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PC power supply.
Never, ever skimp on a power supply. Get one from a reputable brand and with a rating above what you may actually need.
A failed PSU can in principle wreak havoc on any other components in the system, many of which are far more expensive than the PSU itself.
Everything that is under you. Shoes, mattress, bike, car, desk chair etc.
Cheaping out on the above will cost you more in hospital and physical therapy bills.
Anything that connects me to the ground. Shoes, Mattress, Tires, etc.
Pretty much everything, nowadays.
I came across a saying "Buy nice or buy twice" and that resonated with me. Another variation I have seen is "Buy once, cry once".
Getting cheap trash that will fall apart in a few months that you will have to eventually re-buy isn't going to help, but that doesn't mean you buy gold-plated or diamond-encrusted items. Spending a little bit more for most items usually gets you something that will work better, last longer, or both. Good quality stuff is usually backed with good warranties too.
I spend my time researching to see what product is the best for me, look for deals online, or even buy used if I have to.
No problems paying for quality. We need more of it in this world. But when they market themselves as such but aren’t… now that ruffles my jimmies
Consumables are a great place to save. 99% of the time, the store brand cookie, or whatever, is mostly the same as the name brand. A lot of the time they're even coming from the same factory.
I generally only follow this for things that are luxuries anyway. If I'm buying tools I buy the cheapest, crappiest version of it I can find. Then if it breaks, it means I've probably used it enough to warrant the expensive version.
I use the saying quite often: "You can buy something nice, or you can buy something cheap and then something nice."
Sandpaper. Cheap sandpaper loads up, and wears out so fast that it's never worth the savings. Spend a bit more and it will last 3 to 5 times longer.
Recs? I just buy whatever home Depot is selling when I need to sand something.
I've never had much issue with Home Depots sandpaper. I get 3m when I can afford it. Avoid Harbor Freight sandpaper at all costs.
3M cubitron 2 is the best value to performance I've found and I'm buying it for a fabrication shop that goes through hundreds of discs a month on sanding aluminum, steel, and stainless steel.
PC power supplies. God, do not cheap out on them. That and a bed mattress. A good sleep is more important than money.
A good sleep is definitely more important than money - when you have money. Until you have money your sleep doesn't matter, you get to lay in the filth of others or sleep on a mattress that will slowly poison your lungs with fibreglass.
A computer chair.
As I get older my back is really happy that I spent a bit more on the chair I spend almost all my time in.
Not a product, but tattoos.
It hurts to hear the price from some artists, but you absolutely get what you pay for.
Hot dogs. I do not trust cheapo hot dogs.
Also, I rarely eat pop-tarts anymore, but when I do I get the name brand. I've never had an off brand pop-tart that wasn't complete garbage.
Office chairs are important, but people tend to overlook the rest of their office ergonomics. If you work at a computer you should spend money on an adjustable keyboard tray and monitor arms. Then buy a good ergonomic keyboard and vertical mouse or trackball to go with them. My back and wrists used to get sore by the end of the day. That hasn't happened since I upgraded my gear.
Dildos. I need one that has some mass and I can use as an improvised weapon when shit gets real.
Missed opportunity on your username!
The difference between cheap and quality here is really noticeable. But there's def a ceiling though.
I mean, the pure wand is like 150 monies and that thing will take down a bear and then take down a Bear
Food. I’ll give you everything else I own for food if I really need it.
Laptops that are designed to support Linux
Don’t forget laptops you can repair
But how are you supposed to learn kernel patching if everything works out of the box?
Cheese
toilet paper
Sushi
Generally I'd pay a little more for almost everything, unless I'm absolutely sure the cheap thing I'm about to buy has been a staple in the community and got recommended a tons. I found midrange priced stuff to be the sweet spot that give you a lot more quality and longevity compared to the cheap stuff, while not landing on the other end of diminishing return and overpay for something that's overkill for my needs.
It's pretty niche and it's not "a little more"..more like double...but as an equestrian I will always go big name for a saddle. Spent too many years compromising and there is SUCH a significant difference that I will never go sub $2000 for a new saddle.
Helmets
Tools. Life's too short to work with shit. Knifes. Bikes. Shoes. Same reason.
A good hair shampoo
HOTAS for flight simulators. I had a few cheap ones, but getting a quality one is simply worth the extra 50-100$.
Coffee beans for sure (gotta love freshly roasted specialty beans!), but also vegetables (organic & local are the best). Oh, and also headphones, for sure.
To me these are all totally worth it because the jump in quality is very noticeable. After a certain price point, though, the law of diminishing returns kicks in hard
Underwear and socks. PC desk, don't trust a 50$ folding table with your midlife crisis gaming rig.
Toilet paper
Anything that I will experience the use of a lot. Computer, shoes, daily bag, etc.
I think a daily takeout coffee that lasts just half an hour a day, on the other hand, is an expensive luxury.
So I'm a writer, and I've paid like $50+ for a software called Scrivener. I like Google Docs for the odd write up here and there. But when I'm writing something fiction, non-fiction, fanfiction, Google Docs slows TF down. That and Scrivener has different pages for each chapter, and character pages. I love it.
It's super expensive but I've been able to move the key from my laptop to my PC and I have it on another PC, I even bought the iPad version for $30aud. Like it's expensive but you only pay once and if you enter Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month -- you write 50k words in a month) you get a 10% discount and if you win you get 50% off. There's people who have won before who give out their win code.
Highly recommend Scrivener for my writing stuff.
Everything. Almost.
I'll go for $20 sunglasses because I lose them constantly and Costco cheap for a lot of stuff because they have enough customer service (that I won't exercise) to think it's not bottom of the barrel, but there's just a bunch of stuff where the money you save by buying the cheap version disappears when you have to replace it.
Specifically in terms of spending more than most would, my ereader is up there. It was like $700 for the discounted "refurb/open box/whatever" version, but it's 13.3" with great sharpness and Android so I can get content from a broader variety of services without jumping through hoops. It wouldn't be worth it for most people, but I've read enough books through it in the time that I owned it that I don't regret it at all (and wish I spent more for the newer version that has a light).
Honey and Olive Oil. Not always, because the good (i.e. real) stuff can get pretty expensive, but for uses where it's centre stage, the difference is massive.
I totally get why you might not but for me, quality underwear has been a great purchase. They last longer, breath better, stay put, and synthetic ones are washable in a sink in a pinch when traveling(I mean they all are but these dry really quick)
Disclaimer: my wife has a chronic neck injury.
Car! We've had Renaults for years, but last time we went for a BMW and the difference is night and day. My wife had to do lots of stretching exercises just to go and buy bread. In the BMW she can happily drive 5-6 hours with no (extra) discomfort.
Motor oil and oil filter. I only use mobil 1 and their extended life filter.
Edit to add: I don't know of any shop that will use that oil/filter so I do my own oil changes and even with the "expensive" oil (5 qt. jug from walmart is about $29 and free delivery) it is much cheaper to diy this than have it done.
ETA: Just looked up that price and I was off by $2 so updated it to $29.
