Bigger Isn't Always Better: 10 Products Worth Skimping On

Bigger products and purchases can be unwieldy, wasteful, and expensive to maintain. These things prove that good things come in small packages.
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America is a land of bigness: we're the home of the Grand Canyon, the Cadillac Escalade, and the Big Gulp. If the nation had another Latin motto, it might be 'Grandior Melior Est': Bigger is Better. (Note: rough translation.)

That might be true for some things (like the new iPhone 6 Plus, which is drumming up more interest than it's smaller sibling), but there are a few products where you're actually better off "skimping" and getting the smaller, less expensive option. For perishable goods or things that are expensive to maintain or store, bigger isn't always better. Read on to see our tips for downsizing your shopping.

Readers, what other products fly in the face of the whole "bigger is better" theory? Share your thoughts in the comments below!


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Tucker Cummings
Contributing Writer

Tucker Cummings is a freelance writer based in New England. She's also written for Yahoo! TV and Tapscape. Follow her on Twitter @tuckercummings on Twitter for her musings on tech, TV, writing, and current events.
DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this feature were available at the lowest total price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).

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6 comments
dealnews-bglaser (DealNews)
@VERMINATOR In picture #5, I saw a box of apples, a carton of whey protein, and other food stuffs in the dolly on the left.

You make a good point about the designer bags- it sounds like the 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness- but for handbags!
http://dealnews.com/...st-for-Decades/1128295.html

However, we weren't suggesting skimping on quality in a handbag- just size.
whippeteer
All well and good to say not to get the biggest and newest TV, but it doesn't mention what is optimum or recommended...
VERMINATOR
Did author look at the picture on #5?
I had no idea Charmin & "Huggies Diapers & Huggies Little Movers" were considered "Bulk Food".

I will spend money on a "designer handbag".
If I do not like the retail price I will get one from eBay or a consignment shop.
I look at it like this.
The cheaply made bags I bought were lucky to last a couple of months.
I have Dooney & Bourke bags from almost five years ago that are not only still in style, but look brand new. Say I spend $258 for a Dooney (price of my first one as a TSV. Bought it in November 2009. Four Years nine months later still looks new & in style. 258.00 / 57 months =. $4.53 month cost of ownership.
Plus I get a year Dooney warranty on each bag & trade in value?
I will keep the designer bags.
BboJim
"Same as it ever was..."
Rawmeat
Eh, I think you could come up with just as much faulty logic to prove all the things you showed really ARE better when they're bigger. As a matter of fact you did so yourself in many of the tips, but you do present a good way to CONVINCE yourself that "smaller is better" if you can't afford the bigger things.

ANYWAY, WRITING IN ALL BIG LETTERS IS NOT BETTER. IT'S ANNOYING TO SAY THE LEAST.
hptn
Name one thing bigger and better without its downsides?