Some things can be bought very cheaply, saving you lots of money, and you've got a bargain. There are all sorts of things which fit this rule, and you won't regret having gone to the Pound Shop or the Bargain Basement, and you'll be secretly pleased when you see the same thing on sale in a more expensive shop!

Other times, though, buying cheap stuff isn't a good move, in fact it's a false economy and can lead to more Stuff taking up space and not being used.

Because I'm a hoarder, I have trouble getting rid of things, even if they don't work well. So I may re-buy something because my original is not working well, but still keep the original 'just in case'. With the cheapest products this is even easier, because you're not spending a lot so you don't feel it matters that much if you have 3 of something, because they all were bargains.

Secondly, though many of the cheapest items work fine, there will always be those which are just sub-standard, and in those situations it can be worth paying more for an item which you are more confident will work, and will continue to work well over a period of time.

A few weeks ago I was trying to open a tin of tuna. I used one of my tin openers, which broke some of the casing but wouldn't open the tin all the way round. So I used the second of my tin openers, which again partially opened the remaining lid, but not all the way round. So I got out the third of my tin openers! Seriously! Even that wouldn't finish the tin. I spent 10 minutes swapping from utensil to utensil, and I could not get the lid off my tuna.

I realised that I had 3 of them because none of them worked well. Clearly, none of them was doing the job. I made an agreement with myself that, for once, I would go to a more expensive kitchen store, and buy a better tin opener, with the strict agreement with myself that I would then get rid of ALL THREE of the ones that didn't work. 

I strictly wasn't allowed to keep any of the sub-standard ones if I let myself get a new one.

So, I went out and spent £8 on a tin opener, and warily threw out the three old ones. Then... the time came... I had to open a tin can!

And you know what? It was a revelation! I opened the tin in a matter of seconds, with no excessive force or swearing required! Amazing. I didn't regret throwing the others out, not even for a second. 

Like I said earlier, I am a great believer in finding bargains and spending less, but the Tin Opener Experience has also showed me that several not-very-good products are no substitute for just one that works well.