Looking for the least expensive version of a product is usually a good idea, except for when it isn’t. The following five bargain products may wind up costing you more of your hard-earned money in the end.
Paper Towels
Usually when you buy cheap paper towels, you wind up using more of them, negating any real savings. A better bet is to bring down the cost of more expensive brands by using coupons and sales and buying in bulk. You can also eliminate most of your paper towel use by substituting greener options.
Using inexpensive wash clothes, chamois cloths, or rags for small spills and general cleaning will save the environment and save you money. Newspaper can be used to wash windows and make them sparkle.
Laundry Detergent
It usually is worth paying a little more for a good laundry detergent. Just like with paper towels, you’ll wind up using more with bargain detergents in an attempt to get your clothes clean. With extra detergent comes extra suds that will need more water to rinse away, another expense if you pay for your water usage.
Again, use coupons, sales and bulk buying to bring down the cost, or make your own laundry detergent using one of the many excellent formulas available online.
Food
Most food that is inexpensive is also highly processed. For your health and the health of your family, it is worth it to invest in better food to fuel your bodies and keep you healthy. That is not to say that there aren’t ways of saving on healthy food. Many organic brands are now offering coupons, for example, but if you are living on artificial macaroni and cheese because it is cheap, you’ll wind up paying more later in health care costs and productivity.
Focus on whole, yet inexpensive foods such as dried beans, oats, rice and more to make up the bulk of your diet.
Mattresses
A good mattress can last 10-12 years, a bad one just one or two. Keep that in mind when you are shopping for your next mattress. Do your research and calculate the per annum cost, that is how much per year it will cost you to own your mattress. To save money, skip the fancy pillow tops and luxury fabrics (you won’t be sleeping directly on the mattress anyway), shop during a clearance sale, and don’t be afraid to haggle for the best price.
Because of health issues, buying a used mattress is not recommended.
Tools
With tools you often get what you pay for. Cheap tools usually break and have to be replaced, so you wind up spending more in replacement costs than you would have investing in a tool of good quality.
To keep tools costs down, you should pick a tool that is well made but with only the features that you really need. For example, gas-powered tools are often more expensive than corded ones.
You may get lucky finding used tools, but good quality previously owned ones usually come few and far between.