Ask Lemmy

If you write or sign things a lot, get a couple decent pens. Not expensive ones you'd be upset if you lost them, but not sad, free office pens.

I've gotten numerous compliments on my Pilot Precise V5. It's bold, but easy to read, and if anyone borrows it, they'll notice it's smooth and feels nice to use.

The Precise is a rollerball. If you need a ballpoint, Uni Jetstream is great. Pentel Energel or Bic Inkjoys for gel. Grab a pair of each and you can write on near anything.

Zebra Sarasa Grand is a nice metal body with binder clip type clip if you want an upgrade. The above pens all use the same size refill, so if you like one body but a different ink, you can swap them.

The Grand is around $10, the rest you can find for around $5 for a pair.

If you're using a pen all day, it's an upgrade you'll notice whenever you grab a freebie pen and it's scratchy, the ink skips, and it smudges. It's a nice upgrade that will feel more luxurious than the price would imply.

Penis extension surgery

Dental care.

Other people have said better things, but I've found flour to be important in baking. Generic store brands can work mostly, but for more precise and nicer baking I've got to go with King Arthur flour

Hey King Arthur flour, sponsor me please, I need it to keep buying all this flour!

Poop knife

Healthcare.

condoms

Catamarans, caviar and coochie

There’s the adage, “spend your money where you spend your time.”

If you’re going to spend a lot of time in front of a TV, get a nice one. Cook a lot? Get the good knives and pans. Don’t read much? Don’t buy an e-reader or book subscription service. Not big into DIY? Get cheap drill/driver for the rare times you need it.

There’s plenty of exceptions but it’s a nice general rule.

I've never known any kind of electronic device to not follow the rule of "you get what you pay for." If you want it to work practically forever, go with the expensive one.

Toilet paper.

Construction material when building a house. If you want to live there for many years go for overkill.

Plumbing. People seriously underestimate the damage a bad leak can do to a structure.

Personally, I try not to cheap out on anything I want to last. You don't have to buy the most expensive, but don't buy the cheapest either. Something in the middle usually does good.

I've done well buying second hand too. I recently found a bread machine for 3$ at goodwill. Works perfectly. But I also figured if I decided not to use it anymore or it was crap, then I lost 3$

Ball support.

Been thinking about this for a while and I gotta say food. If it looks spoiled, I just throw it out. I’m not going to risk getting sick over cheap food that’s probably gone bad anymore.

Knife. You maybe don’t need the ultra deluxe Japanese kitchen knives from the future. But a set of good, sharp knives will be a godsend if you plan to cook a lot.

Hiking gear. Especially the boots have to be of good quality. But breathable clothing (including socks) will also make a big difference when you go on a long trip.

Might be a no-brainer for some, but: meat. If you plan to make some steak, choosing a properly marbled piece of meat is as important as how you cook it. Will be exorbitantly more expensive than the discount meat, tho. But trust me, it will be worth it.

Car brakes

The classic is anything that separates you from the ground.

I'd add anything related to plumbing, electricity and roofing.

Anything that goes between you and the ground. Shoes, bed, tires.

Gonna start with a few of the usual suspects:

• Anything that keeps your feet off the ground (buy good shoes)

• Anything that touches your privates (don't buy cheap condoms yall)