During these tough economic times, many people are making purchases with a much more frugal mindset. Dollar stores and generic brands are booming. But should you be frugal in all of your purchases. I say NO. The following are examples of items that I believe you should not buy at the lowest price available:
1. Mattress–You will spend more time on it than anything else in your house. Unless you like back pains and sleepless nights, splurge a little here.
2. Paper plates–You are not saving any money if you have to use 2 or 3 at a time.
3. Razors–Ever buy a disposable razor at a dollar store? I did once since I forget them on a vacation. My face might forgive me in 2012.
4. Toothbrushes–There is nothing worse than having a cheap toothbrush fall apart in your mouth and spending 10 minutes spitting out the bristles.
5. Insurance–Just not worth it.
6. Shoes–Cheap shoes fall apart quick and are not comfortable. They are terrible for you back as well.
7. Toilet Paper–It just takes one incident at a gas station to know what I am saying here.
8. Condoms–Not likely to impress your mate and might lead to #9
9. Home Pregnancy Test–I will leave this one alone
10. Tampons–So I am told
11. Batteries–If you see a llama on the packaging instead of a bunny, you probably should think twice.
12. Umbrellas–Unless you also invest in a cheap poncho
13. Computers–I will sell you my old Commodore 64 for twenty bucks. Seriously, if you want your computer not to be obsolete before it arrives, don’t buy the cheapest option.
14. Seafood–Imported from the world famous Chernobyl lake.
15. Beer–I dare you to attend one frat party and tell me I am wrong.
16. Wedding Invitations–Seinfeld fans know what I am talking about here.
Did I miss anything? Let me know I will add to this list and give you full credit.
Great post, I totally agree about shoes, I remember when I was a kid, my mum always wanted to save money on shoes, so she bought cheap shoes which never lasted more than a couple of months. Worst still, the other kids would make fun of them because they weren’t Nike or Adidas or Reebok, I’m still scarred to this day…
I don’t agree with toothbrushes. I’ve bought the cheapest Walmart toothbrushes for the last 10 years (50 cents per brush), and I’ve never had a problem. I just make sure the bristles are soft which is recommended by dentists.
I can’t agree with the mattress thing enough. I went too long on a cheap mattress, not thinking it was the chief contributor to my back pain. Eventually, my boyfriend insisted we buy a better one, and I have been virtually pain-free since.
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I would like to buy your Commodore 64 for $20. Really.
I have to take exception to your use of “frugal” here. I believe what you mean to say is “cheap.” In the end, frugality is about spending little, but not over-sacrificing on quality; it’s about getting the most bang for your buck. Being cheap, on the other hand, is getting the least expensive item, regardless of quality.
Being frugal may lead you to buy the least expensive item, but that is certainly not the goal. I have occasionally even purchased the most expensive item because it would have given me the overall least cost-per-use. That’s being frugal.
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@drake–maybe I have bad luck with toothbrushes because I chew on them
@Robert–Next time I visit my parents I will check out the condition of the C64 and get back to you
@Caveman–Point taken
Frugal is about spending the correct way, not about how much. But definitely, expensive = quality, depends what the purpose of the items. How important is the item to you.
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Good idea but some cheap shoes are great. Good basketball shoes, for example, can be had for under $30 – http://www.starbury.com/ . The $200 ones are not better they just cost more.
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Great list! I would also say you should not be cheap on underwear. This is something people wear every day (hopefully) and If you have to spend a few extra dollars to be comfortable, go for it.
I have been trying to save money as well this summer and chronicle my experiences on my blog, http://whyspendmoney.blogspot.com
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Number 15…. can’t speak for the frat parties, but dime beer night always did the trick in college. Seriously, I enjoy quality beer, and wouldn’t go near that swill today, but take it from me and develop your taste for good beer AFTER college, once you have a paying job.
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Spot on ! I also tried the generic disposable razors. Whoever makes those should have to shave their whole body with them everyday, dry, with no soap
I have had good luck with off brand batteries though…so long as they are alkaline, and not the “heavy duty” kind. Grocery store brands seem to be as good as the expensive brands to me. Wouldn’t be surprised to find out they are made in the same factory.
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Hey, for beer pong there’s no sense in buying imported beer. There are good uses for bad beer!
Expensive does not always mean quality. There are cell phones out there that cost literally $10,000 and you can’t tell me that it has better service or quality than any of the other phones out there.
Also I enjoy quality beer, and wouldn’t go near that swill today
Everything is great. But Problem is about the quality of products!!!!!
Are the quality of products good?? Or is it better to buy something with good quality including insurance.???
You just can’t expect too much from things that you spend less. This things just give what you have paid for. I think we should not buy those things in lowest prices that we think that is so important and directly affects our health.
I vote insurance and shoes. I had bad experiences with these two items buying cheap. Condoms is another item that deserves some well invested bucks too.
Good quality straight razors won’t cost you a fortune so why scrimp on them?
Interesting list. But I can’t live without beer to be honest
I loled to much about this post. But I agree with the above comment, beer shouldn’t be included here.
I agree with every single one of these. There are things you can scrimp on and things you can’t. I once saw a pregnancy test at Dollar Tree – I’d be worried that if I used it, it would make me pregnant.
This is a nice article.This article is given me good information about which thing i should buy and which not.So this blog is very useful for me as well as others.
I’d go even a step further regarding the razors. Save your face completely by buying a good quality electric shaver. I’d even argue that the electric would be more frugal in the long term. Add up the cost of blades and shaving cream over a 3+ year period. Adds up!
Purchase insurance is necessary. Buy this dont decrease our money but protecting our financial