Many people probably already know this but i just felt like writing something and quite frankly, i just don't know what to write and this is what came to mind. So here goes...
tldr: you can always benefit from saving your stat points
Yes, even if you think you already know where you want to spend your stat points on. Or even if you follow a strict ratio distribution like 2:1 str:dex or something like that.
You can always benefit from saving your stat points.
(side note: and this is one reason why i am against strict ratio distributions. they just make my character progressions slower)
case 1:
Let's say you have 400 str and 300 dex, and you found an item you want to equip but it requires 407 str. If you don't have unused stat points, you will have to wait to level up before you can equip that item. But if you have at least 2 unused stat points, you can equip that item right then and there.
case 2:
Let's still say you have 400 str and 300 dex. And again, you found an item that requires 407 str. But that item also have +8 to str. If you have 2 unused stat points, you can add those to str. Your str will be 408 + 8 from the item so 416. You can press undo and your str will still be 408, enough to equip that item and you also get back your 2 stat points
case 3:
For petmasters. Pure petmasters that is. I don't know about you guys but i always think petmasters should distribute their points just enough to equip items. And if you are not saving your stat points, you will always end up with stats way higher than what you need. I always think 400 int (or a little higher) is enough for these cases. If you end up with 500 int, that 100 int is now wasted. Yes i know there are 500 int pet staves but i still think you get more if you equip a one-handed weapon and a shield. Even if it's just a low quality green shield, more often times than not, 2 items beat 1 item. You can always get pet bonuses from jewelries.
case 4:
changing your items for specific bosses. Let's say you want to fight toxeus head on and your damage is very high already. Instead of swapping your weapon for a lower DPS one, it is better to equip %less damage from undead. If you are changing items, there is a chance you will want to equip items you haven't met the requirements for. Back to case 1 and case 2.
case 5:
Hybr... Ah let's not get there. lolz. But a 1:1:1 strict ratio distribution without even saving stat points is an almost guarantee for a poorly built hybrid