{"id":236406,"date":"2018-10-28T12:20:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-28T19:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/getrichslowly.org\/?p=236406"},"modified":"2023-12-05T14:20:46","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T21:20:46","slug":"best-quality-for-less","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/best-quality-for-less\/","title":{"rendered":"The best of both worlds: How to find quality products without spending a lot of money"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our recent three-part discussion on choosing quality over price has been interesting. (If you missed it, here’s part one<\/a>, part two<\/a>, and part three<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

It’s clear that most of you money bosses value quality, but not all of you are willing to pay a premium to obtain it. And some GRS readers don’t think it’s ever<\/em> worth paying more to buy the best. (In fact, some folks think this philosophy is foolish<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

One thing we all seem to agree on: It’s always best to pay less.<\/p>\n

I’ve shared a few of my strategies for finding cheap quality items over the past week, and various GRS readers have chimed in with theirs. But these tips and tricks are scattered across three articles comprising thousands of words. Today, I’m going to pull everything together in one place.<\/p>\n

Here’s a compilation of this community’s favorite ways to find quality products without spending a lot of money.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Consumer Reports<\/span><\/h2>\n

As I mentioned earlier this week, I’m a lifelong fan of Consumer Reports<\/em>. I subscribe to both the magazine<\/a> and<\/em> the website<\/a>. (It’s a business expense, so it’s easy to justify.) Consumer Reports<\/em> does a fantastic job of demonstrating how price and quality aren’t always correlated.<\/p>\n

Here, for instance, are there current top five space heaters. (I need to get a better one for my writing shed<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\"Consumer<\/a><\/p>\n

As you can see, an expensive Dyson heater ranks second on the list at $450. But the top Vornado heater is just one-third the price. And the fourth-place heater, which has decent quality, can be had for just 10% of the Dyson’s cost (and one-third the cost of the top heater).<\/p>\n

While the Consumer Reports<\/em> magazine is great, I like the website even better. It’s easy to find whatever you want. You can sort products by different criteria. You can create comparison lists. And, best of all, each product has its own specific page (including reader reviews!). A subscription to CR<\/em> online costs $35 per year.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Clearance and Close-Outs<\/span><\/h2>\n

Another technique I use to pay less for quality items is to shop clearance and close-out sales from brands I trust. (Or, for electronics, I check out refurbished items.)<\/p>\n

On those rare occasions that I shop for clothes, my first stop is always<\/em> the clearance racks. This is true whether I’m in a high-end store or a discount retailer.<\/p>\n

Some stores, such as REI, have amazing<\/em> clearance racks where you can find great clothes for as much as half off. The selection is usually relatively random — it’s end-of-season stuff or unpopular items — but if you’re able to find something you need, you can save big bucks.<\/p>\n

(Another tip for REI: Wait for your store’s annual “garage sale”, where they gather up all of the returns and remainders to sell for cheap. If you’re handy, you can buy a $120 pair of pants for $12 because it has a broken zipper. Fix the zipper, and you’ve saved a wad of cash!)<\/p>\n

Retailer websites are a slick way to find these clearances and close-outs. Again, selection can be limited, but the prices are good. Here are the sales pages from companies the GRS community likes:<\/p>\n