Ten Times You Can't Afford to Skimp

As you all know, I love to save money. But there's something to the adage that "you get what you pay for," especially when it comes to buying items in certain categories. With this thought in mind, I wanted to share with you Money Central's list of ten times you can't afford to skimp:

• Car maintenance.
• Classic clothes.
• Computer memory.
• Family safety.
• Health.
• Internet access.
• Home inspections.
• Mattresses.
• Teenagers' cars.
• When your ethics are at stake.

My thoughts on each of these:

1. Agree -- to a point. You want to keep your car running well, of course, but that doesn't mean you need to spend $40 at a dealership for an oil change. Many places charge $15 or less -- and what's the difference as long as the place is competent?

2. Agree -- to a point. Again, it depends on where you buy them. You can get good, classic clothes at many decent retailers. You don't have to buy everything (or anything for that matter) at a high-end retailer.

3. Yep. It's pretty cheap and without it, your computer can be very limited. Why spend $1,000 on a computer just to have it run slow (or not at all) because of limited memory?

4. Agree. Your family is more important than any amount of money.

5. Agree -- to a point. There's lots you can do to minimize health care costs. So get good care at the best price possible.

6. I think they're stretching on this one. Most people have access at work, so I think home access (or at least speedy home access) isn't really a "must have."

7. Agree 100%. I'm stunned by people who pay $300,000 for a house but won't fork over the few hundred dollars for an inspection. I wouldn't buy a home without one.

8. Don't get me started on beds. I've seen little correlation between high-prices and comfortable bedding.

9. Thank God my kids aren't driving yet.

10. Agree. Nothing is worth compromising your integrity.

Comments

[Anon]

You did not really share your opinion on #9, so I'll share mine instead. I think you should definitely "skimp" on your teenager's car. I'm not saying you should pick up a brand new bargain basement car with poor safety features - you already covered the importance of family safety. Instead, buy a still-nice used car. Many used cars have thousands of miles left on them and can be purchased on the cheap. Not only is a used car a safe way to skimp on a teenager's car, but it will also teach them that they can be happy even if they don't have the nicest and newest status-mobile.