Every year in the summer, the owners of many sports franchises are faced with the crucial question - which of the players on the team to issue a new (and therefore increased) contract, with whom can they bargain to save money, and who can be released altogether in order to hire someone cheaper? And the exact same question, only throughout life, is faced by almost every one of us.

Indeed, in our life, there are things on which it is quite possible to save money, but there are things where it is impossible to skimp under any circumstances. Some of these things we all know so well: for example, health care or education. And what else? Netizens in this viral Reddit thread recently compiled a whole selection of their own ideas.

More info: Reddit

#1

Work boots. I spend 50+ hours a week in muddy uneven terrain and must have dry comfortable feet.

Image credits: thebrokendad

#2

Trash bags. Once you have one rip on you, you’ll never want to cheap out again.

Image credits: SirBaconHam

#3

Bras

Image credits: EnvironmentalAd3842

In fact, of course, absolutely all things in our life are interconnected, and if one of the elements sags, then this causes a kind of "domino effect". For example, among the items that redditors have repeatedly named in the original selection of opinions, there are food products. Needless to say, if we save on food or utensils, then the next item of expenditure that we have to face will most likely be health care... and here it may be necessary to fork out in full...

#4

A bed. You spend 1/3rd of your life sleeping, and without a good night's rest, the day is pretty much s**t.

The average mattress is good for around 10 years, so when you break down the cost over that length of time, it's always worth spending more up front.

Image credits: crippler1212

#5

Cat food. That s**t is hardly regulated. My feline friend deserves better. Also toilet paper. Ain’t fun picking off dried toilet paper pieces.

Image credits: WistfulPuellaMagi

#6

Safety equipment

Image credits: Saif_Horny_And_Mad

Behind each of the submissions in this collection is someone's personal experience, and the desire to share some of their own mistakes - so that others learn from them. After all, that is how experience is born. For example, one of the participants in the discussion strongly recommends not to save on hotels while traveling - at least because of bedbugs.

Yes, of course, you can find a bedbug in any hotel, even the most expensive one, but the attitude of the staff is likely to be different - because large hotels have a special protocol for acting in almost any urgent situation. For example, this post of ours details how a TikToker once found a bedbug in a Sheraton hotel, and how brilliant the reaction from hotel staff was. Just agree, it's worth the money spent. And in the end, it all comes down to health.

#7

Pots and pans

Image credits: avi8rer

#8

A wise man once told me, “never get cheap on cheese.” Some of the best advice I ever received

Image credits: ccrider92

#9

Desk chair. Got a good ergonomic breathable one, it's an absolute game changer. The cheap ones that try to be massive director chairs with all that padding that ends up flattening after a year are not worth it, and as it degrades progressively you don't really notice until you get a good one.

Image credits: Lety-

The great Argentine writer of the 20th century, Jorge Luis Borges, once wrote that all world literature is based on just four main plots, four stories that people will tell forever. By and large, almost all the items we have listed in this selection can also be reduced to four main categories: health, education, mentality and everyday life. And all four are also completely interconnected.

For example, if you regularly save on your own hobbies, nothing good will come of it for your mood, and stress is the best way to quickly go to the doctor. Therefore, if you have a couple of dozen extra dollars before the end of the month, and an urgent desire to pay, let's say, a subscription to streaming service with a new season of your favorite show, you probably should not restrain yourself.

#10

Tattoos. They're gonna be there forever, after all.

Image credits: headdeskben

#11

Parachute

Image credits: KaleidoscopeOwn4946

#12

Toilet paper

Image credits: FartedInYourCoffee

And here we return to another classic of the 20th century - the outstanding American psychologist Abraham Maslow, who came up with the so-called "hierarchy of needs", which is based on basic human needs related to physiology, and at the very top - the need for self-actualization. From this point of view, the lower the described need lies in Maslow's pyramid, the more important it is not to save on its fulfillment.

In any case, each of us makes decisions whether to save on something or not, based on our own everyday experience and preferences, and this list of opinions is nothing more than a collection of advice from random people, no matter wise or not. Perhaps some of you will find this collection interesting or wholesome, so please feel free to scroll to the very end of it and maybe add your own ideas on the topic.

#13

Most foodstuffs I'll cheap out on, but never tomatoes!

Your regular, mass-produced, gas-ripened tomatoes taste of, well, nothing. They're just red blobs of water. Now, vine-ripened cherry tomatoes that are sold still on the vine ... That's Nature's candy! I can pop so many of those bad boys in my mouth! Well worth the extra £ IMO.

Image credits: Cauldron_Cat

#14

I would say brakes for your car

Image credits: 8LeggedSquirrel

#15

Condoms.

Image credits: rytur

#16

Coffee

Image credits: Nobeatles

#17

Eggs and meat. We vote with our money. I choose to spend more money to support less corrupt brands that aren't feeding their animals garbage and cramming 200 chickens into a tiny building never to see light. It's inhumane and I would rather go broke buying the more ethical options.

#18

Hot dogs. The difference between bargain hotdogs and premium hotdogs is like the difference between dog s**t and ice cream.

Image credits: 2ShredsUsay39

#19

Hotels. 100% not worth bringing bedbugs back to your place

Edit: guys, I know bedbugs can technically be at any hotel. But come on. We all know there’s a much higher likelihood of getting them at a dirt cheap hotel

Image credits: NightDreamer73

#20

Backpack. I'm an adult and I carry a backpack with me all the time. One that is comfortable and durable is a must

Image credits: Kitasuki

#21

Headphones. For how much I love music.

Image credits: StillAnIntrovert

#22

Menstrual products

Image credits: soupyone

#23

Laser eye surgery

#24

Fire extinguishers

Image credits: DavosLostFingers

#25

Q-tips. The name brand in way more fluffier and easier on your ears. The knock off brand just feels like sticks.

#26

My hobbies. I don’t fill my house with useless c**p I don’t need, instead I spend up on the things that make me happy such as my golf clubs, gaming pc, and sim racing rig.

Go all in on your happiness, don’t waste money on things you don’t care about or things to impress other people.

Image credits: wilsonxci

#27

Coat

#28

Aluminum foil!

First house bought some store band stuff. Pure s**t.

#29

Over time I’ve empirically gathered knowledge in what is worth spending more money on and what isn’t. In general, things that I use frequently I want to work reliably. I don’t want things to make my life any harder. Quality soaps and detergents (especially dishwasher) are huge in making sure your dishes come out clean. Quality razors (I recently switched to safety razors) make shaving less painful and more consistent. Sleep equipment (mattress and pillows) are probably the most important thing anyone should spend money on, you spend 1/3 or more of your life asleep, and the quality of that sleep time affects the remainder of you waking life.

Image credits: WinkyTheFrog

#30

Cooking ingredients, it just leads to s**ttier food

Image credits: VeterinarianGreat188