Things that are worth the money. . . and things that aren't.

[Guest]

I've been balking at the price of Beats heaphones. Lots of money for a name and some hype, I thought. Then I tried them on a display at Costco this week, and I could see what the big deal is. The sound is beautiful. I could clearly hear all of the instrumentation and everything, without turning the volume too high. They really do block out other noise. (I wish I had some in my cacophonous house right now). $200 is nowhere near my budget, but if I had that kind of money for headphones, I might consider them. I tried Sony's $70 answer to them, and they were okay, but the sound wasn't nearly as crisp and lovely.

In smaller bills, I will only buy Hellman's/Best Foods mayo. Anything else I can think of is perfectly fine in store brand, but I won't touch any other mayonnaise.

Normally I go for the cheap option, but sometimes (if I have the money), quality has to win. What won't you compromise on?

[mirkwood]

I won't compromise on anything work related, anything electronic (stereos, tv's, dvd players etc.), anything preparedness related.

BTW, if you like earbuds, the Sony earbuds at Best Buy are my preference. They only cost about $15 and have good sound quality.

[Quin]

No other mayonnaise exists.

Everything else is just white sauce, attempting -yet failing- to be mayo.

[Quin]

I feel the same way about Skull Candy (ear buds), by the by.

I ruin several pair a year.

At $20, no real hardship.

But if I don't have the money that week... I go without, rather than use some other (muddy, tinny, impossibly awful) brand.

Looooooove Skull Candy ear buds.

Q

[Wingnut]

Toilet paper and tissue. Sometime earlier this year, my mom sent my dad to do some shopping. He came back with a Costco-sized package of single-ply generic brand toilet paper. While he hardly noticed a difference, my mom and sister (who lives at home right now) sure weren't happy about it.

Also. Cacophonous? Awesome word, Eowyn!

[dahlia]

Scott's regular (not the soft stuff) toilet paper or none at all. : ) Kleenex tissue (the cheap stuff sprays white lint all over you when you sneeze). Miracle Whip (no Hellman's in my house). Diet Pepsi. I don't buy tons of dairy, but when I do, I go for the brand names. Experience has taught me that 'local dairy' cream cheese cannot compare to Philadelphia. Yves ground meat substitute.

I'm OK with OTC aspirin or sinus spray. Don't want generic prescription meds, tho.

[pam]

I'm very picky about canned peas. They have to be a name brand or nothing.

Also dairy has to be a name brand. Well at least as far as cheeses of any kind etc. Milk doesn't bother me being a generic or store brand.

And I've always had such wonderful luck with Whirlpool appliances, I tend to stick with those.

[classylady]

Graham crackers. I like both Nabisco and Keebler. Can't stand the cardboard tasting store brands. I used to only like Nabisco, but I think they've changed their recipe. It doesn't taste quite the same. Still better than store brands though.

Animal crackers. Only Nabisco.

[Vort]

Scott's regular (not the soft stuff) toilet paper or none at all. : )

None at all is my favorite, too! And with the money I save on TP, I can afford scented soap.

[Vort]

I grew up with margarine. As a young adult, I tried butter, and said, "What?! Why haven't I been eating this all along? Life is too short to eat margarine!"

In the Vort household, we use only butter.

[Quin]

Scott's!!! Huzzah. Life is too long for awful toilet paper!

No flocking allowed.

Not even on Christmas trees.

Much les...noses.

Q

[Iggy]

Has to be Heinz Ketchup or Safeway brand. Can't stand the others.

Absolutely detest Hunt's products. They all taste like they have brown sugar in them.

Best Food Mayo and Miracle Whip.

Any brand spicy mustard. I generally get Koop from the Dollar Store.

The only canned peas I will buy and eat is LeSeur brand - prefer them frozen or fresh.

TP ~ Cottenelle. Or Fred Meyer brand two ply.

I hate Kleenex & Puffs tissues. I get the store brand. I go through so many that the cheaper the better. Have been thinking of cutting them in half - I use them when I test my blood sugar. Cotton balls leave fibers when I wipe away the first droplet of blood and tissues don't.

Kikkoman Soy Sauce only.

[Magen_Avot]

Miracle Whip... yeah, it's that good!

Heinz Ketchup

A-1 Steak Sauce (FAMILY Size,... cuz the kids apparently drink the stuff!)

...oh, and La Choy Soy Sauce.

[Iggy]

For the items that brand isn't an issue:

BarBQue sauce. Hubby doesn't care what brand, just as long as it doesn't have honey in it. I seldom spend more than $0.89 a bottle for it.

Steak sauce. A1 is okay, if it is on sale. I like the stuff the Dollar Store has. If it is 16 oz or larger then I get it there. Since I am the only one who uses it - Worcestershire sauce is another one that I don't mind the cheaper brands. I only use it when I make meat loaf.

Liquid bleach, ammonia, cider & white vinegar - brand doesn't matter.

Cough drops - store brands work the same as name brands for way less money.

Liquid laundry detergent. I don't pay more than $3.99 for a half gallon bottle. Since I don't use the amount they say to use (I use 1/3 to 1/4 the amount), I get more bang for my buck. The cheaper brands are just as soapy, but they have way less perfumes. My clothes are cleaner, lighter (because ALL of the soap gets rinsed out) for less cost.

Peanut Butter. Hubby is the one who eats the most and he just isn't picky at all. Fred Meyer brand tastes better to him than Jiff or Skippy. He doesn't like WalMart brand. It has a burnt nut taste and a really lard like feel.

[applepansy]

I will not buy a cheaper bra. They don't fit, they don't support and they fall apart.

I love Best Foods mayo but I will use Western Family in a casserole. Only Best Foods on a sandwich.

Dawn dish soap. Anything else is a waste of money.

[Bini]

Won't compromise on

• Electronics

• Certain clothing brands and shoes

• Certain food products

• Dog food - only the premium au naturel holistic stuff

• Oh and flat irons... you really get what you pay for with those.

[Dravin]

There is very little I won't compromise on, if the option is get the cheaper or do without the list is relatively small:

• Dr. Pepper, I'll go without that particular soda flavor before I'll drink Dr. K or Mr. Pibb.
  
• Butter, I'll skip buttering my bread entirely rather than put margarine on in. Likewise with butter in desserts, I'll find something that doesn't call for butter before I'll do something like make shortbread with margarine.
  

That's it off the top of my head. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of situations in which I prefer the more expensive stuff, take for instance cheese. I love artisanal cheese, I'm just not going to insist that it is artisanal cheese or nothing. Likewise with shoes, I prefer and purchase mid-range shoes but I'm not about to insist that I'll go barefoot before I'll wear cheap shoes.

[Wingnut]

Bottled, store-bought salsa: not Chichi's brand.

Butter. I always buy unsalted, because it's fresher and I can control the salt content. If I need a spread, though, which is often, I only buy Land O' Lakes Butter with Canola Oil. I have a panini press, so we do grilled sandwiches often, and cubed butter (when we don't keep it out to soften in advance) doesn't spread well enough. This has just enough oil to make it spreadable, but isn't a margarine -- it's still butter.

[MorningStar]

I never buy Fred Meyer olives. They had some on sale and they were so bad, I took them back. I don't know what they did to them, but it was bad.

[dahlia]

I grew up with margarine. As a young adult, I tried butter, and said, "What?! Why haven't I been eating this all along? Life is too short to eat margarine!"

In the Vort household, we use only butter.

You made me smile. I remember my stepfather asking for the butter out of the 'Frigidaire' and being upset if we gave him the margarine (I had no idea there was a difference). My parents were young during the rationing days of WWII and remember having to add color to the margarine to make it look like butter. I guess they decided once butter was available again, they were never going to eat margarine.

As all the news about trans fats came out, I decided to use butter instead of margarine, even the 'no trans fat' stuff (don't trust it). There's vegan margarine, but so much of that stuff is so full of chemicals, I don't find it appealing. Even though butter is not vegan (but it is vegetarian) and supports the mistreatment of dairy cows, at least it's a real food. I'm not perfect.

[skalenfehl]

Lately, I've equated money with a means of debt, labor and bondage. Sure, it's a means of exchange, but really, we are exchanging indentured servitude for worldly, material things. Before money, man had all that he needed. You only need money if you don't labor or eat by the sweat of your brow. That said, chocoate chip cookies. Definitely chocolate chip cookies.

[Mahone]

Baked beans. I can't eat off-brand baked beans, they have to be Heinz or HP.

Although I can cope with margarine because I essentially grew up with it, butter winds hands down if there is a choice.

Real Cadbury chocolate. The Hershey made Cadbury items that you get in the states just taste cheap. Although expensive, I'll get the Cadbury items imported from the UK instead.

[Backroads]

I will go store brand on an awful lot of things, but not on:

1. Ranch dressing (It must be Hidden Valley)

2. Toilet paper (I have a few name brands I will accept)

3. Dish soap.

4. Bras. Granted, this is largely due to my weird size that makes Victoria's Secret really the only place I can regularly find my size.

5. Cola (Shasta is just fine on all other flavors of soft drinks)

As for margarine... I might use it in baking, but I was always taught margarine was bad for you in comparison to butter.

[Roseslipper]

hellmans mayo is the best, but i have bought off brands that are ok..wont use mircle whip yuk!

tuna fish i do have a fav brand but ill buy others just as long as it alberque in water.

Bini, I too go to the original scott tp. but if times are tuff will pick another...

[Quin]

I just have to 2nd (3rd?4th?) lingerie.

Another odd size, here, plus latex allergy = my bras are initially very very expensive.

But they last for YEARS looking like new... So the actual cost spread out over 10 years (silk & lace stand up to time far better than cotton & elastic!) makes them dirt cheap.

Unless three turn into implement bras (or otherwise self destruct) at the same time.

Then the cost of replacing them reduces me to eye bleeding profanity.

Cause you KNOW they'll need replacing right before Christmas, birthdays, when you need a new transmission in your car... Or any other time when money is tight!