Value

[SteveinMN]

I spend more on things I use a lot.

I pound on this laptop for several hours pretty much every day; I have no problem paying the "Apple tax" for a MacBook Pro; DW's ThinkPad was about a third of the Apple's cost and, based on the quality of the screen and cabinet, is worth just about that. I wouldn't be happy using that machine every day and I suspect I'll still be using this MacBook long after the ThinkPad is a memory. We drink a fair amount of coffee in this house; we spent a fair (but not market-topping) amount of money for our new coffeemaker (Bonavita) and the coffee ain't cheap either. But I drink only coffee or water or whiskey (occasionally), so I think the coffee is worth spending some money on. Besides, I fully expect this machine to last as long as the previous coffeemaker did; somewhere between ten and fifteen years.

Winter tires; we don't buy the cheap ones. We don't buy the most expensive ones (most of the time) either; we probably pay toward the higher end of the range because they're on our cars for five or six months of every year. Dishwasher? It's the most expensive appliance in this house (at least until we start replacing some of the older ones). But it's used every two or three days and I like that I just put dirty dishes in and they come out after a while clean and dry while using less water than I waste waiting for the tap to get hot.

On the other hand, I will cheerfully wear $10 jeans from Target or Fleet Farm or Goodwill. I'm as happy with a $10 bottle of wine as I am with an $80 bottle. If we're traveling, a hotel room that's clean and well-located means more to me than fancy sheets and doormen (or whatever non-gendered term exists for them now); I don't care much about the brand but I do care about the price. And I can put up with a lot for a couple of nights.

I prefer to buy stuff that can be fixed when it breaks. I value performance over appearance. Intuitive design is important. But probably the overriding consideration on how much I'll pay for something is how much I'll regret cheaping out on it as I use it often over the years.

[Tybee]

In YMOYL, value for money is key.

What are you willing to spend more money on?
What do you value in terms of the purchases in your lives?

I seem to be drawn lately to things that are "right"--sort of the William Morris thing about beautiful or useful, but lately, I want them to be both, to be exactly what I have wanted all these years--and lately, I have been buying second hand things that delight me with their beauty, but I think it is because they return me to an earlier point in my life. I pay for things like a vintage Copco pan or a needlepoint purse from the 1920's that reminds me of my grandmother's era. I think I will pay more for things that are familiar and comforting in their familiarity, as I know they work--Clinique moisturizer, LL Bean flannel nightgowns, a refill for my Cross pen. I think I value order a lot, and these things create a sense of order, in that they surround me with familiar, comfortable sensations and visual input.

[Yppej]

I went with a more expensive roofer who presented proof of insurance, pulled a permit, etc.

[herbgeek]

I tend to do middle of the road with most things. My one big indulgence is travel and every day carry bags (and related accessories). Nothing worse than having luggage fail while traveling. For everyday, I'll pay a premium for features such as having o rings to connect things to, so they don't fall out/get lost and these items are made in the US, so labor costs are higher. I will also occasionally pay for premium food/drink but I'm also ok with box wine as an everyday thing.

[JaneV2.0]

That's funny about the "Apple tax." I've long wondered why people prefer them. I'm pounding away on a nine (?) year-old Gateway/AMD laptop. I've had to add a new keyboard, and it's probably on its last diodes, but it's been good so far. I have a Dell for backup.

I'm spending lots more for food--I haven't been shopping at Grocery Outlet since this all started. I miss it. I spend quite a bit on (cheap) Ebooks (via BookBub), but I download pricier ones from the library system.

I've been at the "you can't take it with you" stage for some years now and I've never been particularly careful with money, anyway.

[LDAHL]

Life is too short to drink cheap scotch.

[catherine]

I find that I invest money in things that should last a while. Also things that give me a certain pleasure along the lines of what Tybee mentioned: beautiful Moleskine journals for instance. Japanese design thrills me--and I really love their similar version of IDEA: great design+high function--MUJI. And MUJI isn't even expensive! But boy, the value is there.

But one of the reasons I brought up this thread is because DH and I are figuring out how to make our bathroom more functional--it only has a clawfoot tub and a hand shower which is very impractical (but beautiful). He's for getting rid of the tub and just getting one of those cheap plastic shower inserts. I tell him that I'm not going to go crazy money-wise, but I'm also not going cheap when it's an investment in the home, and not just that, but we have to look at it and live in it every day. I will not go cheap on something like that.

OTOH, clothes mean nothing to me, really, except I do love LLBean. Bed sheets: I won't pay more than 20 dollars for a set of Queen sheets. There is no way I would pay $80 for a duvet. I hate the price of curtains. I am not a foodie, and if it weren't for my foodie husband, I could live very simply on vegetarian soups and good breads.

Also like Tybee, my favorite things are those that have a patina, or a story, or both. I'll pay for things like that.

[JaneV2.0]

Life is too short to drink cheap scotch.

But after the first one, they all taste the same.

[LDAHL]

But after the first one, they all taste the same.

Not to the educated palate imbibing in an intelligent way.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I'm picky like Tybee in that I like things to be exactly what I want, so picky yes. But since covid I'm pretty uninterested in buying anything, it was a complete push in that direction, but when I do buy something (since I'm not pure spiritual light here) I want it to be just exactly as I want in the same way.

I don't have a house to pour money into. I like my clothes to be attractive, but I don't pursue high fashion or a massive clothes collection. I've bought over $100 bed sheets and even more expensive blankets, the thing is I don't need new sheets and probably not blankets either, and will probably use them until they are rags, so I don't think about them anymore (and then I'll order another $120 sheet or something ). Sunk costs, and not even ones that bother me (truthfully the only purchases that do are those I don't use or that fall apart quickly or that are not fit for purpose). So yes I'll spend money up front in hopes something being just what I'm looking for and of keeping something awhile (but like I said stuff is not well made that often these days). The curtains aren't pricey. And I am a bit of a foodie, a health-foodie, so farmers markets - I'm there looking for the tastiest tomatoes and bell peppers and green beans.