Epic Fails! (What Were Your Biggest Wastes of Money?)

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seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
14,940
4,581
113
#1
Hey Singles!

Something I was thinking about today... What are some things you've spent money on but wish you hadn't? Was there a product or experience (lessons for something of interest, etc.) that you were really excited about... But it turned out to be a big disappointment?

And was there anything redeeming about your economic epic fail?

I know you'll laugh about this, but one of my (thankfully, minor) money failures has been, of all things, return address labels. Yes, the good old-fashioned paper kind that you actually stick onto a good old-fashioned paper envelope.

One of my favorite things since childhood has been sending and receiving mail, and so I've always spent a few extra dollars for return address labels in bright colors or with a particular design I liked (as someone who has sent out up to 60+ Christmas cards a year and used to write hundreds of other cards and letters, I considered them to be a necessity.) But over the years, finding anyone who actually writes back is impossible (unless they're incarcerated) and I've moved so many times that I never finish up a full supply. I'm finally come to the realization that... *sigh* No matter how many cards I send out this year, maybe I'll finally stop buying address labels...

Here are a few of my other classic wastes of money:

1. A wide array of low-quality "cheapie" products that I thought would save me money (shoes, soap, earrings, etc.) but wound up costing several times over because the product fell apart or caused an allergic reaction. I try to keep expenses modest but definitely believe in spending a little more on quality for anything that will affect health, safety, or comfort.

2. Various kitchen gadgets (I mistakenly thought a food processor would make chopping vegetables like broccoli easier) and supposed "miracle" tools for hobbies I've kept up with--that simply don't work.

3. Magazine subscriptions ("Shape", "Threads", etc.) that I thought would motivate me to actually do 100 crunches a day or take on the epic projects I'd always dreamed of!

3. My first two cars... If nothing else, I learned first hand what the definition of the phrase "money pit" means!

I'd really love to hear your stories!! What epic fails have YOU spent money on... and you wish you could get a refund?
 
H

Hellooo

Guest
#2
Dog accessories!
Baby barrettes, dog hairbows, toys...with the exception of her stuffed elephant, my dog doesn't care, she just humors me.
 

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
14,940
4,581
113
#3
Dog accessories!
Baby barrettes, dog hairbows, toys...with the exception of her stuffed elephant, my dog doesn't care, she just humors me.
Since dressing up your dog seems to be the theme here :D, I'm guessing chickwithsticks could give you a killer deal on a doggie sweater...
 
H

Hellooo

Guest
#4
I haven't yet succumbed to putting clothes on her, but I have totally thought about it.

I also used to be a sucker for cute notebooks (thanks target), justifying it with "well. I need this for bible study, this for work, this for to-do lists...". I had way too many that were unused, so I gave them to my youngest siblings for school
 
M

MissCris

Guest
#5
Three big ones I can think of-

1. The day before I dropped out of school, I got my hair cut super short- it was to the middle of my back, and I had it cut to about three inches all over. Fast forward about six months, it was growing out and looked totally stupid, so I paid well over $300 to get extensions...which started to fall out within days and I ended up having my friend take them out for me a week later. They were supposed to last several months. Oops.

2. I used $2,000 that my grandmother had been saving for me since I was a baby to purchase my first car from a well-known family in town. My mom picked it out, helped me test drive it, and added another $500 to what I had to help me buy it. I drove it for...two weeks, before it completely crapped out on me on the highway, late at night, when I had no phone. Sorry, Grandma...

3. Frizz-taming hair products. I actually gave up on them years ago, but I spent probably hundreds of dollars on this junk over the course of my teenage-early adult years, and they never. ever. worked. Oh, and straightening products, too, that promised no frizz and lots of shampoo-ad gloss. Pffffft. It's a lot cheaper to just use mousse to control the frizz and a hair dryer and round brush to straighten it.
 
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Siberian_Khatru

Guest
#6
$12 (maybe more; I forget) on a bar of soap. Great soap, mind you. It smells good and is devoid of some of the junk that goes into the mass produced soaps, but... $12+?

The zinger is that there's a vendor that sells the same soap at a nearby farmer's market for about $4 - $5.

"Epic Fail."
 
S

skylove7

Guest
#7
I once spent 25 bux on a spritz bottle of supposed
Vitamin Water for my face at a mall cosmetics counter

Rollseyes

Tap water was the same
 
H

Hellooo

Guest
#8
Ohh, skylove, that reminds me...bottled water! I KNOW it's inefficient costwise, but it was convenient. And the tap water in my city is foul.
I just bring a reusable bottle with me everywhere, i usually fill up from a gallon (also keep a few in my car) or from the dispenser at work.
 
D

Donkeyfish07

Guest
#9
I decided since I now live in an area where it is warm year round, that I will no longer wear shoes or socks.....only sandals (and I havent in over 5 months). Decided to get a "good" pair of sandals instead of cheaping out so I bought a 60 dollar pair from a higher end shoe store. Less than two weeks later, the back strap broke and it couldnt be repaired (metal brackets holding it of all things). I couldnt get a refund or exchange so I said oh well. Went to walmart and found a more comfortable pair for 5 dollars and they are still in the same condition as when I bought them and I wear them absolutely everywhere.

I could have gotten 12 pairs of superior sandals for the price of the horribly made ones that didnt last two weeks.
 
D

Donkeyfish07

Guest
#10
I once spent 25 bux on a spritz bottle of supposed
Vitamin Water for my face at a mall cosmetics counter

Rollseyes

Tap water was the same
Im in the wrong business. Step 1: buy empty bottles Step 2: fill with water Step 3: break up a vitamin c capsule and dump one into each bottle Step 4: Sell my vitamin enhanced cosmetic water treatment for 25 dollars
 

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
14,940
4,581
113
#11
I haven't yet succumbed to putting clothes on her, but I have totally thought about it.

I also used to be a sucker for cute notebooks (thanks target), justifying it with "well. I need this for bible study, this for work, this for to-do lists...". I had way too many that were unused, so I gave them to my youngest siblings for school
Some women have addictive relationships with shoes... I have an addictive relationships with Office Supplies. Notebooks, stationery, colored paper and envelopes, organizers, stickers... are all forms of catnip to me... And I probably have the World's Largest Collection of Rainbow-Colored Gel Pens (For a Girl Older Than 8.)

I am constantly sending out birthday cards and even choose specially-themed stamps from the post office that remind me of the person I'm sending them to (I just bought a sheet of Batman stamps for a card that will be sent to the littlest member of our family.)

Hellooo--I don't know if this will help but I've also found a Brita water filter (that works on your tap water) was also helpful in cutting back on buying bottled water. However, sometimes the cost of the filter and how often you may need to replace it (since you said your water was especially bad) might very well cancel out what you save.

Cristen--while you were tossing money to the wind on straightening products, I was eyeing those "curling" shampoos in the stores (my hair is naturally bone-straight.) Sigh. We should know better than to think they'd actually work, huh?

Skylove and Siberian--ah, the wonderful trap of overly hyped hygiene products that promise to make us smell and look good. I love them... But after many fails, now try to find the cheapest versions at Walmart.

Donkey--one of the things that frustrates me the most is the expense of trying to find out what does and doesn't work for myself as an individual. I've had only bad experiences with cheap shoes (and my job requires a lot of heavy lifting) and so I always shell out for ones that have at least a 1-inch padded sole or more.

When I was a kid, the dermatologist recommended Tide laundry detergent to my Mom because I kept breaking out in angry red rashes. As an adult I tried to substitute a much cheaper brand (Arm & Hammer unscented, 2 for $5!) but paid the price: my neck and shoulders turned into a fiery red allergic reaction, and this was 3 days before I was scheduled to appear in my best friend's wedding--in an off-the-shoulder dress, of course!!!

Half a bottle of Benadryl later... I could at least hide most of the red patches under a light coating of concealer... and from now on, no other detergent will ever touch my laundry except Tide. Even if I have to eat ramen noodles that week to make sure I can buy it! :D
 
Jul 25, 2015
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#12
I'm fairly certain I can have everyone beat..although this is not the right kind of game to win. Lol

after researching for two years on where to invest some money for retirement I purchased a rental property literally one month to the very day of the market crash. It's a very long story and nope still can't talk about it or laugh about it.

Maybe be next year.
 
D

Donkeyfish07

Guest
#13
I'm fairly certain I can have everyone beat..although this is not the right kind of game to win. Lol

after researching for two years on where to invest some money for retirement I purchased a rental property literally one month to the very day of the market crash. It's a very long story and nope still can't talk about it or laugh about it.

Maybe be next year.
ha ha, don't feel bad. If it makes you feel any better, I was trading natural gas all year profitably, amazing success rate. Here recently, i bought it at a point where i thought "oh what a great opportunity! This is probably the best entry Ive had yet". So of course i was leveraged to the gills and bought right before a gigantic overnight crash. I continued to hold for two more days until I finally conceded and sold at the point where I gave back all my natural gas gains for the year. Lol.

Also, not naming names but I have a friend here who had over a long period of time sank a lot of money into Enron before that whole operation came crashing down. So it could always be worse :p
 

BruceWayne

Senior Member
Aug 7, 2013
3,694
357
83
Gotham City
#14
Where to begin... lol just kidding. Umm I'm pretty calculated when it comes to anything I purchase, so I don't have too many regrets. But, once upon a time, I had a friend from high school who began working at a haircut place, so I agreed to let them cut my hair(which I was already reluctant to do, because I'm very particular about my hair). Not only did I waste 15 dollars, but I had the worst haircut I've ever had lol. Luckily my hair was a little longer at the time, so it easily corrected by someone else, but yeah... -_-
 
Jul 25, 2015
893
44
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#15
ha ha, don't feel bad. If it makes you feel any better, I was trading natural gas all year profitably, amazing success rate. Here recently, i bought it at a point where i thought "oh what a great opportunity! This is probably the best entry Ive had yet". So of course i was leveraged to the gills and bought right before a gigantic overnight crash. I continued to hold for two more days until I finally conceded and sold at the point where I gave back all my natural gas gains for the year. Lol.

Also, not naming names but I have a friend here who had over a long period of time sank a lot of money into Enron before that whole operation came crashing down. So it could always be worse :p
Thank you for sharing and it does help. All that planning for 2 years and it was a calculated investment as who could predict the extent of the mortgage crash. My other investments have done well but like you some major gains were "washed" with that dibocal.
 
Jul 25, 2015
893
44
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#16
Where to begin... lol just kidding. Umm I'm pretty calculated when it comes to anything I purchase, so I don't have too many regrets. But, once upon a time, I had a friend from high school who began working at a haircut place, so I agreed to let them cut my hair(which I was already reluctant to do, because I'm very particular about my hair). Not only did I waste 15 dollars, but I had the worst haircut I've ever had lol. Luckily my hair was a little longer at the time, so it easily corrected by someone else, but yeah... -_-
A haircut! Haircut!!! Thats the best you got Batman! Face palm....sheesh

Hit it with your purse Nancy...
 
S

skylove7

Guest
#17
Awesome thread idea!
Thanks Kim!

Also thank you ALL for sharing tips and epic fails lol
Very helpful and I love you all for it!

Oh...if I may say
This is not MY experience
But a friend of mine has 3 children and she bought the Ninja Bullet blender thingy hoping to make the nutricious veggie drinks for her children.

Now she claims this was a failure for her budget because she claims she spent 3 times as much on groceries
She said it took 3 times as much fruits and veggies to make the drinks as opposed to cooking the veggies for her kids.

Lol now I dunno
Im just kinda sharing one persons opinion of the blender
I was tempted to buy one myself
Now...not so sure lol
 
S

skylove7

Guest
#18
Im in the wrong business. Step 1: buy empty bottles Step 2: fill with water Step 3: break up a vitamin c capsule and dump one into each bottle Step 4: Sell my vitamin enhanced cosmetic water treatment for 25 dollars
Lol....
PM me when you invent the facial spritz!
Haha....I'd give you my 20 bucks before I would some clown at the mall.

BTW.....lots of Vitamin E ok haha :p
 

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
14,940
4,581
113
#19
Aw Chick, I'm very sorry this happened to you, especially after being so diligent and faithful.

My grandparents once saved up for a dream trip in their retirement (I forget where it was to) and had forked over a lot of money (if I remember right, it was something like $3000) and the company that sold it to them went bust... and the "travel agent" that sold them the package promptly disappeared, taking their money--and probably several others' $ with them.

I know this will seem like a small consolation but there are places in the Bible where it talks about a "double portion" (Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah's anointing), and I believe God truly remembers His faithful who are wise stewards of His resources, and God praises good business sense very highly.

If you aren't paid back in this existence, I have no doubts it will all come back to--several times over--in the next.

Bad haircuts *smile*... Don't even get me started. I've always found better cuts with talented stylists at small, no-name, hole-in-the-wall salons, but it's hard to find the right ones.
 
May 16, 2015
67
0
6
#20
Gym membership, never had enough time. I got some weights at a store and have a lot more time at home to lift. also more money.

netflix/subscriptions for tv or magazines. getting rid of subscription based services or products saves so much money.