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Paying up for better quality items


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What products do board members pay up for in order to have A better quality item and something that will last several years?  Basically to save money in the long run.

 

I have gotten more comfortable paying up for blue jeans.  A pair of Levi's normally last 18 months max.  Mavi jeans cost 2x as much but so far has lasted 5x longer.  They actually still look brand new.  Guess I should send a thank you card to an ex girlfriend telling me to not be such a tight ass.

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Lol,  I pay up for a few things:

 

Ultralight backpacking equipment

 

Vehicles - I pay a reasonable price to get a High Quality Vehicle - There is nothing I hate worse than going to the repair garage and being forced to pay up when you dont expect it. 

 

Insurance - drivers & household - I dont buy it based on price so much as knowing the coverage will be unquestioned.

 

My Ipad - the most useful tool I have ever owned. 

 

Vacations - Prefer adventure travel to cruises, or beach vacations. 

 

These days I look at online reviews for larger items I am looking at.  Basically trying to get price for value

 

Sex... Oooops...... :-).

 

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I've found through experience that it's worth paying more for a higher quality camera. I've owned a low-end Fujifilm and Sony point-and-shoot, both weren't worth it. Canon is good for point-and-shoot and DSLR, worth paying for.

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What products do board members pay up for in order to have A better quality item and something that will last several years?  Basically to save money in the long run.

 

I have gotten more comfortable paying up for blue jeans.  A pair of Levi's normally last 18 months max.  Mavi jeans cost 2x as much but so far has lasted 5x longer.  They actually still look brand new.  Guess I should send a thank you card to an ex girlfriend telling me to not be such a tight ass.

 

Things I've reluctantly learned to pay up for:

 

Clothes that fit properly. As an oddly-sized dude, this is often more of a time investment than a $ investment, but I will also happily spend more.

 

Home renovations. Our first couple of renos, I did all of the work myself, and selected materials largely on price. I wouldn't do that again in any place I planned to stay in for a long time.

 

Healthy food. This is mostly my wife's doing, but we now buy almost everything organic.

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Tools- there is something to be said for quality hand and power tools.

 

Having a Macbook and a good phone are also invaluable.

 

Any suggestions with a particular brand with tools?  Use to be strictly Craftsman (hand tools), with them using cheaper metal might look around a little if I ever need a new socket set.  For power tools really like Makita.  Cordless drill bought over 10 years ago still works like a charm.

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Tools- there is something to be said for quality hand and power tools.

 

Having a Macbook and a good phone are also invaluable.

 

Any suggestions with a particular brand with tools?  Use to be strictly Craftsman (hand tools), with them using cheaper metal might look around a little if I ever need a new socket set.  For power tools really like Makita.  Cordless drill bought almost 20 years ago still works like a charm.

 

My uncle has a Makita drill that he has used almost daily for about 20 years as well. That said, I am a fan of Dewalt for power tools. Hand tools really vary based on what it is; I generally really like craftsman as a rule of thumb, but, have been impressed by select Kobalt stuff. Snap-on is really well made as well. I am a big fan of stihl for chainsaws and such.

 

These new sockets from Craftsman look really neat, actually (and I think that there is a 51 piece set). 

http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-19pc-universal-max-axess-socket-and-ratchet/p-00931088000P?keyword=universal+socket+ratchet&prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=L1

 

 

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General principle, although there are exceptions to it: pay more for what you use most, and pay less for what you use least.

 

For example, say you use our computer and cell phone more than almost anything else (I think this is the case for most of us on this board). Get the best of the best when it comes to these items, because you will derive a lot of satisfaction from it and really benefit from the extras that you're paying up for.

 

On the other hand, say you rarely use your car, then maybe it's not something you should spend much money on - especially as it depreciates quickly.

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Guest bengrahamofthenorth

I agree, I paid up for my macbook 3.5 years ago. It's incredible and i could never switch back to a pc. (disclosure:long aapl).

 

I've also started paying up for clothes too.

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General principle, although there are exceptions to it: pay more for what you use most, and pay less for what you use least.

 

For example, say you use our computer and cell phone more than almost anything else (I think this is the case for most of us on this board). Get the best of the best when it comes to these items, because you will derive a lot of satisfaction from it and really benefit from the extras that you're paying up for.

 

On the other hand, say you rarely use your car, then maybe it's not something you should spend much money on - especially as it depreciates quickly.

 

VERY well put.

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General principle, although there are exceptions to it: pay more for what you use most, and pay less for what you use least.

 

For example, say you use our computer and cell phone more than almost anything else (I think this is the case for most of us on this board). Get the best of the best when it comes to these items, because you will derive a lot of satisfaction from it and really benefit from the extras that you're paying up for.

 

On the other hand, say you rarely use your car, then maybe it's not something you should spend much money on - especially as it depreciates quickly.

 

Words to live buy.

 

I just paid up for a new HTC smart phone, best money I have spent in a while. Same for some mid range headphones. Also started paying up for cloths, and believe if you are reasonable they will pay for themselves in various ways.

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General principle, although there are exceptions to it: pay more for what you use most, and pay less for what you use least.

 

For example, say you use our computer and cell phone more than almost anything else (I think this is the case for most of us on this board). Get the best of the best when it comes to these items, because you will derive a lot of satisfaction from it and really benefit from the extras that you're paying up for.

 

On the other hand, say you rarely use your car, then maybe it's not something you should spend much money on - especially as it depreciates quickly.

 

 

Yep.  I always say that you should be prepared to drop some good money when buying your bed because you use it 6 or 8 hours per day.

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General principle, although there are exceptions to it: pay more for what you use most, and pay less for what you use least.

 

Yes, a very good principle to follow.  So take it to its logical conclusion and pay up for one of the best investments you can make:

 

A high quality Mattress! 

 

 

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Great topic.

 

Great mattress - I own a Hastens mattress and it's one of the best investments I have ever made. You spend 1/3 of your life sleeping. I find I am very productive after a good night's sleep.

 

Clothes - I'm taking the approach of buying fewer clothes but of far higher quality. ie- Brax jeans fit better, last longer, and don't color fade as quickly as other jeans. Custom made shirts. I prefer Nike clothing over Under Armor.

 

Comfortable reading chair - Going to purchase an Ekornes Stressless chair. I've found no other chair as comfortable.

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General principle, although there are exceptions to it: pay more for what you use most, and pay less for what you use least.

 

For example, say you use our computer and cell phone more than almost anything else (I think this is the case for most of us on this board). Get the best of the best when it comes to these items, because you will derive a lot of satisfaction from it and really benefit from the extras that you're paying up for.

 

On the other hand, say you rarely use your car, then maybe it's not something you should spend much money on - especially as it depreciates quickly.

 

Very well put.

 

Hair cut. For 6 years I ended up driving 120 miles round trip to get a haircut from a person who knows how to cut my hair just the way I like.

 

Vinod

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I agree, I paid up for my macbook 3.5 years ago. It's incredible and i could never switch back to a pc. (disclosure:long aapl).

 

 

I did the opposite -- last week I ditched the Macbook and bought an HP laptop with fingerprint login (the fingerprint login alone is a convenience that made it worthwhile).

 

That puts an end to the two year chapter of frustration in my life of trying to figure out how to work that stupid thing (I know a lot about Windows and it drove me crazy at times not knowing how to do various tasks with MacBook, or being forced to use Perl in the absence of a Jscript engine).

 

The thing that bothered me the most is that they cut it from a block of aluminum so that the edges would rub the underside of my wrists raw.  Would it kill these guys to bevel the edges of the laptop for comfort?

 

The Apple designers would have women wearing corsettes again if it were stylish.

 

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I don't pay up for much except the electronics that I use all day long.

 

I have a Mac Mini connected to my living room TV and stereo, a Macbook laptop, a Mac Pro workstation (connected to a 27 inch, IPS LCD screen at 2560x1440), and an iPad 3. Very happy with all of them.

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Great mattress - I own a Hastens mattress and it's one of the best investments I have ever made. You spend 1/3 of your life sleeping.

 

And, looking at the prices, the rest of it paying for it:).

 

Best,

Ragu

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Tools are usually what's more important to pay for. By tools I mean in the broad sense, pens, computers, power tools, etc... There is nothing more frustrating then trying to do something with a tool that does not work properly.

 

BeerBaron

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It's interesting (but not surprising) that none on this board has talked about paying up for a TV?  I guess the crowd here reads more than watching TV.  I don't have a TV yet (not in a hurry to buy one either).

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Vacations - Prefer adventure travel to cruises, or beach vacations. 

Lucky for you adventure travel is one of the cheapest ways to travel!

Healthy food. This is mostly my wife's doing, but we now buy almost everything organic.

You might want to check some scientific evidence. To quote wikipedia @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food:

The weight of the available scientific evidence has not shown a significant difference between organic and more conventionally grown food in terms of safety,[2][3][4] nutritional value,[3][5][6] or taste.[4][3]

 

Tools- there is something to be said for quality hand and power tools.

Probably not true for most people; you don't need some high-end durable tool if you use it once a year.

General principle, although there are exceptions to it: pay more for what you use most, and pay less for what you use least

Agree with this a lot

A high quality Mattress! 

And a high quality desk chair!

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And a high quality desk chair!

 

i have a Humanscale Freedom chair that I paid up for and it's great, but since then I switched to a standing deak configuration, so it doesn't get as much use...

 

I highly recommend standing desks! We haven't evolved to sit so much...

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i have a Humanscale Freedom chair that I paid up for and it's great, but since the I switched to a standing deak configuration, so it doesn't get as much use...

 

I highly recommend standing desks! We haven't evolved to sit so much...

 

I've been thinking about a standing desk.  Can you say more about the experience?

 

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