What is a product you'll pay a little more for?
What is a product you'll pay a little more for?
Where you absolutely refuse to go the cheap way.
For me its deodorant. Everything else I've found but my chosen brand fails me.
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.
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.
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.
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
Anything that connects me to the ground. Shoes, Mattress, Tires, etc.
YouTube premium. I'm too old to hassle with extensions, and I really don't like ads. And I like to support my content creators without going to twitch or clicking on any links in their descriptions.
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.
Sushi
Underwear and socks. PC desk, don't trust a 50$ folding table with your midlife crisis gaming rig.
Never skimp on what you apply ON or put IN your body.
Stuff from locally-owned stores. Tools, supplies, car parts, food... if the markup isn't egregious, I'll always try and get from them before a big box or online. Not only does it help the owners, but they're frequently knowledgeable and can sometimes work stuff out for you.
As some have mentioned, OEM car parts, particularly anything electrical. It’s just not worth the money saved on cheaper aftermarket parts that may not work even though they are new. It often leads to unnecessary troubleshooting and sometimes even more parts, only to land right back where you started.
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.
Helmets
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.
Mattress. Spend the extra to get the one that feels best for you if it comes down to that being part of the purchase decision. Thank me later.
Food. I’ll give you everything else I own for food if I really need it.
Wood screws. Makes life so much easier than using cheap screws
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.
Cheese
I'm bias due to my profession, and regularly get attacked for this point on the Internet by people who think they know better, but glasses.
My eyes aren't even bad, but when I wear them, holy shit is there a difference between the high tech new stuff and basic lenses.
Anyone that tells you online glasses are just as good has never had a 600$ pair from a real (not chain) optical. Anyone who says they have got ripped off by Pearl vision or LensCrafters.
A bicycle
Lil bougie but japanese cars. Ive owned american cars most my life and sick of door panel falls off, door handle snaps off, headliner falls down, paint peels, seat no longer adjusts, water in headlight, power window stops working, plastic clip snaps off in door now have to crawl through window, clutch every 2 years, trans loses 2nd gear, leaks oil everywhere, etc, etc
Bought a shitty old subaru as a commuter and lo and behold I just change the oil and.........thats it! Done with american cars
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).
Pet food. I have done a lot of research into the pet industry in general and there are a lot of things being sold for pets that are literally unsafe for them. Like cages that are too small, treats that aren't safe for them, chew toys full of toxic shit they shouldn't invest, food that is the equivalent of McDonald's every day, etc
Don't get me wrong, there's good quality pet food you can get fairly cheap and bad quality pet food you can get that is very expensive. It comes down to research. But if you're just grabbing whatever is cheapest is most likely setting you up for potential health issues down the line.
This is speaking as someone who has experienced this with both cats and rabbits. The cheapest food for rabbits is usually full of alfalfa and whatever else weird ass colorful shit they threw in there that is not healthy for adult rabbits. And cat food is usually too high in carbs, too high in salt, or both. Diabetes and kidney failure in cats fucking sucks, it's not worth it.
Tooth paste, shampoo, some car parts, phone, and shoe.
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 $30aud. Like it's expensive but you only pay once and if you enter Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month -- you write 50k words in a month) you get a 10% discount and if you win you get 50% off. There's people who have won before who give out their win code.
Highly recommend Scrivener for my writing stuff.
HOTAS for flight simulators. I had a few cheap ones, but getting a quality one is simply worth the extra 50-100$.
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.
toilet paper
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.
Shoes! I buy expensive brands lightly used via ebay. So I spend the same amount as I would on a shitty pair from a random department store, but I buy Magnanni (best sneakers EVER), Allen Edmonds, etc... They last for years instead of months.
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.
Art supplies
A good hair shampoo
Tools. Life's too short to work with shit. Knifes. Bikes. Shoes. Same reason.
iPhones for my elder relatives.
Shoes, underwear, haircuts, chairs, and very recently, mobile phones
Oreos.
Sorry Hydrox.
Tools. I find DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Bosch make good power tools (also Mikita for drills). Klein and Knipix for hand tools. They last and they're pricy but you win overall.
Everything that is used daily and has a big workload like fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, vacuum.... Car parts... As mentioned before: computer parts.
Also cosmetics: find out what your skin needs, which products are the right ones for you. Don't clutter when it comes to cosmetics. Buy only what you need but good stuff.
Car tyres