Times When You Don't Want "Cheap"

In this uncertain economy, there are many places where the cheap option is the best. Generic brand food bakes just as well as name brands - your kids can't really tell if those nuggets are Tyson or not. Nobody cares how much you paid for the all-leather trim on your steering wheel. In many areas, cutting back is a wise decision.

However, there are still some purchases where the cheap option really is the worst choice. Places where you should be willing, even happy, to pay top dollar. Here are a few:

• LASIK. "Oh, you don't want to spend over $400?  Tell ya what, we'll let our med student take a crack at this one. This will give him a chance to try the controls of the machine for the first time!"

• Auto repairs.  A good repair uses dealer-issued replacement parts. A bad repair uses bubble gum and cardboard. And no, you can't "cobble a transmission together with old parts sitting around".

• Fire extinguishers. You know what happened to the last guy who thought he could save a few bucks by buying "gently used" extinguishers?  Here's a hint, he didn't freeze to death.

• Guns. No matter what that guy in the back alley tells you, guns do not "mellow with time like fine wines."  You know what they do?  They explode.

• Plumbing. I don't know about you, but I think plumbing was an amazing invention. The less time I spend in contact with human waste, the better. And I am willing to pay top dollar to make sure that those pipes won't suddenly put me in immediate, intimate contact with it.

And finally...

• Donating to online blogs. Those writers work hard to provide you with your daily reading material, and they should be compensated. Preaching? Me?  Nahhh.