10 Things to Buy Now In Order to Save Money in the Future

I am pretty frugal and always try to get the best deals.  If I can't find a great deal I can usually go without or put off my purchase until later in order to save money.  There are some things, however, that it doesn't pay to skimp on or put off purchasing...

1. Dental care.  By spending the money to get your teeth cleaned and examined every six months you can catch problems when they are small and cheap to repair (instead of crowns and root canals and such).
2. Quality cooking implements.  Good pans and good knives cost money but the upside to buying these items even though they cost more is less food waste (burning food in cheap pans is a waste of food and money).  We also went through several cheap knives before buying expensive, high-quality knives that will last a lifetime.
3. Quality shoes.  Especially if you are on your feet all day or walk/run a lot for exercise.  Cheap shoes will make your feet feel awful while sturdy, good quality shoes will make your feet feel great.  It's much better to spend more to feel better and this will also save you money on podiatrist costs in the future!
4. Quality food.  As an example, we used to buy the cheap canned spaghetti sauce that I could often find on sale for less than a dollar.  Now that we are paying attention to our diet in an effort to become healthier, I read all of the labels on the food I buy.  The higher quality spaghetti sauce (where the first few ingredients AREN'T sugar) costs twice what the cheap stuff does but since it is much better for our health than something with three kinds of sugar in it, it is well worth the cost (and well worth future healthcare cost reduction!).
5. Non-stop, direct flights.  I used to just buy the cheapest flight to where ever we were going then suffer through the stress/missed connections/many extra hours on the road just to save money.  Again, our health and well-being is more important than saving a bit of extra money.
6. Birth control.  Needless to say, having kids is ridiculously expensive.  Being able to plan when to have kids instead of popping them out willy nilly will save you money now and in the future.
7. Paying off debt.  You can save a lot of your future money by paying off debt ASAP.  Never buy a "great deal" with a credit card because the deal becomes less and less great the more that the interest payments pile up.
8. Education.  I should clarify that some educational expenditures are well worth the money now because it can earn/save you more money in the future.  A degree in basket weaving is a dubious investment, but some people let debt freak them out even though they are on a good educational track (like nursing school or working on an IT degree) and decide to drop out.  The only thing worse than being in student loan debt with a degree is being in student loan debt and having NO degree.
9. Required things.  Some people "save" money by not paying their car insurance and letting it lapse.  Obviously this is a bad idea and can have future legal and financial repercussions.  Ditto child support payments, paying speeding tickets on time, etc.
10. Anything that impacts your safety and security.  A child safety seat for your kid, a helmet if you ride a bike or motorcycle, a taxi after a night out if you have been drinking...basically anything will will save you from having huge medical/legal costs if you don't have the item.