Saving money is tricky.  The general thought is that in order to save money, you need to cut back on the amount of money you spend.  You know what though?  That isn’t always true.  Sometimes in order to save money you need to spend more money.  What?!  How can that be?  I know, I know.  I hear you asking.  It’s true though, there are some occasions where you should always spend more money in order to be more frugal.

1. Shoes.  Some people would argue this.  I will never agree though.  It is much, much better to buy brand name shoes than to buy generic shoes at your local big box store.  This is for two reasons.  First, brand name shoes are better for your feet and lead to fewer foot problems that could eventually cost you big at the foot doctor.  Second, generic shoes wear out quickly.  I will give you an example: I have a 10 year old son that grew out of his shoes.  It was the first of Summer though and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on shoes before the new school year so I bought him shoes at Walmart.  Those shoes lasted exactly 3 weeks before they broke down and he could no longer wear them.  Yes, I said 3 weeks.  If I had to buy him a pair of these $10 shoes everytime they broke, that would be $170 per year minimum.  Instead I hit up clearance sales or outlet malls to buy him Nike and Adidas shoes and spend $30 for shoes that last 6-12 months.
2. Toilet paper.  Everyone knows that better quality tp last much longer than the cheap stuff.  Just be sure to coupon and save money where you can.  I always make it a goal to spend less than $0.25 per single roll.
3. Clothes.  No I’m not suggesting that you drop $100 on a pair of jeans.  But I never, ever buy no-name jeans anymore.  They tend to fall apart quickly and not last near as long as name brand clothing does.  I always buy mine at thrift shops and on clearance.
4. Healthy food.  Feed yourself more wholesome food instead of processed junk food and you will be much healthier, leading to fewer doctor’s visits, which will save you money.