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It kind of depends on the item. There are some items sold in the dollar stores that are the same exact item marked up 5 times at Walmart. You just have to make smart judgments on your purchases. It basically comes down to what its worth to You?
I find "what you pay is what you get" is accurately applied to clothing. I'm not talking about clothing that bears the names of popular or prestige designers, but clothing that are made with quality fabric and constructed with care. Since my wardrobe is only a fraction of what I used to have when I was younger, I don't mind to pay more at the few shops where the focus is product quality and customer satisfaction. These shops are small and independently owned, thus their merchandises cost more for them to acquire, and cost more for their customers to purchase, but the quality and value are well surpassed what the big companies and mass market offer.
This is something that is VERRRRRRRRRRRRRRY situational.
Some low-cost items are in no way shoddy in quality. Some definitely are. And there are, of course, many high-cost items that are no better in quality than lower-priced versions of the same. Then there are things where the higher price tag does correlate with better durability.
I started college in 1995. Before moving, I purchased an inexpensive brand $50 microwave for my dorm room in a big box store so obsolete it no longer even exists. It was a bare bones model...small and low-wattage (we were limited as far as what wattage was allowed in the residence halls) good for heating up leftovers/soup/water for noodles/popping popcorn, used a dial timer rather than LED display. That microwave moved with me to five apartments, one rental house, and three states over the next fourteen years. When I bought my house two years ago, one of the appliances it came with was a spacesaver microwave already installed in the kitchen, so I gave my old standby to a friend who had just moved to the area and was replacing appliances. To the best of my knowledge, after sixteen years, that cheapo microwave is still going strong. I'd still be using it myself, if it hadn't been replicated by the stuff already installed in my home.
To me, nothing is more frustrating than going top dollar for something and finding out it's just as big a piece of crap as if you'd purchased the discount version. I find this A LOT with contemporary furniture. When it comes to non-custom built stuff, I find that it largely tends to be garbage of shoddy workmanship, regardless of the price tag. Give me vintage furniture any day.
It kind of depends on the item. There are some items sold in the dollar stores that are the same exact item marked up 5 times at Walmart. You just have to make smart judgments on your purchases. It basically comes down to what its worth to You?
The one that cracks me up is when an IDENTICAL product is up to 2x more expensive at Target than it is at Walmart. Not just a similar product, or the house brand version of something sorta like the brand name version at the other store...the exact same product.
here is how I save:
when I buy something online that costs above $50 I try to call their web site and not just order it online. More often then not, they tend to give you a discount when you call. The thing is, even though most of them can afford to sell it to you for cheaper, they cannot openly advertise that price, because the manufacturer does not allow it. so you can ask for 5-10% discount. And if they do not, tell them you are going to order elswhere.
The one that cracks me up is when an IDENTICAL product is up to 2x more expensive at Target than it is at Walmart. Not just a similar product, or the house brand version of something sorta like the brand name version at the other store...the exact same product.
Maybe true, but Target is a lot better shopping experience than Wal Mart IMO. So..... maybe some won't pay for a better experience, but I guess I would. Is saving 2 dollars worth me getting a headache from the narrow aisles, crowding, long lines and smell from the greasy Mcdonalds inside ? No.
Just remember you are killing American jobs when buying imports, often people say "why pay more for the same thing". Well it costs more to manufacture in America. If I'm going to buy something, typically I want to use it for a long time, and I'll spend the money on the US produced item first. If not, I'll buy used if at all possible, so no more money leaves the country.
My Toshiba TV works perfectly. Yes, it's an "oldie," (mid '90's model).
It works fine. So I'll plan to replace it when it stops working.
Thats fine if you don't plan on moving. The last time I switched apartments I was so glad I had switched over to one of those skinny flat screens, so much less weight and hassle.
When I was growing up, I was always told "If you buy cheap, you get cheap" -- usually when I had bought something cheap that promptly fell apart. The corollary is "You get what you pay for."
Is that still true? (If it ever was true.) And if it is true, how can one be frugal and still buy quality?
It depends on the item.
Generic food = Name Brand food in most situations.
However, things like furniture? It is smarter, and more frugal, to spend a little more money up front for furniture that will last longer.
For instance, 11 years ago I bought a solid wood armoire from someone selling furniture from the side of the road. It had heavy metal hinges and ornate doors and is quite beautiful. I talked the guy down to letting me buy it for $650.
My sister laughed at me and told me that I was crazy to spend that much on one piece of furniture. She went and bought a cheap fiberboard armoire from walmart. I think it cost her $120. Then when if fell apart 2 years later, she bought another one. And another one, and then another one from a family off Craigslist.
Now, I don't know how much she spent on her subsequent armoires, but in 11 years she bought 3 additional ones before she broke down and bought an all wood one that will actually last. Meanwhile, in all that time, I have a beautiful piece of furniture that I will be able to pass down to my nieces and nephews.
In that situation, although my sister bought her furniture CHEAP, I bought mine FRUGAL.
Yet another difference between CHEAP and FRUGAL, being willing to buy something at a more expensive price, but will never need to be replaced.
That is the answer to your question of "how can one be frugal and still buy quality?" In your mind you are confusing CHEAP with FRUGAL. I would argue that one HAS to buy quality in order to be frugal. The price is not always the end all be all gauge of frugality.
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