One of the best purchases I ever made was a box of many hundreds of pens that I got for around $15. They were rejects that didn't pass quality control because the custom printing on them was blurred or smudged or misspelled or whatever. They're all different colors and shapes and sizes of ball-point pens, and they write just fine. It's just that the "Joe's Hardware, Inc." (etc.) isn't perfectly clear.
I got them about 10 years ago. I haven't purchased any other pens since then. And I still have about half the box left. It's perfect because I had always lost pens very quickly. I don't know where they went. They just disappeared and had to be replaced constantly. Now I don't care. No matter how many pens I lose, I have a box of them on my shelf that is effectively a limitless supply.
I highly recommend looking for the cheapest pens you can find and buying a thousand of them. (I think I got mine on eBay.)
In that spirit, here are a few household items that I recommend buying in bulk because the cheap versions work nearly as well as the more expensive brands, and it's nice to have them in every room in the house so you're not constantly trying to remember where you left them ... followed by the opposite, where I'd take quality over quantity, followed by a few items that I could go either way on.
Quantity over quality
1. Pens. I don't know where to find a thousand of them for $15, but here's 240 of them for $22 (and they're not even QC rejects).
2. Box cutters. Here's a box of 12 for $9. Great for opening any Amazon packages (and breaking down boxes for the recycling bin). Have some in every room.
3. Reading glasses. Here's six of them for $9. Find six places in your home where you sometimes read and keep a pair in each place so that they'll always be within reach.
4. Soap. No link, but as with the pens, I once got a large bag of plain soap (lard and lye) that failed quality control because they weren't molded exactly right so they were slightly misshapen. (I think this was also on eBay.) I don't know how easy it is to find deals like this, but I should look for another one. I don't really care about the exact shape of a bar of soap. In any case, I think basic soap is superior to fancy soap as a general rule.
5. Razor cartridges. If you use a double-edge safety razor, quality matters more. But with cartridges, I think Solimo and Dorco are both so much cheaper than Gillette or the other major brands that any difference in quality is comparatively negligible.
Quality over quantity
1. Garlic press. There's such a big difference between the solid, heavy, well-manufactured ones and the rest. The one in the link is easy to use, easy to clean, and will last forever.
2. Tooth brush. Even the expensive ones are super cheap on a per-use basis. Why not splurge? A good one makes a difference, IMO.
Could go either way
1. Combs. When I was in high school, combs were like pens: constantly getting lost. (I don't know where they went. I blame it on sharing a bathroom with two brothers.) The only antidote was buying them in bulk so that replacements would be available. Now that I don't have a problem with losing them, I find that a single high-quality comb is nice to have.
2. Fans. I don't like air-conditioning, but I'm a big fan of fans. You can get a perfectly functional one for around $20. There's a decent argument for getting a $20 fan and then replacing it every year or two. (The cheap ones get dusty and aren't easy to clean, so do need to be replaced.) But there's also an argument for getting a high-quality, solidly-built fan that will last a lifetime. The higher-end fans not only look prettier: they tend to be quieter and more powerful as well. I consider this Vornado to be one of the better purchases I've made.
That's all I can think of for now.
What do you agree or disagree with? What would you add to each list?
I got them about 10 years ago. I haven't purchased any other pens since then. And I still have about half the box left. It's perfect because I had always lost pens very quickly. I don't know where they went. They just disappeared and had to be replaced constantly. Now I don't care. No matter how many pens I lose, I have a box of them on my shelf that is effectively a limitless supply.
I highly recommend looking for the cheapest pens you can find and buying a thousand of them. (I think I got mine on eBay.)
In that spirit, here are a few household items that I recommend buying in bulk because the cheap versions work nearly as well as the more expensive brands, and it's nice to have them in every room in the house so you're not constantly trying to remember where you left them ... followed by the opposite, where I'd take quality over quantity, followed by a few items that I could go either way on.
Quantity over quality
1. Pens. I don't know where to find a thousand of them for $15, but here's 240 of them for $22 (and they're not even QC rejects).
2. Box cutters. Here's a box of 12 for $9. Great for opening any Amazon packages (and breaking down boxes for the recycling bin). Have some in every room.
3. Reading glasses. Here's six of them for $9. Find six places in your home where you sometimes read and keep a pair in each place so that they'll always be within reach.
4. Soap. No link, but as with the pens, I once got a large bag of plain soap (lard and lye) that failed quality control because they weren't molded exactly right so they were slightly misshapen. (I think this was also on eBay.) I don't know how easy it is to find deals like this, but I should look for another one. I don't really care about the exact shape of a bar of soap. In any case, I think basic soap is superior to fancy soap as a general rule.
5. Razor cartridges. If you use a double-edge safety razor, quality matters more. But with cartridges, I think Solimo and Dorco are both so much cheaper than Gillette or the other major brands that any difference in quality is comparatively negligible.
Quality over quantity
1. Garlic press. There's such a big difference between the solid, heavy, well-manufactured ones and the rest. The one in the link is easy to use, easy to clean, and will last forever.
2. Tooth brush. Even the expensive ones are super cheap on a per-use basis. Why not splurge? A good one makes a difference, IMO.
Could go either way
1. Combs. When I was in high school, combs were like pens: constantly getting lost. (I don't know where they went. I blame it on sharing a bathroom with two brothers.) The only antidote was buying them in bulk so that replacements would be available. Now that I don't have a problem with losing them, I find that a single high-quality comb is nice to have.
2. Fans. I don't like air-conditioning, but I'm a big fan of fans. You can get a perfectly functional one for around $20. There's a decent argument for getting a $20 fan and then replacing it every year or two. (The cheap ones get dusty and aren't easy to clean, so do need to be replaced.) But there's also an argument for getting a high-quality, solidly-built fan that will last a lifetime. The higher-end fans not only look prettier: they tend to be quieter and more powerful as well. I consider this Vornado to be one of the better purchases I've made.
That's all I can think of for now.
What do you agree or disagree with? What would you add to each list?
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