In a consumer's eyes, the best products are those that are of very high quality but remain at a low price point. Unfortunately, in today's world, products like that are hard to come by. Sometimes, you just have to reach deep into your pockets in order to get that type of quality. Here are the expensive products that are 100% worth it, according to consumers:
#1 That's Savage Logic
Quality tools. As Adam Savage once quoted: "First buy the cheapest tool you can find, and when you break it, it means you used it a lot buy the best one you can afford." I'm a big believer in buying quality things, and will always buy top-notch stuff. As a result, I have a lot of very expensive tools, many of which I rarely use and somewhat regret buying.
#2 Protect Your Feet
Work shoes. I'm a chef and on my feet all day. I buy a new $150 to $200 dollar pair of clogs every year. I bought cheap shoes when I was green and could barely walk at the end of my shift. That or sole implants. I am required to wear steel-toed boots and those are rarely comfortable, but I got orthopedic inserts from a doctor and HOLY! It kind of sucks that I stand all day, but those inserts make it less annoying.
#3 For A Better Back
A better computer chair... and not some weird gaming chair. Get a really nice office chair, your back will thank you. Some gaming chairs will seem comfortable in the short term, but in the long term, you will do more harm than good. A really nice, ergonomic office chair will seem weird at first until you get used to it. Believe me, I had a gaming chair which was fine, but then I started working from home and my back hurt, but once I got a proper office chair, after less than a week my back stopped hurting.
#4 A Good Bra
A good bra. I think every woman can agree to this. Nothing worse than a cheap, poor quality bra. Oh, God... When I was a teen, I bought cheap bras from Primark. The underwire would snap and stab me. I would have no money to buy a new one so I would just slowly get awful cuts. Thinking back, my parents should have probably made sure I had decent underwear. Oh well! I have money now.
#5 Easy Cooking
Kitchen knives. Get a nice chef knife, keep it sharp and your cooking will be thousand times more pleasant. Plus, the quality knives last a lifetime. I was told by a chef friend to look at prices on full sets of knives to see what I'd be comfortable spending, then to take that amount and spend it on a single chef's knife. No regrets here, pretty sound advice in my experience.
#6 Sleep Well
You need a good quality mattress. You're spending 30% of your life on it, so you can't cheap out. I got a Beauty Rest mattress because of my back pain... Now, I don't want to leave the country because I love it so much. It has a guarantee for 20 years so I figure four horrible mattresses cost the same and having some relief feels worth it to me.
#7 Never Again
Computer power supplies. Don't cheap out on them because you think they're not as important, but they're the real heart of your computer. Basically what I'm saying is, never buy from a brand called "DiabloTek." I had a DiabloTek PSU catastrophically fail, just short of going up in flames. The rig shut off and the lamp in my room flickered on and off at the same time. Then I smelled the familiar scent of burnt electronics. I replaced that hunk of garbage with a modular Corsair. Never again will I cheap out on a PSU.
#8 LEGO for Life
LEGO over all the knock off brands. Sure it's more expensive, but at least you can be sure that every brick will stick together, and they will continue to do so for another 25+ years. LEGOs are supposed to maintain their stickiness over 10,000 attach/detach cycles. When they don't anymore, the molds are replaced. My mom still has our LEGOs in the loft in big airtight boxes. We stopped playing with it twenty years ago but she's saving it for her grandchildren!
#9 Sheets And Pillows
Sheets and pillows. You don't need 600 thread count. But somewhere around 400 thread count is perfect. And buy two sets. Wash them once a week, rotate them out so they last a long time. A good mattress cover is a good idea as well. But don't cheap out on the pillow either. Make sure you buy something for the style of sleep you do, side sleeping, on your tummy, or on your back. Someone has already mentioned mattresses. Also worth the money.
#10 Be Mindful Of Others
Anything I buy for my siblings. My parents kind of just let them loose and they don't buy them much in the way of new clothes or shoes or help them with the layout of their rooms. One room has four teenagers in it, and it has bedbugs. So after the bedbugs were removed, I spent $300 and built them a quadruple bunk bed that kept them off the ground. I just bought them a desk for that room too. I guess this isn't really a product but just a point that often spending money on other people feels a lot more justified than spending it on yourself.
#11 Canine Care
My dog! The little rascal managed to get freaking scabies the same month his heartworm medication expired, so that was $300 unexpected dollars. But I had a bad PTSD episode coming out of a nightmare and his 70-pound hunk of meat crawled on top of me and snuffled my face until I could be present. Best $80 I ever spent; shelter bro for life.
#12 Comfy Underwear
Socks and underwear. If your feet and jewels are uncomfortable, there is no way anything else can get done. Good shoes and boots are a definite #2 on this list as well. Also, never buy expensive underwear and socks at full price... There will nearly always be some variant in the outlet or sale of an online clothing brand. I get all of my boxers (Calvins, Pink, Bjorn, etc.) at around $30 for three pairs.
#13 Save Your Hand
A fountain pen. Hear me out: they aren't just fancy pens that look cool; they write without any pressure on the paper, so if you're talking a lot of notes by hand, your hand won't get tired from writing a lot. They also don't need to be that expensive. You can get a Pilot Metropolitan for $15, a Pilot Petit1, a Varsity, or a Platinum Preppy for around $4.
#14 A Big Sound
Quality headphones. It hurts me a little bit to see someone buy perfectly "flat" headphones and then apply a bass boost afterward... There are really good bassy headphones out there, and the M50x were specially made for having this flat and "accurate" response. But in the end... who cares. You enjoy your music however you like it!
#15 King Of Sponges
Sponges dude. Those cheap sponges don't scrub anything. You always need those yellow and green ones. You have to get the Scotch-Brite brand; their green scrubby stuff is king, even good for buffing tarnished metal to a nice satin-brushed finish. But it's too harsh for some non-stick coatings and will scratch hard plastics, so that's what the blue-blue ones are for.
#16 A Good Tailor
Dress clothes that are tailored to your body. Buy expensive brands on eBay and have it tailored. I remember when I found out that almost nobody fits clothes off the rack, and adults get their nice clothes tailored. I was FLOORED. I have since found a tailor and am loving my wardrobe. It also reduced the number of times I cried in dressing rooms for the clothes not fitting. 10/10 would recommend.
#17 Love Your Cats
Honestly, my cats eat so much less now that I feed them high-quality food. I think that makes a lot of sense. Cats are obligate carnivores, so they are wired to eat a diet consisting of 100% animal products. Cheap cat food is about 80% grain. Since cats can't really digest grain, they're letting out about 75% of cheap food mostly undigested and will eat a lot more cheap food because they still have to get nutrition somewhere. High-quality cat food is nearly 100% animal products, so the cats can actually eat like they are supposed to and don't need to eat as much.
#18 Don't Mess With Ink
A tattoo. You pay for quality. My brother got mad at me for choosing to pay $100 over $40 at someplace inside a freaking mall. Several things wrong with this: A) Never get tattooed in a mall. Don't even go in. B) $40 for a 2 x 3 is bad freaking news. I'm not having some guy put dirty poisonous ink inside me. C) They offered three pictures TOTAL on the guy's blog, one of which I reverse searched and found all over the internet.
#19 Love The Skin You're In
My skincare products. I have oily and acne-prone skin, which has gotten worse as I've entered my late 20s. I finally found a skincare routine that works and keeps my skin from getting minimal breakouts. A lot of people will go through a purging period. This means your skin is adjusting to the product; while your skin is getting worse, stick it out for eight weeks and your skin should clear up.
You also need to be drinking a minimum of 64 ounces of water daily, wearing sunblock daily, washing your pillowcase, and eating a healthy diet. Please, remember skincare is a very personal thing. Your skin may react differently to a product than how mine does. This doesn't mean they're horrible products, they just didn't work for both of us.
#20 Good Hair Care
Good shampoo and conditioner, the sulfate and paraben-free stuff. I used to use the cheap stuff for most of my life and my hair got really thin and brittle. Then I learned how bad that stuff is for your hair and started buying better quality hair products. Now I have thick beautiful shiny hair and I'll never go back. Also, you only need to shampoo the scalp. Seriously.
The runoff from just your scalp will get everything else clean, provided you didn't go crawling through the mud, recently lube wrestle, get motor oil in it, survive a horror movie or action sequence, or otherwise actively get a bunch of stuff in it. Runoff suds is enough for basic boring everyday grime for the length of your hair, so a bottle will last you.
#21 Feline Freshness
A Litter-Robot. Best $400 we ever spent. You don't have to scoop litter at all anymore. The machine slowly turns on the inside making the cat mess fall into a hole at the bottom, which is normally closed unless it's turning. It has a motion sensor too. So if it's tripped by the cat going in while it's spinning, it stops and resumes awhile after its not detected movement. The cat litter is dumped into the bottom and it's lined with a bag. We just take out the bag and replace it with a new one about once a week.
#22 HD Photos
Honestly, if you're into it, a nice DSLR camera. $500 to $700 cameras can be an amazing investment if you travel often. You can cheap out a bit on the camera itself and allocate more of the budget to your glass. Buying nice lenses took my photography to the next level without any change in my shooting skills or style. Then work your way too lights and you probably shooting better than 90% of the people out there.
#23 Roomba Power
A Roomba. Imagine literally never vacuuming again. I haven't in two years. I'd pay the $400 again if it broke tomorrow. We had one for years. Named him "Jack". Jack ran at least once a week and he worked great on the hardwood. Even the dogs accepted him as a family member. When we listed our house, my mother brought over her Dyson. It took two or three passes for the Dyson to pick up all the stuff Jack had been leaving on the carpet. The proper cleaning brought years of dog fur out of the fibers; so much that there was a noticeable difference in color.
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#24 Off-Brand, Off Feeling
Shoes. Please buy quality shoes and replace them often. I worked retail for ten years. For so long, I kept buying cheap flats that were about $30 a pair. I finally bought a pair of Clarks. It was like walking on a cloud. I did the same thing with my running shoes. I found some Nikes on sale, and I will never go back to an off-brand. Yeah, generic is great for MANY things, but comfy shoes are not one of them.
#25 My Car Baby
Take good care of your car. Get regular service from a good mechanic. My first car was nice and I treated it horribly... It was in bad shape within five years. My new car is four years old and I take it to a great mechanic—it's going to last me a very long time. Paying $300 for a full-service oil change, tune-up, brake job, etc. is worth it in the long run.
#26 Seattle Vs. Memphis
Living in Seattle. I used to live in Memphis. I rented a four-bedroom house for $500/month. Now I live in Seattle. I rent a one-bedroom apartment for $1700/month. Pretty much everything else is more expensive too. However, Instead of driving two hours a day to get to and from work, I walk 90 minutes or bus 30 minutes.
I can walk across the street to the grocery store. Each week, more concerts come through town than Memphis had in a year. I have access to a way better job market for IT and work a job that literally wasn't available in Memphis. Pretty much everything I want can be delivered within an hour. Location is so important when it comes to lifestyle. I miss the low cost of living in Memphis, but I would be so bored if I moved back now...
#27 Riding In Style
A bicycle. It doesn't really matter what kind you get, but pay the money for one with quality parts and that is comfortable so that you will actually ride it. I usually consider bike costs on a per hour of enjoyment basis rather than the upfront cost. If you get one that is uncomfortable, that breaks down all the time, or that you don't ride because it's not fun, a cheap bike will be very expensive. But an expensive bike that you ride all the time will be cheap.
#28 Extended Tire Life
Snow tires with a different set of wheels than your factory ones. Makes a huge difference to drive with them when there is snow vs. just keeping a set of all seasons. I live in NYC and I don't need it 90% of the time but I change it every season anyway. It feels expensive but you basically extend your tire life anyway if you don't inflate and deflate them on the factory wheels and keep them on another set.
#29 Keep Monsters Out
Nightlights. Do not cheap out on night lights because when your house monster does his nightly checks to see if you are vulnerable and your nightlight goes off when he is there, there's nothing you can do to stop him at that point. If you have a good quality one it could even repel the prince of darkness himself. Don't cheap out on them.
Pikrepo
#30 Two-In-One
A humidifying air purifier. My toddler son was always coughing. The pediatrician said he had an "irritable" respiratory system, and it could lead to asthma. I went online and read that a humidifier and an air purifier could help. We already own an air purifier so we only needed a humidifier. The thing with the cheap ones ($50 to $100) is that the design is often prone to mold and bacteria which can make matters worse. So I went all out and got the best one on market ($600) that is both a humidifier and an air purifier. It has a bunch of weird beads and filters in the water tank to suppress the growth of mold and bacteria. He sleeps much better now!
#31 A Lightweight Laptop
A light laptop with a good battery. I'm a law student, so having a laptop is kind of mandatory. And even though my laptop can't run any games (which sucks a little, because I am a gamer) I'm super happy with it. It's light and I can work on it for most of the day without having to recharge it. A classmate of mine has this great big gaming laptop and I don't know how his back doesn't run screaming.
#32 Student Tips
As a college student who bought a gaming laptop for school, don't buy something that isn't built for portability. I have a desktop rig for games and I only play on the laptop for special occasions. It's a 17" with an optical drive so it's big and bulky, it's heavy, and even though it runs the dual graphics with the Intel onboard and the Nvidia chip the battery life isn't great either. Do yourself a favor and trade-off a powerful GPU for something smaller and lighter that has an SSD. You'll be much happier.
#33 Keep Reading
A Kindle Paperwhite! Mine was a gift—I had an old second generation that finally died when I dropped it. I have terminal brain cancer and books are my savior, so I was a weepy mess when I tried to access my Kindle library from my iPhone and just found it incredibly difficult to use. My friend went out that day and bought me the Paperwhite as a gift (along with the bright orange cover so it's hard to misplace) and it's amazing! I'm having trouble with my vision at the moment and this has made life much easier.
#34 Noise-Cancelling
Bose QC35's. I always thought the noise-canceling was just a gimmick so I bought the Bluetooth ones because I was just getting so tired of unraveling knotted up headphones. Holy, they are freaking awesome. So pricey but so worth it! Especially on the plane and buses. I wear these babies every time I fly and I don't feel the normal tiredness I get from being on a flight... I think it's because that loud plane engine droning just wears you down, which these things are magical at canceling!
#35 For The Audiophile
Audiophile earphones. Before I got into the Audiophile world, I thought good audio equipment simply consisted of good bass and clear highs with minimal distortion. I thought my $80 pair of Sennheiser headphones was about the best there is for audio and spending more would simply be subject to the law of diminishing returns. I mean, it had a rich and full sound that was pleasing to the ear. It had a bass. It had the treble. It felt balanced.
However, I was still curious about what the next level of sound might be. I went on enthusiast headphone forums at Headphone forums and reviews for Audiophiles and asked some of the most dedicated and experienced people in audio. They recommended a pair of Etymotic ER4P. At nearly $300, it seemed ludicrous to spend that much on earphones. But I figured that it didn’t hurt to try it and if I didn’t think they were worth it, I could simply sell them. The aha! moment that brought me into the world of Audiophilia was experiencing *transparency *for the first time.
#36 Wetsuit Wonder
A decent wetsuit. I bought one about 10 years ago when I was bodyboarding through winter. The guy told me I should invest in a decent one—if I look after it, he said it'll last me many seasons. It's been quite a few years since I've worn it, but then I busted it out this weekend to go bodyboarding and whaddayaknow, it still fits and it's still warm as heck. Best $250 I ever spent on a hobby.
#37 Coffee Rabbit Hole
Good coffee. There's a rabbit hole. Get good coffee, then get a good coffee maker. Then a grinder. Then an espresso machine, then a more expensive espresso machine, then bottled water, then a better grinder, then before you know it you're dropping $300 on a thing to distribute the grinds more evenly. Still, if you love coffee, this is all worth it.
#38 The Good Soap
Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap has changed showers forever for me. I'm extremely cheap, my boyfriend likes to joke that he's extremely surprised when I buy ANYTHING that's over $5, but let me tell you I stock up on that soap to I make sure I'm never out. It leaves my skin feeling more clean and fresh that I've ever felt before, it smells so good, and the ingredients are so pure and good for you!
#39 Seinheiser Sound
Sennheiser headphones without a doubt. I bought a good pair roughly five years ago and they're still going strong (minus the little wear and tear on the cushioning). You don't even need the super expensive one. I've got a set of HD 280 Pros since I do quite a bit of home studio stuff and they're great for tracking. I've treated them pretty poorly, stuffed into backpacks, taken around, stretched. They're like new, and I've had them for about two and a half years. Comfortable, and a great balanced sound too.
#40 Power Shower
A good showerhead. I don't know about most people, but I shower every day and having a powerful shower head that can really clean up the dirty zones. It wakes you up, cleans you up, and relaxes you. I hate staying anywhere else because everywhere I go people have cheap shower heads with no power and only like two settings, even decent hotels. Also, get a curved shower rod. Those few extra inches of space are HUGE!
#41 Copic Colors
Copic markers. My husband and I have tried multiple, cheaper, knock-off markers, as well as Prismacolor markers, and so far, I'm a much bigger fan of Copics. They're rather expensive for what they are, but the brush tip is fantastic. They blend better, and they're refillable. I'd recommend it even for artists who would like to experiment with markers as a new medium (I'm new to markers myself). Other marker brands may just seem more frustrating. Prismacolors aren't horrible though, so it's not a bad place to start.
#42 Bare Minerals
Bare Minerals makeup. My acne breaks out like nobody's business when I use anything, even Estee Lauder or Lancome. I hardly even use makeup, but I like to doll myself up now and again. The last straw was when I put on foundation, and about an hour later, my whole chin and forehead were completely broken out. I remembered my coworker was always raving about Bare Minerals, so I tried it out. Best. Makeup. EVER. Yeah, it's a bit pricey, but I don't have breakouts when I want to be girly for the day. It goes on so smooth and even, and you don't feel the weight like liquid foundation. Such amazing products.
#43 For Sushi Lovers
If you're a sushi lover like me, I highly recommend going to a really well-reviewed restaurant to get Omakase at least once in your life. Omakase is basically a chef's choice. It allows them to be creative and to express themselves in their craft. It will be expensive. I have been to a few and the really good ones are always $100+ a person, sometimes (but rarely) even over $200. But as a dining experience, each and everyone has always been absolutely incredible.
#44 Dog Dad Forever
A dog. Everyone says it's the best money you'll ever spend. They're right. I don't know what I'd do without my dog, I really don't. Purebred retired racing greyhound with a heart the size of the sky. He loves me, but after letting him stay with some friends the other day, he apparently also loves kids, cats, other dogs, and my best friend. There are moments in your life where you look back and wonder how you basically fell into a great piece of luck. Bugsy is one of them.
For $600, I got a purebred dog with a 13-generation pedigree, a retired racing dog with all his shots, a leash, and a month of dog food. In return, he has asked for nothing but love, companionship, food, and shelter. He impresses the heck out of people who see him on walks with his temperament and looks. In short, it is the best investment I've ever made. So much so that I kind of want to get another one.
#45 Marriage Is Pricey
Being married is the most expensive thing I've ever done. When I was single, I had several roommates, ate rice and scrambled eggs for multiple dinners a week, and had very inexpensive hobbies. But my wife is my adventure-buddy, and that's expensive. Plus, women spend more money than men (clothes, makeup, Starbucks). But being married is one of the greatest things that's ever happened to me. She makes me feel richer than ever.
#46 Endless Possibilities
A 3D printer. There is so much stuff you don't even think about that you can just print. Oh, your towel hook broke? Print a new one. Do you need a leash hanger? Print one. The shift knob in your car is horrible? Print a new one. Do you want a replica of your favorite video game or movie character's gun? Print it! Endless possibilities. 3D printers are cheaper than you think.
#47 The No-Plastic Rule
I always try and buy well made lifetime purchases. If necessary, I buy vintage for build quality. For example, Kitchen Aid. I bought your grandma's Kitchen Aid mixer off eBay. Also, I have a rule and that is, no plastic. I have had several french press coffee pots made of plastic and glass. I have recently bought a used all-steel one off eBay. Also, I buy no gimmicky appliances, juicers, microwaves, electric grinders, Cuisinart stuff. None of it. 9 times out of ten, there is a better way to do things.
#48 Good Yarn
A good yarn. As some who does crochet, I have a family who gives me cheap yarn to practice with and to be honest I don't mind it. I love all yarn colors. But today I imported some really nice yarn to make a present for my husband, and it's the best I've ever worked with. It inspires me with its texture and how it holds up, to continue my project! Now I'm almost done!
Pxfuel
#49 Simple Luxuries
I've got a couple: My car, a 2016 Mustang GT Premium. It has enough power for anything I want to do and enough interior space and luxuries to keep me and my wife comfortable on any trip. My bed, a Revive Hybrid bed in Eastern King size from Living Spaces. Before we bought this ~$2500 bed, we had a $300 bed from a mattress store. SPEND MONEY ON YOUR BED! Seriously, I can't stress this enough. I wake up refreshed every single day and you spend so much of your life sleeping.
#50 Try Tempur
A Tempur mattress. This thing is the absolute best thing I've ever bought. I'm laying on it now and got my head resting on the headboard of the bed (that's awesome too and the headboard is about 6-ft tall from the floor) reading that there Internet. The mattress just cradles your body. I can't see myself ever having any other kind of mattress ever again.
