this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2024
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To name a few. I'll leave some stuff for other people.
Gasoline?
Probably a poor selection, or some who drives a βperformanceβ vehicle for pleasure, or possibly an older vehicle The only real thing to concern yourself with is that there has has not been sitting for a long time (weeks/months), but any popular station will have multiple deliveries a week. Get the cheap stuff. If you feel guilty you can run a cleaner and dryer through the system occasionally, but modern consumer vehicles are pretty well designed to function efficiently on a range of gasoline-based fuels.
The additives in top tier gas will keep your engine running better longer.
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/fuel-economy-efficiency/top-tier-gasoline-worth-the-extra-price-a7682471234/
Hmmm... nice, thanks for the link.
Edit: After looking through the article to see who's best, they list pretty much everyone. Am I missing one that is NOT a tip tier gasoline brand?
I'll admit that the list is longer than I expected! I didn't see 7/11 on there, and they definitely sell gas. I also don't trust those little run down privately owned gas stations. I'm pretty surprised to see Arco on the list. There's gotta be a difference between Arco and Chevron. I feel like I can feel a difference in my car when I use one vs the other, but I guess that could be a placebo effect. I usually just get Costco gas for the awesome savings, but if I can't for whatever reason, I try to stick to Chevron or Shell. I suppose I can broaden my list a little.
You also want to avoid stations that take a long time to pump. That means they're not changing their filters at the required intervals, and old filters can fail. Plus, if they're not even caring for their filters, who knows what their tanks look like?
Convenience stores that sell gas usually buy it from wherever cheaper. 7/11, Wawa, Quickcheck. Not sure if same applies to anywhere outside US, though.
Also local small brands may not sell top tier gas
... Yeah just buy the grade you need not the "expensive" one, it's a commodity!
That would be bad. Only use the gas that is recommended for your vehicle, as putting the wrong type will cause the engine to run less efficient or eventually cause problems.
That's what I mean by "the grade you need". If you need RON 87 don't "splurge" for 93. It's not better its just different and more expensive.
Not sure about hand tools. I always buy the cheapest ones that apply to my needs, and they last. The only time I broke one was when I bought a screwdriver at Dollarama, but I understand that I went too far with the cheap tool. Power tools is correct π
Ha! Yes that is a few steps too far. One time when I was really poor I bought a chef's knife at Dollar Tree. I took it home and sharpened it, and it was dull before I even finished prepping a single meal. I'll never do that again!
For hand tools it's definitely going to depend on what you need and what your expectations are. I have hand tools I inherited from my Grandfather that are over 100 years old that I still use, so that's my expectation for my tools too. You might achieve that with mediocre tools if you rarely use them, but I use my tools all the time. I service all my own vehicles, work around the house, and have side projects that I do. I've stripped mediocre screwdrivers and wrenches before, and that causes enormous problems that are more expensive than the price of a good screwdriver. I'd like my tools to go to my son when I die and still have life left in them, despite me using them for a lifetime. When you can get that from your purchase you really are getting a great value, even when it costs more up front. Plus there's the issue of comfort and ease of use too. Good tools usually have better handles, better teeth, better release mechanisms, whatever. They're just more pleasant to use.
Saran Wrap doesn't stick as well as the Costco stuff. They removed the polyvinylidene chloride years ago. I'm unsure if the Costco film still has it.
The bastards changed it? That's hella lame. We've been using the same Costco roll for who knows how long now. What a shame. I hope they go out of business now.
Check the article. The old stuff was releasing toxic chemicals when it was incinerated. They actually did it proactively, which is a little scary TBH. Still, Costco sticks better.
For the brits, "saran wrap" = "cling film".
I had to Google it...
Restaurant supply plastic film works better than grocery store saran wrap. It also comes on a huge roll that will last you a lifetime.
That's quite an extensive list. Must be nice to be rich enough to afford the expensive version of so many things.
I'll quote Clint Eastwood for my tongue in cheek response:
"Well, l guess even a bonehead like you could understand that a man acquires this over a period of 50 years."
The thing is that when you buy high quality boots, or knives, or whatever, they last a lifetime. When you buy low quality instead, you have to replace the item every couple of years and it ends up costing you considerably more overall. Take your time, and build up a collection of high quality items that will last you forever. For stuff like Saran wrap, it's not that much more money and it works so much better that it's worth it. The generic stuff only sticks to itself and will just make you miserable.
I'm aware. It's the Sam Vimes Boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness, named after a character in a Discworld novel who explains the concept even better than you just did.
That's just it, though, I can't. The socioeconomic unfairness part of the Boots theory is that poor people never have enough money available at once to buy the more expensive item that costs less in the long run.
To be able to save money by buying the good stuff that lasts a long time, you need a lot of money. Being poor means not having a lot of money and thus we have to to pay what's known by some as the poverty tax by buying the cheap crap that ends up costing more in the long run.
Oof. I've been there, and it sucks. Sorry that's what you're dealing with right now. In those situations reusing whatever you can is wise. Spending all of your available free time acquiring more valuable and marketable skills is imperative. It shouldn't be as hard to climb the ladder as it is, but man is it rough. Don't give up! It can get better.