Money doesn't grow on trees, but oftentimes we spend it as if it does. You'd be lucky if your purchases were actually worth it in the long run, but a lot of times they aren't. Here are the stupidest things people have spent their money on:
#1 Swimsuit Goals
One of those ab belts that shocks your muscles into contracting to give you a six-pack. News flash: it didn’t work, but it did shock the heck out of me. Just to clarify, I was a 19-year-old, 125-lb female soldier with the 101st Airborne Division. Some of the SF, Ranger, and Infantry guys I worked with said they were using them. I just had this little fat pooch I was hoping to get rid of. The swimsuit season was coming.
#2 The College Ring
I bought a metal detector for when I lost my college ring. I lost the ring at a party I threw. I thought I lost it outside and freaked out, so I bought a metal detector to find it. Turns out it was on my desk underneath a dollar bill. Now that I look back on it, it's just a ring that makes you'll look like a complete tool, has no resale value, and symbolizes the most basic level of education a person is expected to have.
#3 Mediocre Performance
A Snoop Dogg concert. Snoop was so messed up on something that he didn't sing a single word. Someone stood behind a podium with a Macbook and played old Snoop songs over the PA. Snoop hobbled around on stage and threw stuff from a bag at the same people in the front row over and over again. Every now and then he would wobble over to the mic and say something like a hype man, like, "YEAH" or "HUH" or "That's right!" etc.
#4 Sleeping On Stage
My stepdad saw Stone Temple Pilots and there was a couch on the stage. Scott Weiland saw his opportunity and sat down on that couch. He never got up once. He sang a little at the beginning, then started nodding off while maybe singing a word here and there, then he just went ahead and fell asleep. You’ve got to be pretty messed up to fall asleep on a stage in front of a crowd.
#5 A Cover Concert
This happened to me with Rob Zombie. We went to our local rock concert and out of all the songs he played, only two of them weren’t covers. Instrumentally, they were all on point. Vocally, the whole thing sucked. They kept pulling the mic and video feed because he kept trying to get girls to go uncovered on stage. It was just... sad. It was such a letdown. I always wanted to see him.
#6 Losing Steam
I recently saw that something like 36% of all Steam purchases is never played and, on top of that, only 12 to 13% are played for more than 30 hours. I blame Steam Sales. They give you that extra motivation to jump off the fence when deciding on a purchase because 75 to 95% off feels like a once-in-a-lifetime thing even though it happens like once or twice a month.
#7 Required Texts
Textbooks that the prof never used despite being "required." I didn’t have time to read the textbooks while I was studying undergrad. After studying, I picked them up, and read them — it had everything I needed, explained everything I didn’t understand. I didn’t make that mistake again in my grad and postgrad studies. Also, using the library instead of buying books works wonders.
#8 Gaming Addict
I spent over $300 on my League of Legends account. One day, I just suddenly realized that I was wasting 40 minutes on a game when instead I could be doing something better. Not only that, the game was too unhealthy and detrimental to my mental health. So I uninstalled and never looked back. To some, it may be dramatic, but I swear these games cause a lot of addictions. My life has been nothing but better since.
#9 Sheets Splurge
Bedding that was the wrong size for my new bed. Maybe not tons of money, but too much. I can't even return it either... It may be easier to do that in the United States, but I live in a different country. A lot of shops here have no-return policies for bedding due to sanitary reasons. So now I'm stuck with an excess of sheets that I don't even need.
#10 Convenience Is Pricey
Going out to eat. I always budget like $400 for food a month, and it actually ends up being like $900 because of how much I eat out. I also spend ludicrous amounts of money on food because I don't like to cook. I'm trying to switch to easy-to-prep meals, but eating out is so much easier. And you know what is easier AND more expensive than all of that? Delivery.
#11 Lost Time
World of Warcraft. Luckily, my addiction reached its peak in high school so I had time to figure out myself. I would call off work for raid nights and have friends over who would watch me play because I didn't want to stop and hang out. It was bad. I still played in college, but luckily it never made me drop out. But the money I've spent over the years for just a subscription or faction changes is staggering. But even worse is typing "/played" and seeing how much time I've lost...
#12 In So Deep
About $200 worth of D&D books, figures, dice, and miscellaneous accessories when several of us from work formed a group. We played fairly regularly, but the guy whose house we used as a gathering spot got upset when things didn't go exactly his way, so he stopped all games at his house. We tried playing a couple of times at other locations, but he had been located centrally, and depending on where we played, some people ended up driving more than an hour. Plus, when he quit, he took his girlfriend and best friend with him.
#13 Financially Illiterate
Interest. When I was young and stupid, I bought a car I couldn't afford. I put bills on credit cards when I lived beyond my means because I grew up poor and was never taught how to budget properly. Five years ago, I paid that car off and I still drive it to this day. Actually, I plan on driving it until it conks out on me. I consolidated my credit cards into a low-interest loan with automatic payments. 28 more months and I'll be debt-free. It took me far too long to understand how to budget and use my money properly.
#14 Wealth Of Knowledge
Encyclopedias. The lady was just so convincing and my husband swore I’d use them for my classroom. I maybe used them once in a year. Bye $500. Encyclopedias are totally useless. There's the internet, etc. Then again, when I was a kid, I saw those big identical books on the shelf and was drawn to them. They basically started my reading habit and instilled a sense of scientific curiosity that I nurture to this day. If you have old-enough kids, show them the books and you might be surprised what a great investment you made.
#15 It's Not Fair
Insulin. It's stupid how I have to spend tons of money on insulin. My grandpa is also a diabetic, type 1. It bugs me how much he has to pay for insulin and healthcare in general—he’s so proactive about his health, but his diabetes means he has to spend more than the average person (more eye appointments, endo appointments, more frequent checkups, training for his pump, etc.)
#16 Disney Magic
Everything Disney I bought when I use to work for Disney World. They know what they are doing, and they really do get you there. Like I clearly don't need a lightsaber, talking Yoda, or large Mickey Mouse plush. But yet I have them. And I have to explain to everyone who visits my apartment. Actually, I take back my statement on the lightsaber. Everybody needs a lightsaber.
#17 Piece Of Paper
College. Not that the education was stupid and it did get me a good job, but I did it wrong and took out loans instead of spending less on dining out and other shenanigans. I definitely should have paid it off the semester by semester. It's a business. You pay, then you get a piece of paper that says you attended and put in ~70 % effort. You're welcome, Navient.
#18 I'm Still Ugly
EXPENSIVE SKINCARE PRODUCTS. Like... What the heck? I am still ugly! I heard simplifying skincare routines down to three to four basic products is much better than over-layering your skin. Also, a professional makeup artist in Korea told me that a lot of fancy skincare products are not super necessary for you, and companies just market it that way to get you to buy more for your routine.
#19 Timeshare Truth
A timeshare condo in Park City. I had one good vacation there in six years of ownership because it was so dang hard to get an available week. At least I was well off enough to buy with cash. Never buy one of these. It's treated like property, it comes with an open-ended maintenance contract, and (unlike real property) there is no secondary market, so you can't sell it. Just don't buy it. However, since then, I've never hesitated to take their free tickets and offers since then. I listen to their pitch and then just tell the salesperson, there is literally nothing they can do, say or show me to get me to buy.
Pxfuel
#20 Faith And Bikes
A Ph.D. in Religious Science. But the real regret? A 2011 Honda CBR250R. I got a bunch of gold leaf from a government auction in Mexico. I have made every ridiculous mod possible to this bike including the full-body gold leaf. I tried a couple of other clear coats and no matter what brand I used there was always a minor dulling effect. Some brands really took the luster out. It's almost painful to look at it in full sunlight. It's more a statue than it is a motorcycle.
#21 Makeup Hounds
When my sister was a teenager, my mom hated taking her to the pharmacy because it meant spending $80 to $100 minimum, every time, on make-up. I, on the other hand, dressed like a boy and wore no makeup, which my mom hated, but I would always remind her how lucky she was that she didn't have two daughters who both wanted a boatload of makeup.
#22 I Can't Stop
I was made for this. I bought an $800 mountain bike that I’ve only used twice. A $600 camera I use occasionally. I just bought a brand new car, as well as a motorcycle three weeks ago, plus I spent $2,500 on all this gear and registration. My computer set up was over $4K. I spend about $300 a month on food just for work. Send help. I can’t stop.
#23 Fairest Of Them All
Laser hair removal. $1,500 and didn’t work. I am very fair-skinned with very light blonde hair. I didn’t know at the time that it really only worked in high contrast areas. It was my fault for not doing enough research. I live in the US where, as someone else pointed out, this isn’t regulated. This also took place 12 years ago and the company is no longer in business. As a result, I make sure and read the fine print and research a ton more than I used to, almost to a fault.
Amaregenmed, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
#24 A Family Affair
Stardew freakin' Valley. And it's been awesome for my family. I bought it first on my PC. My wife started playing it too, so I gifted it to her on her laptop. It wasn't long before the kids caught on. So I built them each a little PC and got them Stardew. Then my son and wife got a Nintendo Switch each for Christmas. So they had to have Stardew on those, for farming on the go.
Then the multiplayer update came out. I went out and bought two MORE Switches, two more installs of Stardew, and also the Nintendo family plan. Not to mention Stardew merch, like T-shirts, plushies, and a coffee mug. All in all, probably close to $1800. Just on Stardew Valley. But now we have a regular game night, no matter where we are. Best. Family. Game. Ever.
Pxfuel
#25 An Easy Trap
I haven't done this in a while, but I used to spend ridiculous amounts of money commissioning artists online. While it's not really a "stupid" thing to spend money on, because I like to support artists as much as I can, it got to a point where I was spending half of my wages or sometimes more on them. Honestly, it was almost like I was addicted to just throwing money at artists to see my characters portrayed in different genres and scenarios. I still enjoy looking at the various pieces I commissioned, but every time I see them now I can't help but cringe at how many there and how much money I must have spent in total. A super easy trap to fall into if that's your thing.
#26 Sore Green Thumb
A garden! Man, you never think about how pricey trees are. And that’s just the plants. Well, plants need good soil and mulch. Good feed. Then, how are you going to reach and experience the plants? Paths made out of pavers or bricks of course! Ornamental rocks, benches, patios, planter boxes, pots, decor. What about animals? Feeders, birdbaths, nesting spots, bug “hotels.” And.. unless you’re magic, some plants will wither. The bark chips will fade, a crow will pull out your plants, a squirrel will ruin your bulbs searching for peanuts that the idiot neighbor just tosses around.
#27 A Big Art Fail
I spent $60K on an art degree. I have had eight different jobs since graduating from college five years ago, and all of them I could have gotten without a college degree. None of them pay enough to help me pay loans (I always have to do income-based repayment). I think my interest is growing faster than I am paying. I wish that I could go back in time and not do college. Now I’m sad.
#28 Just Too Far
My ex. I had an ex that lived four hours away and I would visit her like four or more times a year. She would visit me like two or three times a year. It was definitely was one-sided on the travel. It lasted for three years and I’m glad I ended it when I did because, towards the end, it just felt tedious driving four hours to go see her. I didn’t feel excited—in fact, the second to last time I drove to see her, I felt more excited about going back home than I did going up to see her.
#29 Costly Costumes
Renaissance Festival outfits and costumes. I attend the fair every year, and I have been since '93. I paid over $500 for a custom made headpiece from Denmark, another $200 on leather boots, $150 on actual bodice and chemise, and another $400+ on accessories. That's just one outfit. I also have two custom gowns—I just ordered a third, and am working on a pirate costume. I have over $3,000 in stuff that I wear five to six times a year.
#30 All For The Nails
Jamberry nail wraps. I have so many of them because I love all the designs, but I have a hard time keeping them on my nails. I watched all kinds of videos on YouTube to learn ways to apply them to make them last longer than a few days, but nothing really works. I think it's my nails. If I use nail polish, it will start to peel off my nails almost immediately. Especially after a shower or doing the dishes. Gel polish seems to work really well for me so I try to stick with that.
Pxfuel
#31 Worst Prom Ever
My prom. The ticket alone was $95, and I'm pretty certain that the full suit was about $300, with massive discounts. The food was utter garbage once we got there (who knew that chicken could be drier than saltines), the music was way too loud, they only played two slow dance songs, and, as icing on top of the cake, my crush said no when I asked to dance. Overall, I wish I could get a refund on both my money and my time.
#32 Expensive Hobbies
Hobbies. I collect expensive hobbies, apparently. First, I got into RC cars and spent probably $2,500 over two years on it. Also, I switched from making music in software (Ableton) to hardware, so I spent $2,500 over three years buying gear (mixers, effects, synths, drum computers). Then I somehow found it necessary to build my own audio system, so I spent two years building six speakers and a hybrid tube, Class D amplifier. The thing is, I'm not the kind of person to watch TV all evening. I want to do something, create something. Turns out, that that's really expensive.
#33 Chasing Luxury
Very expensive purses. I work retail at a very well known purse company, and the amount of people coming in almost weekly is astounding, especially considering many of them buy for themselves all the time. One of my managers has admitted to having 15+ bags that shes never even removed out of her closet after buying it, and I keep seeing coworkers argue over bags we haven't even put out for sale yet (such as waiting for a holiday to put out specific styles). It's crazy, and mindboggling.
#34 That's Comical
I just recently got into comic books... and I’m actually surprised at how fast this hobby racks up. Every time I step foot in the comic book store, I spend about 50 bucks. And that’s just for little single issues, and paperbacks. I haven’t even gotten into buying Omni’s, collectibles, and Old Graded Comics. Yeah, it’s tame compared to what others have posted, but this is a rabbit hole I know I’ve sunken into, and it’s gonna be hard to get out of.. because I love these comics so much. Mind you, I got into comics to replace my hobby of buying sneakers, thinking it was a cheaper alternative. Wrong.
#35 Worth Every Penny
I got a free rescue kitten from my landlord. He turned into an $800 kitten real fast, plus food and litter. Vet visit, ear mites, neuter, X-ray, tail amputation (he couldn't move it), microchip... Added up real quick. But absolutely no regrets. The timing was perfect and I needed a friend. He is so stupid and I love him so much. Worth every penny.
#36 Ostrich Investment
Not me, but my mom and dad bought $50,000 worth of ostriches because back in the early '90s, they were supposed to be the next big thing. Living in Canada, the birds did not do too well in the cold—those that didn't pass became almost worthless within a year because the market for ostrich crashed harder than anything. Last year, my mom and dad celebrated paying off the debt that the birds caused.
#37 Not For Me
On this one app, you can buy from the play store literally called "Claw Machine". It's an app where you buy plays with real-world money to try your luck on a real Japanese claw machine, and if you win you can get the prize shipped to you for a small fee. You can see where I'm going with this. I downloaded the app then spent 10+ dollars on the app to win... nothing? I then stopped gambling for the rest of my life.
#38 Reeled In
One night, my wife and I were watching TV and heard a knock at the door. A lady handed us a can of Glade and asked some questions. I wasn't paying attention. I ended up saying yes and then some dude came in with a vacuum cleaner. Two hours later, we cracked and bought one thinking we could afford it. When he left and our senses started to come back, we started heavily regretting our decision. The good news is that there is a cooling-off period and it is possible to have your contract canceled in less than three days.
#39 Tooth Troubles
My wisdom teeth. I had teeth removed when I was younger, so when my wisdom teeth came in, they weren’t impacted and had plenty of space to grow. However, I wasn’t able to floss and brush behind them that well. Cue cavities. For at least 15 years, I was paying to fix those suckers. It finally occurred to me to get them pulled. I had my wisdom teeth removed last summer. At my last teeth cleaning in April—no cavities. Why didn’t I get them removed right away? I haven’t had the best experience with dentists growing up. I’ve got a great one right now.
#40 Giga Pet Neglect
When my sister and I were younger, instead of Tamagotchis, we played with the knock-off brand "Giga Pets." They were little digital handheld pets, but they also plugged into a console game on the TV. It was like a whole new world in COLOR! My sister had been reminiscing about it last year, so I decided to rummage through our old stuff and play it again. I couldn't find it anywhere, so I went online to buy one.
The system was few and far between, with the cheapest one going for $85! On top of that, I bought a $30 handheld pet to plug into the game. Specifically, the puffball pet, because it was RAINBOW colored on the console game, and she was so jealous that I had one back in the day. I wrapped it up and gave it to her for her birthday. She laughed and played it for 20 minutes. It's never been touched again. Worst $115 I ever spent on an irrelevant childhood memory gag.
#41 A Little Overboard
$10k on Game of Conflict is a low-ball estimate. It may have been closer to $15k. I played in two different kingdoms. When I stopped playing, I think my account was at like 35b power, but by that point accounts with power in the trillions were getting zeroed. I gave my account to a friend and told them to have at it. Selling accounts at that point was moot since they instituted the ability to change kingdoms.
Leutha, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons
#42 Delicious Domino's
I spent thousands on Dominos in the past few years. Small cheese pizza. Every time. Even when the medium or large was cheaper. It was a really strange preference I could not get rid of. It started when my father passed unexpectedly from cancer and I found myself too depressed to cook (he was the person I talked to most). I had it once a day on really bad weeks.
I've been eating more diverse meals lately, but I still have some cravings. Ironically, I gained weight when I quit the trend. Luckily, the staff was super chill. Although they had so many new hires, I'm convinced I may have funded them myself. My suspicions weren't far off, as it turns out. Later, the manager personally thanked me and said I helped the business a lot. Not my proudest feat.
Pxfuel
#43 Counterproductive
A bus from eBay. I had a crazy idea to take two families on holiday (one member feared flying so that was a no go) in a bus. We were going to take three cars which was not a popular choice as it would split the couples up. A week before, I found an 11 seater with huge luggage space that could be driven on a standard licence. Insurance cost a fortune. It was a disaster. We JUST got onto the ferry and over the sea to Europe (we are in the UK) and it collapsed. We hastily arranged two hire cars, stuffed ourselves into them and I drove what felt like the longest trip of my life. My right ear still rings with the echo of my wife's voice to this day. I'm not allowed on eBay without upper management approval.
#44 Safety First
A bulletproof leather jacket, $3,400. After a offence rampage, I was hellbent on it. Turns out it's heavy, very hot, and for whichever reason, the bank X-ray can tell I'm wearing ballistic material and it stops me from entering. The result? I never use it. But I'll keep for an end of the world situation... which honestly could just be right around the corner.
#45 Sherlock Inspiration
I spent $1,100 on a replica of the coat Benedict Cumberbatch wears in the Sherlock series. I'm not a fanboy. I mean, I like the show and all, but I just freaking LOVE that coat. The real one (Belstaff Milford) is $1,400 and they no longer make it with the same material. The replica is spot on. I only wish I had more occasions to wear it. I love that coat so goddamn much. I want to be buried in that coat.
#46 Big Brother
Residential video surveillance equipment. Costco always had those 16 camera systems with hard drive recorders and real-time internet connectivity. Great concept. At most, I set up maybe three cameras. Still fun to log on remotely and look at your front porch. The best video captured was me staggering past one of the cameras bleeding profusely after flipping my quad ATV on the hillside behind my house.
#47 Character Building
My petroleum engineering degree. I went into it thinking I’m going to make a ton of oil money when I graduate but what they don’t mention is how ridiculously hard it is to break into the industry as a graduate. Regardless, the gruesome job hunting experience I had to go through built so much character, and I came out a better person. At least that’s what I tell myself.
Pxfuel
#48 Support The Music
Some might say it's not stupid but you wouldn't believe the number of CDs I have. A handful I spent some coins on them because they were imports. Then there's the actual vinyl record collection. The worst part about both collections is it's music only I would like. Others might like a couple here or there but I imagine when I pass my family will be like it's all trash. My mom once commented, "If you have a dollar..." I was like please don't say it. I know mom. But I do enjoy music. It keeps me happy.
#49 Pen-thusiast
All of these pens. I own pens already. I own lots of pens. Some nice ones too. I have lots of colors of pens. I walked into Staples to get a calculator. I like nice pens from Muji anyway. And yet I bought not one but two packs of different colored Pilot G5 pens. I really can't afford to be randomly spending money on things I don't need because I already own 100 of them. I don't need more pens. They aren't even for art, just regular writing pens. But I bought the pens.
#50 Valuable Steam
My Steam account is worth $2k if every game was on the best sale available ($5k full price). Then there's another $2.5k on my computer (just the tower, speakers, and monitor are another $400) and $700 in accouterments (racing wheel & joystick). Finally, my headset was only $170. All while I don't have much time to actually use them, and I knew this when I bought it all.
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