False Economies vs. Practical Savings

get out of debt

get out of debtThere are a lot of things out there that will help you save. Unfortunately many of them don’t actually work, they fall under the collective description of false economies.  Very often they come down to promises from a particular brand, company or person that sound great but in reality are not all that great.

So here are some of the world’s favourite ways to save money, which actually wind up costing money in the long run.

Counterfeit Goods

“Wow! A bar of gold for the price of two Snickers and a bag of Minstrels.”  If you’ve ever been fooled by such a deal, you’re probably a little gullible. However, deals much less obviously ridiculous fool people every day. We’re talking about counterfeit goods; stuff that may or may not have fallen off the back of a truck. Jumpers with designer labels like Adudas and Rolph Loren are all the rage and offer expert deals for people who cannot afford to pay top dollar for the finest clothing that poorly paid sweatshop workers can make. Of course the price is right, as by the time you get the product home it’s already starting to fall apart and don’t you dare try washing it!

Cheap shoes

Shoes cost a lot. Well, good shoes cost a lot; cheap shoes aren’t quite as expensive. The appeal of cheap shoes is pretty obvious. Nice looking shoes are often much easier to make on the cheap than say dresses or diamonds and the attractive price can assuage any fears about the poor quality of the potential footwear. That is until you have to wear them for more than 10 minutes.

Blisters on the heels make walking an issue (which is ironically, exactly what the shoes are supposed to help with) and after a frustrating day spent wondering just how clean your socks are, you hear the imaginary bell signalling the end of the day and finally head home and take those demon soles off your heels forever.

Unfortunately it’s raining outside.

And that can only mean one thing: watery feet. You would like to remove your swollen, blistered feet from the squelching puddle in your shoes, for the short bus journey home at least, but you know you can’t because once your feet leaves a soggy shoe there’s no putting them back in. Once you do make it home and take those shoes off, chances are they won’t be going on any time soon. Hopefully the next time you visit a shoe shop, probably the following day, you’ll have learned your lesson.

Store brand household goods

Store branded household products can sometimes be the pinnacle of a false economy. There are several products you just shouldn’t compromise on.

First up, it’s the marigold imitator, which tears upon the insertion of your hand – making you feel like a mutant who fails to realise their own strength, or a klutz. Or the cling film that feels like a battle of pure determination. Or the facewash that feels like you’ve been been slapped in the face by a flower dipped in detergent.

That said, some store branded items are genuine cheaper alternatives. When you need to wash’n’go, you will require some shampoo and conditioner. For the frugal shopper you can usually buy both these items together and all for the price of a more famous and efficient shampoo.

Anti-bacteria and regular cleaning products also seem to be made of the same stuff, so you needn’t be dazzled by the advertising. And let’s not forget toilet roll – now there’s a practical save. You may not get quilted velvet or Egyptian silk or whatever the big brands are selling now, but do you really need it? We’re not royalty, and store branded isn’t exactly sandpaper.