Don't Skimp on Spending when it Comes to These 5 Products

In these tough economic times, everyone is looking to save a buck. But sometimes skimping on spending is not the best way to go. Today, I am going to discuss 5 products where sometimes it's worth spending a little more, or a little caution needs to be taking if you are being a spendthrift:

1.Batteries-You don't need to spend a ton on batteries, but sometimes the cheapest isn't the best way to go. A lot of bargain bin batteries are Heavy Duty, which never live up to their name. Many of the same places that sell cheap Heavy Duty batteries also have cheap Alkaline batteries, usually at the same price. Even if there are far fewer batteries in the Alkaline package, these batteries are a much better deal than their heavy duty counterparts. Most generic Alkaline batteries should work as good or nearly as good as their name brand counterparts.

2.Belts-You don't want to get a cheap belt, only to have it buckle under pressure. Imagine how you would feel if you were wearing a bargain basement belt and then the buckle burst at an inopportune time. Or worse, what if the buckle got stuck, leaving you in a sticky situation. What if you made a mad dash to the bathroom only to find that your buckle wouldn't budge. What if you were having a romantic moment and your belt remained bolted to your body. Or more seriously, what if you had a serious health problem, like a heart attack and your belt buckle was constricting proper circulation and those trying to assist you couldn't get it off. If your able to think at all at that time, you're not going to be able to forgive yourself for not spending a few dollars more to assure that you had a belt with a properly-working buckle.

3.Fire alarm-Fire alarms are cheap. Fire alarms are plentiful. You don't need to spend a lot of money on a fire alarm, but you purchase a fire alarm for peace and security, so you need to spend enough so that you feel comfortable that you purchased an item from a brand that you trust, that you can contact an 800 number if you need to and that it makes you feel safe.

4.Orange Juice-If you want reasonably good tasting orange juice that's convenient, you have lots of choices. But if you truly crave the taste of freshly squeezed orange juice, you'll need to splurge. The only way to get that flavor is from orange juice that has been freshly squeezed and that's going to cost significantly more than a bottle of Minute Maid. If fresh orange juice is what you want, spend the extra money and enjoy.

5.USB printer cords-Based on personal experience, I've purchased USB printer cables from dollar stores and I experienced connection problems with my printer. These cables look the same as other cables, but don't seem to work quite as well as other cables. If you want a consistent, quality connection between your computer and printer, get the cable from a source you can rely on.

In summary, there are plenty of things that you can buy at bargain basement prices with no ill effects. I just wanted to point out 5 products in which you should use caution when your are being a spendthrift and suggest you might just be better off if you splurge a little on some occasions.