Things that I pay more for

Hi All,

I recently blogged about my 'Mission Statement', see here.

Whilst in the process of streamlining my spending habits I have tried a lot of new products, and I have to say it's not about the individual price but more whether something is worth the price paid. I am a firm believer in quality over quantity. For instance I would much rather have a couple of good quality makeup items that I use religiously than tonnes of poor quality items that I may not use.

There's no disputing that you can get decent products on a budget but there are some things where I believe you really do get what you pay for, basically it's not worth scrimping on these:

• Shoes - Especially heels, I know you can pick up some good bargains at the likes of TK Maxx, but I think that it's worth going for quality brands when it comes to shoes. I have bought stores own brand shoes before such as Miss Selfridge and other high street retailers and in my experience fashion store shoes have never lived up to the quality of those from retailers who specialise in shoes. Due to my experience so far I have avoided clothes shop shoes for some time, however the last time I saw Topshop shoes they looked to be fairly decent quality, but they are expensive, so were back to square one again.

• Clothes - I'm not saying that designer is a must, for me the quality is important and I want clothes that are going to last, wash well and be timeless. I don't shop at Primark for 2 reasons,   1. we don't have a Primark locally and 2. Don't hate me for this but it just isn't for me. I have tried some of their things on and its not the greatest fit on me, I am perhaps a funny shape. The clothes are too cheap, it makes me wonder how much was paid for the labour to make the clothing gives me the impression that their not the most ethical retailer (hard to find I guess). Also I had a couple of items from there when I was a student and they didn't last long at all, I got a couple of wears before they started to look a little tatty.

• Tights - I bought a pack of 3 pairs of tights from Dorothy Perkins for £5 which I thought was a bargain, unfortunately I didn't get to wear a single pair for more than a couple of minutes before the first ladder appeared. I was so careful putting them on, but the quality just wasn't there -so back to M&S I went.

• Skincare - I have always used Clinique, Lancôme, and other higher end skincare brands. I have previously tried 'simple' skincare and although it was ok I just didn't think it met the grade. This is an area that needs exploring, it would be great to save money and still use good products that I can trust. For me, it is worth paying more where your skin is concerned, you only really get one chance to look after it (planning ahead..facelifts are expensive) - I am willing to try new things and if I find something that's as good or better than what I currently use for a similar price or less then I will definitely consider changing my routine.

• Makeup - This is another area that I will need to explore, I have always been a bit of a makeup snob and have had less makeup than others but its always been YSL, Estee Lauder, Dior and other premium brands. That's not to say I don't think other, cheaper brands can be as good - it's just that so far I haven't found the evidence. I will doing my research on the makeup front!

• Eggs - There are a lot of food items that can be substituted for cheaper alternatives without feelings of guilt, however when it comes to eggs free range is a must - the treatment of animals is important to me.

• Dental hygiene - You are only getting one set of teeth, it's important you look after them. I buy a Sensodyne toothpaste which is free from Sodium Laurel Sulphate - I read somewhere that this helps to keep mouth ulcers at bay. It is much more expensive that cheaper brand toothpastes but I feel that it makes a difference with my ulcers so for me spending a little more on it is fine. I buy it at boots, you can usually get either 2 for £6 or buy 2 and get one free approx. £8 for 3 tubes.

• Chocolate - I am not a big chocolate eater, but when I splurge on some I want dark and I want quality, for me cheap chocolate is a complete turn off!

• Alcohol - Same principle as the chocolate applies really, I don't drink all that often and when I do I make sure it's something I like and enjoy and for me that's worth paying more for. To be honest if I bought wine just because it was cheap and didn't enjoy drinking it what would be the point?

Ok so my list isn't exactly over the top and you will notice that I currently only think some these items are worth paying more for because I haven't seen proof to suggest otherwise. It's all open for debate and I am happy to hear your comments. Perhaps you don't agree with some of my suggestions and perhaps you have some items that you would add to the list. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Cookie x