I’ve learned the hard way, more times than I’d like to admit, that buying cheap almost always means buying twice. The suspiciouslyaffordableblow dryer breaks after a few uses, and the polyester sweater for $5 becomes unwearable after one washing.Now I try to fight the frugal urge and not buy the cheapest variant of what I need. However, paying more doesn’t automatically guarantee that you’re buying a quality product. So how can you know you’re purchasing an item that’s going to last you and save youmoneyin the long run?Well, the people in the Buy It For Lifecommunitymight have the answer to that question. They share high-quality, durable, and practical products that are worth every penny because they can be bought once and used for a lifetime. If you’re interested in saving some coin and helping the earth in the process, scroll down to find the top products that have served others well.This post may includeaffiliate links.
I’ve learned the hard way, more times than I’d like to admit, that buying cheap almost always means buying twice. The suspiciouslyaffordableblow dryer breaks after a few uses, and the polyester sweater for $5 becomes unwearable after one washing.
Now I try to fight the frugal urge and not buy the cheapest variant of what I need. However, paying more doesn’t automatically guarantee that you’re buying a quality product. So how can you know you’re purchasing an item that’s going to last you and save youmoneyin the long run?
Well, the people in the Buy It For Lifecommunitymight have the answer to that question. They share high-quality, durable, and practical products that are worth every penny because they can be bought once and used for a lifetime. If you’re interested in saving some coin and helping the earth in the process, scroll down to find the top products that have served others well.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
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Here is my Antique Westinghouse fan. Its had the cord replaced sometime in its life and I have polished the brass, other than that it’s unrestored. Still runs strong and is over 100 years old.
Almost half of Gen Z adultsbelievethat companies are less interested in making high-qualityproductsthan in the past.Well, they’re absolutely right to think this, as businesses now prioritize making goods in the fastest and least expensive ways to meet the growing needs of consumers, i.e., us. To be able to do that, they cheap out on materials and labor, which downgrades quality.
Almost half of Gen Z adultsbelievethat companies are less interested in making high-qualityproductsthan in the past.
Well, they’re absolutely right to think this, as businesses now prioritize making goods in the fastest and least expensive ways to meet the growing needs of consumers, i.e., us. To be able to do that, they cheap out on materials and labor, which downgrades quality.
Thrifted this 10 years ago for $12 and use it every day! 1970s Dansk Kobenstyle 3qt Dutch oven. It’s so pretty it just stays on my stovetop. I love the design and because it’s carbon steel, it’s much lighter than cast iron and easier to use on the stove. I use it for truly everything and the lid doubles as a trivet. 100/10 design! When I got it someone had burnt rice onto it and since then ive revived it several more times without chipping the enamel inside :) Highly recommend the vintage ones since they’re about the same price on eBay as the new ones. Just check that there’s no enamel chips on the inside past the rim.
Concerned with the future of our planet, 44% of Gen Z adults are trying to do better and report searching for information on brands before purchasing their products to make sure they’re buying the right thing.
Score! I love old Coleman stuff. My brother claimed one lantern and my friend claimed a lantern and the Thermos. Just need to clean the glass and replace the mantles and they should be good to go.
The Buy It For Life (BIFL) movement that gained in the early to mid-2000s also supports shopping for well-designed and manufactured items that last a lifetime so they don’t have to be purchased ever again, this way saving money as well as the planet. Ironically, it seems that we’re trying to rewind back to a time before the Industrial Revolution when buying something for life was nothing out of the ordinary.
It’s called RevereWare, was made in the US. looks very basic b***h, no high tech coatings, but nothing sticks to it. And it’s Indestructible. Just high grade stainless steel with copper clad bottoms.Im currently using my grandmas set. Its been used everyday since Christmas 1968.You can only get it used on ebay because they literally don’t make things like this anymore.
“Now you’ve got Buy It For Life products, or as our grandparents called it, ‘products.’ Buy It For Life only makes sense because of where manufacturing has gone and a newer throw-it-away mentality,” said Dee Warmath, a professor at the College of Family and Consumer Sciences toForbes.
Got it 1996 for primary school while living in the French West Indies. Decades later still in use after moving a few times, now being in Germany.
As previously mentioned, BIFL products are great for our pockets and environment. Even though you’ll have to spend a larger amount of money while purchasing them, you’re paying for a good reason. These items usually go through an intensive design process and are made out of high-quality materials to ensure that they serve a long time.
Take a socks company, Darn Tough, for example. Its CEO, Ric Cabot, confirmed that buying their business products means that customers are purchasing them for life. “In the long run, you could buy one pair of our socks, spend 20 bucks or so, and never have to buy another pair of socks. If you look at it that way, it’s the best investment,” he said. They also recycle everything that people return and make them into emergency blankets, dog toys, and stuffing for airline seats.
Nesco roaster. We use it only for this reason and it makes a perfect turkey every time. Bonus, we keep the oven available for all the other sides.
This is how every company should look at product manufacturing if we want to stop the devastating effects of capitalism and overconsumption. In case you want to learn more about it and start doing better for our planet, check out our previous article aboutlittle things you can do to help the environment.
10 years ago I bought this set up and it has held up incredibly well. As you can see, it’s an old spice cup, an Edwin Jagger razor, the brush is silvertip badger (I can’t for the life of me remember from where. Fire something I think, geofatboy recommended them at that time) and decent soaps/blades. Always gives me a great shave and no bumps. Hate cream in a can as it always made my face feel “clogged”. All of this is still readily available besides the brush and fairly easy to obtain! Not pictured, but I also highly recommend the Merker slant bar!
On the left, my 10 year old bag, whose zippers were unfortunately ripped out from daily school use. On the right, new kid that just came in! 55$ CAD one time purchase, I just love the simplicity of the superbreak, and I feel like its style is timeless.
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I saw someone’s post of an old Washing machine from the 1980s/1990s so let me present to you the 70 year old Miele 65 washing machine from 1954!What doesn’t it do?
The only issue I’ve had was the original bottle starting leaking 7 years ago. I simply called them up and they sent me a new one no questions asked.
This soap may very well be the one single thing I’ve used in my lifetime that I could attribute the word “miraculous” to. Nothing I can say here could even begin to do it justice, also it’s super cheap usually under $2 where I live. Do yourself a favor if you haven’t, give it a try.
I have this Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 since early 2013, it’s close to hit 12 YEARS! Went through 2 college careers and a lot of musical endeavors. I stopped using it a few years ago and replaced with a Lenovo tab (which still works) and this year I wanted to read books again on that 7 sized screen and rescue some old photos. I had to bring the battery back to life with the 5V + and - method.
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I hit the garbage-picking jackpot a few years back and found this thing at a corporate campus. This thing is better than otc d***s for my back; helping me keep my posture. I don’t know about retail price unless you’re fairly well-off, but I would 100% spend the ~$600 on a refurbished one… in case anyone needed to hear yet another person raving about it.
This both speaker has lasted me more than 12 years. The only problem is that Bose does not make replacement batteries for these and hence I know it will die down because of the lithium ion batteries. Also, I think this is one of the best designed products of Bose with still a fantastic sound quality.
Unfortunately I have no clue where my grandparents got these but they were made in Japan and are at least 30 years old. I found similar ones on the internet, but none with 2 handles like the ones pictured here.
Used to buy cheap hangers from Target and when lazy I’d pull clothes (especially sweatshirts) which would cause any hangers other than wood to break. Usually would break one or two every few months. Last time I moved I decided to buy a full set of wood hangers. These are BUY IT FOR LIFE and I’ll never go back!!
Beyond happy with our new purchase. We were tired of our washer and dryer having problems despite only being a few years old. They are definitely built like a tank. I am impressed at the speed of these cycles compared to our old lg front loads. I can’t get over how quiet the washer is on a full spin cycle. Only downside I found was the lack of black options. The Mrs was dead set on having black which limited us to the 7 models.
Got this great one since 2016 and still no problems up to this day. 👍
After a five month wait, our tatami room bed frame has arrived! This is the King honey oak platform bed (regular height) with Mado headboard. I was really impressed with the quality and sturdiness of the frame, as well as the ease in putting it together. It did truly take longer to unpackage it from all the layers it was packed in (not a bad thing)! I do see this as a buy it for life purchase, so the wait of a few months in the grand scheme of things wasn’t that bad.Pictured with Leesa natural hybrid mattress, Quince bedding (mostly).
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