...but here is the real question....and be honest...where should you NOT try to save money?
My response to him was this:
The question should be: when is cost not the most important factor? You should always try to save on your purchases, but that doesn't mean putting price above quality, utility, or experience.
If you had two things of equal quality and you'd use them equally, you'd pick the cheaper one. Continuing on the topic of toothbrushes, the order is likely utility, quality, and THEN price.
When you're buying a gift for someone, you've usually set your spending limit, and then you try to maximize the quality and utility within that limit. You'll usually spend the full amount that you set aside, but you'll want to get the most for it. In this case, the order is price, utility, and then quality.
For dishes, it might be price, quality, utility. etc...
I guess the only time you shouldn't consider not trying to save is when you're giving away your money to charity. You just give what you can. Even then, you try to make sure it goes to the most worthy charity that will use it wisely and so on.
Cheapness means putting cost above all other factors to the point that it diminishes the value of the things you purchase. Never be cheap! Be thrift.
