Also not the best place to go with the discount option.
It’s the Christmas season, and that means everyone has a few extra expenses that they need to worry about this month. And by “a few”, I mean “a lot”. So it’s only natural that everyone would be looking for few ways to save a couple bucks. There are a lot of great ways to stretch your dollar a little further; buying no-name brands, using those disposable razors a little longer, cooking meals from scratch. But then there are some other ideas that simply shouldn’t be compromised.
Like toilet paper. Saving a buck on toilet paper is not only a bad idea, but if you’re a guy, it’s a bad decision you’re going to have to live with for the next two years. That 64-pack of cheap, abrasive toilet paper is going to be with you through your next four girlfriends and six venereal diseases. And I’ll guarantee that a year or two from now, you’ll be wishing you spent the extra 13¢ to buy the good stuff.
What’s your one item that you refuse to compromise on to save a couple bucks?
Coffee beans. If it won't make a good cup of coffee, why waste money on it?
/toilet paper too, but you said that.
I buy a good 3+ blade razor. There is a big difference to me between those and the cheap twin blade disposables.
As for the toilet paper, I'm married, my wife still hasn't figure out that you can use less than a whole roll per sitting, I don't even think she knows the paper is perforated. I go for one step above the John Wayne (rough and tough, and won't take crap off anybody) stuff.
Yea, I'm a loyal Gillette Mach 3 man, even though I gasp every time I have to buy refills.
I've bounced around between the Mach 3, the Fusion, and the Schick Hydro. They all seem pretty good. I just get whatever I can find on sale or find a coupon for. Always dry the blades when are done, they will last 3-4x longer.
I cannot justify spending that kind of coin on razors. Gillette and Schick both want one arm and one leg for 78 cents worth of plastic and sharp metal. I can get 7 3 blade razors for almost half the price at the drug store and I use the skin trick to make one razor stay sharp for 30+ days.
Before shaving, place the razor on the top of your forearm, shave up the arm (the opposite way of actually shaving) and do this about 10 times (Safety razor's only guys. DO NOT USE A STRAIGHT BLADE TO DO THIS) The forearm acts as a leather strip to hone the blades. The other thing you always want to do is make sure the blade is dry before putting it away. This will give you a lot more time on the blade even if you don't use the honing trick I just told you about.
Rust is thy enemy.
You can also store your razor so the cutting edge is pointing up. This way any water left will drip away from the edge rather than gathering on it.
Why the hell have I never thought about that? Have an extra +1 for the tip.
Do you mean cartridge razor or actual safety razor? I told some emo kids to use their (safety was implied) razors up the road not across the street when I was in high school. That is to say, I was not a fan of them. Your advice seems similar. Perhaps you aren't a fan of us?
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Razor_blade.png">
I vastly prefer this brand:
<img src="http://www.bmvintageshaving.com/images/Merkur_Razor_blades_11_200.gif" width="200" border="2" style="border:2px solid black;" alt=" " />
<img src="http://www.carguydad.com/wp-content/gallery/modern-classic-merkur-xr4ti/merkur_xr4ti_front_red_1989.jpg">
You do have a heavy beard, don't you?
It still isn't strong enough…
So apparently, replying via email does not work.
I mean cartridge. I'm retarded.
It's all good. Also, replying by email works fine for me. Might want to check your outbox if you're using outlook.
My issue with using my forearm as a stropping leather is that it would provide a racing stripe in my significant forearm hair.
Bah. Just buy a good safety razor and hang it in a stand when you're done. Good blades are cheap, and no need to dry the razor. Just shake it out and hang it up.
Another money-saving tip: "shake it out and hang it up" works for condoms, too.
That's gross. Your gross.
That's what I would say if that idea wasn't awesome.
That money-saving condom trick is awesomely en pointe given the stated objective of this thread.
Bravo.
En pointless for some of us.
I use a Norelco electric. No its not as close a shave but I figure the $60 electric is cheaper than disposables over the course of a few years. But more importantly
I can shave while I driveit's quicker in the morning.I, too, use a Norelco razor. I received my first as a "rite-of-manhood" as a clumsy adolescent, who would have probably butchered my face shaving manually. Now, in my aged infirmity, I take blood thinners, and bleed like a stuck pig when cut.
The disposable BIC for sensitive skin is only used for "manscaping"…
Fluid Film.
2-1/2 times the cost of WD-40, and worth every extra penny.
<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31tRqHHmmRL._SL500_AA300_.jpg">
Never heard of it. Is it a lubricant and/or rust preventative? What so special about it? I always need good lubricants.
It's like a more clingy version of WD-40, but without the solvents. It doesn't break up gunk, but it's a really long-lasting lubricant and protectant. Prevents just about any metal from oxidizing, pitting or corroding. It really bonds well to bare metal.
I'll have to try that, it sounds useful. Thanks.
"I always need good lubricants."
That's what she said.
I'm sure glad that I can feed you and engineered all these straight lines.
Better than PJ1?
PJ1 Blue chain lube is my choice for drivechains, but I wouldn't use their stuff over FF for any other use.
FF is especially good for stuff on the jet skis that are constantly getting wet.
Roller coasters… er… wait.
Coffee. We buy our coffee from Caribou. Before I met my girlfriend, coffee never mattered to me and I bought whatever was on sale. Now I can't drink the coffee here at the store without wincing a bit.
Also, HDMI Cables. I won't buy a cable that costs anything over $20 for the 3' I need. I made the mistake of buying a $6 cable and 2 weeks later it bent a little at the plug end and stopped working unless I jiggled it around. So now, when I buy cables, I spend an extra $10-15 for the cables with protected ends.
Shoes. I spend at least $100 on a good pair of walking/office shoes, $200 on office boots and another $200 on jobsite boots.
I spend more up front but they last longer (36-48months), keep my feet comfortable and allow me to walk/stand most of the day if need be.
I still own a cheap ($50) pair of skate shoes but I know they won't last longer than 12 months at best.
I'm with you on shoes and the same goes for clothing. Below a certain price point, they don't last; however, above a certain price you're just paying for the label. Finding the sweet spot that maximizes the quality to price ratio can be tricky.
Yes, good point. Good shoes are worth every farthing. Or is it a penny now?
If you're into running or similar endurance athletics, you don't want to scrimp on shoes. Improper or cheap shoes can leave you with painful injuries.
Yeah, my wife ran a 10k race (The Peachtree) a couple of years ago with some friends (she isn't really a runner). She chose to wear the new "cute" and cheap running shoes instead of the good and broken in New Balance shoes. She came home with silver dollar sized blisters.
I have a pair of cheap dockers shoes. At this point they've lasted 3 years and still look good (soles are getting a bit worn down, but there was a lot of soul on them) with about 3-5 days a week worth of wear. They are, apparently, awesome.
These ones, to be exact: http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/dockers-shoes-…
My wife turned me on to ECCO's and I haven't looked back. Unfortunately both the boots and office shoes are due for replacement at the same time….
I buy all of my shoes from Sierra Trading Post. They sell ECCO. See how these prices and styles suit you.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/s/ecco-men/
Thanks for the link
<img src="http://socalskateshop.com/images/products/thumb_1849_HWGOO.jpg"> If the soles are wearing down, just put some masking tape around the bottoms and add some Shoe Goo! No it does not come with fried rice, but it fixes lots of things from electronics to gluing pockets back on to jeans!
The free version of the site has gone to shit, but my Jalopnik Gold subscription is still worth every penny.
They make you pay for that? What on earth for? what do you get out of it?
You obviously "wert" in on the joke.
Ah, I see. I'll stand on a chair next time.
Dearthair is looking a little out of shape. Needs to work that pole a bit more.
At least he de-furred himself, apparently.
The guys who fled to Canada were the ones who couldn't get deferred.
Those aren't platform shoes he's standing on. They're the heads of Cambodian orphans.
Kittens. Cambodian orphan kittens.
Not surprised. I heard he gave those orphans kittens, let them fall in love with them and then made the orphans watch as he killed the kittens. Those orphans died of broken hearts.
The sales girl told me the bikini looked great on me. Are you saying she lied?
Maybe I can still return it…
No no… you look… er. Great! You look great. Not fat at all… Stop crying. You're fantastic…. When I said "Letting yourself go" I meant you really like to party.
Damn it. Someone get Dearthair out of the bathroom. Last time he was in there all day crying.
Seriously though, could you at least have picked a hot one in a similar pose? If I have the people around me thinking I'm checking out strippers at work, I at least want them to know I have good taste.
Then again, maybe that passes for a hot stripper in Canuckistan.
Do you have any idea how difficult it was to find an awful stripper for that photo? Fantastic stripper photos are everywhere. Finding an awful one took hours of work. Hours of horrible, torturous, painful work, looking at pictures of fantastic strippers.
The sacrifices I make for you people…
Sacrificing kittens is not for us. It's for your devil god.
Ammunition. Reloading supplies. Firearms
Ever had a ND, primer fail, bullet jam or a round jam? It sucks.
Depends on the purpose of the gun. For self defense or hunting get the best you can afford. For fun I don't mind cheap ex-communist surplus stuff. So every 10th round misfires, it was 1/3 the price of the good stuff. I would stay away from the zinc frame guns and such though. I did make the mistake of buying some sort of off brand South American .22LR ammo once, that stuff was crap. I've also got several hundred rounds of 7.62X54R with some sort of Arabic headstamps I got in the early 90s, about 2/3 of it goes off on the first or second try the rest ends up down range as targets.
Ya, for plinking I reload the low cost stuff but for self/home defense it is top shelf ammo. For hunting I'll spend a little more for the good stuff or reload something very nice.
In addition to the aforementioned toilet paper shoes and sunglasses are two places I don't even attempt to save money.
I've got bad knees so shoes with good motion control are essential for walking any sort of distance and I have to replace them fairly regularly. Not a cheap proposition but still cheaper than the custom orthotics I was told I was headed for if I didn't change my footwear (prior to this I had been wearing the same pair of shoes for over four years).
With the sunglasses; macular degeneration is pretty much guaranteed for men in my family (my dad and uncle both have it, my grandfather and his brother were also diagnosed, my great grandfather was reportedly blind by 60), one of the only things proven to delay onset / slow development is to wear sunglasses in bright sun. Combine that with some of the horror stories I've heard from Iraq veteran friends about what cheap / fake sunglasses did to people over there*, I'll spend the money.
*Some of the Iraqi troops stationed with them wore sunglasses which did nothing more than darken things, no actual UV protection despite stickers that claimed it. The result was to dilate the pupil and let *more* harmful rays in so you had 30 year old guys who were pretty much blind with cataracts.
Maybe I should quit buying my sunglasses at the Dollar Tree then.
Life is too short for crappy beer.
I'm glad I rarely think a beer is crappy.
Steel Reserve is one of the few that can actually be considered crappy in my book.
As cheap malt liquor goes. the 'Steel Bear' approaches drinkability, while Hurricane is pretty bad and most competing one-buck-fuck-up cans (Schlitz in particular) are dire. None of them are Olde E.
I'm not much for beer, at least cheap beer, most of the time.
I tried looking into that Worst Pole Dancer from the lead photo. I led me to a site that gave me the Win 7 Antispyware 1012 virus. Ugh.
gasoline
A good point. Even if a car runs fine on regular octane, despite recommending 91 (for example), having to adapt generally negatively affects performance and/or economy. I know my 745 Turbo retards timing under boost when running less than 89; as such, 89 is what it gets, and it can sneak up on 20 MPG even being fairly out-of-tune.