What are somethings worth buying for the purpose of saving in the long run?

[warmastoast]

Some tips I found in a book written by a woman with a cleaning company which have saved me $$ over the last 18 months
General cleaning solution - cleans everything from floors to baths/showers/countertops/garden furniture
 Krud Kutter dilute it 1:5 for general cleaning, stronger if you need more cleaning power. 1 bottle lasts me 6+ months. Find it in the PAINT department...
http://www.lowes.com/pd_127398-90-KK0136L___?productId=50296429&pl=1&Ntt=krud+kutter
Use White vinegar for windows/mirrors/countertops
Costco car cleaning microfibre clothes/hand towels are way cheaper than buying through the grocery store.  Buy with a friend because you really don't need so many!

Crockpot +++
mini oven - in the summer I put it outside so that the kitchen doesn't get warmer from using the oven.  In France, many people have a basic "cuisine d'ete" (sorry no accents on this keboard) which is outside. Most French houses don't have a/c even in the south where it gets very warm in the summer.  They just know how to keep houses cool.

Learn how to sanitise your pool using household bleach.  First world problems....

[gardenarian]

Good stuff here! I'm making a list.

I really like the idea of using a spray bottle for diluted dish soap. I use Dr. Bronner's soap - looking forward to trying this out!
I've been using the foam soap pumps and they are great.

[APowers]

If your car is 1996 or newer, but doesn't have a real-time fuel economy gauge, a ScangaugeII or an UltraGauge or a bluetooth sender/smartphone app.

I tried two bluetooth OBD2 senders, and paired with the Torque app, they worked okay to meh to not at all (not sure if it was a problem with the dongle or with my phone). I finally splurged on a ScangaugeII, and it is really really nice. The real-time feedback is inordinately helpful for bumping up your gas mileage. Source: I deliver pizza in a '96 Civic and get 41 mpg.

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LED lightbulbs to replace your incandescents.

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An energy efficiency audit of your house. Sometimes local municipalities/utilities will do these for free, as they get credit for energy conservation efforts.

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Any tools that allow you to do your own work instead of hiring it out. For example, the proper wrenches/funnels/jackstands to allow you to change your own oil, brakes, etc. Often, the cost of buying the tools and materials is less than hiring someone else to do it once, and then forever after, you have the proper equipment to do it again and again for only the cost of materials.

[Kaybee]

Shoe shine kit - for those that have to wear nice shoes to work, shining your own shoes is fairly easy and saves money.

I was shocked one day when hanging out with a friend and her hubby when he mentioned he had to go to a mall to buy shoes since his work shoes were getting scuffed.  I commiserated that even with good care and polishing, even good shoes die eventually.  They both returned my comment with blank stares.  He and his wife had both been raised in wealthy homes and didn't realize you could polish shoes!!!! They didn't know anything about caring for shoes (they had seen polish-stands at airports but assumed it was just to clean them) so we hustled to the store and bough shoe polish and "accessories" and I showed them how to polish their shoes.

Its crazy how somethings that we just think of as commonplace are nowhere on the map for other people.

I don't really have any mind-blowing suggestions.  My friends once laughed when I bought a pair of Birks off a clearance rack for ($30) while they purchased $3 flipflops...that was 6 years ago and my Birks are nowhere near dying while they've all replaced those cheapie flipflops many times over so I'd just remind everyone that quality is worth it.

[Cranky]

I asked for (and got) a pressure canner for Christmas in 1973. That was a good investment! That's one of the few things that I don't see regularly at the thrift store, too.

I agree that canning jars are an excellent buy, but I rarely buy them new. I pick them up at yard sales or at the thrift store. I do give away a lot of jam/jelly, and every now and then I break down and buy some jelly jars.

Lots of other kitchen equipment is a good investment, but it's usually available secondhand...

[Cranky]

Oh, another one - a good basic sewing machine (second hand is better than WalMart model, if you don't have much to invest.)

Even if you only mend clothing and sew curtains, over the long haul, it's a good deal.

[catccc]

For mustachian parents, cloth diapers are a good money saver.  Just go workhorse (prefolds or flats and covers), not fancy (all-in-ones, pocket diapers) to maximize savings.  Plus the less expensive options are way easier to wash.

[meg_shannon]

For mustachian parents, cloth diapers are a good money saver.  Just go workhorse (prefolds or flats and covers), not fancy (all-in-ones, pocket diapers) to maximize savings.  Plus the less expensive options are way easier to wash.

I'll second the cloth diapers. I spent about 500$ total to diaper our child (including disposables while traveling and for a about a year when she was potty trained but not night trained). With some other mom friends we built up a huge semi-communal cloth diaper statsh that was mostly prefolds and covers with a few pockets. Since they were almost all still in decent condition after our kids were out of diapers, they have been recently passed on to a group of younger families in our area.

For my items:
 - chest freezer and pantry space
 - crockpot
 - sewing machine (okay the hobby part is not very frugal but I do repair a lot of our clothing and make kid gifts from scraps)
 - electric toothbrush (I have good teeth, but my spouse and child do not. The dentist has remarked that their teeth are showing less decay after switching. I'm aware that research shows that you can get similar results by properly using a manual tooth brush)
 - Minera IUD (no menstrual products needed, no unplanned babies)
 - sharp scissors for hair cutting (I cut my hair, formerly spent about 150$/year, and my daughter's hair, she's almost six and has never been to a barber/salon. My husband refuses to let me cut his hair, and won't learn how to do it himself.)
 - cast iron pan (it's practically nonstick now - I can fry eggs, make pancakes, etc. It cost 20$ and will last until I can't use it anymore. It gets used almost daily. I even brought it on vacation!)