I often hear, “You should never cheap out on a good office chair, shoes, underpants, backpack etc…” but what are some items that you would feel OK to cheap out on?

This can by anything from items such as: expensive clothing brands to general groceries.

  • Cheers@sh.itjust.works
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    2 years ago

    Generic meds vs brand meds.

    Brands pay a lot for branding, and thus charge more. The formulas are moderated and regulated by the FDA, so unless you enjoy paying for ads, get the generic.

    • Aradina [They/Them]@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      This isn’t always true. The content has to be the same, but the delivery mechanism can be different in generics as long as testing shows similar results

      Generic concerta for example, often sucks

    • DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 years ago

      Caveat: you aren’t super sensitive to extra/less medicine. The tolerances for generic are much wider.

      • bluefishcanteen@sh.itjust.works
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        2 years ago

        Technically no. The tolerances should be more or less the same (generally 90%-110% label claim for the active ingredient) . Manufacturers aim for 100% and generally hit that target (or get very close to it).

        The bioavailability could be different though - if you are doing a bioequivalence trial for generic VS brand, the generic would have to be between 80% - 120%. This difference is generally a result of the starches, fillers, and other stuff that may be in a generic formulation.

        Same net effect as your comment (wider tolerances), but there is a bit more nuance.

    • Daxtron2@startrek.website
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      2 years ago

      I’ve got a family member with a rare allergy. I’ve found that sometimes one or the other will have the allergen in it, but it’s not consistent between generic/branded. Always check the ingredients and never assume it’s exactly the same just because they have the same active ingredients

    • cosmicrookie@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Drugstores here (Denmark) are required by law to ask if you’d like to buy the cheaper alternative to brand medicines. They will often change from week to week so a typical order at the drug store would be “I need this” - “I’ll grab it for you but are you OK with cheapest alternative?”

  • TheBananaKing@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    All your basic staples: salt, flour, oil, sugar, pasta, pasta, milk, eggs etc. There’s literally nothing to do better or worse, so for god’s sake don’t pay for the label. Fancy olive oil is nicer, and fancy butter for actually putting on bread is nice too - but for cooking, cheap the hell out.

    Get your spices from an Indian / Asian / etc grocer - you can get a huge bag for the price of a tiny supermarket jar, and because they have so much turnover, they’ll be plenty fresh.

    Store-brand laundry detergent and dishwasher tablets work just fine for me (and dear god you can save a lot on those).

    • marron12@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      All your basic staples: salt, flour, oil, sugar, pasta, pasta, milk, eggs

      It depends. Cheap salt is just fine. And flour, unless you’re into baking. But some things can make a difference and you don’t necessarily have to pay a lot more for it.

      Pasta, for example. Bronze cut pasta absorbs sauce a lot better than “normal” pasta. It looks dull, rough, and pale as opposed to shiny and smooth. It usually only costs a buck or two more. I find it’s a big step up taste and texture-wise.

      Or butter. The ones without natural flavor taste better. Sometimes it’s the store brand that doesn’t have added flavor.

      And eggs. Orange yolks are way better than the pale yellow ones. But those you do have to shell out for.

      • GombeenSysadmin@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Wait wait wait. Your butter has flavouring added? Like, I realise I’m spoiled here in Ireland, but fuck mei can’t even picture what that might be

        • PopShark@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          Irish butter is sold in a lot of grocery stores at least around me in the U.S. and my God it’s night and day compared to our shit sicks of fuck

        • smoochie@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          That was my exact reaction! But butter is literally nothing but churned cream and possibly salt added? If there’s anything else added, such as water or any kinds of oils, it’s no longer butter. I get more scared every time I learn something new about US food culture…

        • fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.de
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          2 years ago

          Chicken wrangler here. This may be true of supermarket eggs but should not be taken to imply that all eggs are the same.

          Perhaps there isn’t a huge difference between the different labels available at the supermarket.

          However, I’m incredulous that there is no difference between an egg laid by a backyard chicken who is well cared for and has a varied nutritious diet, and that which you’ll find at the supermarket.

          I realise you (and youtube guy) are not talking about backyard eggs, but just because “pastured eggs” are not significantly different to cage eggs, that does not mean that it’s not possible to buy proper eggs.

        • ApexHunter@lemmy.ml
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          2 years ago

          Agree no difference as an ingredient in some baked dish.

          But if you are eating the egg by itself or as the primary item, there is definitely a difference in taste. Not a revolutionary change your life difference, but still a difference.

          In my experience the difference is pretty small amongst the options in the grocery store, but fairly noticable for eggs I get from the farmers market.

    • SpaghettiYeti@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Flour - disagree. King Arthur for baking vs your basic supermarket crap is a tangible taste and texture difference in baking. While you’re at it, get a mill and buy organic wheat berries and save money for higher quality l, more nutritious flour. It’s literally cheaper to get better quality if you are willing to mill it.

      Butter- Same for butter if you’re using butter as a spread. It’s ok to use cheap stuff in cooking but if it’s the main complementary flavor, like butter on toast, treat yo self to some Kerry Gold.

    • demesisx@infosec.pub
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      2 years ago

      You’re absolutely wrong about flour. There’s a huge difference in flours (besides the cursory fact that most wheat undergoes a process called desiccation which is literally spraying it with roundup).

      I’ll take my glyphosate-free wheat and corn and I won’t be cheaping out thank you very much, Toxic Avenger.

      You are also missing the FACT that the other essentials you name are also badly polluted with chemicals that medical science has yet to understand.

    • RBWells@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Agree on spices, bulk and into the freezer. Cheap spices aren’t just as good, they are better.

      I used to agree on flour, got good bread flour but recently husband brought me store brand unbleached white flour and it near killed my sourdough starter, so my mind is changed on that - I’d still use it for cake, but cheap flour is low protein and won’t work for everything.

      Disagree on pasta too, good pasta is easier to cook, doesn’t turn to mush as easily.

      • brygphilomena@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Bread, cake, and all purpose flours are different. It’s not just cheap, they are almost different products.

        • RBWells@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          Yes. I’d always used whatever brand all purpose unbleached flour for the starter and figured it didn’t matter. So I always asked for “Gold Medal Bread Flour and whatever brand all purpose unbleached flour”. But the Publix brand all purpose unbleached wrecked my starter. It took almost the whole bag before I figured out it was the flour, because I didn’t realize they varied.

          It’s actually quite good for pancakes. Maybe it’s good for biscuits, that would actually make sense. But it’s no good for bread; but Gold Medal or King Arthur unbleached all purpose work fine.

    • anguo@lemmy.ca
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      2 years ago

      Be careful with cheap spices, some of them (like turmeric) can be laced with lead and other nasty stuff to make them more attractive.

      • TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.mlBanned
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        2 years ago

        Authentic Asian/Indian/Chinese/Korean ones do not do it. This is a Western capitalist thing, because Nestlé is well known to add lead in Maggi’s tastemaker. Worst form of adulteration I have seen in Indian grocery sellers is adding tiny stones to bags of lentils or beans to increase weight, and they can be easily removed and is also becoming uncommon with time.

    • howrar@lemmy.ca
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      2 years ago

      I always buy the cheapest pasta available and they’ve always been good. Just last week, the store brand (Complements) was cheapest for the first time I’ve seen, and it was also my first time experiencing bad pasta. I don’t know what they did differently, but there’s clearly a way to mess it up.

    • QuarterSwede@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Great advice for the most part but I very much disagree on dishwasher detergent. Nothing works as well as finish pods for us. Could be our dishwasher of course but all the cheap brands leave our dishes dirty.

      • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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        2 years ago

        Same thing. I was considering buying a new dishwasher, until we switched to a good brand. I think cheap dishwasher detergent used to be ok until they removed phosphates around 2010.

  • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I switched to the store brand breakfast cereals. Never going back to Kellogg’s again. The store brand ones near me are so good. And they’re made with better ingredients like cane sugar over corn syrup and shit.

    • CraigeryTheKid@lemm.ee
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      2 years ago

      I agree, even the ingredients part, except referring to color/flavor additives.

      But cane sugar is an utter “word trick” that means absolute nothing. It is just as processed, and is exactly as good for you, as corn syrup. It’s an example of “health theater” that companies do with labeling.

    • spiffy_spaceman@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      We eat generic all the time, but I will say that frosted flakes and honey nut Cheerios do taste a bit better with the name brand. Luckily, they’re really cheap a couple times a year and I’ll buy a couple boxes then that last me pretty much until they’re on mega sale again

  • Zeusbottom@sh.itjust.works
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    2 years ago

    Tools you’re not sure you’ll need. Harbor Freight tools are super cheap and flimsy, but may be the right choice if you’re not using them often.

    If you find yourself using a cheap tool all the time and hating the quality of it, then it’s time to buy something better.

    • uint32@discuss.tchncs.de
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      2 years ago

      I go by: If you are not sure you need a good one, buy the first one for cheap. Of you break it, buy a quality one. You obviously need it.

      • ohlaph@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        I would say if you’re not sure if you’ll use it, borrow it first. If you keep borrowing something, then buy a nice one.

  • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
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    2 years ago

    Things which are commodity items, such as sugar, all-purpose flour, etc. I buy store brand. The main difference is marketing.

    Oh, here’s one: Power tools. Yeah I know, I know. But…

    here’s a Porter-Cable branded 6-inch jointer on sale for $365 at time of writing.

    Here’s a Craftsman branded jointer being sold for $299.

    Here’s a Wen branded jointer for $241.

    Look at the three of them. They bear a striking resemblance, don’t they? Makes sense for the Porter Cable/Craftsman ones, both brands are currently owned by Stanley, Black and Decker…but Wen has nothing to do with them, yet they’re selling the same fuggin’ jointer. Admittedly without the speed control, but what do you need a speed control on a jointer for?

    It’s the same tool made in the same factory in China, the cost difference is what logo you’re willing to pay for.

    • totallynotarobot@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      At minimum the cheap ones have lower QA tolerances on components. Sometimes they straight up swap in shittier components (eg: plastic instead of metal, etc).

      Not saying you always need the most expensive option when choosing power tools, but looks same != same.

      • jkrtn@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        I agree. For power tools, especially where decent accuracy is key like it is with a jointer, definitely more of a “do your research, price is not equal to quality,” not “you can do fine with any cheap one.”

          • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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            2 years ago

            Their fear response is triggered by the use of “pill” as a verb.

            And, of course, that their moral philosophy operates at the level of reflex.

            • owen@lemmy.ca
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              2 years ago

              LOL, sadly, this is probably the case. Well stated.

              I’m a bit disappointed to see this behaviour on Lemmy of all places

          • owen@lemmy.ca
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            2 years ago

            Unknown, but it seems like many people enjoy their low-cost mobiles so I am happy.

    • Lunch@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 years ago

      Absolutely, currently in the purchase of a Pixel 7a (second hand) for 300euros, looking forwards to getting that in hand and install Graphene 👍👍

      • Chadus_Maximus@lemm.ee
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        2 years ago

        People who want a foldable are at peace with it randomly becoming unusable. People who buy cheap phones are not.

        • TheLight@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          2 years ago

          That’s only cheap if you don’t consider how long it will survive and the replacement/repair cost. A slab phone with no moving parts will last much longer than a foldable making the $/year cost much lower.

          • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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            2 years ago

            I can’t wait until my device and destructively scan, then re-print objects, so fast and effortlessly that I can have a folding phone that is my card carrier too. I just swipe the icon for my debit card, the thing materializes at full speed feeling exactly like Im pulling it out of a billfold, then when I push it back in it just gets chewed up again.

        • Psythik@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          No I meant the ones that turn into tablets. I’m fine with my Z Fold 3 for the next 5 years or so. Was just curious to see if there were any cheap options on the scene yet.

    • tootnbuns@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 years ago

      Or tablets. I’m using a tab s6 for browsing news sites occasionally. Best tab that runs lineage and was 200$ new (bought it late 2023)

  • dodgy_bagel@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    Store brand foods are good a lot of times. They used to be garbage, but nowadays they’re pretty good.

    Frozen veggies instead of fresh is usually okay if you’re steaming or roasting.

    Automotive parts off Amazon have worked alright; Rebuilt my suspension for, like, $120. That’s tie rod, sway bar, shocks, and struts. No issues for the two years since that repair.

    A ton of hobbies have perfectly respectable aliexpress alternatives. Keycaps, Fountain pens, 3d printer parts. They rob intellectual property, but I like linux ISOs, so I don’t exactly have a history of respecting that type of property.

    Software in general can be cheaped out on; I don’t think I need to champion FOSS on here.

    Refrigerators and washing machines can be cheaped out on, as long as you do a bit of research about their reliability.

    Lots of stuff is easy to DIY if you have some work space. Furniture, fish tanks, thermonuclear warheads. Learning to sew is valuable, not because you should make your own clothes -fuck that- but because you can mend the stitching on your current clothes.

    Services can usually be cheaped out on. Youtube videos and a can-do attitude can get you through manicures and toilet repairs. Court clerks will sometimes be willing to walk you through basic legal stuff like name changes. Things you should educate yourself about beyond a short youtube video: Electricity, flammability (from heat sources), and anything involving significant pressure (pistons, compressed air, and power washers, mostly.).Also be a little careful with chemical reactions: cement hardening, for example, will produce a bit of heat. Usually this isn’t a big deal and you can ignore it, but there have been idiots.The world’s information is at your disposal. Provided you’ve got some common sense, and you never fuck around with the capacitor in a microwave, you should be fine.

    • Digitalprimate@lemmy.world
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      Lots of stuff is easy to DIY if you have some work space. Furniture, fish tanks, thermonuclear warheads. Learning to sew is valuable, not because you should make your own clothes -fuck that- but because you can mend the stitching on your current clothes.

      One of those things is not like the other…

      • dodgy_bagel@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 years ago

        Good catch, but that’s a common misconception. You can actually use woodworking tools on glass, such as drills and saws, but you need to go a lot slower and make sure to keep vibrations under controll.

          • dodgy_bagel@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            I mean it’s an incredibly difficult job to refine the chemicals enough to produce a usable product. There’s a finite number of instalations which can actually pull off the delicate chemistry. The materials to make it are fairly common enough; essentially just SiO2,Al2O3, Na2O, and K2O, but it’s much easier to obtain it from the hardware store. I’m definitely not suggesting you attempt to make your own clear glass.

  • MicrowavedTea@infosec.pub
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    2 years ago

    Not sure if this applies to the US but for most things you buy from a supermarket the generic supermarket brand is usually just as good or even better than the big brands. And it’s usually much cheaper.

    • paddirn@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      In some cases it’s actually the same product made by a big brand. They might be losing money (or just not making as much profit), but it denies profit to the competitors, so it’s still considered a win.

      • buzziebee@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        To counter this I used to visit some factories for a big contract manufacturer in the UK. They would often make say lasagne for the supermarkets and for the “premium” brands. Whilst they were all made in the same place, the “premium” brands products had much better quality ingredients in them and different ratios of the good stuff (say meat) to filler (say pasta sheets).

        For some things it’s the exact same materials, but for many it’s different. You have to do blind taste tests to see which ones you prefer.

    • Mango@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Kroger’s “private selection” brand is legitimately unbelievably good in every category! Their chocolate is better than Lindt. Their bread is simply the best! Their jerky is effing amazing and with options I’ve never even heard of from other brands! The tea is pretty good, though I have actually had better. The ice cream bro!

    • Fat Tony@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      From my experience, most of the time they’re healthier too!

      A lot of store-brand products either don’t use as much sugar, or salt or saturated fats then their big brand counter parts.

    • spiffy_spaceman@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      In the US, most of the food is made in the same factories because they’re regional, then the name brands might get to pick the freshest batch, but often it’s the exact same stuff just in different boxes.

    • PastyWaterSnake@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      In my experience, the Mr. Clean ones hold up much better. Generic melamine sponges tear too easily.

      But maybe I’m just getting the wrong generic ones. I’ve tried two or three different generic brands and they all sucked

  • soli@infosec.pub
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    2 years ago

    Most people could cheap out on tools and they’d still last. The average person just doesn’t use the ones they own very often or work them particularly hard. Really, you’re going to know if your usage will require higher quality tools and it’s not the average techbro posting on /r/buyitforlife.

    Backpacks are similar. If you’re just using one lightly loaded for an urban commute there is nothing wrong with cheaping out. Spending more is really for people who are wearing them hard and filling them to capacity.

    • LilB0kChoy@midwest.social
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      2 years ago

      Most people could cheap out on tools and they’d still last.

      I think this is a great one. I learned growing up that if you need a tool for a project buy the cheap one. Then if you use it enough to break it, buy a more expensive one next.

      Tool trial by combat, so to speak.

      • 1371113@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        40 something year old here who likes to fix stuff and make simple things at home. Heed this advice younglings. You don’t need the high end products if you’re not using it daily. If you use it til it breaks get something midrange that’s slightly more than what you think you’ll need and if you take care of it, it will last.

    • finalarbiter@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Generally agree on tools except for stuff that needs to work in an emergency even if you don’t use it frequently, or stuff that can pose serious safety hazards if it fails.

      My understanding is that most cheap tool brands save costs in QA and material choices (e.g. lower quality steel), which is what leads to things like the harbor freight jack stand recall.

  • Trollivier@sh.itjust.works
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    2 years ago

    I once took a cooking class and the teacher was always “it’s not necessary to invest in expensive oils, the cheapest oil will always do for cooking”.

    • brygphilomena@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      As long as the oil you are using has the right smoke point. Different oils can get to different temperatures and are used for different things.

        • brygphilomena@lemmy.world
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          Olive oil is a low smoke point. It’s good in a salad dressing but bad to cook something like steak and terrible for frying foods. It burns at a temperature lower than you’d sear meats at. Low smoke point oils tend to be richer and more delicate in flavors.

          Canola is a mid-high smoke point oil, it’s good for searing meats and frying foods.

          Safflower and avocado are a high smoke point oil. You can cook at a much higher temperature without burning the oil.

          If you can find a place to watch it, there are a couple episodes of Good Eats where Alton Brown goes over the different types of oils and their usage. I find his show to be great at learning the whys behind a lot of the cooking choices and techniques.

    • Yondoza@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      Ooo there’s a great video on Minute Food about vanilla extract vs synthetic vanilla. It basically comes down to: if you cook the vanilla, synthetic will taste the exact same, if you never heat up the vanilla it might be worth getting the real stuff.

      I assume the same is probably true of most oils, if you use EVOO for salad dressings it might be worth it, but if you’re using it to saute you might as well use sunflower oil and save some money.

      • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        I don’t think I’ve ever even seen synthetic vanilla outside of extremely specialised professional shops. (Europe). Vanilla seems to be insanely expensive in the US for some reason.

        • Auriel@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          I see it already the time as vanillin sugar for baking instead of vanilla/vanilla sugar. Much cheaper. Every supermarket here has it.

  • J4g2F@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    I “just” moved and now taking care of the garden. I want a small vegetable garden (again) in raised beds.

    You have a lot of raised beds kits the cheapest ones are €40 and more expensive ones are €90. I however used pallet collar’s at €5 a piece. You don’t even have to screw them together just put them down. For some custom size beds I use free pallets. They do take some work however.

    Give them one treatment with linseed oil and you can use them for years. They live longer then the cheap kits and just a bit shorter then expensive ones. (Hardwood probably out life them)

    Kits for vegetable gardens are most of the time really overpriced. Raised beds kits, tool kits and so on.

    If you want high quality tools buy them of course, but starter kits are most of the time just the cheapest ones at a premium. Want hardwood raised beds, just buy wood and not a kit.

    I suggest start on the cheap side, see if it your hobby. Buy cheap tools they already least long enough and if they break you know that you maybe want to invest in a premium one. Because you use that tool really often. (Second hand old tools are sometimes a better option of course)

    • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      Cheap/free pallets are used pallets and these have been in contact with so much shit that they should never be used with anything you’ll put in your mouth and shouldn’t be used indoors either (not relevant to you, just saying)

      • montar@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        Just be sure those pallets were not used with toxic stuff. I’m damn sure that those that lay behind food stores are just ok.

      • J4g2F@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        Thanks for you comment, didn’t think of that.

        I bought the used pallet collar’s for a company I know and it shipped and stored stainless steel. I’m fine with that. But if someone isn’t comfortable with used new pallet collar’s are about €15.

        The free pallets I used only moved pavement stones once, so I also think it fine. But yeah don’t just pick something on the side of the road to grow food in.

        A other comment mentioned chemical treatment of pallets. I didn’t think of that. Most pallet in the eu are not allowed to use chemicals to treat the wood. Only heat treatment. That covers eur/epal pallets and single use pallets. Basically the only ones that are free or cheap. And it most be printed on the pallet how they are treated.

        That being said be careful especially in countries without laws against using chemicals on pallets.

        So I’m fine using them also understand other people are not. Then buying new are just wood for the store is always a option.

      • PoliteGhost@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        “shit” even humans’, is used as fertilizer all over the world.

        So tell me you have no idea about farming without saying that you have no idea about farming.

        • JustinTheGM@ttrpg.network
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          2 years ago

          I don’t think the comment you’re replying to was referring to shit as in fecal matter, but rather shit as in unknown potentially toxic substances.

      • J4g2F@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        It’s forbidden to use chemical treatment on Eur pallet/epal pallets. They are only heat treated. Single use pallet are also forbidden to use chemical treatment, but are normally not heat treated. So for the eu the treatment is not the problem. Of course didn’t think of the rest of the world. Sorry for that.

        For the stuff that’s was on the pallet collar’s stored and transported stainless steel and the free pallets I got where form work and shipped some pavement stones.

        If you don’t feel safe buy/getting for free used. New epal pallet collar’s are about €15. They are only heat treated by law.

  • rufus@discuss.tchncs.de
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    2 years ago

    Some experiences/adventures can be had for little money. Not for free. But I’d prefer a walk through nature, or a visit to an Irish village at the coast over an expensive guided tour through Dublin.

    • Lunch@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 years ago

      Guided tours are in most cases the worst… Especially those in towns. No idea why people spend so much money on that when you can just go explore yourself, each to their own I guess 🙃

      • d00phy@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        It depends heavily on the tour and the tour guide. Wife and I took a Ripper tour in London last year and the guide made it really fun and memorable.

    • sbv@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      It’s not usually an either/or.

      I like guided tours because the guide knows the area, will provide local context in an entertaining manner, and will probably take you to the highlights. Best of all, they can answer questions (they might even be right!). Relative to the cost of getting to the place, the price is usually insignificant.

      But I also enjoy walking around by myself. I can focus on stuff I’m interested in, take photos, and read plaques.

  • mydude@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    -Any clothing/toys for children can be bought second hand, we have a very good site for that in Norway. For example, we bought 8kg of Legos, very reasonable price. Re-use is very popular in Norway.

    -If you change food you eat often, it’s very important to do some reaserch on the nutrition and sugar.

    -Any locally grown food should be supported by bying, if possible.

    -Much electronics can also be bought second hand in Norway, since we have strong consumer protection laws. Breakdown on electronic can be repaired within 5 years, usually. But, only if the seller has the receipt.

    -Jewelry and stuff isn’t nessesary, but buying cheap can be a nagging feeling and perhaps just buy something else for the person you love. Like an experience, trip to the massage/restaurant/etc. Spending time together is much more romantic anyways.

    -Don’t cheap out on the bed/mattress, you spend about 1/3 of you life there.

    • RGB3x3@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Yeah, definitely don’t overspend on kid’s clothes. First, they don’t really care that much and they’re going to end up ruining them anyway. And second, they grow out of them so quickly, you’re buying new clothes in 6 months anyway.

    • MicrowavedTea@infosec.pub
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      2 years ago

      Adult second hand clothes are fine too even if you’ll wear them longer than a child. There are many people who give away clothes in perfect state just because they don’t wear them as much. I’ve had similar luck with brand new 40€ jeans and second hand 5€ jeans.

      • gramie@lemmy.ca
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        2 years ago

        Several years ago, we were given clothes by a woman whose husband had died. I still wear some of them, and we refer to one of the shirts as “the dead guy shirt”.

  • spittingimage@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    If you want a good printer, look for an ex-lease laser printer. It may not be suitable for a whole department to use any more, but good enough for an individual.

    • Noedel@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Ex lease laptops and monitors are also often very good deals!

      The monitors often come with very well adjustable stands that are much more ergonomic. The laptops are often very high build quality and perfect for regular home office use.

      • gramie@lemmy.ca
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        2 years ago

        I don’t think that off-ease laptops are very good as they are sold. The batteries are often on their way out and so that’s an additional expense (and some, like Macs, are very expensive to replace).

        There are some incredible deals on off-lease desktops, though. Most modern computers are way overpowered for what the average user needs. You can get a perfectly serviceable machine for doing email, serving the web, and office work, for $100 or less. Just don’t expect to play any games released within the last five or more years.

        • Noedel@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          My off lease laptop is literally my three year old work laptop. It is a very sturdy HP laptop with 16 GB of ramm, a 512mb SSD and a pretty decent i7 processor. The body is very sturdy and the screen is excellent. I paid about 180 dollars for it.

        • Noedel@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          Companies usually don’t buy their laptops, screens and other hardware, but lease them from companies that then service the hardware.

          When a company upgrades lots of the hardware is then sold by the leasing agency to the public for very favourable prices.