Soap of any kind. It’s fine if you want a certain smell, but at the end of the day it all works the same. Goes for hand soap, shampoo, detergent, body wash, etc.
I agree with all of that, but shampoo. A bad shampoo will absolutely destroy your hair, particularly if you have long hair.
Free computer operating systems are great these days.
I regularly spend hours designing electronics to be cheaper. Not worse -- just cheaper. Electronic components sometimes vary in price by two orders of magnitude for the same performance, so it's worth cramming datasheets in your head as a professional or hobbyist.
For tools, I've found good midrange Chinese brands, and stuck to them. I could never afford things like Tektronix and so on.
I don't strictly require clothing to be cheap, but I do require it to be fungible -- this works out similarly though. When I find something that's good value for money and looks good, I buy a bunch and rotate them. That way I don't have to think about what to wear, and it always looks decent.
I also prefer cheap laptops. I don't need a supercomputer to work. When I do need a supercomputer, I rent one from google cloud for a few dollars an hour.
Socks. Personally I am a change every 2-3 days kind of guy.
(Sorry)
Mascara. I’ve spent $20+ dollars a few times for some high-end Sephora brands, but I’ve never thought they were any better than the $8 Maybelline I can get at the grocery store.
Nonstick pan for eggs. Get the cheapest. Only use for eggs. Replace if coating damaged.
Does not apply to any other cooking ware tho
I'm gonna disagree. Cheap nonstick pans are horrible and just contribute to unnecessary waste plus you have no idea what's in that coating. Carbon steel or cast iron, when properly seasoned, are just as non stick as a "non stick" coated pan and will literally last forever. They're also WAY more useful than a nonstick since you can use them with almost any heat source and any temperature.
Get cast iron instead, and never worry about having to replace it
I have cast iron, I use it often, but I don’t like using it for eggs in the morning.
I realise it's the opposite of what you're asking, but:
Honestly it doesn't really matter what it is, if it's something you are going to rely on, don't cheap out on it if you can afford not to.
Pretty much every non-consumable product category has a low end of cheap shit that is not worth anyone's money.
Also, and this only really applies to big electrical items: if you can be bothered, find someone who repairs the kind of thing you're trying to buy and ask them what the best made brands and models are. They are the people that will know better than anyone else what is built to last and what is built to be replaced when the warranty expires.
Honestly it doesn’t really matter what it is, if it’s something you are going to rely on, don’t cheap out on it if you can afford not to.
But that's the whole point of this post. Pointing out situations where this logic doesn't hold up. And there are for sure situations where it doesn't. The expensive version of some things really aren't worth the extra money at all.
There's a price to quality/value/utility bell curve to be identified for everything basically and even if some expensive (for example 3x priced) thing is higher quality than the cheap version that costs 1/3 the price, it very well may not at all by any measure be 3x as good/reliable/etc.
From my experience so far most things in life can be found cheap, moderate price and expensively priced. However there’s a point of diminishing returns on your investment ie after that point you could spend loads for marginal gains. Find this point see where on the graph you can afford it.
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