When to buy cheap and when to buy pricey. (dealers, sell, items)

[K-Luv]

Found this: this is the point I was trying to make:

Do You Need an Expensive Knife? - Science - ChefSteps

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

At home I use an 8" chef knife I got from BB&B for like $15 and a santoku I purchased from Costco for $8.

It wasn't my intention to imply that I spend $200 on a single knife on a regular basis. I don't.

I don't buy cheap crappy flimsy knives. A knife doesn't have to be expensive for me to buy it, but it does have to be good quality.

I think the most I ever spent on a knife was $40, and it's a knife I've used on a daily basis for many years.

[KonaKat]

Originally Posted by Albedo

My first approach to being frugal was to buy at low prices.The past some odd months I have been thinking that if you buy cheap on less quality things you will probably spend more later.What are the things that you don't skimp on? (Sale items excluded)

Almost everything is worth paying for quality merchandise. A few of at the top of my "do not skimp" list would be

shoes
linens
paint
vehicles
ink pens (I really hate crappy pens!)
pet food
my food
clothing
chocolate
hairstylist


Some things I do buy cheap might include some trendy outfit for a fast growing child, costume jewelry, decorative items I don't care to save.

I have to qualify all those premium purchases with the caveat that you take good care of your items as well. My jeep goes to the dealership for everything including the oil change. With an original owner warranty I'm not taking any chances.

[Tober138]

Originally Posted by stan4

I don't ever buy cheap. I buy quality (that may be cheap or that may be expensive).

Same here. And if I am looking to make a larger, more expensive purchase of a given type of item - I do my research, figure out which particular brand / model / etc. is going to best suit my needs, and then I'll look to get the best deal I can on that item.

[selhars]

I know this is an old thread, but...

I have worked as a cook/chef for 16 years and have only come across a handful of people who actually use $200+ knives. Most cooks just use the cheaper stuff you can get from restaurant supply stores and it is more important to keep the knife sharp anyways. As long as it is not too light and flimsy you are good to go.

At home I use an 8" chef knife I got from BB&B for like $15 and a santoku I purchased from Costco for $8.

I admit that I like Cutco and Henckels. And I thought they were expensive. Then I read that a knife owned by the late Chef/TV personality Tony Bourdain had a custom Bob Kramer knife that sold at auction sold for $231,250.

Seeing that I had to look up who the hell Bob Kramer is. The bladesmith's new custom knives are only sold on his site -- by auction to the highest bidder....and sell for hundreds of dollars each at minimum. Even his licensed Henckel knives are hundreds of dollars each.

Just when I think I've upped my game, I find out there's another level of luxury and price points I've never even thought of.....

[tickyul]

I try not to buy anything that is total junk. I mainly look for things that are super-megagiga cheap and also decent quality.

I Do not buy Snap On tools, but will not buy tools that will not do the job and will not last.

I like cheap meals....but no way am I going to eat junk like top-ramen in order to save a few pennies.

[sholomar]

I try to get 80% of the quality for 20% of the price. Things like washers and refrigerators tend to have the same build quality or lifespan whether you spend $500 or $2000. Cars are similar. I got an LG OLED TV so obviously I will aim for quality when I think I'll get my moneys worth. The black levels made it worth it .. Also has 3D support (few years old now)

[don6170]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Tools for sure! It's so easy to think "Well I only need it for this one project" and get the off brand, the lower powered one, or the one with proprietary parts. If you truly will need it for just one project, then rent a quality one.

Same here. You don't want to have to buy something twice. Too bad many of the Sears stores have closed. Craftsman hand tools were very high quality, though I think you can now get them at Ace and Lowes.

Originally Posted by Sarahsez

I rarely shop at Wal-Mart. They took a quality dive several years back. I did some price checks between them and the competition. The competition was often less expensive and had better quality meat and produce.

What quality has decreased? They carry national brands and are a big player in organics these days.
Where did you price compare?

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by sholomar

I got an LG OLED TV so obviously I will aim for quality when I think I'll get my moneys worth. The black levels made it worth it .. Also has 3D support (few years old now)

We went down the tv rabbit hole a little while back. The LG OLEDs were comparable to the Sony version- LG even supplies a lot of components to Sony- but were 30% or so cheaper. Will not do Samsung TVs because they seem to have poor quality control in so many of their product lines and we try to buy electronics for the long haul.

[Lillie767]

Don't confuse cheap with inexpensive. Cheap refers to the price whilst inexpensive refers to value.