The following is a guest post from Marissa at Thirty Six Months, where she talks about paying off her student debt, learning to invest, and tips to save money.
I’m all about saving money and finding deals these days. You have to be when you have student debt that you are trying to pay off. There is a certain thrill that I get when I know that I saved money by smart shopping. I also look for deals on everything, and if I feel like a generic item will serve the purpose as the name brand, then I will certainly go for the generic. There are certain generic items that had turned out to be bad investments, and those are mistakes that I will never make again.
Moisturizer (Makeup)
Ladies, I know that people say all moisturizer is the same and serves the same purpose, but it doesn’t. Being a science nerd, I spend a lot of time looking at the ingredients and trying to find the cheaper option, but when it comes to my skin (which is very sensitive) I have one brand that I trust. I have tried higher and lower priced options, but this one works perfectly. I don’t really wear makeup per say because, well, I am lazy and I have a habit of touching my face a lot. But when I did wear makeup I had to go with the higher brands because they didn’t irritate my skin. When you are in front of people all day, irritated skin is quite embarrassing.
Perfumes
Most people want to smell good, and have a favorite fragrance. Unfortunately the knockoff versions of said fragrances either smell differently, or wear off in a matter of minutes forcing you to re-apply it frequently.
Snow tires
I commute an hour for work in a luxury car, and snow tires are extremely important for me. I have attempted to go with the cheaper option tires and have had my car slide all over the road. These days I spend 2x on snow tires, but they handle the road a lot better, and I feel safe. That peace of mind is worth the extra thousand dollars.
Running/Soccer shoes
I play soccer (or football for my European readers) and I can’t begin to explain the difference a great pair of shoes makes. I can run longer and farther without being in pain the next day. I will gladly spend the extra money to get the proper support.
Electronics
Okay, in all fairness, I don’t mean that I need to have the latest and the greatest toys out there, but because I commute and run a side business a long with a few online ventures, I need all of my important information easily accessible. I need my equipment to function whenever and wherever I need them. This is the only reason that I will do my research and am prepared to spend a bit more on hard-ware that will last. For example, Apple’s Time Capsule is 6x as much as regular router but the peace of mind that it provides with the backup hard-drive is worth ever penny.
I know some of you may be thinking that I am spoiled or have expensive tastes, and that may be somewhat true, but the fact of the matter is that I have tried the “generic” versions of all the items listed above in order to save money. Unfortunately, the money saved wasn’t worth it. I do, however, research every item thoroughly and make informed and smart purchasing decisions. For example: I buy my makeup/moisturizer at the airport/Duty Free since it’s about 30% off regular retail prices. I bought my iPad from Best Buy after receiving gift cards from work. I bought my snow tires online after meticulously researching prices and ended up saving $300. The same goes for my shoes.
The point is that just because you have expensive tastes doesn’t mean that you should be careless with your money, it is, in fact, the best time to be a savvy shopper.