When is cheaping out okay?

Dog and Kristy posted about the things they refuse to cheap out on. I always like to read these kinds of posts; everyone has different priorities and no two people are ever going to have the exact same list.

I definitely agree with Dog on going for the better neighbourhood. After living here, I’m determined to only go up the suburban ladder, not down. This story about a family who’ve been burgled seven times (why haven’t they moved by now??) elicited floods of responses, with people wanting to share their stories of being robbed. Anecdotally, Auckland’s burglary rate seems ridiculously high. If you haven’t been affected, no doubt you know somehow who has. The common theme was just how powerless and helpless you feel after being hit by thieves, and how little (if anything) police can do. Even with proof. There’s only so many times you can claim insurance before your premiums hike, and if you’re a homeowner, moving may not be as easy a solution as it sounds.

And kitchenware for sure, if you can afford it. Especially knives. Nothing worse than hacking away at a cut of meat with a blunt knife, or trying to slice through a stubborn tomato (and probably nicking yourself while you’re at it!).

We also try to make better food choices when we eat out. Less greasy, fast food crap; we try to pay a little more for maybe Thai or something, instead of nasty food court sweet and sour pork or Maccas.

Work clothes are also something you need to invest more in, methinks. That’s really going to hit me once I graduate; I’m going to need to build a proper work wardrobe, and seeing as I don’t have truckloads of cash at my disposal, I’m going to have to go with fewer, but better quality pieces.

For me, I also need good skincare and foundation. I have difficult skin – super touchy, super sensitive, yet super oily. I think I also have mild rosacea, so I need gentle products that aren’t extra moisturising because they’ll turn me into a grease slick. So many products are designed with sensitive, DRY skin in mind (which granted is more common than my kind), so it’s a struggle sometimes.

And sheets! I can’t stand cheap sheets. They get scratchy and lumpy in no time at all, and I twitch in revulsion at the though of having to lie on them (even with a layer of pyjamas in between). Nope, gotta be good sheets that last awhile.

Batteries and electronics. I mean this in the sense that I’d always go for a name brand – generic batteries tend to have very little power in them, and when I’m buying a phone/tv/computer, I want to know that I can trust the manufacturer.

Then there are the things I’d prefer not to cheap out on (bras, shoes, appliances) but usually do. Thoughts?