Get What You Pay For, or Do You?

In this day and age of a very shaky economy we are all trying to pinch pennies wherever we can, but what products are really ok to skimp on and what's not? Have any of you out there found things that are exceptionally nice even though much cheaper? I feel as though everyone is charging more and more for less and less and it is just not always worth it, in fact more times that not it is not worth it dagburnit! I want ideas on how to cut cost and stop paying too much for too daggone little!