upworthy

Community

Community

Bargain shoppers share 32 half-price items that are actually the biggest money wasters

"Half the price, but you use 3× as much."

Image via Canva/Oleksandra Polishchuk

People share cheap items that are not worth buying.

Bargain shopping is a smart way to save money, however, the appeal of buying cheap or heavily discounted items can end up backfiring. While you may spend less up front, cheap products are often poor quality.

To avoid wasting money, thrifty consumers shared the half-price products and cheap items they've purchased that have not been worth it. These are 32 cheap products that are not worth it.

half price, half price items, half price shopping, bargain shopping, cheap Add To Cart Buy One Get One GIF by VeMoBro Philippines Giphy

"Any bad cleaning product, honestly pointless just makes things dirtier and ruins them, especially clothing!" - KindOfKissed

"If you are a company that tries to save money by buying 0 ply toilet paper, just know that I'm using four times as much as I need just to spite you for trying to spend half as much." - MoreLikeZelDUH

"Paint. Buy the cheapest and it's just colored water and the walls won't look good even after 4 coats. End up buying better paint to finish the job. Buy 2 rubbish buckets and 1 medium one. Spend days. Buy the good stuff and one coat is enough. Use only part of 1 bucket in 1 afternoon. Save the rest for the next job." - Zombie-dodo

"Watered down dish detergent and hand soap from the dollar store." - Alexis_J_M

"Cheap paper towels. They’re so thin that you have to use several sheets just to get the job done." - -titikaka-

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Bin bags! I haven’t had a split bag since I started buying thicker more expensive bags a couple of years ago. Avoiding bin juice incidents = priceless." - tethermops

"As I'm painting the kitchen right now, I'd like to add masking tape. The cheap stuff I still had in the basement is total crap compared to the roll of professional masking tape the plasterer left me." - bluemercutio

"Boots if you work a blue collar job. If you cheap out on boots, you’ll spending more money either buying replacements or in medical bills. Spend the money upfront for a quality pair, and you’ll save more money on the long run." - RecipeAggravating176

"I’ll add socks to this…a pair of Darn Tough wool socks costs about $25. But, they will outlast 25 pairs of bulk whites, will keep your feet drier, and won’t ever bunch up or slide down." - rufuckingkidding

"Chargers. i used to buy the cheapest ones all the time, then realized a more expensive one lasts way longer." - mydoghaslonghair

thrifty, being thrifty, cheap shopping, shopping deals, cheap items Leah Remini Budget GIF by TV Land Giphy

"Costco tortilla chips. You use 3x as much because they are good, and the bag is really big." - zoqfotpik

"Shampoo and conditioner." - jorgentwo

"Cheap clothing, especially shoes, is a pretty classic example. I have some 20 year old pairs of shoes that still look great. Some have had repairs, but most just show minor wear that can't be cleaned away." - Samsquanch-Sr

"Kids' shoes, but it doesn't really matter. The soles are thin rubber and the insides are CARDBOARD. That sucks, but kids outgrow shoes so fast, it doesn't matter. So buying three pairs of cheap little kids shoes is better than one high quality shoe because that good shoe will last, but be too small in just a few months. Whereas you could have bought new lesser quality shoes in three different sizes and before they break, the kid needs the next size anyway." - ClownfishSoup

"I've found that if I spend $5-$10 on a single pen that's just a little nicer than the kind I used to buy in packs, I go years without losing it. When I used to buy packs of five for around the same price, I would lose them all the time, and had to buy new pens way more frequently." - MaskedBandit77

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Name brand deodorant at Dollar stores. It's 5% cheaper, but up to 15% less product in the same size container. 3oz compared to 3.4+oz." - weasil22

"Herbs and Spices. I used to buy whatever the least expensive one was, and more recently started buying organic herbs and spices in bulk from the organic market. Not only is it cheaper because you're not paying for the container, they're of higher quality and taste dramatically better." - 900mg_caffeine

"Non-Stick pans. Very few non-stick pans are actually built in a way that they will last more than 2 years. Most last less time than that. Buy a quality pan, die with a quality pan. Cast iron, carbon steel, stainless steel, copper are usually great options." - AnonymousMenace

"Cheap batteries. Might cost half as much, but works for 1/10th of the amount of time." - Grounds4TheSubstain

"Idk if it’s a 'good' example but the generic disposable tooth flossers at CVS are absolute garbage compared to the name brand. Usually the floss slips out after 4-5 teeth. Worst $2 I ever saved." - christyless

cheap, cheap stuff, cheap shopping, cheap items, cheap products Cheap GIF Giphy

"Toilet drain snake. Pay for a 'Toilet' version and don’t just use a regular snake. The toilet versions do not scratch up your toilet. Yes this was my last Wednesday night. Haha!" - Temporary-Age-1841

"Laptops." - GreyGriffin_h

"Fabric scissors. I splurged on ginghers with a 50% off coupon. No more jagged cuts and last a lifetime and beyond." - Radiant_Ad_6565

"Definitely agree with bandaids. Every time I've tried a store brand to save money, they just don't stick on as well as the real thing." - Tannhauser42

"The blister on my finger is telling me oven mitts. Just learned that lesson." - apexncgeek

From Your Site Articles
cheap shopping
CommunityJoy
Joy

In Japan, you can rent a grandma for $23 an hour to make a warm meal and offer life advice

This is the 'insta-gram' the world needs right now.

Photo credit: Canva

This is the brain-child of Client Partners, a women-run company in Japan.

Some days can only be made better with a warm hug and a meal from grandma. In Japan, those creature comforts (and more) are made available for a mere 3,300 yen, or $23 USD an hour.

Here’s how it works: the service, run by a company called Client Partners, is called OK! Obaachan (which translates to OK Grandma). Give them a ring and they’ll send over a woman aged 60 to 94 boasting a range of grandmotherly skills—from housework and childcare, to “personal consultations”…meaning, yes, they can talk you through that brutal breakup.

Honestly, the tasks provided by this roster of 100+ grannies seem rather endless. Just a quick scroll through the website shows that an Obaachan has been hired to help someone come out as gay, attend sports games, think through an apology letter, show up to a wedding, perform ceremonial rituals, and more.

The video below paints a pretty cohesive picture. Paolo, a content creator living in Japan, enjoys a picnic of handmade goodies while his Obaachan shares pictures from her past and compares dating in her time to dating in the modern world. It’s every bit as wholesome as you’d imagine.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

“Well, I didn't plan on crying today but here we are. This video reminded me so much of my time with my Nanna and the great conversations we had and the advice she gave me as a young man. She was my best friend and I miss her so much,” one viewer wrote.

Another added, “It's actually a really good idea tbh. The grandma gets to spend time interacting with others, making her feel less lonely. Seems like a win win to both parties.”

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that this idea stems from a country that already combats loneliness through various “rent-a-person” services, including hired actors who will pretend to be your family.

But even more pertinent, Japan has a deeply ingrained cultural tradition of respecting and valuing the elderly. We see this reflected in practices like a national holiday honoring them (Keirō no Hi), and the fact that many Japanese households remain multi-generational. Older adults are often seen as vessels of wisdom and experience.

В Японии запустили сервис аренды... бабушки — «OK Obaachan».За 3000 йен (1600 ₽) в час милая бабуля научит готовить, присмотрит за детьми, приберёт в доме и даст мудрый совет. А если надо, поможет расстаться с токсичным партнёром.
byu/ElectroAdeptus inKafkaFPS


That said, older women in particular (and even more so, older women who either never married or whose husbands died young) face a sparse job market, and cannot solely rely on pension.

“The merit of age is the ability to remain unfazed by small things,” wrote Client Partners. “Their consideration for those who need it most, and while they may lack the physical strength and agility of their younger counterparts, their housework and child-rearing skills honed over years of being a housewife, their communication skills honed through relationships with neighbors and relatives, their rich life experience having endured the good and the bad, and their friendly, warm presence are all irreplaceable strengths.”

Plus, many Obaachans express gratitude for being able to connect to a sense of purpose through their work. So, in truth, everyone is getting a need met. For these grandma’s, it’s financial opportunities, and for their clients, it’s feeling nurtured, loved, and most importantly, fed.

Another cool thing about Client Partners—it’s run by women, and only employs women. So, beside grandmas for hire, you can also hire interpreters, handywomen, and something called “courage support.” Don’t know what that is…but I want it.

While applications to be OK Obaachan are open, Client Partners does require that candidates be vetted, and have an open enough mind to deal with often frowned upon things in Japan, such as single mothers. According to Client Partners, the “perfect” grandma is “kind, committed, hardworking, and cares about the feelings of others.” Hard to argue with that.

From Your Site Articles
wholesome
JoyCommunity
Popular

35 free public library services frugal people swear saves them tons of money

"My library saves me hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year."

Image via Canva/Sergey Nivens

Frugal people utilize free services from the public library.

Popping into your local library can save you big bucks. Not only is the library itself the perfect example of affordable entertainment and access to free books, libraries are also excellent resources for other free and discounted perks.

Few people know this better than those who live a frugal lifestyle. Having a public library card can help you unlock innumerable ways to save money. As one person in the subreddit r/Frugal noted, "My library saves me hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year. Between the museum visits, library books, and audiobooks I take out. It's worth my $50 a year tax to my county."

From free access to technology, subscriptions, and more, these are 35 ways frugal people take full advantage of their public library access to save money.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Especially true if your library does inter-library loan. I live in San Francisco and the librarian found a copy of a book about the Maoist movement in India that I was looking for. There was one copy in the entire country - at the University of Indiana. She called them and even though they weren't part of inter-library loan system, they graciously agreed to ship it to SFPL for me to check out." - TheMegFiles

"The library I frequent also has puzzles to check out! Saves at least $10-$15 every time!" - debress

"Ours got cake pans because of the popularity of The Great British Bake-Off." - eczblack

"My library has embroidery machines. Whenever I get tired of my closet I just add some flowers or whatever instead of buying more clothes." - RiceStickers

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Our library has that and, and then some! Tools (too many to list, many power tools), Bicycles, Electronics (games, controllers, speakers, etc), Games (board and card), Health and Wellness (air quality monitor, blood pressure), Home (baking, sewing, cookware), Instruments, Jigsaw Puzzles, Memory Kits, Outdoor Activities (giant games, bird watch kits, +more), Science (STEM kits, microscope, telescope), Sensory Kits and Fidget toys. I just remembered they had two 3d printers! (They charge $0.10/g which is a great deal I'm told)." - jradio

"YouTube. I haven't paid for entertainment in 10 years. Anything in interested in hearing/seeing/learning is all on YouTube." - diy_surgeon

"Just found out mine has discounted passes to over 440 locations, including a local archery range that I never knew was there." - dunyuhhh

library, public library, library card, library card gif, free library Dog Glasses GIF by County of Los Angeles Giphy

"A lot of libraries include digital access to the Wall Street Journal, you have to renew it online every 3 days, but it's totally free for the users. The library does pay an annual fee to provide this service. If your library is already paying, you might as well take advantage." - AshleySchaeffer-BMW

"I use my library’s Libby for audiobooks. I’ve read over 1500 books in the last 5 years. No way I would have bought all of those." - Purple-Prince-9896

"My library has access to multiple language learning software, all Udemy courses, like 2 or 3 different streaming services and a BUNCH of other stuff. Not saying they all do that but ppl seriously sleep on the library." - boomer1204

"Some even have tickets for museums and such, also seeds for gardening!" - HomemakingHeidi

@ameliaagcarpenter

and who was going to tell me you can rent more than just books??? 📚 @JohnsonCityPublicLibrary #libraryhaul #freethingstodo #thingstodoforfree #freeresources #locallibrary #booktok #augustcurriculum

"And libraries are the perfect place to stop in when traveling - I always look up the local library on road trips or when I'm in a new city. Free place to use the bathroom, get water, look at books or magazines, stretch my legs, take a journaling break, etc. Highly recommend." - Available-Chart-2505

"Our library has a card to local swimming place. You can loan it 2 times a year and go 2 times." - alputik

"My old city library had a full makerspace (3d printers, laser engravers, quilting and sewing machines) and a small-ish (3-5 people depending on if you wanted to bring in instruments and such) recording studio." - DariusJenai

"Mine rents out snowshoes!" - 800-lumens

library, local library, public library, library gif, libraries Books Reading GIF by Ari Farley Giphy

"Mine has free Ancestry access, which I can also log into from home via the library's website, which is super convenient!" - majin_chichi

"Mine has a toy library, a music instrument library, and themed backpack kits to borrow. The backpacks I've used so far were bird watching with books and binoculars, early reading with learning aids and games, and wildlife/hiking with compass, books, binoculars. And survival guide." - w4ntsm0r3

"Mine also lets you borrow video games!" - afterglobe

From Your Site Articles
public library
CommunityJoy
Community

20 frugal people share their most underrated and unexpected money-saving habits

These overlooked tips can save you lots of money.

Image via Canva/David-Predo

Frugal people share their best unexpected money-saving tips.

Frugal people are experts at saving money. From being mindful about how much and how often they make purchases to adopting no-buy lifestyles, they know all the practical ways to save money

But they also have some creative and overlooked ways to save even more. In the subreddit thread r/Frugal, members opened up about some of the most underrated and self-proclaimed 'weird' ways they've been able to put more money away.

These are some of the most unexpected and underrated ways to save money, according to 20 frugal people.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Multiply supposedly low monthly costs by 12. The yearly cost is often a wake up that I don’t need something." - SCNewsFan

"Buying or making snacks, meals and drinks ahead of time for road trips." - ReadingConstantly

"To ease the transition to eating out less, try to recreate similar meals at home as a treat. If you try to go cold turkey from eating out frequently to nothing but beans at home, it’ll be hard to sustain long term. Store bought frozen chicken tenders (for example) are more expensive than homemade lentil soup, but they’re also a lot cheaper than chicken tenders at a restaurant." - PollardPie

"Being content and not going in an inner complaint spiral." - kehrw0che

@alisontalksmoney

More unhinged hacks for saving money #personalfinance #moneytips #budgetingforbeginners

"I started saving veggie scraps in the freezer to make broth, and it’s cut down on food waste and my grocery bill." - radik266

"Use the app toogoodtogo as well for cheap takeout. If you’re flexible, you basically sign up for a cheap meal of whatever excess a restaurant has. I’ve done this with Indian joints and it’s great. Usually $7-10 for multiple servings of food." - treedoct-her

"The public library. Many now offer free streaming services, audio books, and ebooks for free." - ObjectiveUpset1703

"I think mine would be hauling my own trash to the landfill. I used to have trash service that cost $33 a month with recycling picked up twice a month. So the cost came out to $7.50 per week for household trash and $1.50 biweekly for recycling. I haul my own trash 2-3 a month and spend less than $5 total." - Ok-Box6892

"Borrow this book from the library: Make The Bread , Buy The Butter. The woman has gone to great lengths to figure out the cost of making tons of different things (including gas for the stove). She's straight up if something is worth the cost and or hassle to make it from scratch or purchase it. Her everyday bread recipe is super easy, makes two loaves in under 15 minutes (plus only 2 hours to rise, then an hour to bake) I make it once a week and use one, freeze one. It's delicious toasted and I've started adding in extras like chopped walnuts for a taste change." - k8ecat

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"As a gardener, I got tired of wasting money on annuals, especially the modern kind of seed that doesn't reseed itself. Flower companies hate selling plants that reseed themselves. I started buying old-fashioned, heirloom annual and perennial seeds that reseed themselves yearly. Google heirloom or reseeding seeds to find places that sell the older kind of flowers - I go with Seed Savers in Iowa. Additionally, I buy annuals that can be taken indoors during the winter (geraniums and begonias mainly). After the summer, take them inside and prune them back by 1/3 to keep them healthy. Many gardeners will also share starts or extra bulbs with other people - get to know your neighbors for this, or go on a neighborhood website and ask if anyone has perennials they need to divide or extra bulbs. Using seeds does mean a slower growing time, so you have to learn to be patient and live like our great grandparents did, with the rhythm of nature instead of forcing it to move ahead of schedule with pre-grown nursery plants." - StartledDungbeetle

"I don't buy any drinks or snacks at the grocery store. I buy meal food only, and tea bags. I make fresh fridge tea every day, a small thing of caffeinated and a small pitcher of SleepyTime or some other decaf for the evenings. It's delicious, no sugar, and VERY cheap. My grocery bills are about half of what they once were." - Soft-Craft-3285

"I spend money on just 1 day per week." DutchBelgian

"Buying things second hand from Facebook marketplace or while it's on liquidation. Also getting free stuff from the free local Facebook groups. I got so many helpful things over the years! Buying Christmas and birthday gifts for people throughout the year when I find the gifts on sale. Not being addicted to alcohol and soft drinks is a big money saver too :) Also knowing how to do own aesthetic services (I do my own eyebrows, I shave my own legs, I don't get my nails done, I straighten my own hair instead of getting salon blowouts, etc). Freezing leftovers!" - psykolojist

"Same answer I always give; switching away from cartridge razors and going to double-edge (DE). It's a bit more upfront (anywhere from $50-$100 trying to find the best razor/blade/soap combination that works for you) but the long term savings more than make up for it." - neekogo

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Get at least a basic tool kit. That along with YouTube and Amazon and you can learn how to fix basic things instead of calling someone or throwing it away and buying another. Just fixed the wheel on my suitcase instead of spending on a new one." - rich22201

"See if there any 'discount grocers' in your area. We're lucky to have several. They buy food in lots from supermarkets that are near or past expiration, discontinued items, damaged packages, etc. We've rarely gotten any food that was stale and the savings can be pretty big. They'll also have restaurant-sized items like huge cans of baked beans for a couple of bucks, which we'll divide out and freeze." - p38-lightning

"Ordering groceries online. I’m guilty of impulse buys and simply ordering groceries for pickup saves me $20+ dollars each time." - RightToBearGlitter

"When I go grocery shopping, I only buy sensible things. Except I allow myself one candy/cake/treats every time. It feels like splurging and a bit of cheating. It makes it much easier for me to stay on track with the strict buying habits." - Sagaincolours

"When I get a rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club, I save the skin, bones, etc. to use to make chicken stock. They're already roasted and seasoned so they make great stock." - gt0163c

"Double check your insurance policies annually. Do you still drive x amount of miles a year? Some people who now work from home drive much less, but are still paying commuter rates. Consider removing collision insurance from very old vehicles, unless you absolutely need it. If you are paying separately for an emergency roadside assistance program, see if your auto insurance offers similar coverage for less." - BestReplyEver

From Your Site Articles
saving money tips
CommunityJoy
Trending Stories