Some things I think are worth the investment because you tend to wear them every day: coat, glasses, haircut.

I concur with all of these, especially glasses. Though expensive haircuts break the rule of "pay once for quality vs replace cheap stuff multiple times" because a pricey haircut will grow out at exactly the same rate as a cheap one.

Also worth paying for - quality furniture. I was almost 30 before I figured out that cheap IKEA furniture was cheap for a reason. We finally bought a grown-up couch and that one's lasted us 10 years and counting.

I buy Danskos, which I think are expensive, but do not reach the level of Desigber shoe prices. However, they allow me to stand upright and walk without pain. I do wear them out in about a year because my right leg drags a little and I wear fown the heel to the point that I keep turning my ankle

I think there are a lot of decent haircuts to be had at reasonable prices. The best haircut I've ever had (from a fancy fancy hairdresser) was incredible, but was it 8 times (or whatever) better than my usual? No.

Actually, I think that's how I try to judge things, more than on their innate goodness: Value per dollar, compared to other things in the category. Which is why I couldn't even bring myself to try on $200 jeans the other day. I just can't believe they are that much better than the $80 ones I can buy on sale.

Calli is me WRT shoes. My shoe buying habits also changed drastically when I started having foot problems (neuroma, plantar fascitis). Shoes with good support and structure are pricey, but way less pricey than foot surgery. I do miss wearing heels, though.

Tom, with the kind of photography you're doing, I'd consider a new lens to be a darned good investment.

Also worth paying for - quality furniture.

Very much this. My 'new' couch is actually a top-of-the-line one my mom and dad bought 30 years ago. It needs re-upholstering, but the frame is solid and the lines are gorgeous.

I have some great furniture, but again, generosity of others. A donor paid to furnish our whole house when we built it. And I pre-inherited my mother's Amish built solid cherry coffee and end tables when they moved to Hawaii. We beat them up way more than we should, but such is life. They are lovely, though, and will last a lifetime.

So I think I just hippie leveled up. I'm making my new batch of liquid laundry detergent from soap nuts...on the woodstove. Well, it was already hot, and the kettle was going right next to it, so...

Man, I had a horrible night last night. Up until 3:30 (and I know I brought it on myself with the napping and the doing exciting stuff right before bedtime). I am so over this cold. And then when I did dream, horrible nightmares.

I'm making my new batch of liquid laundry detergent from soap nuts...on the woodstove.

Nice! Do you find that doing it this way works better than just tossing the canvas bag of nuts n with the laundry? (Or are you leeching the last little bit of saponin out of "spent" nuts?)

I think there are a lot of decent haircuts to be had at reasonable prices.

Oh, for sure. I had a great stylist in college and she worked at the Hair Cuttery! But generally, I do think that the best stylists wind up getting hired by fancier places. (But also, there is a point of diminishing returns. A $50 haircut is almost definitely going to look better than a $20 haircut, but will a $300 haircut look *that* much better than the $50 one? I'm not sure.)

I like it this way, Jessica, but I don't have any quantitative evidence either way. I just thow the nuts in the bag if I'm in a hurry and have forgotten to make soap. I do two batches from each set of soap nuts (5 or 6) and that fills a small detergent bottle, so it lasts me longer than just using the nuts each time, I think. It keeps in the fridge, but I generally don't bother.

(But also, there is a point of diminishing returns. A $50 haircut is almost definitely going to look better than a $20 haircut, but will a $300 haircut look *that* much better than the $50 one? I'm not sure.)

Yeah, after a certain point you're paying for reputation rather than skill or talent.

can you believe the soap nuts gave me a rash all over my body? I had to go back to Tide Free.