[sadiesky]

One big thing I can think of now is my trailer house! I have a metal roof siding & now so wish I would have had a shingled roof & regular siding which would have cost more. It also should have been put on a slab. I didn't know any better when I bought it.

[jessl]

Originally Posted by Card83

I cheaped out on a pots and pans set. I think we got to use them a whole 5 times before the inside starting cheaping. We had to throw them out.

Thats a good one! A few good expensive pans are a great investment. I only have one cheap pan left from when I first moved out on my own and its terrible. The lid is long since broken and gone and the pan itself is warped. I only use it if I'm cooking so many things that I run out of pans.

My favorite pan is a dutch oven I got at Macy's a couple years ago. It was about $100 but it was worth it.

[jenbob31905]

Vacuum cleaner and Carpet cleaner...

Needless to say, we now own a Dyson and a RugDoctor! Definitely worth the investment for both!

[IluvCoupons]

Originally Posted by jcoy

I have a king size bed. When I bought it, I couldn't believe the price for a king size mattress. So I went cheap, more like in the middle, but I wish I had spent the money on a nice mattress. Now I don't sleep very well. I will have to shell out some major bucks for a new mattress. There goes my tax return or maybe I will just suffer through it.

You should check out a thick memory foam topper first. I also bought a cheaper mattress and it gave me back aches within a few months. I spent $50 on a combo memory foam/egg crate topper that is about 4-6 inches thick (I got mine at WalMart) and no longer have problems (knock on wood).

[dixiemedic911]

Have you tried going back to the store and talking to them, or talking to someone from the manufacturer? I bought a Sealy a couple years ago and after about 6 months, we called it the "taco bed" because there was a huge dip in the middle. Well, I called Mattress Firm, where I bought it, and they told me that all the major name brand mattress makers guarantee that the mattress won't "sink" more then 1 1/2 inches. I forget exactly what it is called, but I ended up getting a prorated credit towards a new mattress. I would definitely check into that if I were you.

[amcess721]

Vacuum: Bought a $100 something or other at Target when we were first married. That was a piece of junk and now we love our Dyson!
Mattress: Anyone heard of Resnick's mattress outlet? Yeah, for $300 you can get a mattress there too (well, not anymore - i don't think they're in business anymore!) ... we've had it for 6 years and I HATE IT every night. We just don't have the cash right now to get a better one. We've added the memory foam on top and it helped for awhile, but that's pretty flat now too...
Diapers: Everyone thought we were crazy when we said we only use huggies diapers for our daughter. Well, we decided to give luvs a shot. They're terrible. We decided to give target brand a shot. They were pretty terrible too... so we'll stick with our huggies.
I also always remember the one box of store brand "cheerios" that my mom bought when we were little. It was SO nasty! I to this day can not bring myself to even try a store brand of cheerios.

[mrshorn1975]

My regret was just yesterday. While at Target, I decided that I wanted a popcorn machine. So....my husband picked out a $30 one and I said I am not paying that much, especially since I don't have a coupon for it. Well, needless to say I bought the el cheapo $15 popcorn machine. Here's where it gets funny. While playing Rockband with my family and one of my sons friends, I decided to make popcorn in my new popcorn machine. After waiting a few minutes, I started to hear it pop. Very excitedly, I walked into the kitchen only to see popcorn flying thru the air!!!! I AM NOT KIDDING, there were unpopped kernels shooting thru the air like little grenades. I started to yell and the kids came running it only to get bombarded by flying popcorn debris. My son's friend was brave enough to get close to the machine and yank the cord out of the wall. Just to let you know that I made popcorn tonight successfully with my new $30 popcorn machine.
Someone posted to not go cheap on appliances.....this counts for popcorn machines too.
BTW - I found popcorn kernels in my son's underwear in the floor of the laundry room.....I'm not even going to comment.

[sar1]

mrshorn1975 - that really made me laugh. This thread just came bacck to life after a few months and I'm glad I'm still subscribed to read stories like that! Sorry for your $15 loss, but I got a chuckle out of it.

[entropygirl]

Card83, I wear womens 11/12 shoe and bought some cute Target knee socks (the funky colorful kind) this past fall and they fit me well. Not the ankle socks, those never fit, but the knee/thigh high with good stretch. Just an FYI you don't always need ugly mens socks. I get a lot of compliments on my socks.

I'm also very tall and can't cheap out on long sleeved shirts/sweaters. They shrink or ride up in the arm or belly or both! I'm old now and can't have my belly sticking out. I finally gave in and bought a few things at the Tall Girl store. Boy am I glad, finally shirts that fit! Cost me an arm and a leg though.

What did I get cheap but didn't work out well? I got SmartBalance 50/50 sticks for free with coupon, and they were horrible! Better off just getting plain butter or plain margarine.

I agree with cheap bras being itchy. Never EVER again!

Don't get a cheap waffle iron. Don't get cheap nonstick pans. Don't get a cheap vacuum. Ugh.

[puddin head]

I agree with most of the examples already given. For me, I don't cheap out on make up. It is not worth it to me to waste time and money trying to find a foundation that matches my skin and feels nice. I just spend the money and buy "the good stuff" right off the bat. Too many partially used bottles of make up have been tossed.

And, I know this is not a popular opinion lately, but I am just not a fan of Aldi. I would rather wait until a coupon comes along for a name brand, or buy the store brand at
Target. I've had too many bad experiences over the years with Aldi products, and it is not worth it to bring it back for the money back. I just want it to be good and right the first time.

[October]

LMAO about the sock issue. I wear a size 6 womens shoe and can usually only wear kids socks, BUT to the small feet people, try Gold Toe brand. They cost more but are totally worth it. I get them from JCPenney and occasionally TJMaxx or Ross. These fit great and hold up to many washings. No more heel around my ankle problem.

[BridgetV]

We bought our son a cheap wood toybox from Target. The saftey hinge kept getting progressivly worse until the whole thing fell apart, and somehow the holes that the screws went into became totally stripped. I knew it wouldn't last long, but I really expected it to last longer than 2 weeks. Piece of junk.
A few months ago bought a nice quality used Step 2 Toybox off craigslist which is what I should have done in the first place. Then I wouldn't have wasted $35.

[puddin head]

Originally Posted by BridgetVolker

We bought our son a cheap wood toybox from Target....

ooh, this reminds me. I can't tell you how many soap dispensers I have bought from Target that are just crap - One started turning the soap green from the internal corrosion, one the soap ate right through it and leaked out of tiny rusty pinholes all over the sink, and my current one is rusting around the metal neck. never again!!! Target is awesome for some stuff, but these are definitely a fail.

[brownie16]

Cheap $5 basketball @ WM. Popped after 1 day--took it back and got the $20 one.
Also-cheap toaster that doesn't toast evenly.

[jjsmommy]

I usually cheap out on vacations. We went on a cruise to Alaska and I got us the inner cabin with no window and rented a car to get there instead of flying. I ended up getting a speeding ticket on the way home that cost $175! Tip: never speed in Oregon...After that I figured it would have cost about the same had we flew.

[saragillman]

Cheap...Metal...Computer desk...

(that my computer is STILL sitting on right now...luckily my computer has a warranty)

We have gone through 1 brand new gateway and 2 brand new hp's in less than 3 months because the metal in the desk. every time i drag my feet at all, when i sit down, i shock the desk and the computer pops. we have had 3 computers now fry on us because of this...*kicks metal desks*

[savings queen]

My downfall is buying clothes at clearance prices, "oh, what a great deal!", and then they sit in my closet never being worn. I agree with the poster that said to buy a few items that I really like, not "that'll do".

I used to buy my kids' clothes at the end of the season for the next year. Now that they're getting older, forget it. Who knows what they'll like the next year. Rarely do they like what I pick out for them, anyway. It seems to be better to buy them what they like so they'll wear it. So what if the closet isn't stuffed to the gills, right?

[kansaslaura]

Cheap Sheets--YUCK! Full of little booger balls the first you wash them.

Cheap coffee, never again!

Wal-Mart Bicycles (or many other WM things I could mention)-I bought DS a brand new bike several years ago for the b'day and the first time he rode it, less than a minute into the ride the right pedal fell off. I returned it, was told it was not their policy to take back bikes, but to rather fix them.

After going up the chain of command and finally getting the store manager I agreed to allow them to fix it ONE TIME. I told the manager I'd be back if it happened again. That evening the other pedal broke off and we were back there the next day. I went straight in and asked for the manager by name and when he saw me he told Customer Service to give me what I wanted.

I took my money back, went to a bike store and bought him a good used Schwinn for less than the WM bike cost and he's still riding it 5 yrs later.

I've got an excellent set of cookware and knives that I know have actually saved me money over they years. Frugal in my mind is smart spending!

[cancer_survivor]

We drink tea around here like crazy!! So we def do not cheap out on tea!!!!

[momster4de3]

I agree with Kansaslaura on the cheap sheets! We made that mistake when we were younger. Now we won't buy anything with less than 350 thread count. Kohls is great for having the higher counts on sale at great prices.

My cheap buy was bag bedding for my kids' rooms. It was thin, faded and falling apart less than a year later. It's a good thing they were outgrowing the kiddie stuff. That was a total waste - couldn't even give it to charity.

[danamy817]

We have a $60 Eureka bare floors vacuum that I think is pretty crummy. I almost returned it to BB&B to buy a higher end Bissell, but DH made me feel bad because we had used it for 2 mos. It's still crummy.

That & I get sucked into buying cute Mossimo shorts from Target. Wash them once though & they are never look good again.

[JodieLynn]

Cheap zipper pastic bags. I can't ever get them to seal right!

Along the same lines, cheap trash bags. While some are fine, some rip and create a huge mess. Since DH is the trash taker-outer in our house I buy good ones so he won't complain!

I also agree with cheap pots and pans. I got a set when we got married, and tossed them after 3 months or so. I also don't like buying sets of pan in general. I have a couple sizes that I used, but there are some I don't bother with. It's a better deal, in my opinion, to spend the money on good quality, and on only the sizes you'll need and use. T-Fal is my new favorite.

[sar1]

Originally Posted by danamy817

That & I get sucked into buying cute Mossimo shorts from Target. Wash them once though & they are never look good again.

I've only ever bought maybe 5 clothing items from Target and most of them have really shrunk or completely changed shape when washed. They are so cute in the store, though. Although the only things that have been great were Mossimo shorts I bought last year!

[OsweetchildrenO]

My Vacuum is so lame - somehow it seems that I am cleaning the the rollie part once or twice a month.
My mom dropped over $200 on hers and its is AMAZING...It fluffs her carpet...I like that

Cheap pots are horrible, our old room-mate had some from Walmart just lame to use. When I got my nice pants I had to tell them not to cook things with a fork because they weren't cheap!

Also....cheap knives...have rusted on me.
DH bought me a couple henckels for xmas this last year and I LOVE them!

Cheap tupperware from like Big Lots. For me it's got to be name brand or its equivalent. Most of the cheap tupperware doesn't seal properly.

Cheap stereo/surround sound...DH bought a cheaper version of what he wanted. Our High Definition cable has to go through it...then through the cable box. Sometimes the picture wont work, then we have to play the "unplug...plug in" game...so lame.

Cheap dog toys, they get destroyed within 5 minutes...totally worthless.

So yea...already mentioned but cheap linens and towels. They are usually very thin...and end up practically falling apart.

Cheap screws - they usually break in half. (Usually the ones from Walmart or Big Lots)

Cheap Charcoal - just spend the extra buck or two and get name brand so it lights easily.

[hcsig]

Crib--well it wasn't cheap but a cheaper model and we just found out yesterday it is being recalled! DD is using it as a daybed but I am attempting to convince dh to buy a toddler bed off of craigslist so I can take it back to the store!

Which the changing table that we bought to match the crib was also a cheap wal-mart brand and it was literally falling apart before I got rid of it! My DD is not heavy by any means and the top shelf was bowing and fell through to the next shelf down a few times. Thankfully I was right there to grab her but after that it was gone. If I have another child we will be getting one of those nice dresser/changing table combo units.