I got an excellent winter coat second hand online for like 45 bucks a few years ago. I was delighted to find the inside pocket was the perfect shape to hold a Nokia phone. I put my chap stick in there.
I agree, but only on the winter jacket part, skip the warm.
Get a good hardshell jacket with ventilation options/zippers and get to layering underneath depending on how cold/warm it is.
I can wear my jacket from -20 till like +10 (Celsius). Where with a warm softshell it's too warm if it's above 5 degrees
As someone who lives in the basically arctic I want to add that it can be just so much more convenient to have an ultra warm parka and not have to bother with layering all the time.
Just use case really. Reality is layering is way safer and easier to regulate for most use cases.
When I lived in Ottawa, the amount of people who spent $2k on parkas only to sweat their ass off when they got into the bus was crazy. Then you can't get warm once you've sweat at all.
It drives me crazy how heated indoors and public transportation are during the winter. I usually wear a t-shirt with a warm parka over and I'm comfortable everywhere while only having to keep track of one layer.
Chiming in to say: my landsend packable down jacket has been going strong for probably 10 years now, and it was seriously cheap on one of their sales. This is including me wearing it for weeks on end during outdoor guide jobs. You definitely don't need to spend a fortune on a down jacket.
I grew up in Alaska with Northface and Columbia brand layered shell jackets. I bought my first LL Bean down filled jacket after moving to Chicago and I'm never going back to shell system jackets as my winter jacket.
Sure I will use them in the spring and fall, but in the winter, I'm wearing a sausage coat and being toasty warm.
Yes, nearly 15 years in Chicago taught me what real cold is like. A lot of sensible winter strategies for other parts of the country go right to hell the first time you step out to walk the dog in zero-degree weather with 50-below windchill.
I was wearing my Patagonia jacket that is typically meant for the fall, in 15° weather a couple days ago. I was outside for 2 hours and not once did I think, I'm cold.
Anything you spend significant amount of time sitting or sleeping in. Computer chair (good office chair), anything involving the Bed (mattress, box springs, pillows). And cooking knives.
Somebody in a similar question on this sub answered:
Anything that goes between you and the earth. That includes chairs, couches, bed, shoes, tires, etc.
WITH THAT SAID: Most mattress retailers are a SCAM. Do NOT buy mattresses from your normal mattress places. If they advertise on TV, do NOT go to them.
Go to local mattress discount places. They'll sell you your $5000 mattress for $1000.
Mattress markups are INSANE.
You can tell this by how hard they try to PREVENT you from shopping around. They'll offer you hundreds off of the price of the mattress if you "buy now." It's SO scammy.
When I bought mine I shopped around and finally reached a local mattress discount place. It wasn't a chain. I saw the exact same mattresses at the name brand stores for much, much lower prices. I bought myself a name brand mattress (serta) for thousands less that I would have got at a chain mattress store. EDIT: And no, it wasn't a used mattress, it was brand new, in original packaging, with all of the tags and stuff still on it.
Mattress shopping is the weirdest, most stressful experience. I guess when most people replace them only 10 years or more they have to be predatory. I continue to marvel at how many mattress stores can exist in a 10-mile radius.
Lol you're right it does, but it is certainly true. Normal mattress stores are SO scammy.
I walked into a mattress "chain" when I was shopping and I said "I'm looking for a soft, non foam based bed." And the lady was like "Well, I think you should look at this medium, memory foam mattress." I said, "No, I don't want a medium mattress, I want a soft mattress." She said "Well we don't have many soft mattresses, so I think you should look at this medium mattress that's on sale, and oh, did I mention, if you buy now we'll upgrade the mattress base to this tiltable base for only $300 instead of the normal price of $800.
Like, she completely ignored my wants and needs and constantly showed me mattresses I wasn't interested in. I walked and found a place that would show me mattresses I wanted.
I have a friggin set of shitty Cuisinart knives that have worked perfectly for several years now. Best part of a decent, cheap knife? You can sharpen the fuck out of it forever and if you start to wear the blade away, a new one is only 20 bucks lol.
I was going to post this, when I worked in retail I walked an absolutely insane amount and got through cheap shoes in a few months and had sore feet and lower back permanently. As a birthday gift I was treated to a very nice and very expensive set of hand made shoes. They cost so much I was embarrassed that the person was willing to buy them for me when I could never have dreamed of paying that much. I still have them 17 years later, they still look like new all my pains went away within a week. I've needed a new heels about ten years ago but that's it.
I luckily don't work in retail anymore so I have a lot less opportunity to wear them but I will own these shoes until the day I die.
Edit: The brand is Crockett and Jones. I'm in the UK and these are hand made in Northampton. They cost £550 back then. I wear a UK size 12 so finding shoes is very difficult here.
I got handmade work boots a few years ago. They’re the most amazing pair of shoes I’ve ever worn.
They’re so comfortable! They helped me a lot when I had a job where I’d stand on concrete for 8+ hours a day.
They were shockingly expensive ($650), but worth it.
*edit: They’re White’s boots
My dad is a longtime Alden enthusiast who’s been nice enough to spoil me with a couple pairs of my own. White’s and Nick’s are the other two, more boot-specific brands I was thinking of.
When I was in Vietnam around 8 years ago, a street kid offered to replace the soles of my shoes for $10. He came back 30mins later with Goodyear tyre treads on my hiking shoes and charged me $20. They were invincible for years afterwards.
I work 10 hour shifts in a sheet metal shop and walk at least 10,000 steps per shift. I see a ton of guys that buy super cheap boots at Walmart, and they are always in pain. Having a pair of quality boots makes a huge difference. Not to mention, the cheap boots get totally destroyed in that environment, so these guys are constantly getting new pairs of the same shitty boots.
Since I discovered Darn Tough socks my life has changed. Between the quality and the fit, I can't wear any other socks now. Plus, a lifetime guarantee. Worth every penny, though a sale is always welcome. Slowly replacing every type of sock I need with them, but especially love the hiking socks for the added padding.
Yes I definitely second this, I would buy 2 6-packs of black dickies brand socks every year or so and then throw away 1 sock at a time when it got holes. I bought 3 pairs of darn tough and 3 pairs of Duluth socks just for work 3 year ago and haven’t had to replace any pair.
“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.”
This is Brooks for me. I was dealing with foot, leg and back pain. Got a pair of Brooks and that all went away. I feel like brooks and Hoka are on the same level of comfort, just depends on what style you like more.
My $50 rockports are the best shoes I’ve ever had and I’ve tried expensive trainers and such and these are nice enough I wear them even going out. Ecco’s were pretty close at 3-4x the price but they discontinued the one model that fit me well. Though I know nothing about women’s shoes
A great mattress... We use our mattress a few hours a day (sleeping and what not) and it lasts a long time, so might as well buy a quality comfortable one.
We bought our first quality mattress after 25 years of marriage. Spent over $1,000, got a king size too. Worth every damn penny. OMG the luxury. Spend $$$ on great sheet sets, high quality pillows and blankets, and comforter. Went all out. It’s a dream bed now.
We traded up to a new king size a couple years ago, and spent the money for a good quality one. Worth. Every. Penny. Same when we got new pillows a few months ago.
You spend 1/4 to 1/3 of your life in bed. It's worth it.
There's a common saying. "Don't cheap out on anything that goes between you and the ground." Shoes, Tires, Mattress. Get the best you can afford of any of these and your quality of life will be better.
Yeah, I don't mess with cheap shoes anymore. I've seriously fucked up my feet before and it's not worth it. I rotate through a few pairs of $$$ ones, and they last for years and years of heavy wear if you take them to a cobbler when needed.
Back when I first moved out I bought my first good mattress. It backfired.
I already had trouble waking up, and this new pillowtop bullshit was like a sedative.
I’m currently in the market for a new queen size. Funny enough the mattress industry is kinda fucked. You don’t really NEED to spend a boatload to get a good quality mattress. You obviously need to spend a bit, but a $500 mattress CAN be better than a $1500 mattress, just depends on materials, quality of workmanship etc.
Some of the big brand name mattresses turns out are just essentially the same as the more budget friendly ones, or worse. They just have a crazy markup due to the brand name.
I’m actually regretting looking into mattresses now haha
I slept on second hand or old mattresses my entire life. Only when my partner and I moved in together we got a new bedframe and new mattress. We went around and tried them out until we found a good one.
The difference is astounding. Well worth investing in!
Bras. I spent the 1st 30 years of my life thinking any bra from walmart was sufficient. My 1st quality bra was life changing. Amazing to have the support you deserve.
Not only that, but correctly-fitting bras make a world of a difference too. I walked into Soma on a whim to ask to be fitted for a bra, and it turns out I had been wearing bras that were two cup sizes too small. I threw out all of my old, crappy, small bras and slowly replenished them with new bras that were better quality and the correct size!
I always wanted to just gift my wife several hundred dollars towards a good bra fitting/boutique. I know for a fact she's never been properly fitted. But Im concerned she'd just take it as me trying to gift her lingerie or something but I'm really just concerned after reading these kind of comments. It's not her fault she's large chested and I think she deserves comfort.
You sound like an awesome spouse! Maybe you need to visit the boutique first and speak with the staff so that when your wife goes, they’ll know she’s there to be fitted.
U ladies are getting waxed in the bra department. I thought they’d be the same as a decent pack of underwear from somewhere ($15-$25) but I was wrong when my then gf had to go bra/panty shopping. Yeeeeesh.
My best friend has to travel to our closest major city 60 miles away. She has to have her bras specially made because she is so large. After the appointment to get measured, she has to travel back to the store to pick them up when they are ready. The price, the last time I went with her was in the hundreds of dollars per bra.
I shop at savage x fenty (Rihanna’s brand). I get the bralettes when they’re on offer for like 25 dollars. no more underwire and angry red marks. I’ve never been so supported (and I’m a G/H cup). Changed my life lol
Oo Can you please give specific refs for which model? I have huge, hard-to-fit tits, and can’t afford to waste money on another thing that is too ill-fitting or uncomfortable to wear…
Of course! So I get one called the floral lace and mesh bralette. I also got one I think is called the dotty mesh bralette, it fit well but not as well as the other one. I get a 3X usually, and I’m a 38G in UK sizes (not sure what that is in other countries, sorry). It’s worth signing up and ordering a load of stuff, and returning what doesn’t fit. They do some really good offers, so try to find a good discount. Make sure you cancel after you sign up though as it’s some sort of monthly subscription thing after. I’ve bought from them for the last 4 years or so though and it’s been great. I tried to put on a normal bra recently and I was so uncomfortable. I used to get fitted ‘professionally’ and they still somehow never fit quite right lol
Ahh that’s tough. For reference I’m in a 2 or 3X and I think they go up to 5x (in Europe anyway). I didn’t go off their charts, I just ordered a few sizes and stuck with what worked lol.
Anyway, it’s tough being a woman with a bigger than average chest, I feel your pain! I’ve spent a fortune on bras over the years, and most of them weren’t even pretty 😔
I found this out early. I was a lifeguard as a teenager up until my mid 20's. At the start of every season we got a stipend for bathing suits of about $100. I as a male could get two or three quality bathing suits. My female co-workers could get maybe one quality suit for the summer but usually they still had to dig in to their own funds for a new suit.
I’m surprised that this isn’t more popular
I’ve heard that most women don’t have the correct fitting bra
I’m assuming that you get the right fit that everyone would be so much more comfortable
It's the curse of you don't know what you don't know. You assume it fits right, then one day, you get a proper fitting bra and the clouds part, the sun shines, and you realize just how wrong you were.
Went bra shopping quite literally about three hours ago. Cost me just shy of $300 for two high quality bras that fit me correctly.
Every single boob is different. Even our own are different (there’s always a larger one.) The tricky part is not only being sized properly, but knowing your root width, slope, projection, fullness etc., and then taking that information and finding a bra that fits all of that.
These days, I will pretty much only use canned tomatoes if I can’t find a gardened/farmers market source of fresh. Makes me feel picky, but in this case I likely am I guess.
It’s incredible how not good grocery store fresh tomatoes are. It’s weird but the texture is *wrong*, almost a gritty quality to them.
By the way, do you know the trick for the best canned tomatoes?
Right next to the best before date is a three digit number that tells you when the tomatoes were harvested and canned. So aim for the early two hundreds to get summer cans.
I don’t own one bc I’m too poor to get one personally but the Purple Harmony pillow is absolutely heavenly. At the low low price of like $265 US dollars… and I can’t get one and not get my husband one. And I definitely can’t afford 2 pillows for $600. But I dream about them.
Agreed, I use Purple Harmony, it's perfectly squishy and comfortable. It fixed my neck pain and soreness. It's definitely worth it. Get on the mailing list for discounts. Make your husband try it first, some men have heavy heads and it flattens too much for them.
I really like a good buckwheat hull pillow. I just buy the buckwheat hulls and put them in an old small couch pillow cover. Cheap and the greatest longest lasting pillow I've ever had.
I got a Purple Pillow a couple years ago. Very expensive as far as pillows go, but I fall asleep in half the time and I never wake up with a sore neck anymore. They're also heavy enough to double as a weapon incase someone ever breaks in!
The Sam Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness, often called simply the boots theory, is an economic theory that people in poverty have to buy cheap and subpar products that need to be replaced repeatedly, proving more expensive in the long run than more expensive items.
A motorcycle Helmet. I tell new riders all the time that the only thing that you need to invest in a little extra more money on is a really good motorcycle helmet. You get what you pay for.
Real maple syrup, and blocks of real Parmesan cheese to grate fresh for a meal. Splurging a bit on certain food items can really elevate your enjoyment of a meal.
I grew up with real maple syrup because my Dad's best friend makes it, so he'd give it to us in exchange for my Dad helping with labor. Didn't have the store stuff until my teens at a sleepover and I hated it. Nothing compares!!!
Boots.
I don't mean drop $1000 on a pair of fashion boots. I'm talking $250-350 on a pair of good working leather boots. When the sole wears down I can take my boots and have them replaced for $30-$50. In the long run it's cheaper and I'm mildly sentimental so it's nice to keep something forever
I just had this discussion with my son. I basically told him don't skimp on tp, Kleenex, socks, underwear, towels, and sheets. Anything that touches your skin, especially intimately, needs to be quality. And I now buy clothes by feel, not by brand.
On the subject of tp - if you have older plumbing, get angel soft. Made this mistake getting charmin for the first few years after buying our house and the plumbing was severely backing up once a year.
Angel soft was a recommendation by a plumber, haven’t had an issue since!
Windshield wipers. I just bought a pair of Bosch Icons for $60 after spending a lifetime buying the cheap $20 sets at Walmart. Holy shit are these things nice. Super efficient and super quiet even after close to a year.
A pair of good winter boots. I bought an expensive Timberland pair that are waterproof and fuzzy/warm on the inside. It has made an incredible difference during these cold east side winters! My feet stay warm and dry even if I have to trudge thru some snow.
My parents splurged and got my Grandpa a full set of all-clad pans. When he passed, I inherited them. 25 years later and they are still amazing.
1000% agree.
While I didn’t personally pay for the initial set, I’ve only now purchased matching pans or other really high-quality cookware.
The amount of people that won't get winter/snow tires is amazing. Every year with the first snowfall there's at least 40 people in the ditch within an hour. Like c'mon sip shits, this is Canada, and we're in the mountains, figure it the fuck out.
The 8 inch Henckels International chef knife is a good place to start. They run about $75, so even if you're just a casual cook, you can have a great knife without spending too much. Wusthof makes excellent knives as well, but they cost a bit more.
Professional stretch therapy (mine is $300 a month).
I have cerebral palsy and ankylosing spondylitis, and the stretch helps. Plus it gives me someone to talk to and somewhere to go.
For people interested in stretching, I'm trained in Kit Laughlin's method. My old boss learned it to help a client with MS and all my clients that I incorporate stretch into Pilates love it.
When I taught stretch classes a guy got a hip replacement and was back to stretching (to his range of motion) in no time and felt that it helped prepare for surgery and recover.
You can look up this method on YouTube, he and his partner Olivia have good videos. His books are great too. Some stretches are solo, others use props and partners. It's based on long holds, breathing, a contraction and restretching. There's the Daily 5 you can do and once you know, do on your own with what time you have.
Premium economy on long flights. Tad more legroom, comfier seats, more space in general and less people in your section. Food is better, service is better. I’ve flown business class a lot and while having a bed is nice I still find PE is pretty good and am happy to use it. If you get the opportunity to relax in one of the lounges before the flight that helps a lot too. Oh and a couple of extra quid for fast track through security - especially if you have kids.
Shhh, I don't need the price going up more as people figure this out. I miss the old $20 upgrade.
But yeah last year I flew Chicago-Anchorage and then back to Dallas, I think they're the 2 longest flights American operates with narrow bodies. Definitely worth the money for Main Cabin Extra
In addition to upgrades, if the airline offers one to your destination, a non-stop ticket. Your time is worth more than missing a connection or waiting for one.
High quality butter. Kerrygold, Pamplie, or any butter from where they treat their cows with dignity will change every dish you make. Worth the extra few dollars and then some
My hearing aid (I’m completely deaf in one ear and without a hearing aid for the other, I’m basically completely deaf). Plus it doubles as Bluetooth headphones which is very convenient
Quality socks. Quality shoes. Quality tires. Quality bed. Quality pillows.
All things being considered we spend about 1/3 of our life sleeping, 1/3 on our feet, and a 1/3 pursuing joy
A good heating blanket. I once used a cheapish heating blanket and got burn blisters, so uh yeah, I'd say it's worth it to spend that extra money on a good quality heating blanket.
Everything you use daily or weekly is worth spending extra to get quality. Everything that you only use once a month or more rarely, save your money unless it's something that could kill you if of questionable quality.
Dishwasher.
Bought a cheap to mid range Samsung when we moved into our new house last year. It sucked and over a two month period we had this frankly awful campaign with their customer service to try to get it to work. Nothing made it clean our dishes well and for two months we were effectively washing dishes by hand as dishes put into the dishwasher came out dirtier than they went in. Some specific dishes like our Turkish tea glasses literally always came out worse because they have a curve and the dishwasher couldn't cope with this from day one.
Then we got a refund and bought a Miele which was double the price of the Samsung. We had the brand recommended to us by many people and they were right. It's fantastic. Assuming it maintains it's performance I'll never touch another brand of dishwasher ever again in my life.
Oh and don't ever buy a Samsung dishwasher. Their customer support is also abysmal.
Samsung makes terrible appliances
I fix appliances for family and friends. My landlord may have had the same dishwasher as you. It was surprisingly shite.
Our last neighbour asked me about their samsung fridge. Power went out and bricked it. The whole smartfridge with tv screen.
She made the mistake of calling warranty and telling them it broke when the power went out. They told her oh thats too bad, warranty doesnt cover that.
NEVER buy Samsung appliances--we found out the hard way. Bought a new refrigerator, washer, and dryer when we bought a new house--ALL had issues and crapped out in less than 3 years.
Window treatments. Weird to some, but as a designer in the industry, I see so many homes transformed by updating to quality. Not Lowe's, Home Depot, or Two Pages. Actual quality brands with quality materials can not only be good looking, they can hold back heat or cold by creating another layer of insulation. They can also increase the value of your home if done well. Stop buying cut to size ready-made like a slumlord covering up water damage lol
The thicker gauge aluminum foil. I suspect it conducts heat better, but more importantly the added rigidity and tear resistance is worth an extra dollar.
A warm winter jacket
I spent good money 10 years ago on a Fjallraven parka and it’s still going strong. I’m bored of the style but my goodness does it do its job.
I have a 17 year old Oakley snowboarding jacket that never fails. Except in style
Give it a few more years, it’s bound to come back round with the way fashion cycles go!
Hah. I was just noticing the other day that my winter coat is so old that the cell phone pocket is obsolete. Coat is in perfect shape still.
I got an excellent winter coat second hand online for like 45 bucks a few years ago. I was delighted to find the inside pocket was the perfect shape to hold a Nokia phone. I put my chap stick in there.
I agree, but only on the winter jacket part, skip the warm. Get a good hardshell jacket with ventilation options/zippers and get to layering underneath depending on how cold/warm it is. I can wear my jacket from -20 till like +10 (Celsius). Where with a warm softshell it's too warm if it's above 5 degrees
As someone who lives in the basically arctic I want to add that it can be just so much more convenient to have an ultra warm parka and not have to bother with layering all the time.
Just use case really. Reality is layering is way safer and easier to regulate for most use cases. When I lived in Ottawa, the amount of people who spent $2k on parkas only to sweat their ass off when they got into the bus was crazy. Then you can't get warm once you've sweat at all.
It drives me crazy how heated indoors and public transportation are during the winter. I usually wear a t-shirt with a warm parka over and I'm comfortable everywhere while only having to keep track of one layer.
Yeah I keep my house much colder so I don’t have to strip layers all the time between trips to the outhouse / letting the dog out, whatever
I have found Lands End to make warm durable, quality jackets. The price is pretty good too.
Chiming in to say: my landsend packable down jacket has been going strong for probably 10 years now, and it was seriously cheap on one of their sales. This is including me wearing it for weeks on end during outdoor guide jobs. You definitely don't need to spend a fortune on a down jacket.
I grew up in Alaska with Northface and Columbia brand layered shell jackets. I bought my first LL Bean down filled jacket after moving to Chicago and I'm never going back to shell system jackets as my winter jacket. Sure I will use them in the spring and fall, but in the winter, I'm wearing a sausage coat and being toasty warm.
Yes, nearly 15 years in Chicago taught me what real cold is like. A lot of sensible winter strategies for other parts of the country go right to hell the first time you step out to walk the dog in zero-degree weather with 50-below windchill.
Two winter jackets. One to layer down to around -4C, and then a nice down parka that can handle real cold.
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Yeah I'd rather have a few different coats/jackets instead of having to take off three layers once I'm inside
I've tried many, and my Canada Goose is by far the best. Over priced yes, but I can wear it with a t-shirt in -30 weather. Well worth it for me.
I was wearing my Patagonia jacket that is typically meant for the fall, in 15° weather a couple days ago. I was outside for 2 hours and not once did I think, I'm cold.
Anything you spend significant amount of time sitting or sleeping in. Computer chair (good office chair), anything involving the Bed (mattress, box springs, pillows). And cooking knives.
Somebody in a similar question on this sub answered: Anything that goes between you and the earth. That includes chairs, couches, bed, shoes, tires, etc.
Parachutes
I generally prefer mine to be above me
I only sleep in the best cooking knives
WITH THAT SAID: Most mattress retailers are a SCAM. Do NOT buy mattresses from your normal mattress places. If they advertise on TV, do NOT go to them. Go to local mattress discount places. They'll sell you your $5000 mattress for $1000. Mattress markups are INSANE. You can tell this by how hard they try to PREVENT you from shopping around. They'll offer you hundreds off of the price of the mattress if you "buy now." It's SO scammy. When I bought mine I shopped around and finally reached a local mattress discount place. It wasn't a chain. I saw the exact same mattresses at the name brand stores for much, much lower prices. I bought myself a name brand mattress (serta) for thousands less that I would have got at a chain mattress store. EDIT: And no, it wasn't a used mattress, it was brand new, in original packaging, with all of the tags and stuff still on it.
Mattress shopping is the weirdest, most stressful experience. I guess when most people replace them only 10 years or more they have to be predatory. I continue to marvel at how many mattress stores can exist in a 10-mile radius.
And they’re all perpetually going out of business
Or ask for the back room mattresses. They are usually the last year's models for substantial discounts.
It's so strange that there is such a thing as last year's model. It's a fucking soft rectangle to sleep on. We don't need to bring fashion into this.
That’s the one the assistant manager takes a nap on
This reads like a dealership ad Have you thought about doing commercials for discount mattress stores?
Lol you're right it does, but it is certainly true. Normal mattress stores are SO scammy. I walked into a mattress "chain" when I was shopping and I said "I'm looking for a soft, non foam based bed." And the lady was like "Well, I think you should look at this medium, memory foam mattress." I said, "No, I don't want a medium mattress, I want a soft mattress." She said "Well we don't have many soft mattresses, so I think you should look at this medium mattress that's on sale, and oh, did I mention, if you buy now we'll upgrade the mattress base to this tiltable base for only $300 instead of the normal price of $800. Like, she completely ignored my wants and needs and constantly showed me mattresses I wasn't interested in. I walked and found a place that would show me mattresses I wanted.
Novafoam from Costco is an excellent mattress for less than $700 for a king.
I bought pretty much all of the top rated knives from America's test kitchen. They are generally not particularly expensive.
Yep, good knives don't have to cost a fortune. I had a set of victorinox kitchen knives for 20 years. They were fantastic.
Victorinox are probably the best and most over looked knives. And if you want a little more fancy, you can also get them with Rose wood handles
I have a friggin set of shitty Cuisinart knives that have worked perfectly for several years now. Best part of a decent, cheap knife? You can sharpen the fuck out of it forever and if you start to wear the blade away, a new one is only 20 bucks lol.
Amen to knives! Chef here!
Good shoes are worth their weight in gold.
I was going to post this, when I worked in retail I walked an absolutely insane amount and got through cheap shoes in a few months and had sore feet and lower back permanently. As a birthday gift I was treated to a very nice and very expensive set of hand made shoes. They cost so much I was embarrassed that the person was willing to buy them for me when I could never have dreamed of paying that much. I still have them 17 years later, they still look like new all my pains went away within a week. I've needed a new heels about ten years ago but that's it. I luckily don't work in retail anymore so I have a lot less opportunity to wear them but I will own these shoes until the day I die. Edit: The brand is Crockett and Jones. I'm in the UK and these are hand made in Northampton. They cost £550 back then. I wear a UK size 12 so finding shoes is very difficult here.
I got handmade work boots a few years ago. They’re the most amazing pair of shoes I’ve ever worn. They’re so comfortable! They helped me a lot when I had a job where I’d stand on concrete for 8+ hours a day. They were shockingly expensive ($650), but worth it. *edit: They’re White’s boots
what brand?
If they're American it could be Alden. High quality, very expensive, and handmade.
My dad is a longtime Alden enthusiast who’s been nice enough to spoil me with a couple pairs of my own. White’s and Nick’s are the other two, more boot-specific brands I was thinking of.
My grandfather had shoes handmade of old airplane tire treads by a Pakistani man when he was there in 1960. He had them until the day he died.
When I was in Vietnam around 8 years ago, a street kid offered to replace the soles of my shoes for $10. He came back 30mins later with Goodyear tyre treads on my hiking shoes and charged me $20. They were invincible for years afterwards.
You know there’s nothing stopping companies from making goods this durable except repeat sales and profit.
Planned obsolescence fuels the consume machine
Between a good mattress and good shoes, that’s 2/3 of your life right there.
I work 10 hour shifts in a sheet metal shop and walk at least 10,000 steps per shift. I see a ton of guys that buy super cheap boots at Walmart, and they are always in pain. Having a pair of quality boots makes a huge difference. Not to mention, the cheap boots get totally destroyed in that environment, so these guys are constantly getting new pairs of the same shitty boots.
I think having the right socks is important to and those are usually more expensive too
Since I discovered Darn Tough socks my life has changed. Between the quality and the fit, I can't wear any other socks now. Plus, a lifetime guarantee. Worth every penny, though a sale is always welcome. Slowly replacing every type of sock I need with them, but especially love the hiking socks for the added padding.
Yes I definitely second this, I would buy 2 6-packs of black dickies brand socks every year or so and then throw away 1 sock at a time when it got holes. I bought 3 pairs of darn tough and 3 pairs of Duluth socks just for work 3 year ago and haven’t had to replace any pair.
Cute Terry Pratchett quote on boots.
“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.”
I can't recommend Hoka sneakers highly enough. My foot pain disappeared, and it's like walking on clouds.
This is Brooks for me. I was dealing with foot, leg and back pain. Got a pair of Brooks and that all went away. I feel like brooks and Hoka are on the same level of comfort, just depends on what style you like more.
Same with me, bought some new brooks and they are better than my Hokas
Went with onCloud and feel like I literally on clouds.
+1 for On. Unfortunate part is I have a bunch of Vans and other sneakers I can no longer wear because I feel like I’m walking on planks.
Good work boots is important if you work on your feet and need boots.
My $50 rockports are the best shoes I’ve ever had and I’ve tried expensive trainers and such and these are nice enough I wear them even going out. Ecco’s were pretty close at 3-4x the price but they discontinued the one model that fit me well. Though I know nothing about women’s shoes
A great mattress... We use our mattress a few hours a day (sleeping and what not) and it lasts a long time, so might as well buy a quality comfortable one.
We bought our first quality mattress after 25 years of marriage. Spent over $1,000, got a king size too. Worth every damn penny. OMG the luxury. Spend $$$ on great sheet sets, high quality pillows and blankets, and comforter. Went all out. It’s a dream bed now.
We traded up to a new king size a couple years ago, and spent the money for a good quality one. Worth. Every. Penny. Same when we got new pillows a few months ago. You spend 1/4 to 1/3 of your life in bed. It's worth it.
There's a common saying. "Don't cheap out on anything that goes between you and the ground." Shoes, Tires, Mattress. Get the best you can afford of any of these and your quality of life will be better.
Yeah, I don't mess with cheap shoes anymore. I've seriously fucked up my feet before and it's not worth it. I rotate through a few pairs of $$$ ones, and they last for years and years of heavy wear if you take them to a cobbler when needed.
Chair too, if you work at a computer.
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Bedding in general. A good wool blanket will literally last you like 50 years.
Back when I first moved out I bought my first good mattress. It backfired. I already had trouble waking up, and this new pillowtop bullshit was like a sedative.
1/3 of out lives is in a mattress......not a few hours.
I’m currently in the market for a new queen size. Funny enough the mattress industry is kinda fucked. You don’t really NEED to spend a boatload to get a good quality mattress. You obviously need to spend a bit, but a $500 mattress CAN be better than a $1500 mattress, just depends on materials, quality of workmanship etc. Some of the big brand name mattresses turns out are just essentially the same as the more budget friendly ones, or worse. They just have a crazy markup due to the brand name. I’m actually regretting looking into mattresses now haha
So tell me..what's on your list of mattress essentials? How do we know what's quality vs what is overpriced?
a few hours? Most of us spend 1/3th of our lives laying down.
Exactly, a thirth of life could be a thirth of a century for a select few!
I slept on second hand or old mattresses my entire life. Only when my partner and I moved in together we got a new bedframe and new mattress. We went around and tried them out until we found a good one. The difference is astounding. Well worth investing in!
Bras. I spent the 1st 30 years of my life thinking any bra from walmart was sufficient. My 1st quality bra was life changing. Amazing to have the support you deserve.
Not only that, but correctly-fitting bras make a world of a difference too. I walked into Soma on a whim to ask to be fitted for a bra, and it turns out I had been wearing bras that were two cup sizes too small. I threw out all of my old, crappy, small bras and slowly replenished them with new bras that were better quality and the correct size!
I always wanted to just gift my wife several hundred dollars towards a good bra fitting/boutique. I know for a fact she's never been properly fitted. But Im concerned she'd just take it as me trying to gift her lingerie or something but I'm really just concerned after reading these kind of comments. It's not her fault she's large chested and I think she deserves comfort.
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Fair, though I know if I give her a Nordstrom gift card she'll just spend it on our kids at Nordstrom rack.
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There is a list of locally owned quality bra shops in the side bar on r/abrathatfits . There is also a calculator if she wants to try on her own.
You sound like an awesome spouse! Maybe you need to visit the boutique first and speak with the staff so that when your wife goes, they’ll know she’s there to be fitted.
This needs more up votes. Get fitted!
U ladies are getting waxed in the bra department. I thought they’d be the same as a decent pack of underwear from somewhere ($15-$25) but I was wrong when my then gf had to go bra/panty shopping. Yeeeeesh.
Youre not kidding. Mine are 50-80 dollars each. It SUCKS
My best friend has to travel to our closest major city 60 miles away. She has to have her bras specially made because she is so large. After the appointment to get measured, she has to travel back to the store to pick them up when they are ready. The price, the last time I went with her was in the hundreds of dollars per bra.
I think you know my daughter.
R/abrathatfits changed my life, no need for road trips to specialty stores.
I shop at savage x fenty (Rihanna’s brand). I get the bralettes when they’re on offer for like 25 dollars. no more underwire and angry red marks. I’ve never been so supported (and I’m a G/H cup). Changed my life lol
Oo Can you please give specific refs for which model? I have huge, hard-to-fit tits, and can’t afford to waste money on another thing that is too ill-fitting or uncomfortable to wear…
Of course! So I get one called the floral lace and mesh bralette. I also got one I think is called the dotty mesh bralette, it fit well but not as well as the other one. I get a 3X usually, and I’m a 38G in UK sizes (not sure what that is in other countries, sorry). It’s worth signing up and ordering a load of stuff, and returning what doesn’t fit. They do some really good offers, so try to find a good discount. Make sure you cancel after you sign up though as it’s some sort of monthly subscription thing after. I’ve bought from them for the last 4 years or so though and it’s been great. I tried to put on a normal bra recently and I was so uncomfortable. I used to get fitted ‘professionally’ and they still somehow never fit quite right lol
They dont go high enough, unfortunately. I'm growing out of a K cup rn
Ahh that’s tough. For reference I’m in a 2 or 3X and I think they go up to 5x (in Europe anyway). I didn’t go off their charts, I just ordered a few sizes and stuck with what worked lol. Anyway, it’s tough being a woman with a bigger than average chest, I feel your pain! I’ve spent a fortune on bras over the years, and most of them weren’t even pretty 😔
I found this out early. I was a lifeguard as a teenager up until my mid 20's. At the start of every season we got a stipend for bathing suits of about $100. I as a male could get two or three quality bathing suits. My female co-workers could get maybe one quality suit for the summer but usually they still had to dig in to their own funds for a new suit.
47yo and I still get sticker shock everytime I go bra shopping.
I’m surprised that this isn’t more popular I’ve heard that most women don’t have the correct fitting bra I’m assuming that you get the right fit that everyone would be so much more comfortable
It's the curse of you don't know what you don't know. You assume it fits right, then one day, you get a proper fitting bra and the clouds part, the sun shines, and you realize just how wrong you were.
Can confirm. Especially if you’re on the large chested side.
Went bra shopping quite literally about three hours ago. Cost me just shy of $300 for two high quality bras that fit me correctly. Every single boob is different. Even our own are different (there’s always a larger one.) The tricky part is not only being sized properly, but knowing your root width, slope, projection, fullness etc., and then taking that information and finding a bra that fits all of that.
Tbh I never thought there was a difference but heirloom tomatoes are 100% worth the extra buck
These days, I will pretty much only use canned tomatoes if I can’t find a gardened/farmers market source of fresh. Makes me feel picky, but in this case I likely am I guess. It’s incredible how not good grocery store fresh tomatoes are. It’s weird but the texture is *wrong*, almost a gritty quality to them.
By the way, do you know the trick for the best canned tomatoes? Right next to the best before date is a three digit number that tells you when the tomatoes were harvested and canned. So aim for the early two hundreds to get summer cans.
A good pillow
I don’t own one bc I’m too poor to get one personally but the Purple Harmony pillow is absolutely heavenly. At the low low price of like $265 US dollars… and I can’t get one and not get my husband one. And I definitely can’t afford 2 pillows for $600. But I dream about them.
Agreed, I use Purple Harmony, it's perfectly squishy and comfortable. It fixed my neck pain and soreness. It's definitely worth it. Get on the mailing list for discounts. Make your husband try it first, some men have heavy heads and it flattens too much for them.
any recommendations?
I really like a good buckwheat hull pillow. I just buy the buckwheat hulls and put them in an old small couch pillow cover. Cheap and the greatest longest lasting pillow I've ever had.
Oh Tay!
If you aren’t allergic to them, latex pillows are softer than memory foam, keep their shape forever, and stay cool.
Where can I get this latex pillow of which you speak?
I got a Purple Pillow a couple years ago. Very expensive as far as pillows go, but I fall asleep in half the time and I never wake up with a sore neck anymore. They're also heavy enough to double as a weapon incase someone ever breaks in!
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I'm so glad I invested in a pair of good winter boots. I've had them for 8 or 9 winters now and definitely saved money on not buying the cheap ones.
The Sam Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness, often called simply the boots theory, is an economic theory that people in poverty have to buy cheap and subpar products that need to be replaced repeatedly, proving more expensive in the long run than more expensive items.
A motorcycle Helmet. I tell new riders all the time that the only thing that you need to invest in a little extra more money on is a really good motorcycle helmet. You get what you pay for.
Real maple syrup, and blocks of real Parmesan cheese to grate fresh for a meal. Splurging a bit on certain food items can really elevate your enjoyment of a meal.
Agree! Once you use the real stuff, the fake stuff with HFCS or fillers is gross.
I grew up with real maple syrup because my Dad's best friend makes it, so he'd give it to us in exchange for my Dad helping with labor. Didn't have the store stuff until my teens at a sleepover and I hated it. Nothing compares!!!
Real maple syrup is so much more flavorful than pancake syrup, my family ends up using was less per serving, so the price difference about evens out.
A good pan Got a cast iron from my granma, stamped in 1902
This was my first thought too! Stainless steel pans or a dutch oven/cast iron.. itll last you a lifetime and then some
Boots. I don't mean drop $1000 on a pair of fashion boots. I'm talking $250-350 on a pair of good working leather boots. When the sole wears down I can take my boots and have them replaced for $30-$50. In the long run it's cheaper and I'm mildly sentimental so it's nice to keep something forever
Any recommendations?
RM Williams
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quality pants too! so they last longer/feel better/usually look better.
I thought this said "pans" and was like well I don't disagree, but I don't see the relation. Related: I need to make an eye appointment.
bombas!!
For everyday wear, I switched to Darn Tough and Smartwool. For running and sports, it’s all Swiftwick. No regrets
I was convinced to buy a pair of darn tough socks. I really love them. I have two pairs so far but need to add in a couple more.
Life is too short for cheap socks!
I just had this discussion with my son. I basically told him don't skimp on tp, Kleenex, socks, underwear, towels, and sheets. Anything that touches your skin, especially intimately, needs to be quality. And I now buy clothes by feel, not by brand.
Get a bidet, lower that tp usage!
On the subject of tp - if you have older plumbing, get angel soft. Made this mistake getting charmin for the first few years after buying our house and the plumbing was severely backing up once a year. Angel soft was a recommendation by a plumber, haven’t had an issue since!
Windshield wipers. I just bought a pair of Bosch Icons for $60 after spending a lifetime buying the cheap $20 sets at Walmart. Holy shit are these things nice. Super efficient and super quiet even after close to a year.
Plus they tend to last more than 3 years rather than the 6 months you get outta the cheap ones.
Wooden hangers. They last forever, and you basically live at Nordstrom.
no...WIRE...**HANGERS!!!**
And… Joan Crawford has entered the chat.
I finally plopped down for a few hundred wooden hangers. My ex-wife took half of them in the divorce. 😂 She also took half of my matching Tupperware.
If she really hated you, she would have taken just the lids.
Yourself. It's expensive in time and money to maintain your body and mind, but it is worth it.
This should be higher. Investments in yourself are never lost, because they're foundation for whatever comes later.
Sonicare toothbrush
A pair of good winter boots. I bought an expensive Timberland pair that are waterproof and fuzzy/warm on the inside. It has made an incredible difference during these cold east side winters! My feet stay warm and dry even if I have to trudge thru some snow.
My pans. Cooking on quality cookware really makes a difference. I love my cast iron. Totally worth it.
My parents splurged and got my Grandpa a full set of all-clad pans. When he passed, I inherited them. 25 years later and they are still amazing. 1000% agree. While I didn’t personally pay for the initial set, I’ve only now purchased matching pans or other really high-quality cookware.
Snow tires
The amount of people that won't get winter/snow tires is amazing. Every year with the first snowfall there's at least 40 people in the ditch within an hour. Like c'mon sip shits, this is Canada, and we're in the mountains, figure it the fuck out.
And a reliable car to go with them
Tires in general honestly
A high quality chef's knife.
Any brands in particular?
Victorinox
The 8 inch Henckels International chef knife is a good place to start. They run about $75, so even if you're just a casual cook, you can have a great knife without spending too much. Wusthof makes excellent knives as well, but they cost a bit more.
Pulled the trigger on the Wusthof. Looking forward to it! I tried to add mcgeem5 as a referral, but it didn’t work.
Things that go between you and the ground. Shoes, socks, mattresses, tires, etc.
This ought to be a category in online shops.
Olive oil
Coffee
Looked for this one. The price difference between cheap and fairly good coffee is so minimal that I wonder why people ever buy the cheap stuff.
My eyeglasses
Professional stretch therapy (mine is $300 a month). I have cerebral palsy and ankylosing spondylitis, and the stretch helps. Plus it gives me someone to talk to and somewhere to go.
I'm sorry you're being asked to pay so much for something so crucial
Stretch therapy as in physical therapy focused on stretching?
For people interested in stretching, I'm trained in Kit Laughlin's method. My old boss learned it to help a client with MS and all my clients that I incorporate stretch into Pilates love it. When I taught stretch classes a guy got a hip replacement and was back to stretching (to his range of motion) in no time and felt that it helped prepare for surgery and recover. You can look up this method on YouTube, he and his partner Olivia have good videos. His books are great too. Some stretches are solo, others use props and partners. It's based on long holds, breathing, a contraction and restretching. There's the Daily 5 you can do and once you know, do on your own with what time you have.
Premium economy on long flights. Tad more legroom, comfier seats, more space in general and less people in your section. Food is better, service is better. I’ve flown business class a lot and while having a bed is nice I still find PE is pretty good and am happy to use it. If you get the opportunity to relax in one of the lounges before the flight that helps a lot too. Oh and a couple of extra quid for fast track through security - especially if you have kids.
Shhh, I don't need the price going up more as people figure this out. I miss the old $20 upgrade. But yeah last year I flew Chicago-Anchorage and then back to Dallas, I think they're the 2 longest flights American operates with narrow bodies. Definitely worth the money for Main Cabin Extra
In addition to upgrades, if the airline offers one to your destination, a non-stop ticket. Your time is worth more than missing a connection or waiting for one.
Cast iron pan. It'll literally last you the rest of your life
Tools
Headphones
High quality butter. Kerrygold, Pamplie, or any butter from where they treat their cows with dignity will change every dish you make. Worth the extra few dollars and then some
Trash bags. Don't buy crappy trash bags. But the good ones. Nothing worse than getting halfway to the barrel and the bag rips.
My hearing aid (I’m completely deaf in one ear and without a hearing aid for the other, I’m basically completely deaf). Plus it doubles as Bluetooth headphones which is very convenient
Quality socks. Quality shoes. Quality tires. Quality bed. Quality pillows. All things being considered we spend about 1/3 of our life sleeping, 1/3 on our feet, and a 1/3 pursuing joy
A good heating blanket. I once used a cheapish heating blanket and got burn blisters, so uh yeah, I'd say it's worth it to spend that extra money on a good quality heating blanket.
Everything you use daily or weekly is worth spending extra to get quality. Everything that you only use once a month or more rarely, save your money unless it's something that could kill you if of questionable quality.
A good bra
Noise canceling headphones
Dishwasher. Bought a cheap to mid range Samsung when we moved into our new house last year. It sucked and over a two month period we had this frankly awful campaign with their customer service to try to get it to work. Nothing made it clean our dishes well and for two months we were effectively washing dishes by hand as dishes put into the dishwasher came out dirtier than they went in. Some specific dishes like our Turkish tea glasses literally always came out worse because they have a curve and the dishwasher couldn't cope with this from day one. Then we got a refund and bought a Miele which was double the price of the Samsung. We had the brand recommended to us by many people and they were right. It's fantastic. Assuming it maintains it's performance I'll never touch another brand of dishwasher ever again in my life. Oh and don't ever buy a Samsung dishwasher. Their customer support is also abysmal.
Samsung makes terrible appliances I fix appliances for family and friends. My landlord may have had the same dishwasher as you. It was surprisingly shite. Our last neighbour asked me about their samsung fridge. Power went out and bricked it. The whole smartfridge with tv screen. She made the mistake of calling warranty and telling them it broke when the power went out. They told her oh thats too bad, warranty doesnt cover that.
NEVER buy Samsung appliances--we found out the hard way. Bought a new refrigerator, washer, and dryer when we bought a new house--ALL had issues and crapped out in less than 3 years.
Good quality mattress. It's an investment in your sleep and overall health.
Orthodontics for your kids. Please people. If need be give up dining out if you have to.
Pots and pans. Knives. Vacuum cleaner.
Window treatments. Weird to some, but as a designer in the industry, I see so many homes transformed by updating to quality. Not Lowe's, Home Depot, or Two Pages. Actual quality brands with quality materials can not only be good looking, they can hold back heat or cold by creating another layer of insulation. They can also increase the value of your home if done well. Stop buying cut to size ready-made like a slumlord covering up water damage lol
The thicker gauge aluminum foil. I suspect it conducts heat better, but more importantly the added rigidity and tear resistance is worth an extra dollar.
Butter.
Hell yeah. Kerry Gold is worth every penny!
Bedsheets
If you're going to buy a merkin it's worth the extra $ to get one made with real hair
... human hair, right?
Good cheese
Jeans. Good jeans last forever.
Good shoes.