What items are worth the premium to pay for the name brand/high end stuff? What are not?

headphones. I have no brand loyalty here but those cheapo $10-20 headphones often are more hassle than good especially compared to the high-end or at least 'decent' options.

 

What about a beer that is offered to you (i.e. free)? My son has champagne tastes on his beer budget, yet always buys Stella which costs about$5 more per 6-pack than let's say Lakeport Pilsner. when I pointed out his habit, he asked me what kind of beer I like. I told him that my favourite kind is the kind that is offered for free - which is why I am always happy to accept a Corona from my mother.

If I was going to purchase my beer and want to enjoy the flavour it would be along the lines of Mill Street (any product but I like the wheat) or Kilkenny, or Creemore.

I'm with you on the PC Mac & Cheese over the KD.

 

Premium stuff
Vodka.
Craftsman tools
Stihl chainsaws
Apple products (except the Iphone)
A/V equipment
Jeans - some jeans just wear better than others
Tires
Paint (interior & exterior)
ProGlide razors
Protein supplements
Headphones

Cheapo stuff
Generic food (organic meat being an exception)
Generic medicine

 

I'll choke down a crap beer to be polite but I'd never buy it but then I get enough free beer (from working at Sleemans) that free beer isn't a draw for me.

That said, there are some decent value priced beers but they are few and far between.

 

A friend just brought me a six pack of Creemore from Canada. They went down very nicely.

And you can add me to the President's Choice White Mac and Cheese list. When we first moved here, it was a standard request for visitors to bring us boxes of the stuff. We haven't had any in a while so I'd like to say we've weaned ourselves from it's strong lure.

 

To bring back an old thread
Recently changed from Helmans to DUKES MAYONNAISE, Heinz to HUNTS ketchup, Tobasco hotsauce to SIRACHA ... Costco t/p over the more expensive ones (feels the same) I buy DUNKIN COFFEE at the DD shop, a full pound (over the 12 oz bags at the supermarket, about the same price)
I do the shopping, and I like to peruse the isles, almost always buy the store brand (Publix), and I find their quality good.
All of our cars use premium fuel and I have experimented with using regular, aside from the possibly less performance , my decidedly unscientific feel is that the premium has a slight mpg advantage, and at 5000 miles per car per year the $ is not much vs the possible damage. (who really knows the truth)
As far as bottled water, we keep a supply of big bottles n case of a storm, but I have an undercounter filter for the sink, and since our refrigerator has a separate filter I take drinking water from there and keep a pitcher in the refrig, I have slices of orange and lemon in it.
Most of wife's clothes come from STEINMART, and ANN TAYLOR (she is a great shopper, having worked in high end retail for a long time)
For me, mostly black T shirts, khaki shorts, and boat shoes, (Sperry Topsider) from their discounted on line site.
We buy "stuff" from AMAZON quite a bit, books, DVD's etc.
Being retired (since 99) my needs are small, flip phone (back to that from Galaxy III, ugh) my Z3 (2001)
doing my JACKSON POLLOCK look alike's in my studio and reading take up my day....

 

I refuse to concede that Hunt's is ketchup. I won't eat it. Sriracha, now, that shit's the bomb.
Organicville makes a version of sriracha that I think is TOTALLY worth the money.
I've learned in the last few years that some things (like dress clothes and shoes, electronics, and organic foods) are worth spending a little more money if I can get better quality and/or have them last longer. My last pair of $90 shoes lasted over 5 years. My $20 payless shoes lasted about a year. Then I had to go stupid shopping again.
I'm 100% fine spending a little more on organic foods that tend to hold pesticides or that grow in the ground, like kale, carrots, onions, etc. Mostly because they taste better and I'm healthier for it. At least I think I am. But citrus, bananas, etc? Yeah, NO. They don't absorb the unhealthy stuff. I refuse to drink the tap water here because I got ill from it my first week in the area. So did the cats. I adore SmartWater, but I'm also just as fine drinking Ozarka bottled water. At home, we have a whole house filter and an R/O tap in the sink, so I'm fine with drinking from the tap.
I drive a TDI... clean turbo diesel and my carbon footprint is actually lower than many. It costs me $0.10 per mile in fuel to drive, even though people complain about the cost of diesel. Hubs drives a Beemer that requires premium, but he drives it so little that it balances out. Plus, he's looking into the new Chevy diesel Colorado or something that is coming out in 2015. So we'll be a greener family.
I guess, in short, if it benefits me, will last longer, or tastes better, I'll put the money out for it. But, I'll eat smaller portions, buy one pair or shoes instead of three, and be more conscious of using certain products if I paid more for them. So, in the long run, I think it balances out.

 

Only name-brand Kahlua is worth drinking.

The default tires that came with my car (bought when one year old) were scary on wet roads, so I got rid of them. Currently, I have Michelin Defenders.

The pseudo-branded cookies and candies which are sold in convenience stores (e.g. Sathers) look like the real thing, but are absolute crap. They don't even taste good, let alone being loaded with awful chemical ingredients. If you're going to indulge your sweet tooth, get something reliable like Pepperidge Farm or Jelly Bellies.

 

Heinz is the only ketchup.

Apple computers

Michelin tires

Canon Cameras and L lenses

 

My feet tend to sweat and then rot if they stay damp. Smartwool socks are worth what they cost.

Life is too short for cheap liquor or beer.

 

As a corollary to that, I'd also add chocolate.

 

Most definitely. Substitute Nikon w/ corresponding lens if you prefer that side but you definitely get what you pay for when buying glass for your gear.

Fortunately you can find the older FD mount lens at very good prices these days and older Canon bodies in good condition are easy to find as well.

 

I used to own a Canon AE-1 years ago, and I loved it. Unfortunately, due to a mishap, it ended up at the bottom of the river Inn, in Austria (Innsbruck)....very long story. I missed that camera for a very long time.

 

I got a pair of Le Chameau winter boots over the summer when Orvis had them on closeout.
They would normally be way out of my price range.
I have to say they are pretty effing fantastic.
I wear them all this time now, from shoveling snow to pulling kids in their sled to taking the dog out.
This is one product I feel like I really missed out on for my first 43 years of life.

And if you love great socks try Darn Tough. Made in Vermont. None finer.