Buying better but way more expensive things...

[Blissful Biker]

I am firmly in the buy quality camp.  We have embraced the beauty of a simple life and are averse to collecting "stuff".  So any purchase that makes it in the house is robust, timeless and to quote marie kondo "sparks joy".   We need so little and want so little that thankfully price is almost irrelevant.

[sequoia]

I bought a very very expensive mattress. Several thousand worth. I have a long term back injury and the mattress has changed my sleep completely. I'd tried one at a friend's place when I was baby sitting and it was completely fantastic, so I knew what I was getting. People's mouths drop when they ask how much it was, but considering that it has actually, literally changed my life, I don't regret it for a second. If you don't have constant low level pain, you might not understand. If you do, you'll know just how valuable it is to be rid of it!

Would you mind sharing the mattress name?

For whatever it is worth, Tempurpedic mattress is very good for my wife who has a back problem . It was highly recommended by her doctor which is why we bought it. Also when she was delivering our son, the local hospital has the same mattress in their maternity unit. The hospital also said the same thing, that the mattress is good for people with back problems.

I do not work for Tempurpedic, just a happy owner. 

[ROF Expat]

Fishindude,

Most mid to high end fishing rods carry generous warranties.  To my mind, this is one of the reasons to buy expensive rods.  Most high end fly rods (and I assume spinning rods, too) have a lifetime warranty for manufacturing defects, and many have no fault warranties that replace rods even if you break them in a car door.  Typically, you pay a fee for shipping and handling.  Temple Fork Outfitters just replaced my several year old fly rod for a $35 fee (which included return shipping).  They replaced it with no questions and no hassle.  I suppose this is built into the cost of the rod to begin with, but I like knowing that if I break a rod, I'm not going to be out several hundred dollars.  I can't speak to the GLoomis warranty specifically, but they make great rods (I have an old GLX that I love) and I would be surprised if they wouldn't repair or replace an accidentally broken rod for a nominal price. 

In general, I tend to lean towards the higher grade products as they generally perform better and last longer.
Always buy high grade tools and equipment, never the cheap stuff.
Big fan of the Duluth clothing products too, own a bunch of it, also like LL Bean.   Carhart stuff isn't as good as it used to be, but I still like their brown duck coveralls, coats and bibs for winter work.
I like nice fishing equipment, but can't justify purchasing $200+ Loomis and other high grade rods when I tend to bust one occasionally.  I use mid grade rods with high grade reels.
Don't see the value in granite countertops.  Nothing you can do on them that you can't do on Corian or Laminate with a little common sense, for a fraction of the money.
I like heavy duty furniture because it holds up so much better, but it's getting difficult to find.

[marble_faun]

Yes, I definitely will pay more for good-quality things!

I have developed a set of rules for purchasing objects. The main one is that I pay close attention to the materials and quality of craftsmanship.

After so many years of buying acrylic sweaters that pilled after one or two wears, I'll pay more for wool or cashmere. After dealing with cheap MDF shelves that bend under the weight of a few books, I now will only buy solid wooden furniture. Etc.

It helps that these rules help me maintain a Mustachian kind of attitude toward shopping and consumer culture. I evaluate each potential purchase, only to realize (90% of the time) how shoddy it is.  I imagine what the object will look like in 5-10 years, all broken and falling apart, heaved in a dumpster. This train of thought interrupts most impulse buys.

To me, there's also an environmental aspect. I don't want to clutter the world and waste natural resources on more cheap junk. I'd rather invest in a good, quality object that will last for years -- ideally a lifetime.

[PhrugalPhan]

Tempurpedic mattress - I think when we bought it several years ago, it has 20 or 25 yr warranty. Worth every penny, and would do it again in a heart beat. I know some people do not like it, but we love ours.

I've had one for 18 years and it still feels like new.  Of course I got it at a deep discount so it was a great purchase.  Its one thing I do recommend even with its high price.

[Digital Dogma]

I try to buy the most durrable items I can for daily use, with a well defined cost per use in mind.

Things like my phone, pc, watch, or transportation I'll spend more for more value if it can be clearly defined. That means cost per mile for a vehicle, years of reliable operation for a watch, or years to obsolescence for PC hardware or a cell phone operating system.

I think this approach balances my wants, my needs, my waste, and my maintenance requirements well.

[Mezzie]

I got an expensive mattress and eradicated nearly all my sleep-related pain.

I have a few excellent fountain pens, fountain highlighters, refillable white board markers, refillable markers, a refillable rollerball, a refillable ballpoint, and a good mechanical pencil. I take good care of them and don't have to buy writing utensils anymore. The shape and weight of my pens also allows my arthritic hands to write for hours without pain. (Writing is part of my living, so this is a big deal for me.)

Our pots and cast iron were probably middle-of-the-road price, but well worth it. Some of them are 25 years old now and would be mistaken for new. They cook everything evenly. Well worth it.

I have hardbounds of my favorite books so they survive multiple rereadings.

I have an excellent quality hiking wheelchair. Tht thing will survive anything and is very easy to repair (or so says my brother-in-law who does the repairing). It was NOT cheap at all, and it requires arm strength I don't always have, but man... it's amazing.

I have a mid-range mobility scooter: light enough for me to take apart and put in my car (the heftier ones are too heavy), sturdy enough for my general use, and easy to repair.

[CatamaranSailor]

For me, reasearching quality brands and knowing when something is a genuinley good value has worked well, especially when shopping at garage sales and thrift stores. Your will always score better deals if your patient and don't "need" something right now.

I wanted to do a home theater setup, but was not interested in paying the prices most people pay for surround sound, LCD projectors and screens. But I researched and kept my eye out. In the last six months I bought:

Onkyo surround sound receiver for $20.00 (Older model..5.1 surround instead of latest, but works perfectly). Retail: $499.00

Yamaha sub woofer for $15.00 Retail: $299.00

Jensen speakers. I paid $10.00 No idea on retail, but a lot and the sound awesome.

LCD projector: Free. Again, not the latest and greatest, put works perfectly and came with a spare lamp!

Built my own screen for >$100.00 The only reason I spent that much was because I wanted a professional quality screen, so I splurged and bought blackout cloth and trimmed it with. It's 8 feet wide and 4 feet tall.

Used an old laptop I'd repaired (again, got it free) and set up Plex.

By the time I'm all finished we should have a very decent setup for around $200.00

We have also scored a Kitchen Aid mixer for $25 and a Nespresso coffee machine for $20 (Both retail for over $300).

All of our furniture is solid wood, Thomsaville or the like and all if it purchased for 80% off retail through Craigslist or garage sales.

Patience is the key to getting quality AND a great deal. I know every single time I've gotten impatient, I've spent wayy more and regretted it.

[Dragonswan]

1986-1987 purchased a set of Thermocore pots and pans with a lifetime warranty for $500. Still going strong.  Circa 1990 bought the equivalent of a set of Ginsu knives they promised would never need sharpening.  I can still cut vegetables like they came out of the food processor, except my knives can slice tomatoes.  You humans, adorable and useful...

[o2bfree]

- Rockport shoes I buy are more expensive than most but last for years despite walking 4-5 miles a day in them and standing for up to 8 hours a day. Yeah I know they aren't stylish and I don't care.

I'm switching to Rockports and other more expensive brands, too. Gave away all my cheaper work shoes and flat flip-flops after learning that those slight humps on the sides of my big-toe joint that I never thought much about are bunions. Poor quality shoes can make them worse, and bunion surgery can be expensive and time-consuming. So for the long haul, I don't feel bad about spending $100 or more on a pair of work shoes or $60 for a solid pair of flip-flops with arch support. And Rockport and other makers of comfort shoes are starting to come on line with better-looking styles.

[JLee]

It's easy to cheap out on guns, but the only ones I have pulling nightstand duty are my Glocks and occasionally a tuned Saiga 12. FTF and FTL at the range is one thing, but not when something goes bump in the night!

Glocks are on the inexpensive side of handguns, IMO. Also absurdly reliable!

[aceyou]

Blender - Bought used Vitamix on craiglist for $200.  We use it all the time and it's amazing.  Could sell it for $200 still years later if we wanted.

$250 bike for 5yo son.  Couldn't believe we spent that much on a five year old's bike, but he can keep up with my wife and I and rides it all the time and will get a good 3 years out of it.  Been a great purchase.  uses it many times every day. 

pillow - The right pillow for you is worth whatever it costs.  Mine ended up being $25 dollars, but I'd have gladly paid more. 

One or two high quality knives.

quality shoes.

[YogiKitti]

I find a good middle ground is to buy used. You can see how well the item holds up and if it is worth it. Of course, you can't buy everything used.

I do try to follow the mindset of buying quality, but not relating the price to that. Sometimes the high price item isn't even marginally better than the cheap version.

A good example of this is some friends I had. During the same time period, they replaced their crappy cheap stuff 3-5 times where my husband and I paid more upfront, but less overall because we looked for quality and not just the cheapest option.

[Arktinkerer]

I find a good middle ground is to buy used. You can see how well the item holds up and if it is worth it. Of course, you can't buy everything used.

I do try to follow the mindset of buying quality, but not relating the price to that. Sometimes the high price item isn't even marginally better than the cheap version.

A good example of this is some friends I had. During the same time period, they replaced their crappy cheap stuff 3-5 times where my husband and I paid more upfront, but less overall because we looked for quality and not just the cheapest option.

This is pretty straightforward.  What got me to start this thread is the work pants I bought were like triple the cost of new jeans and 10x the cost of used ones.  I'm betting they will last 3x longer than regular jeans but not 10x longer than used ones.  But then there is the hassle of having to find and replace them, the aggravation of dealing with the torn pockets (can you tell pockets is a big thing for me???), and the better utility of these.  The only downside I can see is they look so nice compared to my old ones I hate to get paint and grease on them!  But I think I'll eventually get over that!

[ooeei]

I know we all try and get the best deal, and not always the cheapest price, for our dollar.  Lately I've bought two things (well some of one was a gift) that have brought me some satisfaction even though I'm not positive that it really is the most bang for the buck--

Rigid had their cordless tools on sale for Christmas.  Family bought me some, I was going to buy them so I shifted and bought a cordless multitool with all sorts of attachments. Lifetime warranty, even batteries if they were part of a set!  Nice solid tools with good adjustments and plenty of power.  Quick to charge.  Compared to my old ones that cost much less but got replaced every year or two these are awesome.

Splurged on some Duluth firehose workpants.  I'm impressed so far. Lots of pockets and heavy material. The heavy material is used for the front pockets so maybe no more holes like I got in the thin cotton pockets of my jeans. 

Now granted, I bought these all on sale but they still cost way more (3X+) what I normally buy.  I have to admit I am pleased with them.  Now I'm wondering if I "cheaped out" on other things that were worth the premium price.  Anyone think I'm nuts for splurging on these?  What have you purchased that seemed too high a premium price but that you decided later was worth it?

Keep in mind that Rigid warranty is only valid if you mail in the registration info in time.  I was lazy when I got mine in college and didn't do it, now I'm kicking myself.  I also think it only applies to manufacturing defects after 3 years, not normal wear and tear, which battery problems will almost certainly be. 

I've had my drill for probably 7 years now and it works fine with the relatively low amount of use it gets.

[trollwithamustache]

I've been thinking about the Big Green Egg. There's a lifetime guarantee, but I don't think I've eaten enough grilled hamburgers in my lifetime to justify the price. And you can only use their name brand products with it.

I could bake a cake with it, but would I? Naw.

In general the more you use something the more its worth buying quality. The egg is incredible and likely worth it. My uncle has one and we've chained him in his backyard to smoke meats for the fam all summer.

Seriously, the egg costs more, but it uses way less charcoal and slow cooks cheap/low quality meat cuts into sweet tender BBQ bro-mance food.  The expense one comes with some back end savings here.

[sequoia]

I've been thinking about the Big Green Egg. There's a lifetime guarantee, but I don't think I've eaten enough grilled hamburgers in my lifetime to justify the price. And you can only use their name brand products with it.

I could bake a cake with it, but would I? Naw.

In general the more you use something the more its worth buying quality. The egg is incredible and likely worth it. My uncle has one and we've chained him in his backyard to smoke meats for the fam all summer.

Seriously, the egg costs more, but it uses way less charcoal and slow cooks cheap/low quality meat cuts into sweet tender BBQ bro-mance food.  The expense one comes with some back end savings here.

^ could not say it better. imo you can be frugal even when you are buying quality/expensive item when it is being used often.

And everyone please stop talking about BGE. I been wanting one for a very long time. This forum may make me cave-in and buy one lol