I’m someone who is all about saving a dollar. However, I strongly believe that certain items are worth splurging on. I recently wrote a post about exactly this where I shared things that members of the Reddit community prefer to spend money on — and a lot of you added to the conversation in the comments of that post.
It goes without saying that to be able to spend extra cash on purchases like these is *not* a given — but rather a luxury and a privilege. If that’s available to you, here are some items people believe are worth spending the extra dollars on.
1.
“Quality winter outerwear. I’ve found there’s a huge difference between cheap ski clothes and name brands. I’m not even talking about the most wildly expensive name brands. With my name-brand winter clothes — like North Face or Columbia — I can sit outside in a snowstorm at -2 degrees and be perfectly comfortable. Try that with a Walmart or Target special you would be freezing and miserable.”
2.
“Razors. I’ve always used name-brand razors when it comes to shaving, but I ended up buying the generic refills when I didn’t have enough for the name-brand. Worst mistake ever. It ended up leaving more cuts on my legs, and I had to go over the shaved spots multiple times otherwise it would leave hairs behind. I would also need to replace them more frequently because they dulled out quicker.”
—merryberry0865
3.
“Dawn dish soap. And it’s good for freakin’ EVERYTHING!!! I use it to treat stains — especially greasy ones — on my clothes and I can count on one hand the times it didn’t work, even on dried-in stains I didn’t catch the first time.”
4.
“Lower-quality cuts for cooking beef as a steak simply do not work well. Round steak, for example, has a meaty texture plus regret. So not worth it. You might as well just eat steak less often.”
—yuandre
5.
“Vacations. I used to do short 3-day trips and cheap out on food when I got there — but there’s just not enough time to relax and enjoy the time, which is kinda the whole point of vacations. So now I save up, wait maybe a year or two and go on a long vacation and just splurge. Like, spending two to three weeks in Japan and just living life like a local.”
6.
“For food: Soy sauce, vanilla, and cinnamon. The first time I tried really good soy sauce was incredible. It’s impossible to go back to regular soy sauce after. The last two only matter for people who bake a lot, but they make all the difference.”
—BelleSam750
7.
“Good underwear is a game-changer! Even if you’re not showing it off, you feel more confident wearing a flattering, well-fitting pair. Also, you never know when you’ll get lucky, or when you’ll need an EMT to cut off your clothes in the middle of the street.”
8.
“One thing I refuse to switch is laundry detergent. It has to be Ariel. But that’s more because everyone in the house has either eczema or psoriasis, and the few times I have tried other brands, the itching has driven us insane. It’s just not worth the risk.”
—sushigal007
9.
“Lotion. I have eczema so spending more on better quality products makes a world of difference!”
—lanarama
10.
“A portable charger. Let me tell you, I will never go back to those cheap lipstick-sized chargers. I just bought myself a Mophie charger from Apple. I bought one and then Apple sent me another one free of charge. It is so important to have a high-functioning charger rather than one that craps out on you immediately. I am blind and I sometimes travel independently and often times my phone would die before I got to my destination. Not anymore with this. Just pay the extra money for a good charger.”
11.
“My Shark Vacuum that I bought from the infomercial. It was over $400, but it’s worth every penny. The customer service is fantastic too.”
—Here4thecomments
12.
“My eyeglasses. I make sure to invest in an antiglare and blue light filter. I am a desk auto claim adjuster so I stare at screens nonstop. I have to invest in my eyes. No eye fatigue like I used to have or pain.”
13.
“For me, makeup. I have EXTREMELY dry skin, and even though I try to moisturize well, cheaper store makeup just seemed to make my skin flake. The first time I tried the Dior foundation… it was like BUTTAH!!!! Now I use Fenty because it has the GREAT feel of the Dior one, but I don’t have to go broke buying it.”
—smileyk
14.
“Groceries. Unfortunately, I have a lot of food challenges so eating at home is the best thing for me as much as I hate cooking. So I buy premium products. I spend so much on groceries, luckily none of it is wasted, and I save on pretty much everything else. Grocery is the one place I can’t cut corners on — try buying gluten-free pasta over regular pasta, the markup is bananas.”
15.
“Not so many items, but sometimes services are worth splurging on if you can afford it. In my last apartment, I would use drop-service laundry instead of going to the laundromat every week. It was more expensive, but it saved so much time and energy that I felt the tradeoff was worth it.”
—adrianw440bbeae3
16.
“Windex. I bought the store brand recently and used it to clean my bathroom mirror. It looked worse than if I hadn’t done anything at all.”
18.
“Natural hair products. Put the Cantu and the Shea Moisture down, sisters. Get into TGIN and Melanin and thank me later!”
—jduckett220
19.
“If you’ve ever had a cheap-ass garbage bag break you know that the extra couple of dollars is well worth it.”
20.
“My family always used individually wrapped cheese slices. When I moved out on my own, I accidentally picked up a pack that was actual cheese slices and the difference in flavor was amazing. Now I keep a few different kinds of cheese in my fridge, Gouda, Havarti, provolone, and muenster.”
—Czerny
21.
“I recently started getting Bombas socks. And they are more expensive but my god they are the most comfortable socks I’ve ever worn. My dog put a hole in a pair and they sent me a new pair for free.”
—katiep353
What’s something that’s been worth the splurge for you?
