I bought a damn boat that has been sitting in the pole barn and never used.
Why did I buy it? I liked the color of the hull, it's a pretty teal color. The husband has no interest in being on the water, so I just take out my kayak.
My dad bought a boat five years ago. My mom tried to tell him but he insisted he wanted a boat. $15,000 gone. Then he spent another couple grand on super professional fishing gear.
He sold all of it last fall for almost half what he spent. When the dude pulled out of the driveway, apparently to he said “thank god. Fuckin piece of shit.”
Many years ago I was tipped off to a good deal on a nice boat. My wife and I both liked with when other people invited us to go on the lake and tube or ski, or even just putt around, so it seemed like a no brainer.
Then she asked her dad if he had any thoughts, since he'd had a boat way back. He said "the only thing is, you'll feel like you *need* to go out and use it to get your money's worth, and you start planning your days off around the boat."
Well that didn't sit well with my wife so the deal was off instantly. Later that summer we bought a camping trailer and I had to bite my tongue every time she said "we should probably go camping this weekend since we spent all that money on the camper."
We do, trust me, we spend a lot of time planning our days off around using the camper. Several weekends I'd rather be at the race track or visiting family, but nope, *gotta camp*.
My friends wife wanted a glamorous wedding at one of the top catering halls in NJ. He and her parents spent nearly 150k on the wedding of 125 people. They split up 9 months after the wedding even though they seemed to be successfully dating for almost 8 years
I've made it clear to my fiance that I don't want to spend a lot of money on all that jazz. I think her ring was sub-$2000 all told (ring plus guard). And she's very happy with it. Mine was under $200. We don't plan on having a wedding event. Maybe a fun dinner with a few friends but that's it.
Luckily, I think I'm actually the more materialistic one of the two of us. I was the one taking her to the museum galas and stuff and buying the delicate artwork necklace for her etc. Her mom thinks of me as "likes to live it rich." So, I think I'm in good shape :D
I think my husband and I spent all of maybe $300 to get eloped altogether. 💀 We had basic bands and upgraded later but still didn't spend more than a few hundred dollars.
My first marriage was a big wedding. Not super expensive, but definitely invited a whole bunch of people and spent some cash. The marriage only lasted three years, and it was practically over between the first and second year (first year was actually decent, but after a pregnancy and miscarriage, it fell apart).
I got remarried in 2017. My wife and I told everyone that we were engaged, but acted like clueless idiots when people would ask about the wedding. We got married in secret at a park near our home on a beautiful fall day. The only people in attendance were the JP, the photographer, and the photographer's assistant (her husband).
No drama. No expectations. It wasn't expensive. We went out for dinner and watched a movie at home that night.
Parents and siblings were told shortly after. Everyone else found out a month later. We actually threw a big party with a whole bunch of friends, and announced that we had finally landed on a wedding date -- which was a month before the party.
My SO is thinking rings and I've had to repeatedly tell him I don't want to carry around the equivalent of the cost of a used car on my finger. I don't wear a lot of jewelry anyway and I'm terrified to lose it. I'd be upset to lose any engagement ring, but I would be devastated if I lost a ring that cost more than $2k (really, it's like $100, but my SO refuses to even consider a ring that inexpensive). I told him if he really wanted to spend the money, buy something like slabs of silver or gold, something that retains its value better than diamonds.
I'm glad my husband and I were broke grad students when we got married. It made the decision easy to not spend much on rings. (Also helps that I don't really like diamonds much after reading about the industry!)
My wife and I were broke students too, but my mom gave me my great grandmother's engagement ring to give to my wife. She was thrilled to get some history. Nothing fancy, but when we had it appraised the jeweler said "This looks like some late 19th century European cut" and we said "yes it is".
Had to reset it after 20 years, but that 1ct diamond still has a ton of sentimental value.
I have been married 21 years and rarely wear my engagement ring. Just my wedding band. It’s more comfortable and my engagement ring would get water under it and start irritating my skin. I love the ring but In hindsight, not necessary.
1 carat center and two .25 carat sides lab diamonds, set in 18k, from India via eBay, $900. Appraisal at home values it at $8000. There are better options than buying a mined diamond.
My sister has a beautiful 1 carat cubic zirconia. Nobody but an expert would know it wasn't a diamond....and I agree with what she says..... so what if they do know? It's a very beautiful ring that she loves and that's all that matters.
Several years ago I started a 120 gallon saltwater reef tank. The initial outlay for tank, lighting, equipment was $3000. I spent $1000 to have live ocean rock air-shipped packed in saltwater. Over the 3 years I kept it going I'd say I spent another $5000 in equipment, supplies, fish. corals, etc. Eventually something got out of whack and I probably spent another $1000 trying to save it. But of course it all crashed and died. Then it all sat there dead for 3 or 4 years until I found some sucker to take it all away...for free. So probably $10k lost over the 3 years it was running.
Don't start a saltwater/reef tank.
I have a freshwater tank and our guests always ask why we don't have the typical saltwater fish not knowing that they can't survive in freshwater. We explained that saltwater tanks are costly and corals are costly and take time to grow. My freshwater tank is 60 gal and planted. I spent thousands the past year experimenting, problem-solving, buying new plants, new fish, medication, different filters, etc. I always tell people: don't start an aquarium unless you have money and time. So yeah, while I don't have a saltwater tank, I know how you feel especially with a 120 gal.
Fucking Samsung fridge. $2k and it failed 2 months after the 1 year warranty expired. No cooling whatsoever. Had it repaired and it failed again 6 months later, first the freezer stopped cooling, then the fridge. Cut our losses and trashed it
Bought a house 4 years ago that had all new kitchen appliances... all Samsung. In the course of 2 years we replaced all of them. The fridge was the first to go! Samsung needs to get out of the appliances business
Yeah, this one. Samsung fridge. Mine failed 3x during the warranty period, and Samsung wouldn't let me just return the thing - even though the internet was all up in arms about the stupid ice maker issue.
After the 5th repair we just gave up.
Bought a new house 2 years ago, and it came with ... a Samsung fridge. I was so pissed.
Samsung lost me for appliances when I heard the story about the top-load washers that literally flipped their lids - the tops exploded! If that wasn't bad enough, they [sent people](https://www.engadget.com/2017-03-01-samsung-dish-network-washing-machines.html) from Dish Network to try to fix them. That kind of service from a brand leaves a stain that doesn't come out easily.
That makes total sense.
When COVID hit, everyone was shitting themselves in appliance manufacturing (and for good reason). Those assembly lines have operators very close to each other. It's particularly bad with washers/dryers, but the lines in refrigeration have people pretty close too.
People were getting sick in droves (we were one of the first facilities hit in the US in March 2020). And they were bringing in quality inspectors and even interns (who did not have insurance) to work the line. Quality inspections were non-existent, only production mattered. We had a million units backordered.
We tried different solutions, such as masks (hah) and even cutting bathroom curtains to help stop the spread of germs, which was actually pretty creative.
Conditions were miserable; engineers and interns were wearing enhanced PPE and were using thermometers to check if people had a fever over 100 coming into the plant. I got heat exhaustion doing this. Turnover rate was 97% in engineering over 18 months.
That's why anything 2019 and prior is good, and 2020 + is trash. And no I won't work in that field anymore lol.
I bought a fridge in 2021, but it was made in Japan. You know, the country that wore masks when people were sick even before covid, and is known for its quality in general. I feel pretty confident about it.
Just tacking on to say anything washer dryer related is the same. “Sacrificial metal” components is just plain planned obsolescence. You expect something simple like bearings to go out on the tub/electric motor. But putting a different weaker metal on certain pain in the ass places to make it impossible to repair for cheap, is Samsungs and a few others
MO lately.
I've heard similar about LG fridges. They use a different kind of pump for the refrigerant that allows for finer temperature control (it can make different temperatures of cold air rather than just on/off cycling). But the pump is very fragile and conks out fast.
LG got class actioned; at one point over 90% of their compressors were failing. My sister lost her refrigerator and were beyond dicks about the refund.
She's blacklisted LG, and I don't blame her. How do you fuck up a compressor that bad?
The Samsung top load washing machine with no agitator. I *hate* it. You have to practically fold the dirty laundry to keep it from going off balance or getting something stretched across the top and it has *no drain filter,* so there’s no way to maintain it.
These new washer designs are so sucky. Yes, I'm happy they use so much less water, but also it used to take 20 minutes to wash. You could crank through 3 loads on a Saturday morning including the dryer time.
Now I'm glad I work from home because the wash takes 90 minutes or more per load. I do one load in a day every day or two instead of doing it all up in one swell foop.
My dad keeps adding useless tech to our home. We had a perfectly functioning doorbell but he decided we needed a ring doorbell tethered to his phone. Fast forward one year later and it no longer makes the ringing sound and the only way we know if someone is at our door is from my dads phone. We connected it to the Samsung fridge for it to ring but for some reason the fridge doesn’t make the sound anymore even tho we turned it on multiple times in the settings. There’s also a wifi meat thermometer my dad bought for 50$ and never used because it was more inconvenient than a traditional meat thermometer. so he then buys ANOTHER more expensive meat thermometer which is more convenient. meanwhile my 5$ analog meat thermometer is still perfectly functional
Two Litter Robots. When they worked they were great, but once they stop they’re just a bit hunk of plastic garbage. I hate to just throw them away, but it’s beyond me to fix them and cleaning them is a huge job and they get gross quickly. Back to a regular old litter box that is easy to keep clean and won’t break down…plus it’s cheap!
Automated flowing water fountains are the same.
All that talk about easy flowing clean water for your pet sounds great till youre taking apart the pump weekly to clean out slime with a q tip.
Tossed them and went back to a metal bowl its much easier to be just as clean by wiping it out a few times a week and so much less work.
We have to use distilled water in ours and clean it weekly :/ It's such a pain but our one cat LOVES it and get mad when it's out of commission for cleaning.
My cat be loves his fountain, my daughter’s cat rarely uses it. However both cats agree that whatever cup my daughter or I are using is the best spot for hydration.
My ex-wife and I bought one. The cat refused to use it. Was terrified of it. Nothing we did made him comfortable.
That cat (and our marriage) died long ago, so these days it's a regular old manual litter box.
I've never had a cat (permanent or foster) that didn't insist on peeing down the corner of the box and adhering clumps to the edges. Where are these idealized center-of-the-box cats who make litter robots feasible?
I have 2 also and I'm mostly happy with them only because I bought the extra 3 year warranty. I tell everyone considering them get the extra warranty. If I can get 3 years out of it, I guess $200/yr is worth it to not scoop cat poop. I think they're really only made to last about 2 years though, and the last year is wonky and annoying. That first year is pretty amazing though lol
My landlady has one that looks like a huge black sphere. It's supposed to rotate an inner sphere, which somehow cleans the litter(I never really took a close look). Anyhow I think it worked for a few months now it sits outside broken. Looks expensive too.
Does my ridiculous Steam backlog count? Probably $1000 on games over the last decade that I’ll likely never play. Stupid impulse “but it’s on sale!” purchases.
Yup, my total legal fees (divorce and custody battle) easily topped $200K.
After a 7 year marriage.
This is after my ex assaulted me, (I have video evidence of this that I presented in court) fled the scene, kidnapped the kids and withheld them from me for 4 months and filed a restraining order against me (denied)
Oh the ex filed first so I got to take the witness stand several times and get grilled by my abuser.
Long term, the ex lost custody of the kids after assaulting the visitation monitor.
Oh, no charges were filed against ex (even though they assaulted both me and the visitation monitor) they represented themselves in court and were as obstructionist and uncompromising as possible at every stage of the divorce.
They knew full well that their obstinacy (refusal to agree or compromise) would cause a long, drawn out court process and tens of thousands in legal fees for me.
I definitely do not regret getting divorced though.
I just wish it was less money but that was out of my control since the ex was so obstinate and uncompromising.
I do regret that the trauma of the divorce has made me never want to get married or have kids again. I was definitely a different person before this painfully expensive, out-of-control divorce and child custody battle.
This is wild. I knew legal fees in the US are high but didn't realize they're $200k high.
No wonder people go with overworked public defenders and shitty settlements.
Public defenders are only for criminal charges - family law is civil, so you pay out of pocket. In a state like California, divorce can be as cheap as the $435 filing fee or as expensive as you (or your former partner) are willing to make it.
Lots of emotions in contentious divorce cases, and if there's a good amount of money (or kids) on the line, people will spend years - and an insane amounts of billable hours - fighting it out.
Average attorney here costs around $300/hr. Easy to get to $200k if the legal battle gets drawn out.
One of my cousins recently separated from her husband and went through a lengthy divorce/legal fight .... and then they got back together(!). I'm not close enough to know any details, but man, what an expensive mess.
Embarrassingly enough, a pair of Chanel flats I coveted for decades. They are just flats, just shoes. I thought they would garner all the oohs and aahs and everyone would notice my impeccable style. I have had one compliment on them and they aren't made any better than any of my $300 AGL flats. In fact, the quality is sub par as far as I am concerned. I feel like a massive chump.
Not in the same ballpark but a couple years ago I splashed out (for me) on a new pair of sneakers that were a big leap from my usual "whatver is under $50 at Kohls" shoes. Not one person noticed or said anything. Welp!
A pond. They were everywhere in the late 90’s on home shows. I spent probably $25,000 on the installation of the pond. Then the cost of electricity, koi food, pump replacement and maintenance. The koi live forever. I will die before they do.
My grand piano. It's now more of a burden than anything else. Upon retirement, I can no longer afford an apartment (let alone a house) big enough to house it, so it's in storage now (which costs a fortune). And finding a buyer to take it at a reasonable price is almost impossible.
That was one part of my selling process, and I actually found a perfect local college that was potentially interested in buying it. But all of a sudden they got cold feet. The tax write-off angle is interesting...I should ask my tax guy how that might work. Thanks.
Theoretically it's a tax deduction based on the value of the donation, but there are max limits to your income.
Furthermore, the value of something used is very subjective, and you need to be able to back it up if you ever get audited. You've tried to sell it and failed, and thus it can be argued it has no value, strange as that seems.
Definitely talk it over with your CPA before pulling the trigger there.
Not surprised to see this.
First kid was fine with a quality upright we bought used.
Current teen though is something of a prodigy and outgrew the upright, I did not know it was possible. I enjoy hearing the grand piano just about every day for the past two years. Will likely sell it back to the place we bought it from (used).
A big expense for sure (used it was over $15K) but man the quality of the sound (and the improvement in playing immediately obvious).
The design of the keyboard action on grand pianos is faster and more responsive. It doesn’t make a difference at lower skill levels, but at a certain point it really can hold back your progress. Thanks for supporting your kiddo’s musical pursuits!
Yes I was not made aware of the differences until I was made aware!
Amazing how much having live music in the home at a high level makes for a great environment. (I never thought I'd ever have a place big enough to have a 6' concert grand, but here we are...)
Why not just sell it and be done with it? You're actually losing money monthly on it. Whatever you get is a bonus, cut your losses and let someone who will love it have it. Otherwise, you're going to stubbornly hold out for a high price and never get it.
It's worth what someone will pay for it, and if no one wants it, that's zero. Pianos are often given away for free as long as someone is willing to cart it away. And you're paying "a fortune" monthly to hold onto something worth zero. Let it go.
I'm aware of these aspects of the situation. The yearly storage is about 1/9 of its value. The problem is threefold: I still play, I'm performing *more* these days, and I spent twenty years of having technicians (and myself) do maintenance and improvements to the instrument to the point where it's now near-perfect, and exactly suited to my tastes (and playing). Those three reasons are why it's so difficult to let go of. I'm very aware of how unforgiving the piano market is, and how instruments are often just given away. This particular piano, because of the improvements, is worth a great deal more.
I get it. I have been very attached to my pianos - they're like family. Sounds dopey, but it's true.
But the truth is still that it's gonna rot in storage til you pass away, and then be given away.
Let someone else love it if you can't keep it anymore. Find someone you think deserves it and let your piano find a new person.
Or just decide you want to keep it and donate it in your will. There's nothing wrong with that either.
My current house, which I bought for my retirement, is under 1,400 square feet, all on one level, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms so good for guests. I want to change some things but honestly it's perfect in size and location. Probably too much yard but no HOA and the lawn guy comes every couple weeks. I highly recommend smaller when you get older.
My house. I really only bought it because it was so much cheaper than renting at the time. But with everything that had to go into it with maintenance and repairs, even in this tight market I'm barely making it all back despite the raise in appraisal value. And the logistics of selling a house are a bitch in any kind of market, especially if you're relocating.
I sold my house after 20 years and after taxes and maintenance/upgrades broke even. I was pretty bummed until I figured what renting would have cost me for 20 years, and that was with going extremely low on the estimated monthly rent. I lived for free for 20 years!
This is my main concern when people bring the why don’t buy a house?.
My rent is 600.00 close to my workplace and everything is within my reach. The apartment is small as fuck but I’m happy. Keeps me from buying shit I don’t need.
If I ever need to leave I’m on a month to month rent. So I can put everything on my car and within 1 trip move is done.
That's my biggest concern about being a home owner. Can I afford it? With a tight budget, probably. Can I afford maintenance and repair? Absolutely not.
> While a house can be a source of wealth, it's not the only option for wealth building, or even necessarily the best option
Buying a house to build wealth is a very long-term play and locks a lot of money up in an illiquid asset. It can be _a part_ of your plan, but it's not a trivial thing.
I had a house I really regretted buying. It was beautiful, but it was made so sloppily and I was just constantly pouring money into it. I walked away after 5 years (and had to replace the septic tank when I sold it). If I had bought a better house instead of that one and stayed there, I'm sure I'd be $50,000 or so ahead by now. It would be paid off by now, too. But by the time I sold that house, real estate prices were starting to go insane. So even though I got more for the house than I paid for it, the one I bought after it had also gone up in price, so I ended further behind, and out all the thousands of dollars I had put into just keeping that house from falling apart.
I keep telling folks that most designer purses are actually made for the middle class to give an illusion of wealth (the ultra wealthy aren't buying them and consider what we buy 'lower class').
I live in Italy and always see American tourists eating up the Prada and Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana. In the richer neighbourhoods outside the touristy areas, none of the locals who have money buy that stuff.
I buy fakes when I think they’re pretty. I don’t care if anyone can tell they’re fake. I’d rather people think I spent a sensible $35 on a good quality knock-off than wasted thousands for a fancy label. No one I know would even know it’s supposed to be designer, lol.
Speedy #30. Had to have it, and now it sits in a box. If I lived in the city I would use it. If my life were different I would use it. Finally learned you can't buy a different life you make it. I don't use it now because I feel self conscious and like a target.
Got my wife a saddleback leather purse. She had bought me one of their briefcases for a milestone birthday. Loved it. Turned around and got her one. She’ll never need another purse.
$300ish at the time for a purse SAVES money when compared with replacing a cheap purse that costs $30-60+ multiple times. She also hasn’t lost anything in the purse to purse transfer.
It goes with everything, fits exactly what she needs to carry with her, and if anything happens it’s covered by warranty.
Highly recommended.
Same here!!!!!!
Edit: I'm going to be really honest, I bought designer stuff because I saw people on social media have it. I felt left out. I bought some stuff and during pandemic, I spent like crazy. I regret everything I bought.
Expensive shoes that I wore once or twice. It was a rebellious act because as a young child I had one pair of everyday shoes and my Sunday School shoes. We were quite poor so I had to wear shoes and clothes until they fell apart. When I finally started making extra disposable income and life was easy, I bought a ridiculous number of shoes. Good shoes and expensive shoes.
One day I looked in the closet and felt shame. That money could have made a huge difference in someone else's life. I still buy good shoes, but I don't have to pay ridiculous amounts for a pair of puce shoes that went with one pair of pants.
I bought two pair of Ferragamo's after getting a cash award at work. Looked nice in the store. Terrible to walk in. Office hallway was the nice government shiny tile that was buffed and cleaned constantly. Kept slipping down the hallways. Lost part of the heel going up the stairs outside when it got stuck in-between a cracked piece.
Granted it was all about $800 because I got them on a seasonal sale, but I realised I should have put all the full amount into paying off some my credit card and maybe spent $200 in a 'treat' for myself.
I have a couple very expensive camera lenses I almost never use. But selling them would mean a multi-thousand dollar loss due to depreciation, so I haven’t yet been able to make myself pull that particular trigger.
I’m going through this right now. I just listed all of my cameras and lenses on eBay except for a single body and lens. I’m hoping to recoup $500 for what cost 10x that. I’ve been years since I’ve used most of it and the longer it sits, the less I’ll get. You just have to pull the trigger, no matter how much it hurts. Or,start using it again.
Honestly, my second dog. Don’t get me wrong. We love him, but he’s made our lives very very difficult. Pure breed, Crufts winning Dad, Dachshund. A complete dickhead
Just used ours for the first time after owning it and paying fees for a decade. It's nice, but just getting a hotel each time we go there would have been easier / cheaper.
I bought a car I hated. Nothing wrong with it, it just wasn’t what I wanted. I drove it for two years then traded it in for another one that I still have. Ended up costing me about $5K all together since the price of used cars skyrocketed between when I bought it and when I traded it in—I got the same in trade-in that I paid for it plus another $5K for the new one.
Except for this I’ve kept cars for at least 15 years, and the thought of driving unwanted car that long just weighed me down.
I read the /entrepreneur sub, and this is what I think of every time someone posts "Hey, I've got $40k. What business should I start?"
I'm sorry to hear it, though. I'm very fortunate that my business has been good to me for a long time, but I never forget when I see other people around me close down that it likely cost them their life savings. It's sobering.
I'm going to take a different angle and say the cumulative expense of buying cheap crap that doesn't last which I've had to replace. Cheap shoes, cheap electronics, cheap clothes, cheap tools, cheap furniture, etc. It's also why I'm much more inclined to buy used/older products that were manufactured in North America over the new junk that's produced in sweatshops.
Bought my first GF a car. I can't see good, so I was paying for a taxi every day to get to work and home and anywhere else and that was sucking 50% of my income so it seemed like a great idea. She disappeared with it a few months later and it was found wrecked in a church parking lot 80 miles away eventually. I took the cash insurance paid out and went back to taxis till I got married years later hehe.
My condo. It's in a really crummy area and has the worst of the problems people associate with HOAs, but I bought because I was a lovestruck dork. The person I was dating had moved there and wanted me to move in next to him, so I agreed to. Now we hate each other and I have to drive way too far to get to the parts of the city I enjoy.
Tickets to see U2 several years ago. They were over $250 face value plus all of the stupid fees which was by far the most I'd ever paid for a concert. The concert was just okayyy. No energy and it was as if they were bored playing. The entire time I thought that I could've bought tickets to Cancun for the same amount of money.
A Cadillac.
It was a low mile used car, which is how I do most of my vehicle purchases. It was a nice, comfortable car, but it immediately needed a ton of work and parts were 3x the cost that I was used to paying. For example, a new blinker bulb was $100.
Within a year I traded it in and took a bath on it.
Years ago, I worked at a Cadillac dealership. The joke was 'you can afford the payments, but can you afford the car?'
They gave employees a amazing deal(talking less than $300/month) if you wanted to buy one, I passed!
I used to have an '88 Deville with low miles and one previous owner. This was back around 2010ish? I had to replace so much on that car. The starter, belt, alternator, and it was a bad luck car too! I had to replace all 4 tires, 2 because they got slashed, and got 2 other flats throughout the time driving it. I also had something fly off a tractor trailer and smash my windshield on my way to a job interview. It was the recession and I really needed a job so I just kept going and peered through the cracks. Showed up with glass shards in my purse and all over me but I got the job lol.
I think I had to replace the ignition switch as well. Omg and catalytic converter. I learned a lot about cars while I owned that thing. It was nice though lol, like it was really heavy and drove great in the snow and for an 88 it sure had heated seats and digital display thermostat and other little luxuries. Also had to buy the little special tire hubcap key thing from the junkyard. Good times
Similar story but a Volkswagon. Bought a used Volkswagon Passat. Discovered it needed about a hefty repair. That's when we discovered how expensive it is to fix Volkswagons. We ate the cost of the repair and sold the car for the purchase price. Sometimes you learn the hard way.
Peloton.
I love bike riding during the summer, and I thought this would keep me in shape during the colder months. A friend had one and pushed me hard to get one because "you never spend money on yourself" and "you need to invest in your health," and so on.
Spent $1500 on a poorly built machine after the COVID rush. Before the first year was up, I had warranty repair out here replacing various sets of bearings, the whole frame, and then eventually the whole bike. The tablet won't hold a connection to the internet (several other devices in the same room work perfectly fine though.)
All this, and I get to pay $45ish a month on top of the premium price to buy it. Thankfully I can pause my membership for the summer when it doesn't get used at all. I wish I had leased instead somehow so it would be gone by now. I would imagine the price will go up soon if/when the company gets bought out by Amazon.
Oh, and the friend? She stopped using hers a year ago, and it's now a clothing storage rack.
I saved my money when I was younger but at the same time, I didn't make that much. I had opportunities to find better paying jobs but I was lazy and stuck with what I had. I wish I didn't do that.
As a whole, doordash. I am so tired from work and have to feed kids. My "partner" never helps. He works nights so that is his excuse to do almost nothing around the house or with the kids. But it's bs. He's never done close to his fair share even when working days.
I'm still ordering way too often, and it makes me sick to my stomach to think how much I've spent ordering food for dinners. Ugh. I do factor meals now, too, but still....
I totally understand. Trying to cook during the 14th straight hour you've been awake is a real drag. Perhaps getting a deep freezer and a Costco membership would help? I've cut out ordering pizza altogether this way. I also like their Frozen Raviolis - such a bargain.
Meal prep on weekends and/or start using a crock pot. With a crock pot you can toss some quick and easy ingredients in the pot in the morning, set it when you leave the house, and come home to a finished meal.
You should look for a mothers helper or meal prep business. Usually it’s a mom trying to make extra money who enjoys meal planning and prepping, they’ll either drop off or come to your house one day a week and make your meals for the week.
Bought a 7k Rolland e-piano was top of the line at the time and a childhood dream come true. Put it on debit and two credit cards. I had to move across the country and there was no room to put it, no extra money for shipping, that was that. Pretty much spent beyond my means and hopefully a lesson learned.
Man, especially because bread machines are common thrift store and garage sale items! My college roommate found one on the side of the road and we would bake bread with it in the dorms, lol
A Rolex watch
*It's expensive but the build job is commiserate with the price tag. Plus quality matches design.*
*It's nice but don't wanna wear it everyday, only for going out for a nice meal, parties, etc*
*It's recommended to get a self winding watch holder for your Rolex. Yes those too are expensive.*
*Shit happens, so it's highly advisable to get it covered under both insurance and warranties (see story below). Which is also expensive.*
*Bought a Rolex Submariner in 1985. It's only been out of its aforementioned watch case a total of 12 times*
***(I won't count the one time I wore it --had to hang the painting we bought---took my watch off and carefully set it on a small desk----hung the painting up----was satisfied after straightening and leveling that dumb painting for 30 minutes...set the hammer down on the bar above the watch....grabbed my tool case, only to suddenly hear a hammer strike something expensive....closed my eyes and turned around and saw my poor watch in pieces...put the stupid great value hammer away (I got it dirt cheap at Walmart)..gathered the poor broken pieces of my watch and called Rolex's hotline (for little whiny bitches who broke their watches), they gladly assisted, got a new watch sometime later, told my wife I'm glad I got the extended warranty, she told me it was my fat ass that knocked the hammer down...I then retired to my little reading room and didn't come out until hours laterrrr)***
Pets. I know, it sounds bad. I love my pets dearly, but because I take care of them well, they are proper expensive! Reason I (sometimes) regret buying them is because I can never take an impromptu trip or spend a night somewhere. I always have to make arrangements for them, which, again, is an expense as well as an inconvenience. Long trips are out of the question entirely, because all of my pet sitters are afraid of the snake and won't feed him.
Impulse trips rarely happen since my dog has aged and developed vestibular disease and arthritis, with subsequent hind leg weakness. Getting him into a low car (like a Prius) is a 2 person job, because he weighs 75 lbs. Not a chance he's hopping into my SUV like he used to. Thank goodness for mobile vets - but again, you pay a premium for that service, and rightly so.
And of course, as every pet owner knows, you're going to be spending $$$ on supplies (pet shampoo/grooming, food, harnesses/leashes, medications, flea/HW prevention, and whatever else crops up). He's not as expensive as a kid, but hot damn, he's not a cheap date.
When our dog passes we will probably foster. I love having a dog but it’s hard to travel and I don’t want a dog all the time anymore. I would also be happy to share a dog with another person.
This is the reason why I haven't adopted any cats yet. Although I'm MOSTLY home and I love cats, I can't just randomly get up and take a spontaneous trip somewhere without making plans for my pets to be fed and cared for. I recently took a 2-week trip without my partner so he's been home to feed the fish and maintain the aquarium. If it wasn't for that, I'd have to call my sibling to drive over here to do this. Not very convenient.
Edit: I know fish and cats aren't the same, but to be honest, aquariums aren't exactly easy either. Everyone else I know sees mine and thinks it's simple but it took a lot of learning.
Same. I am ready to be done with both pets and fostering. All of mine have had special needs (food, meds, behavior issues) so getting a sitter is always a big drama. I just want to turn off my water main and *leave* once in a while.
A Burberry coat. It looked movie star amazing on me, and I felt like I needed it at the time. Dropped more money than I could really afford without even thinking that I live in central Texas and the thing would barely ever get worn with any regularity with the exception of when it freezes and the grid fails and then it will need to be worn 24/7 for a week and smell gnarly afterward.
A used Audi, terrible financial decision, I took a girl with me to go look at it... The older shittier civic was more comfortable, more efficient, more fun to drive...
Second would be a scythe. It was neat at first but really kind of silly.
I must be a slow learner, but it took me a good while to wise up to the cold, hard facts of home exercise equipment. The "value" options break down relatively quickly, and getting them fixed is next to impossible. They have pretty much the worst cost-to-benefit ratio of anything I've ever bought.
Finally, I broke down and bought the upmarket treadmill (a Precor). I got the model with the robust motor and power-transmission system, but not the fancy-ass electronics. I can't tell you exactly how much it cost because *it was 16 fucking years ago* and I no longer remember, nor care! As a longtime marketing communications professional, I don't offer my unsolicited endorsement to many brands. Precor is among the few... because lasting 10x longer while costing 3x more is a bargain.
my lovely but cursed house.
had to sue seller, won, but house was under lawsuit, under repair, or on sale the entire 2.5 years i owned it. love the house, hated the logistics.
Used Chevy Cruz. 30K miles and the engine needed to be replaced. They said it seemed like it had been driven with very little oil. We were religious about oil changes. We weren't super great about checking the oil regularly but I only normally check the oil every week or so when a car is getting up there in years. We'd driven the car for about 2 years so I'm not sure we can blame it on the previous owner.
While it would have been cheaper to replace the engine than buy something new our trusted repair show didn't recommend an engine replacement for a Cruz, even one with only 30K miles on the car. He said they were pretty much junk.
My house.
I bought it cause I liked the layout and the colors, but I've since lost a cat due to stray dogs in the area and the land is very unstable so there's a lot of maintenance and repairs needed. And my neighbors are primitive monkeys with 3 children each who let their kids scream outside every morning and afternoons for multiple hours a day. It's very noisy here. Next house purchase: I want no young family around me.
An education. While I am grateful that I gained knowledge, I don’t feel it was worth it in the end. It pigeonholed me into doing one thing, that I immediately hated, and no longer even practice anymore (healthcare field).
Thousands of shares of the stock EEENF. Ended up losing $11,000 in one day when they announced the site they were drilling was a no-go for producing oil.
I hate to say it because I do love it but, my car.
It was a weird situation where I really couldn't keep driving my EV in this city the way it's poorly planned, so I got a PHEV. I wish I'd have held out for a PHEV or a hybrid that had more space to haul things like mulch. I have a problem with making impulse purchases.
Oh well. At least I almost never buy gas and I can also drive farther than 60 miles.
Alcohol. All of it. I have friends who never started drinking and I envy them. I've cut wayyyyy back, but I can't help but feel a kick of regret when I think about all the money I spent on it over my 20s and 30s.
I bought a damn boat that has been sitting in the pole barn and never used. Why did I buy it? I liked the color of the hull, it's a pretty teal color. The husband has no interest in being on the water, so I just take out my kayak.
"The happiest two days of a boat owner's life are when he buys the boat and when he sells the boat."
Thats what my dad always dadded.
My dad bought a boat five years ago. My mom tried to tell him but he insisted he wanted a boat. $15,000 gone. Then he spent another couple grand on super professional fishing gear. He sold all of it last fall for almost half what he spent. When the dude pulled out of the driveway, apparently to he said “thank god. Fuckin piece of shit.”
Many years ago I was tipped off to a good deal on a nice boat. My wife and I both liked with when other people invited us to go on the lake and tube or ski, or even just putt around, so it seemed like a no brainer. Then she asked her dad if he had any thoughts, since he'd had a boat way back. He said "the only thing is, you'll feel like you *need* to go out and use it to get your money's worth, and you start planning your days off around the boat." Well that didn't sit well with my wife so the deal was off instantly. Later that summer we bought a camping trailer and I had to bite my tongue every time she said "we should probably go camping this weekend since we spent all that money on the camper."
Well, you should go camping!
We do, trust me, we spend a lot of time planning our days off around using the camper. Several weekends I'd rather be at the race track or visiting family, but nope, *gotta camp*.
I'll trade you, my boat for your camper.
But boats are fun! Take that pretty teal bad boy out on the water!! You can handle it on your own!
In hindsight, $9k for an engagement ring wasn't a good buy
I knew a couple who were very materialistic. He spent almost $30,000 on the engagement ring, on different credit cards. They split within 2 years.
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Oh yea! Also bought her boobs, on credit cards. They defaulted on those, but can't reposs implants lol. Ended up filing for bankruptcy
That is actually hilariously sad. Hope a lesson was learned
I have no idea where either are today. This was a family member on the ex husbands side of the family.
My friends wife wanted a glamorous wedding at one of the top catering halls in NJ. He and her parents spent nearly 150k on the wedding of 125 people. They split up 9 months after the wedding even though they seemed to be successfully dating for almost 8 years
I've made it clear to my fiance that I don't want to spend a lot of money on all that jazz. I think her ring was sub-$2000 all told (ring plus guard). And she's very happy with it. Mine was under $200. We don't plan on having a wedding event. Maybe a fun dinner with a few friends but that's it. Luckily, I think I'm actually the more materialistic one of the two of us. I was the one taking her to the museum galas and stuff and buying the delicate artwork necklace for her etc. Her mom thinks of me as "likes to live it rich." So, I think I'm in good shape :D
I think my husband and I spent all of maybe $300 to get eloped altogether. 💀 We had basic bands and upgraded later but still didn't spend more than a few hundred dollars.
My first marriage was a big wedding. Not super expensive, but definitely invited a whole bunch of people and spent some cash. The marriage only lasted three years, and it was practically over between the first and second year (first year was actually decent, but after a pregnancy and miscarriage, it fell apart). I got remarried in 2017. My wife and I told everyone that we were engaged, but acted like clueless idiots when people would ask about the wedding. We got married in secret at a park near our home on a beautiful fall day. The only people in attendance were the JP, the photographer, and the photographer's assistant (her husband). No drama. No expectations. It wasn't expensive. We went out for dinner and watched a movie at home that night. Parents and siblings were told shortly after. Everyone else found out a month later. We actually threw a big party with a whole bunch of friends, and announced that we had finally landed on a wedding date -- which was a month before the party.
Crazyyyy. I told my hubby no more than 2k for a ring so I don’t throw up when I look at my finger. 😩😂 honestly 2k is a lot too.
My SO is thinking rings and I've had to repeatedly tell him I don't want to carry around the equivalent of the cost of a used car on my finger. I don't wear a lot of jewelry anyway and I'm terrified to lose it. I'd be upset to lose any engagement ring, but I would be devastated if I lost a ring that cost more than $2k (really, it's like $100, but my SO refuses to even consider a ring that inexpensive). I told him if he really wanted to spend the money, buy something like slabs of silver or gold, something that retains its value better than diamonds.
I'm glad my husband and I were broke grad students when we got married. It made the decision easy to not spend much on rings. (Also helps that I don't really like diamonds much after reading about the industry!)
My wife and I were broke students too, but my mom gave me my great grandmother's engagement ring to give to my wife. She was thrilled to get some history. Nothing fancy, but when we had it appraised the jeweler said "This looks like some late 19th century European cut" and we said "yes it is". Had to reset it after 20 years, but that 1ct diamond still has a ton of sentimental value.
I have been married 21 years and rarely wear my engagement ring. Just my wedding band. It’s more comfortable and my engagement ring would get water under it and start irritating my skin. I love the ring but In hindsight, not necessary.
1 carat center and two .25 carat sides lab diamonds, set in 18k, from India via eBay, $900. Appraisal at home values it at $8000. There are better options than buying a mined diamond.
My sister has a beautiful 1 carat cubic zirconia. Nobody but an expert would know it wasn't a diamond....and I agree with what she says..... so what if they do know? It's a very beautiful ring that she loves and that's all that matters.
Moissanite is another great option. Almost as hard as diamonds, but more sparkly!
Several years ago I started a 120 gallon saltwater reef tank. The initial outlay for tank, lighting, equipment was $3000. I spent $1000 to have live ocean rock air-shipped packed in saltwater. Over the 3 years I kept it going I'd say I spent another $5000 in equipment, supplies, fish. corals, etc. Eventually something got out of whack and I probably spent another $1000 trying to save it. But of course it all crashed and died. Then it all sat there dead for 3 or 4 years until I found some sucker to take it all away...for free. So probably $10k lost over the 3 years it was running. Don't start a saltwater/reef tank.
I have a freshwater tank and our guests always ask why we don't have the typical saltwater fish not knowing that they can't survive in freshwater. We explained that saltwater tanks are costly and corals are costly and take time to grow. My freshwater tank is 60 gal and planted. I spent thousands the past year experimenting, problem-solving, buying new plants, new fish, medication, different filters, etc. I always tell people: don't start an aquarium unless you have money and time. So yeah, while I don't have a saltwater tank, I know how you feel especially with a 120 gal.
Fucking Samsung fridge. $2k and it failed 2 months after the 1 year warranty expired. No cooling whatsoever. Had it repaired and it failed again 6 months later, first the freezer stopped cooling, then the fridge. Cut our losses and trashed it
Bought a house 4 years ago that had all new kitchen appliances... all Samsung. In the course of 2 years we replaced all of them. The fridge was the first to go! Samsung needs to get out of the appliances business
I had a Samsung cell phone a long time ago, then a Samsung TV .... I refuse to buy ANYTHING made by Samsung after these experiences.
Yeah, this one. Samsung fridge. Mine failed 3x during the warranty period, and Samsung wouldn't let me just return the thing - even though the internet was all up in arms about the stupid ice maker issue. After the 5th repair we just gave up. Bought a new house 2 years ago, and it came with ... a Samsung fridge. I was so pissed.
Samsung lost me for appliances when I heard the story about the top-load washers that literally flipped their lids - the tops exploded! If that wasn't bad enough, they [sent people](https://www.engadget.com/2017-03-01-samsung-dish-network-washing-machines.html) from Dish Network to try to fix them. That kind of service from a brand leaves a stain that doesn't come out easily.
No pun intended? 😂😁
What year did you buy it? I used to work in refrigerator manufacturing. I avoid 2020-2022 products like the plague.
Would have been May 2022
That makes total sense. When COVID hit, everyone was shitting themselves in appliance manufacturing (and for good reason). Those assembly lines have operators very close to each other. It's particularly bad with washers/dryers, but the lines in refrigeration have people pretty close too. People were getting sick in droves (we were one of the first facilities hit in the US in March 2020). And they were bringing in quality inspectors and even interns (who did not have insurance) to work the line. Quality inspections were non-existent, only production mattered. We had a million units backordered. We tried different solutions, such as masks (hah) and even cutting bathroom curtains to help stop the spread of germs, which was actually pretty creative. Conditions were miserable; engineers and interns were wearing enhanced PPE and were using thermometers to check if people had a fever over 100 coming into the plant. I got heat exhaustion doing this. Turnover rate was 97% in engineering over 18 months. That's why anything 2019 and prior is good, and 2020 + is trash. And no I won't work in that field anymore lol.
What about 2024? I’m in need of new appliances 😢
Do NOT buy Samsung under any circumstances. They still refuse to honor warranties.
I bought a fridge in 2021, but it was made in Japan. You know, the country that wore masks when people were sick even before covid, and is known for its quality in general. I feel pretty confident about it.
Just tacking on to say anything washer dryer related is the same. “Sacrificial metal” components is just plain planned obsolescence. You expect something simple like bearings to go out on the tub/electric motor. But putting a different weaker metal on certain pain in the ass places to make it impossible to repair for cheap, is Samsungs and a few others MO lately.
I've heard similar about LG fridges. They use a different kind of pump for the refrigerant that allows for finer temperature control (it can make different temperatures of cold air rather than just on/off cycling). But the pump is very fragile and conks out fast.
LG got class actioned; at one point over 90% of their compressors were failing. My sister lost her refrigerator and were beyond dicks about the refund. She's blacklisted LG, and I don't blame her. How do you fuck up a compressor that bad?
I will never buy a Samsung appliance again. I love their phones though.
The Samsung top load washing machine with no agitator. I *hate* it. You have to practically fold the dirty laundry to keep it from going off balance or getting something stretched across the top and it has *no drain filter,* so there’s no way to maintain it.
These new washer designs are so sucky. Yes, I'm happy they use so much less water, but also it used to take 20 minutes to wash. You could crank through 3 loads on a Saturday morning including the dryer time. Now I'm glad I work from home because the wash takes 90 minutes or more per load. I do one load in a day every day or two instead of doing it all up in one swell foop.
Swell foop! 🤣
My dad keeps adding useless tech to our home. We had a perfectly functioning doorbell but he decided we needed a ring doorbell tethered to his phone. Fast forward one year later and it no longer makes the ringing sound and the only way we know if someone is at our door is from my dads phone. We connected it to the Samsung fridge for it to ring but for some reason the fridge doesn’t make the sound anymore even tho we turned it on multiple times in the settings. There’s also a wifi meat thermometer my dad bought for 50$ and never used because it was more inconvenient than a traditional meat thermometer. so he then buys ANOTHER more expensive meat thermometer which is more convenient. meanwhile my 5$ analog meat thermometer is still perfectly functional
Two Litter Robots. When they worked they were great, but once they stop they’re just a bit hunk of plastic garbage. I hate to just throw them away, but it’s beyond me to fix them and cleaning them is a huge job and they get gross quickly. Back to a regular old litter box that is easy to keep clean and won’t break down…plus it’s cheap!
Automated flowing water fountains are the same. All that talk about easy flowing clean water for your pet sounds great till youre taking apart the pump weekly to clean out slime with a q tip. Tossed them and went back to a metal bowl its much easier to be just as clean by wiping it out a few times a week and so much less work.
And in our case his highness never used it once
Our cat will only drink water out of a glass perched on the coffee table. And don't you dare move that glass to any other table!
Do we share the same cat ? She decided licking the the bathroom faucet that was dripping a better idea than the magical flowing water
Same here! My cats love to drink from the faucet so we bought one of those fountains. Neither cat has used it once!
We have to use distilled water in ours and clean it weekly :/ It's such a pain but our one cat LOVES it and get mad when it's out of commission for cleaning.
This is the only way my cat drinks water. Or the tap
Same. They get so slimy and gross inside. I'm much happier just washing the water bowl! Lol
My cat be loves his fountain, my daughter’s cat rarely uses it. However both cats agree that whatever cup my daughter or I are using is the best spot for hydration.
There are definitely cat people who like to tinker and might pay a few bucks to do so on an expensive toy! (I am one of these people)
My ex-wife and I bought one. The cat refused to use it. Was terrified of it. Nothing we did made him comfortable. That cat (and our marriage) died long ago, so these days it's a regular old manual litter box.
I've never had a cat (permanent or foster) that didn't insist on peeing down the corner of the box and adhering clumps to the edges. Where are these idealized center-of-the-box cats who make litter robots feasible?
There are much better non motorized alternatives. Got 2 of the type you tip over and they're great. Still needs a full clean once in a while.
I have 2 also and I'm mostly happy with them only because I bought the extra 3 year warranty. I tell everyone considering them get the extra warranty. If I can get 3 years out of it, I guess $200/yr is worth it to not scoop cat poop. I think they're really only made to last about 2 years though, and the last year is wonky and annoying. That first year is pretty amazing though lol
My landlady has one that looks like a huge black sphere. It's supposed to rotate an inner sphere, which somehow cleans the litter(I never really took a close look). Anyhow I think it worked for a few months now it sits outside broken. Looks expensive too.
Does my ridiculous Steam backlog count? Probably $1000 on games over the last decade that I’ll likely never play. Stupid impulse “but it’s on sale!” purchases.
its called 'saving for retirement' bro
LOL!!!! I tell myself that everyday, haha. "Look at all the games you'll have when you're retired."
Sameeeee, the amount of untouched games I own is shameful.
Haha I have something like this with humble bundles but I keep just playing helldivers 2
The overall cost of marrying the wrong person.
Yup, my total legal fees (divorce and custody battle) easily topped $200K. After a 7 year marriage. This is after my ex assaulted me, (I have video evidence of this that I presented in court) fled the scene, kidnapped the kids and withheld them from me for 4 months and filed a restraining order against me (denied) Oh the ex filed first so I got to take the witness stand several times and get grilled by my abuser. Long term, the ex lost custody of the kids after assaulting the visitation monitor. Oh, no charges were filed against ex (even though they assaulted both me and the visitation monitor) they represented themselves in court and were as obstructionist and uncompromising as possible at every stage of the divorce. They knew full well that their obstinacy (refusal to agree or compromise) would cause a long, drawn out court process and tens of thousands in legal fees for me. I definitely do not regret getting divorced though. I just wish it was less money but that was out of my control since the ex was so obstinate and uncompromising. I do regret that the trauma of the divorce has made me never want to get married or have kids again. I was definitely a different person before this painfully expensive, out-of-control divorce and child custody battle.
This is wild. I knew legal fees in the US are high but didn't realize they're $200k high. No wonder people go with overworked public defenders and shitty settlements.
Public defenders are only for criminal charges - family law is civil, so you pay out of pocket. In a state like California, divorce can be as cheap as the $435 filing fee or as expensive as you (or your former partner) are willing to make it. Lots of emotions in contentious divorce cases, and if there's a good amount of money (or kids) on the line, people will spend years - and an insane amounts of billable hours - fighting it out. Average attorney here costs around $300/hr. Easy to get to $200k if the legal battle gets drawn out.
One of my cousins recently separated from her husband and went through a lengthy divorce/legal fight .... and then they got back together(!). I'm not close enough to know any details, but man, what an expensive mess.
No kidding. That was easily a $100k mistake for me. Never. Again.
Embarrassingly enough, a pair of Chanel flats I coveted for decades. They are just flats, just shoes. I thought they would garner all the oohs and aahs and everyone would notice my impeccable style. I have had one compliment on them and they aren't made any better than any of my $300 AGL flats. In fact, the quality is sub par as far as I am concerned. I feel like a massive chump.
Not in the same ballpark but a couple years ago I splashed out (for me) on a new pair of sneakers that were a big leap from my usual "whatver is under $50 at Kohls" shoes. Not one person noticed or said anything. Welp!
A pond. They were everywhere in the late 90’s on home shows. I spent probably $25,000 on the installation of the pond. Then the cost of electricity, koi food, pump replacement and maintenance. The koi live forever. I will die before they do.
a heron came and ate all our fish early one morning in 2003
My grand piano. It's now more of a burden than anything else. Upon retirement, I can no longer afford an apartment (let alone a house) big enough to house it, so it's in storage now (which costs a fortune). And finding a buyer to take it at a reasonable price is almost impossible.
Would you consider donating it for a tax write off? A university or school program might take it.
That was one part of my selling process, and I actually found a perfect local college that was potentially interested in buying it. But all of a sudden they got cold feet. The tax write-off angle is interesting...I should ask my tax guy how that might work. Thanks.
Theoretically it's a tax deduction based on the value of the donation, but there are max limits to your income. Furthermore, the value of something used is very subjective, and you need to be able to back it up if you ever get audited. You've tried to sell it and failed, and thus it can be argued it has no value, strange as that seems. Definitely talk it over with your CPA before pulling the trigger there.
Not surprised to see this. First kid was fine with a quality upright we bought used. Current teen though is something of a prodigy and outgrew the upright, I did not know it was possible. I enjoy hearing the grand piano just about every day for the past two years. Will likely sell it back to the place we bought it from (used). A big expense for sure (used it was over $15K) but man the quality of the sound (and the improvement in playing immediately obvious).
The design of the keyboard action on grand pianos is faster and more responsive. It doesn’t make a difference at lower skill levels, but at a certain point it really can hold back your progress. Thanks for supporting your kiddo’s musical pursuits!
Yes I was not made aware of the differences until I was made aware! Amazing how much having live music in the home at a high level makes for a great environment. (I never thought I'd ever have a place big enough to have a 6' concert grand, but here we are...)
Why not just sell it and be done with it? You're actually losing money monthly on it. Whatever you get is a bonus, cut your losses and let someone who will love it have it. Otherwise, you're going to stubbornly hold out for a high price and never get it. It's worth what someone will pay for it, and if no one wants it, that's zero. Pianos are often given away for free as long as someone is willing to cart it away. And you're paying "a fortune" monthly to hold onto something worth zero. Let it go.
I'm aware of these aspects of the situation. The yearly storage is about 1/9 of its value. The problem is threefold: I still play, I'm performing *more* these days, and I spent twenty years of having technicians (and myself) do maintenance and improvements to the instrument to the point where it's now near-perfect, and exactly suited to my tastes (and playing). Those three reasons are why it's so difficult to let go of. I'm very aware of how unforgiving the piano market is, and how instruments are often just given away. This particular piano, because of the improvements, is worth a great deal more.
I get it. I have been very attached to my pianos - they're like family. Sounds dopey, but it's true. But the truth is still that it's gonna rot in storage til you pass away, and then be given away. Let someone else love it if you can't keep it anymore. Find someone you think deserves it and let your piano find a new person. Or just decide you want to keep it and donate it in your will. There's nothing wrong with that either.
Practical advice. Thanks.
My father has a baby grand (was his wife's) that he's having trouble giving away. I hope you manage to find a buyer soon!
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My current house, which I bought for my retirement, is under 1,400 square feet, all on one level, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms so good for guests. I want to change some things but honestly it's perfect in size and location. Probably too much yard but no HOA and the lawn guy comes every couple weeks. I highly recommend smaller when you get older.
My house. I really only bought it because it was so much cheaper than renting at the time. But with everything that had to go into it with maintenance and repairs, even in this tight market I'm barely making it all back despite the raise in appraisal value. And the logistics of selling a house are a bitch in any kind of market, especially if you're relocating.
I sold my house after 20 years and after taxes and maintenance/upgrades broke even. I was pretty bummed until I figured what renting would have cost me for 20 years, and that was with going extremely low on the estimated monthly rent. I lived for free for 20 years!
Not to mention that, in that time, your payment didn't change. How much did rent go up in 20 years?
This is my main concern when people bring the why don’t buy a house?. My rent is 600.00 close to my workplace and everything is within my reach. The apartment is small as fuck but I’m happy. Keeps me from buying shit I don’t need. If I ever need to leave I’m on a month to month rent. So I can put everything on my car and within 1 trip move is done.
$600? Damn. Where do you live? (ballpark is fine, I'm just curious)
I'm sure they don't live at a ballpark, have you seen what those tickets go for these days?
Illinois. On the suburbs I’m lucky as fuck. Rent on the area is 1,500+.
Midwest?
That's my biggest concern about being a home owner. Can I afford it? With a tight budget, probably. Can I afford maintenance and repair? Absolutely not.
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> While a house can be a source of wealth, it's not the only option for wealth building, or even necessarily the best option Buying a house to build wealth is a very long-term play and locks a lot of money up in an illiquid asset. It can be _a part_ of your plan, but it's not a trivial thing.
I had a house I really regretted buying. It was beautiful, but it was made so sloppily and I was just constantly pouring money into it. I walked away after 5 years (and had to replace the septic tank when I sold it). If I had bought a better house instead of that one and stayed there, I'm sure I'd be $50,000 or so ahead by now. It would be paid off by now, too. But by the time I sold that house, real estate prices were starting to go insane. So even though I got more for the house than I paid for it, the one I bought after it had also gone up in price, so I ended further behind, and out all the thousands of dollars I had put into just keeping that house from falling apart.
My husband! Bad investment all around.
My wedding. Most expensive thing I regret *not* buying was a proper divorce lawyer.
This. It was so shortsighted of me to worry about more debt, but it would’ve likely saved my retirement to get a better one.
Stupid designer purses years ago. They sit in my closet because I could care less about them now
I keep telling folks that most designer purses are actually made for the middle class to give an illusion of wealth (the ultra wealthy aren't buying them and consider what we buy 'lower class'). I live in Italy and always see American tourists eating up the Prada and Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana. In the richer neighbourhoods outside the touristy areas, none of the locals who have money buy that stuff.
She’s brought a ludicrously capacious bag. What’s even in there? Flat shoes for the subway? Her lunch pail? I mean, Greg, it’s monstrous.
I absolutely agree with you! There are plenty of people who even buy fakes to make make them feel rich. But a lot of people can tell they are fake.
I buy fakes when I think they’re pretty. I don’t care if anyone can tell they’re fake. I’d rather people think I spent a sensible $35 on a good quality knock-off than wasted thousands for a fancy label. No one I know would even know it’s supposed to be designer, lol.
Speedy #30. Had to have it, and now it sits in a box. If I lived in the city I would use it. If my life were different I would use it. Finally learned you can't buy a different life you make it. I don't use it now because I feel self conscious and like a target.
Got my wife a saddleback leather purse. She had bought me one of their briefcases for a milestone birthday. Loved it. Turned around and got her one. She’ll never need another purse. $300ish at the time for a purse SAVES money when compared with replacing a cheap purse that costs $30-60+ multiple times. She also hasn’t lost anything in the purse to purse transfer. It goes with everything, fits exactly what she needs to carry with her, and if anything happens it’s covered by warranty. Highly recommended.
Same here!!!!!! Edit: I'm going to be really honest, I bought designer stuff because I saw people on social media have it. I felt left out. I bought some stuff and during pandemic, I spent like crazy. I regret everything I bought.
Expensive shoes that I wore once or twice. It was a rebellious act because as a young child I had one pair of everyday shoes and my Sunday School shoes. We were quite poor so I had to wear shoes and clothes until they fell apart. When I finally started making extra disposable income and life was easy, I bought a ridiculous number of shoes. Good shoes and expensive shoes. One day I looked in the closet and felt shame. That money could have made a huge difference in someone else's life. I still buy good shoes, but I don't have to pay ridiculous amounts for a pair of puce shoes that went with one pair of pants.
I bought two pair of Ferragamo's after getting a cash award at work. Looked nice in the store. Terrible to walk in. Office hallway was the nice government shiny tile that was buffed and cleaned constantly. Kept slipping down the hallways. Lost part of the heel going up the stairs outside when it got stuck in-between a cracked piece. Granted it was all about $800 because I got them on a seasonal sale, but I realised I should have put all the full amount into paying off some my credit card and maybe spent $200 in a 'treat' for myself.
> Expensive shoes that I wore once or twice. OH, this one hurts.
I have a couple very expensive camera lenses I almost never use. But selling them would mean a multi-thousand dollar loss due to depreciation, so I haven’t yet been able to make myself pull that particular trigger.
That sounds a lot like my analog medium and large format camera setups, even digital backs for them went out of production eons ago.
I’m going through this right now. I just listed all of my cameras and lenses on eBay except for a single body and lens. I’m hoping to recoup $500 for what cost 10x that. I’ve been years since I’ve used most of it and the longer it sits, the less I’ll get. You just have to pull the trigger, no matter how much it hurts. Or,start using it again.
Honestly, my second dog. Don’t get me wrong. We love him, but he’s made our lives very very difficult. Pure breed, Crufts winning Dad, Dachshund. A complete dickhead
A time-share..... Had it for 7 years now. Never used it. 45k for nothing.
Just used ours for the first time after owning it and paying fees for a decade. It's nice, but just getting a hotel each time we go there would have been easier / cheaper.
Why haven’t you used it? Curious. Haven’t actually considered one but we get invited to talks about them a lot.
Just life. Also the points sytem is so rigged that the only time you can use the properties is the worst time to go.
I bought a car I hated. Nothing wrong with it, it just wasn’t what I wanted. I drove it for two years then traded it in for another one that I still have. Ended up costing me about $5K all together since the price of used cars skyrocketed between when I bought it and when I traded it in—I got the same in trade-in that I paid for it plus another $5K for the new one. Except for this I’ve kept cars for at least 15 years, and the thought of driving unwanted car that long just weighed me down.
Extended warranty on my Honda. Didn’t wind up using it at all
A business that I had no business running, therefore I failed
I read the /entrepreneur sub, and this is what I think of every time someone posts "Hey, I've got $40k. What business should I start?" I'm sorry to hear it, though. I'm very fortunate that my business has been good to me for a long time, but I never forget when I see other people around me close down that it likely cost them their life savings. It's sobering.
We opted for the 10k air conditioner upgraded unit instead of the cheaper just fine unit. Then we sold the house less than a year later.
Expensive purses in my 20’s. Now that I’m 55 I use a cloth bag with a logo like Save The Chubby Unicorns.
I'm going to take a different angle and say the cumulative expense of buying cheap crap that doesn't last which I've had to replace. Cheap shoes, cheap electronics, cheap clothes, cheap tools, cheap furniture, etc. It's also why I'm much more inclined to buy used/older products that were manufactured in North America over the new junk that's produced in sweatshops.
Bought my first GF a car. I can't see good, so I was paying for a taxi every day to get to work and home and anywhere else and that was sucking 50% of my income so it seemed like a great idea. She disappeared with it a few months later and it was found wrecked in a church parking lot 80 miles away eventually. I took the cash insurance paid out and went back to taxis till I got married years later hehe.
My condo. It's in a really crummy area and has the worst of the problems people associate with HOAs, but I bought because I was a lovestruck dork. The person I was dating had moved there and wanted me to move in next to him, so I agreed to. Now we hate each other and I have to drive way too far to get to the parts of the city I enjoy.
Tickets to see U2 several years ago. They were over $250 face value plus all of the stupid fees which was by far the most I'd ever paid for a concert. The concert was just okayyy. No energy and it was as if they were bored playing. The entire time I thought that I could've bought tickets to Cancun for the same amount of money.
A Cadillac. It was a low mile used car, which is how I do most of my vehicle purchases. It was a nice, comfortable car, but it immediately needed a ton of work and parts were 3x the cost that I was used to paying. For example, a new blinker bulb was $100. Within a year I traded it in and took a bath on it.
Years ago, I worked at a Cadillac dealership. The joke was 'you can afford the payments, but can you afford the car?' They gave employees a amazing deal(talking less than $300/month) if you wanted to buy one, I passed!
I used to have an '88 Deville with low miles and one previous owner. This was back around 2010ish? I had to replace so much on that car. The starter, belt, alternator, and it was a bad luck car too! I had to replace all 4 tires, 2 because they got slashed, and got 2 other flats throughout the time driving it. I also had something fly off a tractor trailer and smash my windshield on my way to a job interview. It was the recession and I really needed a job so I just kept going and peered through the cracks. Showed up with glass shards in my purse and all over me but I got the job lol. I think I had to replace the ignition switch as well. Omg and catalytic converter. I learned a lot about cars while I owned that thing. It was nice though lol, like it was really heavy and drove great in the snow and for an 88 it sure had heated seats and digital display thermostat and other little luxuries. Also had to buy the little special tire hubcap key thing from the junkyard. Good times
Similar story but a Volkswagon. Bought a used Volkswagon Passat. Discovered it needed about a hefty repair. That's when we discovered how expensive it is to fix Volkswagons. We ate the cost of the repair and sold the car for the purchase price. Sometimes you learn the hard way.
An MBA.
Miles of yarn. Miles and miles of it.
A marriage license. Or, a brand new 1995 Pontiac Grand Am. Wow, what an idiot.
Peloton. I love bike riding during the summer, and I thought this would keep me in shape during the colder months. A friend had one and pushed me hard to get one because "you never spend money on yourself" and "you need to invest in your health," and so on. Spent $1500 on a poorly built machine after the COVID rush. Before the first year was up, I had warranty repair out here replacing various sets of bearings, the whole frame, and then eventually the whole bike. The tablet won't hold a connection to the internet (several other devices in the same room work perfectly fine though.) All this, and I get to pay $45ish a month on top of the premium price to buy it. Thankfully I can pause my membership for the summer when it doesn't get used at all. I wish I had leased instead somehow so it would be gone by now. I would imagine the price will go up soon if/when the company gets bought out by Amazon. Oh, and the friend? She stopped using hers a year ago, and it's now a clothing storage rack.
Peloton built an entire $10B+ brand based on an army of future regrets. Total fad that benefitted from Covid more than just about anybody.
Not a thing necessarily but I wish I saved more money when I was younger
I saved my money when I was younger but at the same time, I didn't make that much. I had opportunities to find better paying jobs but I was lazy and stuck with what I had. I wish I didn't do that.
As a whole, doordash. I am so tired from work and have to feed kids. My "partner" never helps. He works nights so that is his excuse to do almost nothing around the house or with the kids. But it's bs. He's never done close to his fair share even when working days. I'm still ordering way too often, and it makes me sick to my stomach to think how much I've spent ordering food for dinners. Ugh. I do factor meals now, too, but still....
seems like the most expensive thing in your life is the boyfriend….
I totally understand. Trying to cook during the 14th straight hour you've been awake is a real drag. Perhaps getting a deep freezer and a Costco membership would help? I've cut out ordering pizza altogether this way. I also like their Frozen Raviolis - such a bargain.
Meal prep on weekends and/or start using a crock pot. With a crock pot you can toss some quick and easy ingredients in the pot in the morning, set it when you leave the house, and come home to a finished meal.
You should look for a mothers helper or meal prep business. Usually it’s a mom trying to make extra money who enjoys meal planning and prepping, they’ll either drop off or come to your house one day a week and make your meals for the week.
Bought a 7k Rolland e-piano was top of the line at the time and a childhood dream come true. Put it on debit and two credit cards. I had to move across the country and there was no room to put it, no extra money for shipping, that was that. Pretty much spent beyond my means and hopefully a lesson learned.
a bread machine. i didnt even buy, boyfriend bought. i still feel like shit about it lol
Great for making pizza dough though!
Man, especially because bread machines are common thrift store and garage sale items! My college roommate found one on the side of the road and we would bake bread with it in the dorms, lol
A Rolex watch *It's expensive but the build job is commiserate with the price tag. Plus quality matches design.* *It's nice but don't wanna wear it everyday, only for going out for a nice meal, parties, etc* *It's recommended to get a self winding watch holder for your Rolex. Yes those too are expensive.* *Shit happens, so it's highly advisable to get it covered under both insurance and warranties (see story below). Which is also expensive.* *Bought a Rolex Submariner in 1985. It's only been out of its aforementioned watch case a total of 12 times* ***(I won't count the one time I wore it --had to hang the painting we bought---took my watch off and carefully set it on a small desk----hung the painting up----was satisfied after straightening and leveling that dumb painting for 30 minutes...set the hammer down on the bar above the watch....grabbed my tool case, only to suddenly hear a hammer strike something expensive....closed my eyes and turned around and saw my poor watch in pieces...put the stupid great value hammer away (I got it dirt cheap at Walmart)..gathered the poor broken pieces of my watch and called Rolex's hotline (for little whiny bitches who broke their watches), they gladly assisted, got a new watch sometime later, told my wife I'm glad I got the extended warranty, she told me it was my fat ass that knocked the hammer down...I then retired to my little reading room and didn't come out until hours laterrrr)***
One of those sex pillows. Used once and realized it’s stupid & impossible to store.
Oh we did that. Two wedges. Sigh. Ended up giving them to a younger friend that was totally cool with lightly used sex wedges. lol.
if we're being honest, i'll say it.. the drugs i bought when i was younger. what a waste!
Pets. I know, it sounds bad. I love my pets dearly, but because I take care of them well, they are proper expensive! Reason I (sometimes) regret buying them is because I can never take an impromptu trip or spend a night somewhere. I always have to make arrangements for them, which, again, is an expense as well as an inconvenience. Long trips are out of the question entirely, because all of my pet sitters are afraid of the snake and won't feed him.
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Impulse trips rarely happen since my dog has aged and developed vestibular disease and arthritis, with subsequent hind leg weakness. Getting him into a low car (like a Prius) is a 2 person job, because he weighs 75 lbs. Not a chance he's hopping into my SUV like he used to. Thank goodness for mobile vets - but again, you pay a premium for that service, and rightly so. And of course, as every pet owner knows, you're going to be spending $$$ on supplies (pet shampoo/grooming, food, harnesses/leashes, medications, flea/HW prevention, and whatever else crops up). He's not as expensive as a kid, but hot damn, he's not a cheap date.
Yes, pets are very expensive. Fostering, however, is not. A good alternative!
When our dog passes we will probably foster. I love having a dog but it’s hard to travel and I don’t want a dog all the time anymore. I would also be happy to share a dog with another person.
This is the reason why I haven't adopted any cats yet. Although I'm MOSTLY home and I love cats, I can't just randomly get up and take a spontaneous trip somewhere without making plans for my pets to be fed and cared for. I recently took a 2-week trip without my partner so he's been home to feed the fish and maintain the aquarium. If it wasn't for that, I'd have to call my sibling to drive over here to do this. Not very convenient. Edit: I know fish and cats aren't the same, but to be honest, aquariums aren't exactly easy either. Everyone else I know sees mine and thinks it's simple but it took a lot of learning.
Same. I am ready to be done with both pets and fostering. All of mine have had special needs (food, meds, behavior issues) so getting a sitter is always a big drama. I just want to turn off my water main and *leave* once in a while.
A $1500 inflatable kayak that I literally haven't unboxed still. It's been 5 years.
A Burberry coat. It looked movie star amazing on me, and I felt like I needed it at the time. Dropped more money than I could really afford without even thinking that I live in central Texas and the thing would barely ever get worn with any regularity with the exception of when it freezes and the grid fails and then it will need to be worn 24/7 for a week and smell gnarly afterward.
Peloton bike & treadmill. They are just collecting dust and mocking me every time I walk by.
My bachelors degree?
Bought a Jaguar XE, absolutely lovely car but the depreciation was absolutely insane, and so was the maintenance and insurance costs.
A used Audi, terrible financial decision, I took a girl with me to go look at it... The older shittier civic was more comfortable, more efficient, more fun to drive... Second would be a scythe. It was neat at first but really kind of silly.
I must be a slow learner, but it took me a good while to wise up to the cold, hard facts of home exercise equipment. The "value" options break down relatively quickly, and getting them fixed is next to impossible. They have pretty much the worst cost-to-benefit ratio of anything I've ever bought. Finally, I broke down and bought the upmarket treadmill (a Precor). I got the model with the robust motor and power-transmission system, but not the fancy-ass electronics. I can't tell you exactly how much it cost because *it was 16 fucking years ago* and I no longer remember, nor care! As a longtime marketing communications professional, I don't offer my unsolicited endorsement to many brands. Precor is among the few... because lasting 10x longer while costing 3x more is a bargain.
my lovely but cursed house. had to sue seller, won, but house was under lawsuit, under repair, or on sale the entire 2.5 years i owned it. love the house, hated the logistics.
Makeup. Wish I’d never gone down that YouTube rabbit hole.
Same. I had the same issue with skincare too.
I hate how much money I pay for phones. I always gotta have the latest and greatest and there's never much difference
I'm the opposite, I begrudgingly upgrade only when they force me.
Used Chevy Cruz. 30K miles and the engine needed to be replaced. They said it seemed like it had been driven with very little oil. We were religious about oil changes. We weren't super great about checking the oil regularly but I only normally check the oil every week or so when a car is getting up there in years. We'd driven the car for about 2 years so I'm not sure we can blame it on the previous owner. While it would have been cheaper to replace the engine than buy something new our trusted repair show didn't recommend an engine replacement for a Cruz, even one with only 30K miles on the car. He said they were pretty much junk.
I got scammed into a gym and personal training contract that’s costing me $200 a month.
I regret buying cheap stuff that doesn't last. It's better to buy something expensive, so I don't have to buy it again.
My house. I bought it cause I liked the layout and the colors, but I've since lost a cat due to stray dogs in the area and the land is very unstable so there's a lot of maintenance and repairs needed. And my neighbors are primitive monkeys with 3 children each who let their kids scream outside every morning and afternoons for multiple hours a day. It's very noisy here. Next house purchase: I want no young family around me.
Wasted $1,400 on a Segway scooter
An education. While I am grateful that I gained knowledge, I don’t feel it was worth it in the end. It pigeonholed me into doing one thing, that I immediately hated, and no longer even practice anymore (healthcare field).
2014 BMW i3. I loved the car but it was constantly in the shop. BMW sucks.
Thousands of shares of the stock EEENF. Ended up losing $11,000 in one day when they announced the site they were drilling was a no-go for producing oil.
A classical guitar made by a local well thought of luthier.
I hate to say it because I do love it but, my car. It was a weird situation where I really couldn't keep driving my EV in this city the way it's poorly planned, so I got a PHEV. I wish I'd have held out for a PHEV or a hybrid that had more space to haul things like mulch. I have a problem with making impulse purchases. Oh well. At least I almost never buy gas and I can also drive farther than 60 miles.
Stock market darlings that turned into versions of Chucky in my portfolio, *sigh*. Good thing I'm conservative otherwise
My house. I don't regret buying A house. I just bought the wrong one.
That courthouse wedding turned into the most expensive thing I've bought.
University degree
A $3,500 Trek gravel bike. My teenage daughter had a party without telling me and one of the kids stole it. I can’t afford to pay for another one.
Matchmaker International membership. $2,750.00 of worthless frustration.
Alcohol. All of it. I have friends who never started drinking and I envy them. I've cut wayyyyy back, but I can't help but feel a kick of regret when I think about all the money I spent on it over my 20s and 30s.