Folks Share What 32 Expensive Purchases Were Worth It Due To Their Quality

It’s no secret that the high prices nowadays force people to come up with ways to save money – from simple budgeting to full-blown thrifty lifestyles. 

So, when you’re in money-saving mode, it seems that buying the cheapest things is the way to go, doesn’t it? Well, in some cases, it might be, but others paying a little (or not so little) bit more can be cheaper in the long run. 

As this Guardian article (rather an old, but still relevant) by Madeleine Somerville points out, many products tend to not be built for long term use, so, despite costing relatively little, they wear out quickly. At the same time, items with higher costs tend to be of higher quality. 

Basically, quality costs more upfront, but over time, when you don’t have to keep replacing the cheaper item, even if it’s at a lower price, the expensive one turns out to be more cost-effective. 

Take the things presented on this list, for example. They were collected from netizens’ opinions expressed in a Reddit thread under the question: “What's something you used to cheap out on until you tried the expensive version and could never come back?” 

While it’s true that most of the time it’s worth buying more expensive items (especially when it comes to things listed here), it also has to be acknowledged that sometimes people like buying costly stuff for other reasons. 

For instance, there’s a phenomenon called the “marketing placebo effect.” In a nutshell, it’s when a person's brain perceives cheaper products as those with higher risk and lower satisfaction. 

There was one experiment conducted where participants were presented with wine and were told that it cost either $45 or $5. Then, when they drank it, both taste and brain activity showed that they viewed the more expensive one as better. And that’s just one of the experiments we mentioned that showed such results. There are more of them. 

So, basically, that’s why some people opt for more expensive stuff – they simply view it as a better option, even if it isn’t. 

The advertisers love to exploit this phenomenon. They're sure to use it when tailoring the brand to what the consumers expect and then have to guarantee that assumption isn’t ruined. 

At the same time, some argue that opting for expensive things isn’t inherently bad. In fact, they say it should be encouraged. As this article by Anthony J. Yeung vocalizes, focusing on “being cheap” can negatively impact your mindset, leading you to sabotage yourself and set you up for a relatively destitute lifestyle. 

So, maybe the best thing to do is buy whatever you can and want to, and not worry about whether you’re falling victim to the marketing placebo effect, impacting your mindset, or whatever else. After all, it seems we can’t fully win either way, can we?