What Are Some Things You Won't Cheap Out On?

[Mental_Mouse]

I've discovered a new favorite brand of pickles that are made by a Massachussetts based company and they're worth the price every single time

Also, when I'm done with the pickles, unlike the cheaper brands, the pickle juice can be used afterwards.

That reminds me, it's been a while since I went hunting for Ba-Tampte pickles, which are what I grew up on. Last I looked, they were pretty scarce.

[EricKei]

Many of the things said here ^__^

Kraft mac n cheeeeeze; Campbell's for chicken noodle and any and all cream soups; Iced tea has to be Lipton lemon tea; I've found that Voldemart's "Dr Thunder" (esp the cherry flavor) makes a solid substitute for Dr. P. Especially cuz we can't get MrPiBB down here. Hot dogs must be Nathan's or Hebrew National (both beef dogs/no crap additives), so I just watch for good sales and stock them up in the freezer. Mayo must be Hellman's (w/added lemon when it's actually in stock).


Although: Specifically for rechargeable batteries, and specifically in a situation where you'll be using them a LOT (e.g. cameras and handheld video): Eneloops. Full stop. Do not pass Go. Do not buy anything else. They ain't cheap, but every shutterbug I've asked about it (used to work at a newspaper) swears by them, and says they're absolutely worth the cost. If you only need to slap in fresh batteries once in a coon's age, other stuff is fine; if you are gonna be changing them out on an "I can take X shots/film this many minutes on one charge" basis, get Eneloops. I wanna say 35 bucks gets you a "starter package" with 8-10 AA/AAA batteries, shells that let you use those as C/D batteries, and a charger that can handle them all. Look for "Power pack" sets.

[Victory Sabre]

Beer.

No way in hell will I buy BMC, even though it's twice as expensive to buy the good stuff. It's worth it.

[notalwaysright]

Mayo has to be Best Foods. Others that I won't buy cheap, cat food, hot chocolate, rum. I'm also super weird, I buy two different brands of pads... One the expensive Always Infinity (which is amazing) and then a cheapo store brand. One for at work and one for at home.

I haven't bought disposable batteries in a long time, other than for the fire detector. Eneloops are really good. Although to be fair I have some Kodak rechargeable batteries from forever ago that still keep a charge very well. I think I've had them over 10 years, how are they still working?

Also, on the topic of ramen, even in Asia they have "good" ramen and instant ramen. It's like how we have nice sit-down burger joints, but we also have McDonald's. A lot of times it's jazzed up with an egg and veggies, but sometimes it's just bought at a convenience store. I got to make Udon noodles when I was in Japan, since the area was known for them. I also watched my host sister get ramen from a vending machine.

[dalesys]

I've had too many months of <$3 a day food budget to have any overriding preferences. (Besides, when I was a teen our mother once fed* us canned dog food.) Like Sir Samuel Vimes boots, the choice between 'shoddy' and none is easy.


*(By accident. Freight-damaged cans, practically no label, she told one of my sisters that, "... it seemed kind of spicy ...". Sister resurrected the can and identified the former contents.)

[EricKei]

We used to have a (literal) warehouse store in NOLA called "Suda Salvage" -- It was nothing but grocery store overstocks and rejects, e.g. dented cans (usually due to forklift accidents) and boxes, slightly imperfect fruits, discontinued items, et al, for as low as a fifth of the usual prices. Very very rarely did they have stuff that was about to go out of date, but it happened once in a while. They shut down, for some reason, in the eighties.


(inline Update) - Apparently they're back as of a couple of years ago O_O Prices are more like "1/2 or less," but it's still the same idea, and much much cleaner than it used to be.

[KuariKaydrith]

I've had too many months of <$3 a day food budget to have any overriding preferences.

I've been there, but I've also realized that I'm not saving money when I buy food items I simply will not eat. For example, I can't stand chicken legs or wings so if I buy them they will sit in the freezer until they are beyond freezer burnt. However, I will eat chicken breasts, regardless of whether or not they are boneless, so I stock up on these when they're on sale. I've attempted to eat dollar store mac & cheese, but ended up tossing it out because I couldn't even choke it down.

I feel that it's more of a waste of money to buy foods that I can't/won't eat than to spend a bit extra on things I can and will eat. I just don't go overboard, and I use coupons and look for sales wherever I can.

[protege]

Beer.

While I don't have beer all that often, you won't find cheap shit at my house. No Natty Ice, no Keystone, and no Red Dog. Instead, I'll go with a Yuengling, Guinness, Old Speckled Hen, Newcastle, etc. Unless, I really need something to loosen rusty lug nuts on my neighbor's beat-to-hell pickup

Similar deal with tools. I don't cheap out, and you won't see me at Harbor Freight buying tools. Consumables--sandpaper, rubber sanding blocks, cutting discs, files...but no tools. Sure, they may be cheap, but if you have to buy them multiple times to do a job, where's the savings? Give me Craftsman, Husky (Home Depot's store brand), or even Kobalt (Lowe's)...which all carry a lifetime warranty. If it breaks, they'll replace it.

[drunkenwildmage]

Toilet paper: I have 2 or 3 brands I bounce between at Costco, but I won't buy the cheap 'John Wayne' Toilet paper.

Mayo, Hellmans: My late wife got me on this.. Before we started going out, I was happy with generic 'Store Brand' mayo, but her insistence of Hellmans, have me developed a taste for it, and now can't go back to 'generic' or other brands.

Hot Dogs: Oscar Meyer.. Same as with the Mayo..Just something I developed a taste for. Only exception is when I get the Hot dogs from a nationally known local joint, which are actually Hungarian sausages split in half.

Tea: Twinings. Since I don't drink coffee, I tend to drink alot of Tea in the morning, and Twinings has become my 'go to' tea, either English Breakfast, or Irish Breakfast..

[Valentinian]

Bras. When you're an F cup, you need the good ones... though ironically, since my arthritis has gotten bad enough that it's hard to do up the normal ones, I've found $10 stretchy sports bras that do a good job. No idea how long they'll last though.

Tea. I am a tea snob and I don't care.

Sushi. Gotta be the good stuff or it's not worth eating!

[mjr]

Things I won't cheap out on...Hmmm...

I don't know. I tend to cheap out on a lot of stuff. Sometimes I just can't bring myself to spend over X amount on something.

[Bandit]

Pretty much anything between me and the ground - tires, bedding, and shoes.

The first will keep you alive long enough to enjoy the second two - especially when the weather is bad.

[jedimaster91]

Several things that have already been mentioned here: Kraft Mac&Cheese (unless I'm slaving over a hot stove making my own from scratch), most sodas, either Energizer or Duracell batteries (prefer Duracell, but the bunny will do), Crayola crayons, dog food, Nyquil. And probably the biggest one for me is cake mix. Duncan Hines or scratch.

[Mental_Mouse]

It occurs to me that my list for food is a lot shorter than it was 20 years ago... store brands have really upped their game.

[TheWolfEmperor]

It occurs to me that my list for food is a lot shorter than it was 20 years ago... store brands have really upped their game.

I know, right? I found the Dollar General brand frosted wheats is leaps and bounds better than the name stuff.