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I will spend an extra 2 dollars for name brand cheese because generic has a strange taste (to me) and doesn't melt smoothly.
I am also willing to pay an extra 2 dollars for name brand dish soap. The dollar dish soap lacks scent and lather and I end up using three times as much.
I get the generic paper plates, towels and toilet paper, as the quality is about the same, and I'm willing to sacrifice the thickness I would get with a name brand. (They last about the same)
What are some things that you consider too much of a sacrifice to be frugal over, and what products are worth the save?
" Do you sacrifice quality to be frugal? "
Not at all!
Frugal does not mean cheap or miserly.
I buy the best quality I can for the best price I can get.
In 1996 I bought a full length down coat. It was $180. My mother ripped me a new one for spending so much money.
I wore that coat each and every winter until 2012. 16 years. I replaced it with another full length down coat for $235......which I am still wearing.. and should last me well into the 2020's.
Now between 1996 and 2002, my mother - the known cheapskate- bought 5 winter coats averaging $45 each.
Never wore any of those coats after 2002.
So who was frugal?
Disposables........it's a mixed bag. Laundry detergent...........I still buy Tide.. on sale. It does get my clothes cleaner than the bargain brands - and I use less. Bar soap - I buy at a locally owned "bargain" store......it's made locally... and $1.00 for each huge french milled bar.... and it happens to be very nice soap too!
Toilet paper, I couldn't care less what kind it is. The cheaper the better. Otherwise, I tend to buy the best quality products I can afford. You pay more up front, but get more enjoyment and longevity. Things I will spend a lot of money on and still consider it to be worthwhile: shoes, clothing, bed sheets, towels, coffee, produce, meat, cheese, dairy, baked goods (I would rather have a very small quantity of something insanely good than a whole truckload of wonder bread), dog food (healthy dogs = less vet bills).
There is long list of products that differ widely in quality for relatively small differences in price. The fact is people are fairly capable of noticing things like food with an "off taste", clothes that have "poor fit", even generic / store brand disposable products that do not function as well as their name brand competition... (some offices have TP so thin that you got use a stack about ten sheets thick to prevent a "rip through" when used for its intended purpose, not only is that wasteful, it leads to clogged toilets and folks with septic tanks more frequently pumping them out ...).
At the other end of the spectrum there are quite a few "luxury brand" products that do not last any longer / function any better than the mid-priced equivlent but there are some that clearly are made with higher quality. If have had name brand winter jackets that outlast store brands by a factor of 3x or more and the cost difference, especially when the name brand goods are bought at end-of-season clearance prices, is minimal.
It takes a bit effort to learn which name brand products are worth it and which are not. Sadly for some brands the "value" is not uniform -- as some firms have subcontracted out more and more of their goods some brand names are essentially slapping their "label" on generic products. The best firms not only make most of their own goods but have a "Guaranteed -- PERIOD." policy. The more "exclusions" a firm has on their guaranty the greater the odds that quality just is not up to snuff.
" Do you sacrifice quality to be frugal? "
Not at all!
Frugal does not mean cheap or miserly.
I buy the best quality I can for the best price I can get.
I agree with this with the qualifier that I also take into consideration time and enjoyment of use. Sometimes I'll pay a little more even if I could have waited and gotten a better monetary deal because I felt like buying it sooner made us more likely to enjoy the use of it.
For instance, you can get clothes just about anywhere...thrift stores, Wal-Mart, Macy's or any other number of stores. Thrift stores cover the basics at a usually good price, but you are dependent upon whatever happens to come in that day. You can't always count on them to have right sizes, styles selections you need, etc. Wal-Mart also carries clothes. They are often limited on style, quality, and often are only good for one season of wear. Macy's is higher prices, more stylish, has some better quality clothes although you still have to watch for quality. But... Macys also tends to be closer to the beginning of trends of style and color, the styles last more than on or two years and you can find some really good deals if you buy off season or watch your sales. Same goes for someplace like REI or LLBean or Landsend, etc. You can buy their clothing that tends to more durable, classic in style, etc. and keep it for years of use.
If you are someone who values style over durability, it may may make sense to buy a new coat every year or two. You also have to have the cash flow, savings, etc., for one choice to be better than another. If your putting all of this on a credit card you can't afford, then it isn't frugal either. Frugal tends to be what works best for your lifestyle.
Some of my furnishings like my nice show the house bedding, were bought a few months after I discovered them because I made note of what I liked in the store and bought it a few months later for about 75% off. I have snow boots, and winter coats that were bought the same way. I needed clothes for my once in a lifetime type vacation last summer so I bought items that color coordinated well together, were mix and match, and allowed me to not carry as much stuff. I used discounts when I could, but I paid more than if I would have waited until later in the season. I had a goal of looking good in my vacation pictures and I did.
" Do you sacrifice quality to be frugal? "
Not at all!
Frugal does not mean cheap or miserly.
I buy the best quality I can for the best price I can get.
^^^^^ yes this
I also never skimp on food products, I use specific items and will not change no matter how costly.
Food preparation is an event and a joy in our home because Mr. CSD is diabetic so I prepare meals for his dietary needs, we have friends and family for a meal often and I generally cook for several days or a week at a time so almost everything is made in our kitchen and not a bunch of frozen, over processed store bought junk.
Quality is much more important to me than price. The winter coat example given above is a perfect analogy. I don't hunt for the cheapest thing, nor do I chase sales. It doesn't matter to me if the thing is "on sale" or not, if it's what I need at the time. If the item is too expensive, I'll simply do without. Chances are, I didn't need it anyway.
I have 3 pairs of Vasque Sundowner hiking boots. The Made in Italy ones, not the Made in China "China-downers" they have nowadays. I got them used but still in great condition. I think they are all at least 20 years old now, still in great shape. I got one pair for free, one for $14, one for $6.
It depends. Sometimes the name brand is best and sometimes it is not.
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