What Expensive Version Did You Try and Now You Never Wanted to Go Back to the Cheap Thing?

Coffee and toilet paper. For obvious reasons.

do you use an espresso machine? what kind of beans do you buy?
- I used to use a super cheap machine and buy beans mostly from Costa Rica (I visited a coffee plantation there and that’s how I started drinking better coffee). Currently I only have a nespresso machine that I use with Lavazza pods, but I am researching my next option because I want to get back into making it myself. Suggestions are very welcome!

I upgraded to a pour over coffee making system, got some unbleached coffee filters and a proper gooseneck kettle. It takes a little bit longer to make my coffee but I can’t go back. It’s totally worth the investment.

how's the clean-up with using a pour over coffee?
- About the same with a drip brewer. I got an angled brush to clean out the carafe. That’s about it. It’s really straightforward once you get the process down 😁☕️

I bought an LG C1 display unit that only has 48 hours of use for about 40k last year. I just couldn't look at a regular TV again, lol. The closest thing that rivals it is probably a properly calibrated Php20k Sony Bravia, but even in most scenes, it just doesn't compare. Once you go OLED, there's never going back.

agree. nung nag lg c2 ako last december dahil naka sale sa abenson, di na ko makatingin sa ibang tv na di ko sinasabing, bakit ang pangit ng display mo. Iba talaga color gamut kapag oled. Kahit di ka marunong magcalibrate wala ka ng masasabi.
How's the burn-in with OLED display is it still that bad today?
- It still happens despite improvements in tech to minimize it, but you need to be watching static images for an absurd amount of time for it to happen. Tipong all day everyday na news or Cignal TV with their stupid-ass watermark.

Smartphones. I always look for the SoC, RAM, and battery before buying them. Anything below 64GB of storage and 6GB of RAM, and above 6nm SoC is a no-no.

shoes. though not technically expensive because i buy them used (they are expensive when bought new).
cheap shoes will hurt your feet, are easily damaged, and not repairable. the cheapest shoes i had lasted 2 weeks. leather ones can last years with proper care and resole.

bamboo socks. they have better odor resistance than cotton ones.

getting sick of my cheap earphones, on the hunt for a php500-1000 corded earphone.

Have you heard of Sam Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness, often called simply the boots theory? Sam Vimes is a protagonist in many of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
- a
Do you buy your Bamboo Socks online? Can you point me where?
- I also would like to order some.
- they were gifted to me (i always asked for socks every Christmas at my previous job. i got a lot and havent used all them yet). i heard they got it from SM Dept Store but i cant recall the brand.

A mobile phone. I can’t imagine that I was able to master a T9 keyboard in the past.

Minsan namimiss ko rin iyong T9 keypads, kaya ko mag-text kahit na sa bulsa. Elem/HS days...

Probably a phone. I used to use cheap android devices. Like dirt cheap 1k ones when I was there. When I left, I use iPhones. And the difference is night and day.

This is not an argument between iPhone and Android. I’m talking about dirt cheap Android not the top of the line galaxy stuff which is comparable with an iPhone.

Tbf, the entry-level phones from Realme, Xiaomi, and Infinix are decent (the ones between 2-8k). I would avoid them like the plague because I can't live without wireless charging, adaptive 120hz, and some other creature comforts, but for most people, it should be good enough.
- Yeah that’s true. It really makes a huge difference

Victoria's Marinara. If I google image search '"Victoria Trading Company" marinara' they almost all look correct. The common labels when you search "Victoria marinara" have no chunks and are inferior.

good formulation | bad formulation