase... no matter how high/low the quality or how much/little you paid for it.
Cookware (e.g., All-Clad pots and pans, cast iron anything, Chantal tea kettle, KitchenAid mixer, Wustoff knives)... you'll be passing this stuff down to your grandkids and it'll still look great.
Batteries (use high quality rechargeable only... e.g., Eneloops)
Coach brand leather items (brief cases, belts, wallets, purses, etc... seem to last forever and day, you'll probably get tired of looking at them before they wear out)
Watches (I'm not an aficionado watch brands, but I bought 2 Coach watches for ~$100 a piece 10 years ago. They still look perfect and run like new. Haven't bought a watch since and only have to spend a few dollars to replace the batteries, which I replace myself, every 4 years or so... )
Bath towels that don't fall apart. Also use kitchen towels instead of paper towels to save a bundle (you can get packs of 30+ for under 50 cents each at wharehouse clubs).
Take proper care of your clothes: use a front loading washer, no harsh detergents, wash at the coolest temperature possible, dry on lowest temperature or hang dry. Even less expensive clothing will stay cleaner/last longer.
As far as laptops, I hate to say it 'cause I know I'll get tons of red, but buy Apple. I'm still using 3 laptops from 1999 and 2000 (typing on the latter using a wireless internet connection as we speak).
Don't wear shoes in your house - your carpets will last longer
That's all that comes to mind for now without repeating what was said above... I try to think of some more. Good topic OP.
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