Things that you should always spend alot more money on..

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951265#Comment_117951265

With a lot of things:

The cheapest 20% are going to be dodgy

The dearest 20% are going to be price-for-name

Review around the middle 60 mostly.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117950803#Comment_117950803

there is a saying that goes always buy the worst house in the best area.

enricoh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117950549#Comment_117950549

A mate of mine gave me a cup of coffee that had been made from beans that had been eaten and crapped out by some animal in Indonesia! E60 for a 250g of em. He was disgusted when I said it was grand.

There should always be someone out there to milk suckers dry!

enricoh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117950967#Comment_117950967

High grade coke, you'll have to throw the hookers out to get rid of them!

Best to spend on any tool you use for work. My job has gone down the line of single use items..urghh

whisky_galore

Construction materials, doors, windows even down to paint etc, the reason many developments here look super sh1t after a few years using bargain basement crap. I've seen apartments built in the last Tiger falling apart with sub standard rubbish used in them, window handles breaking and fixtures falling off with normal use.

Of course mr developer has long laughed all his way to the bank by then.

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951349#Comment_117951349

Get to Know fabrics and look at care labels

i recently bought a jacket in a poor fabric from Dunnes. It looked awful after one wear and fit only for the bin. Very annoyed with myself I should know better.

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117950978#Comment_117950978

Mattresses, tools and insulation.

I gave up trying to explain to Mrs Corners sister recently over how important insulation is when she converted her garage into a TV room.

She managed to convert her garage into an icebox because she wouldn't pay for insulation.

iamstop

Time Travel and Space Travel.

Mad_maxx

Toilet paper

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951975#Comment_117951975

Papering over the cracks if you don’t.

micosoft

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951265#Comment_117951265

I always separate quality & cost and look for brands that are medium cost but high quality. Most brands are medium cost and low quality these days. Low cost low quality is what it is (Penny's) and High Cost High Quality is obvious (Hermes) but the watch out for is medium cost low quality and the thing to spot is medium Cost high quality.

Pennys - Low Cost Low Quality

Ikea - Medium Cost Low Quality

Ted Baker - Medium Cost Low Quality

Arcteryx - Medium Cost High Quality

Hermes - High Cost High Quality

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117950967#Comment_117950967

I'm going to suggest an inverse relationship between looks and lasting 😬

Jequ0n

Lawyers.

sheepondrugs

+1 Tools

Drill bits

Paint

Atlantic Dawn

Another one, your 'main television', avoid anything but high end premium brands, otherwise you will get some useless user interface and remote control designed for children in a creche that will wreck your head every single day of it's 10 years or so lifespan.

Sgt Hartman

Definitely toilet paper and kitchen paper. You have to use twice as much of the cheap stuff so it's totally false economy.

Underwear also, the cheap stuff either starts slipping down or disappearing up your bum crack after a couple of months.

DIY materials for the house, I only get the best quality paint, filler and good strong Tek 7 sealant. My local Euro store do this awful "sealant" at €2 a bottle which I think is just made from chalk and water. I don't understand how the manufacturers can get away with making such shite. Although if I'm using a thick oil based paint I would just buy the cheap €2 paint brushes and chuck them away afterwards.

Phones also, a cheap phone with low RAM will start chugging and freezing after a few months. Even a mid level Samsung phone is far superior and will last you ages if you take good care of it.

And lastly food, in Lidl I usually go for the "deluxe" range or in Tesco the "Finest" range, especially when it comes to meat although I'd normally buy meat from the butcher. In the supermarket I'd normally go for the Irish Angus beef or a free range or corn fed chicken. Heinz beans and ketchup are far better than the cheaper brands. The Tesco value beans are hard and watery and the cheap ketchup is like vinegar. Bread also, a good quality expensive loaf is far better than the cheap crumbly stuff. I also go for the more expensive sausages and Clonakilty/butcher's own black pudding. Decent high cocoa chocolate is far superior to the mainstream brands also. At home I have a big 2.5kg bag of Callebaut 38% cocoa Belgian milk chocolate chips. I've brought a few into work with me today for an afternoon sugar hit. They're amazing :)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117951864#Comment_117951864

Little money saving tip here is to travel into the future so that most of the cost is inflated away. And remember to bring money back from the future to cover any final charges. I traveled to 3056 recently with Aer Lingus and when all is said and done I estimate that I made a profit of EUR10 million on the trip.

Exotic pets.

blue note

For lots of things, clothes in particular, some people can be seriously misguided on the "you get what you pay for" principle. If you buy the cheapest stuff, it's pretty much guaranteed to be rubbish. Your motivating factor to buy it was price, you did so knowing it will probably be rubbish so they've no motivation to make it decent quality. All that would do is raise the price which will mean that you won't buy it.

But once you move away from the really cheap stuff - quality can be a bit of a lottery. I'm wearing a jumper now that I got about 15 years ago for around €30 (full price). The cuffs have just started to fray now. Whereas I've gone through many jumpers in that time that would have cost far more. In terms of something lasting - I do like to choose based on brands I've had a good experience with. For clothes - Tommy Hilfiger stuff just tends to last for me. It's pricey, but if I get it on sale it will be reasonable and I'll expect to have it for years. For what I get, I'd consider the price to be very reasonable.

The one thing I think people should watch out for now is buying things on sale. Basically, most things are bought on sale now as far as I can see. In TK Max we have a shop that is just reduced price items. But are they really reduced price, or were they actually made to be sold at that price and the reduction is just a sales technique? Spoiler: it's the latter! Even if it's a brand you know, TK Max is probably a way for that company to sell to people not willing to pay full price for their stuff without really damaging their brand. But if you're buying an expensive brand at an inexpensive price, they've cut costs to sell it at that price.

The other point I'll make is that getting high quality items is all well and good - but do you always need them? My garden is the best example. I have a relatively small back garden and a no maintenance front. I buy most of my gardening tools in lidl, because they hardly get the use. I'm not ploughing fields or pruning an orchard. I'll plant a few flowers / foods each year, trim the hedges maybe twice a year, etc. I could buy the best of the best and my tools would be perfect in 30 years time. But that's because after 30 years they'd probably have had a tiny fraction of the use they were designed for. Whereas I'd say most of the lidl stuff will still be fine, because they're still only getting used a few times a year. My hedge trimmer will probably have been used 60 - 90 times by then. It's probably designed to last a lot longer than that. Ski clothes is another example. I remember a poster from Switzerland say that you'd spot the tourist on the mountains because they'd have the top of the range stuff that would keep you warm 3,500 metres up, but they'd be cruising along on the lower slopes. Meanwhile the locals would just layer up for whatever they're going out in.

fortwilliam

Your pension.

As much as you can afford while you can...your future you will thank yourself.

Strumms

100% on clothing....

buying stuff in the likes of Primark, it might look stylish-ish depending but it doesn’t generally last, a few wears, washes... done...buy cheap clothes is a false economy.... bought some boxers just at the start of pandemic, falling apart after a few months... Hugo Boss / French Connection, underwear, t-shirts, two jackets and a top that I bought around the same time are in perfect condition, held their colors ....a few bob spent on em but I’ll have them for a while... value.

Mister Vain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117953315#Comment_117953315

It depends. Shoes and runners out of Primark will last no length. I got some cheap sweaters and hoodies out of it that lasted years. I spent 90 euro on a pair of Nike runners that lasted 10 years and I spent the same amount on a pair of Skechers that fell apart after a year.

Ray Palmer

Mattress and bed, you spend a third of your day in it. Chairs and sofa as you spend a good portion of your time on them.

People saying clothes is a bit strange, why anybody pays full price for clothing is strange to me. There is always a sale or discount stores like TK Maxx. I don't think I paid full price for any clothes in the last 20 years. High prices on clothes are rarely to do with quality and more to do with branding.

People are often snobby about brands rather than quality.

My advice to anybody decorating a house is not to buy the latest fashion but pick an old style you like. It won't ever look dated as such because it has a theme. You will save a fortune in furniture and decorating and have a more stylish home. You may even make money on the furniture rather than just throwing it out. Antique furniture is not really very expensive but built to last. Mid century furniture has done me well, I wouldn't buy a €2k coffee table but I have one that I bought for €10 15 years ago

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117953008#Comment_117953008

I worked in fashion retail software. It is true that their are lesser version of clothes by the same brand. However storage is very expensive long term so they sell off excess stock to the likes of TK Maxx at a huge discount. That is primarily how they get their stock and the quality is no different. There is some market protection by brands like Burberry who destroy their excess stock. Other brands sell to TK Maxx on conditions about where it can be sold so as not to effect their premium prices. So lesser know brands appear here where they don't sell the brand at a premium. Lidl do this with their beer a lot often selling great German beers they won't sell at a discount in Germany. Fashion retail make their money on selling the first few items at a premium, out of 20 shirts the first 3 will make a profit for the entire 20 but hanging onto 17 in your ware house eats into the profit so you sell them cheaper eventually throwing them out if not sold.

Housefree

It's not like any brand is making their own clothes, they are constantly changing outsourcing suppliers & quality, you can't just depend on a brand name. Years ago when the factory In India collapsed they named all the fancy brands & Penny's, same stuff, different label & price tag

Mister Vain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117953638#Comment_117953638

I agree with you on the clothes but I hate shopping in TK Maxx. They usually have about 5000 items of clothing squashed into the one rack. 😆

Housefree

TK Maxx uses its own fancy sounded brands made exclusively for it, an expose documentary a few years back uncovered all their practices, loads of own branded products & designer brands made for outlets mixed, the whole jumble sale look of the place is by design, it gives the consumer the feeling they have found a bit of treasure buried

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117954354#Comment_117954354

I've always hated TXmaxx, horrible clothes, I never found anything I liked in that glorified jumble sale.

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117954354#Comment_117954354

Do you know the name of the documentary? If it is the one I think it is you may have mixed up some details. Exposed may be wrong as it is something they admit to doing. Gap and others were more exposed with their outlet stores where they produced lesser version of their clothes by changing buttons,fabric and general quality. We don't really have outlet stores here so don't have that issue.

Either way it doesn't matter there are online stores that sell clearance stock and shops have sales. Unless you are into the latest fashion there isn't much point paying full price for clothes. Clearance stock is a very real thing. Another very real thing is fabric sprays that make clothes feel more expensive and look a bit better, costs very little to produce but they massively increase the price but the effect disappears after a few washes. High end labels use it a lot. Have seen all this through their purchasing systems which are actually really complicated ordering about a year in advance of sales.