Quality Matters

Frugal living involves finding value.  It’s about saving in unimportant areas in order to spend and invest in important areas.  Everyone decides what’s important for themselves.  Frugal living is not about buying cheap stuff.

Have you ever bought a cheap shirt that was ruined after only one or two washes?  I have, and I won’t make that mistake again.  There are several affordable brands of clothing that I like.  They last because of quality materials and manufacturing.  I take extra care of my clothes to make them last longer.  I’ve also seen the longevity of the quality clothing that I’ve given to others.

Have you purchased a pair of shoes that lasted less than a year?  Spending a little more money on quality shoes usually means they will last longer.  You end up saving money by buying fewer shoes.  I’ve had my favorite pair of shoes since 1995.  I don’t save them for special occasions; they’re actually my most worn pair of shoes.  Talk about value!  When the time comes, it’s going to be difficult to replace them, and I’m sure the replacement won’t last as long.

Have you ever tried the store brand version of something?  Did you like it?  If not, did it scare you away from trying another store brand?  I hope not.  I buy several food and non-food store brand items.  Over the years, I’ve learned which products to buy at which stores.  For example, I don’t like the thin wheat crackers made by one grocery store, but the other grocery stores in the area have good ones.

My recent experience involves a store brand of dish soap that I will never buy again.  The quality is terrible.  Dish soap normally lasts several years because I only use one drop at a time.  For the last several years, I’ve been rinsing dishes with a bottle that was given to me.  I’ve been washing dishes with my normal soap.  (Not everything goes in the dishwasher.)

When I ran out of the rinsing soap, I decided to buy a cheap soap for rinsing while keeping my good soap for washing.  The cheap soap I bought kept getting clogged.  I would struggle to get anything out, and when it finally came out, it was much more than a drop.  So, I took off the cap to save stress and time.  I might try a different store brand.  If I find one that I like, I’ll stop buying the name brand.  Right now, I’m glad I still have the good one for washing.

So, don’t forget that quality matters.  You can actually save money by buying quality items.  After all, replacement cost adds up.  As for food, why eat something you don’t like when you can get a good version somewhere else?  The other place might even cost less!

Happy value hunting!

Linda 🙂