• athairmor@lemmy.world
    82·
    2 months ago

    There’s the adage, “spend your money where you spend your time.”

    If you’re going to spend a lot of time in front of a TV, get a nice one. Cook a lot? Get the good knives and pans. Don’t read much? Don’t buy an e-reader or book subscription service. Not big into DIY? Get cheap drill/driver for the rare times you need it.

    There’s plenty of exceptions but it’s a nice general rule.

    • Tiptopit@feddit.org
      30·
      2 months ago

      Even if you are into DIY: Buy cheaper once, if something breaks buy something more expensive.

      • mommykink@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        171·
        2 months ago

        I see this a lot and take some issue with it the wording of it. I think a lot of people say this thinkkng of something like Ryobi or Harbor Freight as the “cheap” guys, when in reality the price scaling of tools puts those makes pretty squarely in the mid to high-end bracket.

        In reality, there are some cheap tools that are downright unsafe for use that some people might see after reading that comment and decide to get.

        ETA: If it’s sharp, spins, or runs on electricity, get it from a physical store or highly reputable online vendor and make sure it has a warranty

        • Ben Hur Horse Race@lemm.ee
          6·
          2 months ago

          I dunno, I’ve had good luck with Aldi and Lidl “Center Isle” power tool purchases. Thats Workzone and Parkside tools, a far cry from mid to high-end. If I use something enough that it merits a replacement, I buy the Makita version

          • PlasticExistence@lemmy.worldEnglish
            61·
            2 months ago

            Those are still from a reputable store. I think the really cheap ones are the Chinese ones that don’t even have a brand name. Slightly above that are the Chinese made ones with a nonsense word for the brand name.

  • OhmsLawn@lemmy.world
    33·
    2 months ago

    The classic is anything that separates you from the ground.

    I’d add anything related to plumbing, electricity and roofing.

    • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
      8·
      2 months ago

      Basically any core elements of a home. Finishes can be redone, but things like a good water heater or reliable HVAC system are niceties you’ll always thank yourself for

      • TunaLobster@lemmy.world
        1·
        2 months ago

        Shopping houses right now. I’m really focusing on the HVAC, roof, and plumbing. Oh and water. I saw one house where it didn’t have gutters on a short eave and the door below was mostly rotted out in the bottom 2 feet from water slashing on to it. It boggles the mind that no one had thought to put a gutter there. Literally a 8 foot section of gutter would save that door and frame.

        • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
          2·
          2 months ago

          Good work. Those are the things that will cost you tens of thousands. New floors? Bah, nothing compared to having to replumb or rewire. Water damage too is terrifying, we had our water heater burst and it took weeks to clean up and repair

  • 58008@lemmy.worldEnglish
    26·
    2 months ago

    Your kid’s first musical instrument. It’s counterproductive and false economy to buy them a piece of shit guitar or tuba or whatever it may be, in the belief that “if they like it and want to continue with it, I’ll buy them a better one in the future”. You might well turn the kid off the instrument for life if their instrument is harder to play/maintain and worse to listen to than it ought to be.

    If you want your kid to be enriched by music and to be creative, buy them a decent mid-range instrument. Make it so that the kid can’t wait to pick it up, don’t make those crucial early days of learning the instrument feel like eating watery gruel for months with an expectation of pizza at some point down the line. A shitty instrument will be an additional barrier the kid will need to deal with every time they use it. Get out of their way, buy them something serviceable. If they lose interest regardless, well at least you know they had a fair shot at it and it wasn’t the crappiness of the instrument that caused them to abandon it. And you can always sell or donate the instrument if they really don’t give a shit about it.

    The best instrument you can reasonably afford is significantly more likely to hook your kid than a £50 piece of junk would. It doesn’t need to be fancy, it just needs to be well-made, pleasant to play, and easy to tune/maintain/clean/whatever the case may be.

    • Bgugi@lemmy.world
      15·
      2 months ago

      I’ll counter with the following: if you aren’t sure whether your kid will like it, it’s probably a better idea to start with renting. You’ll typically get a fully-serviced instrument with coverage for accidental damage.

      Yes, it’s a fully sunk cost, but it’s predictable and you don’t have to deal with the hassle of selling off an instrument if they don’t get really into it. Once you’re confident that they’re going to stick with it and know they can handle and maintain it carefully, then you should look into buying.

    • Megacomboburrito@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 months ago

      Oh man this is so true. My parents enrolled me for piano classes when I was a kid but got me a shitty mini plastic keyboard to practice and I hated it, ended up quitting not long after. Picked up piano again as an adult during covid and bought myself a full sized keyboard with weighted keys and damn the difference was night and day.

    • ChillPenguin@lemmy.world
      13·
      2 months ago

      Honestly, batteries of any kind. Only buy from the manufacturers of the product the batteries work with. If it’s underpriced on Amazon, it’s probably a fucked up battery that has a higher risk of starting an electrical fire. Portable tool batteries, ebike batteries, handheld system batteries.

      I’m not fucking around with unsafe batteries.

      • Mr_Blott@feddit.uk
        3·
        2 months ago

        Never buy branded batteries on Amazon either.

        I always stick with Annsmann, they make incredible rechargeable AAs and AAAs

        Ordered a set off Amashit and they were fake, and I’ve had the same problem with Anker

        Fuck Amazon until they sort their MASSIVE counterfeiting problems out

  • Septimaeus@infosec.pub
    23·
    2 months ago

    Yourself. Time and resources you invest in yourself usually grant the highest returns in the long run.

    Examples:

    1. When job hunting, prefer opportunities that give you more valuable experience when possible.
    2. While planning your schedule, give highest priority to activities that contribute to your physical and mental health.
    3. At the grocery store, choose fresh ingredients over the cheaper and easier premade options.
    4. When budgeting finances, pay yourself first by setting aside what you can for your future. If not yet possible, see 5.
    5. Invest in your continued education, which can include traditional credentialing such as degrees or certifications, but also online and night classes, or even self-guided study.
    6. Choose relationships and experiences over things. While things can temporarily improve lifestyle, relationships and experiences permanently expand the life you have lived.
  • JayleneSlide@lemmy.world
    19·
    2 months ago

    I see a lot of specific examples, but here is a good engineering guideline: do not skimp on physical interfaces. **Anywhere energy is changing form or if it touches your body, don’t skimp on those. **

    For example

    • tires
    • bicycle saddle
    • heaters/furnaces
    • electrical inverters
    • keyboard
    • mouse
    • engines
    • shoes
    • eyewear
    • clothes (buy used if necessary, but always buy quality clothing)

    Quality usually means more money, but sometimes one is able to find a high quality and low-cost version. In my experience though, trying to find the cheap version that works well means trying so many permutations; it would have been more economical to just get the more costly version in the first place.

    • Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.works
      6·
      2 months ago

      More expensive doesn’t always equal better, especially for things like keyboards, clothes or eyewear, where branding is huge and inflates prices more than quality.

  • ThePyroPython@lemmy.world
    19·
    2 months ago

    A good mattress: you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping, it needs to be comfortable.

    Footwear: the rest of the time your footwear is what separates you from the ground. Invest in practical, good quality, and repairable/hard-wearing footwear.

  • mommykink@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    18·
    2 months ago

    Gonna start with a few of the usual suspects:

    • Anything that keeps your feet off the ground (buy good shoes)

    • Anything that touches your privates (don’t buy cheap condoms yall)