What Are Your Biggest "Buying Regrets" -- Things You Bought That You Wish You Wouldn't Have?

[seoulsearch]

Hey Everyone,

Lately I've been listening to a lot of videos about people who are "house poor" (bought a house they really can't afford,) or are under stress because of various things they bought and are having trouble paying off (cars, luxuries, trips, etc.) I feel especially sorry for the people who bought things they COULD afford at the time, but the expenses surrounding them went up so much, that now they are considering selling.

I find it to be a good learning experience and reminder to myself to try to be very careful about what I purchase.

And it's not just with big ticket items.

I've found that I can pretty easily say no to the big things and make do with something smaller or less fancy. But the places where I really have to watch myself are the little things -- like, my favorite brand of candles go on sale, and suddenly I think I can stock up for a whole year. Or I get enthused about a certain hobby, buy ALL THE THINGS one gets entranced with when discovering something new -- only to find out it isn't really for me, or I lose interest and move on, leaving a pile of things I have to sell, give, or throw away.

And it leaves me kicking myself for wasting money on things I could have avoided if I'd just been a little more mindful! Haven't we all cleaned out our kitchens, closets, and garages, lamenting about all the money we wish we could get back? (Possibly to spend on even more frivolous things we'd have to get rid of, but I digress.)

I saw one video of a young Christian mom who bought a breadmaker during The Time We Were All Trapped at Home, thinking she'd learn to make much healthier bread for her husband and kids -- only to use it twice before looking to give it away.

Can you relate?

* What things do YOU regret buying? Any big ticket items like a home, car, or vacation? What about everyday things like electronics/tech, games or consoles, kitchen/household appliances, clothes, hobbies, toys, tools, etc?

* What suckered you into buying them in the first place?

* What did you wind up doing/ are you going to do with them once you realized it was a purchasing mistake?

* What do you wish you could have rather spent the money on, and what will you do to avoid making such purchases in the future?

We've all made some bad buying decisions.

Let's talk about a few of them together!

 

[Gideon300]

Hey Everyone,

Lately I've been listening to a lot of videos about people who are "house poor" (bought a house they really can't afford,) or are under stress because of various things they bought and are having trouble paying off (cars, luxuries, trips, etc.) I feel especially sorry for the people who bought things they COULD afford at the time, but the expenses surrounding them went up so much, that now they are considering selling.

I find it to be a good learning experience and reminder to myself to try to be very careful about what I purchase.

And it's not just with big ticket items.

I've found that I can pretty easily say no to the big things and make do with something smaller or less fancy. But the places where I really have to watch myself are the little things -- like, my favorite brand of candles go on sale, and suddenly I think I can stock up for a whole year. Or I get enthused about a certain hobby, buy ALL THE THINGS one gets entranced with when discovering something new -- only to find out it isn't really for me, or I lose interest and move on, leaving a pile of things I have to sell, give, or throw away.

And it leaves me kicking myself for wasting money on things I could have avoided if I'd just been a little more mindful! Haven't we all cleaned out our kitchens, closets, and garages, lamenting about all the money we wish we could get back? (Possibly to spend on even more frivolous things we'd have to get rid of, but I digress.)

I saw one video of a young Christian mom who bought a breadmaker during The Time We Were All Trapped at Home, thinking she'd learn to make much healthier bread for her husband and kids -- only to use it twice before looking to give it away.

Can you relate?

* What things do YOU regret buying? Any big ticket items like a home, car, or vacation? What about everyday things like electronics/tech, games or consoles, kitchen/household appliances, clothes, hobbies, toys, tools, etc?

* What suckered you into buying them in the first place?

* What did you wind up doing/ are you going to do with them once you realized it was a purchasing mistake?

* What do you wish you could have rather spent the money on, and what will you do to avoid making such purchases in the future?

We've all made some bad buying decisions.

Let's talk about a few of them together!

Cars. I learned my lesson eventually. The last one I bought in 2016, paid cash and it's still in good shape. If ever I buy a new one, (not a given) it will be an EV.

 

[DeanM]

Console and handheld game devices. I have a PS2, PS4 Gamecube, DS2 and a Switch Lite. Guess what I play? PC games 😂

 

[Tall_Timbers]

I sold a pair of 20 year old F250s just because they were 20 years old. Both had been excellent trucks. I bought a new truck, a gasser to replace those diesels. The design of the body on the new truck was such that I couldn't see what I was doing when plowing, and it was horrible at towing. I drove it down to Oregon to pick up a new Cargo Trailer and on the way back I started talking about getting rid of this worthless F250... by the time I got back home to Fairbanks I was ready to give that truck back to the dealer and order something else.

I bought a used travel trailer, first one and last one for me. Turned out it needed a lot of work and some work wasn't working out. The refrigerator kept quitting on us and I had it supposedly repaired several times, but it kept quitting on us. The hot water heater quit working and nobody would sell me the part because there was some kind of recall on the water heater and for some reason they weren't repairing them because they were a fire hazard or some such thing... so I couldn't repair that. Both axles and all the springs needed replacing but I didn't figure that out until I'd been stranded a couple of times in Canada and ripped off by 2 or 3 businesses. I finally replaced all that stuff on my own, and then donated the travel trailer to a homeless shelter that sold it at an auction. I did give the homeless shelter full disclosure on the fridge and hot water heater... everything else was in good shape when I gave it to them. It's too bad that the travel trailer was such a bad experience because I enjoyed staying in trailer parks v.s. hotels.

 

[Lynx]

Regrets, I've had a few
But then again
Too few to mention...

Wait, that's the song I used last time this topic came up.

Oh well. I can't think of any other song to cover this.

I have bought a few things I realized I did not either need or want. But I considered it a learning experience, so that was tuition.

Most of my regrettable things have been from the salvage grocery. That doesn't mean I regret going there... It's just that I buy so much there that a few things have to come up bad, just from the law of averages. I go there to find neat things, not to save money. They have so much stuff that you will never see at the regular grocery store. I often buy stuff based on "at that price, why not?"

Sometimes I find out why not. But then the dog has a good day. He is usually downright happy to help me with anything I don't want to eat myself.

 

[Lynx]

My latest regret is the great value brand of club crackers. Um... Why do they taste like they have asbestos in them? Oh well. My dog eats them.

My most memorable regret was anchovies. Soooooo many things wrong with that taste.

 

[seoulsearch]

It's been really interesting to me that so far, all men have answered.

I guess this is showing how naive I am, but I figured it would be a lot of women talking about their purchase regrets, since women are so closely associated with shopping! It's been a treat to hear about what men have regretted buying, too.

I appreciate the plethora of useful information here! Lots of great points to think about when making certain purchases.

Nowadays, I have a checklist I TRY to adhere to when choosing to actually throw something in my cart:

1. Is it practical? Will I get a lot of use/wear/enjoyment from it?

2. Is it easy and cheap to clean and maintain?

3. Do I really have room for this? (In both my space and my budget, and what would I get rid of in its place?)

4. Do I need to have this as something brand-new, or will used do?

5. Who can I give it to/where can I donate this if I find it doesn't work out?


I hope people will keep these stories coming! They help teach me about things I might have never considered before when shopping.

 

[Jimbone]

A collage education, that is the worst investment I ever made in my life. I mean this for me personally, this has nothing at all to do with how I feel about collage or what anyone else does or wants to do. For me, the worst thing that "I" ever bought, was collage classes.

 

[DeanM]

It's been really interesting to me that so far, all men have answered.

I guess this is showing how naive I am, but I figured it would be a lot of women talking about their purchase regrets, since women are so closely associated with shopping! It's been a treat to hear about what men have regretted buying, too.

I appreciate the plethora of useful information here! Lots of great points to think about when making certain purchases.

Nowadays, I have a checklist I TRY to adhere to when choosing to actually throw something in my cart:

1. Is it practical? Will I get a lot of use/wear/enjoyment from it?

2. Is it easy and cheap to clean and maintain?

3. Do I really have room for this? (In both my space and my budget, and what would I get rid of in its place?)

4. Do I need to have this as something brand-new, or will used do?

5. Who can I give it to/where can I donate this if I find it doesn't work out?


I hope people will keep these stories coming! They help teach me about things I might have never considered before when shopping.

Men are only little boys they just get more expensive toys.

 

[seoulsearch]

A collage education, that is the worst investment I ever made in my life. I mean this for me personally, this has nothing at all to do with how I feel about collage or what anyone else does or wants to do. For me, the worst thing that "I" ever bought, was collage classes.

Thank you for this!!!

I have often thought about how I've never really used my degree. I'm thankful for the experiences I had while in college (interactions with students and professors, meetings and committees I had to serve on, co-workers on various jobs and projects,) but I often regret spending all that money -- and of course, wish I could get it back.

My one redemption in this area is that my first two years were at a local community college, so at least getting the basics out of the way wasn't nearly as expensive as it could have been.

Now of course, if someone wants to be a doctor or something that NEEDS further education, then by all means.

But I appreciate your honesty, because when younger people ask if they should go to college, I'm always on the fence about how to answer.

 

[seoulsearch]

Men are only little boys they just get more expensive toys.

Lol!

The truth comes out!

I was actually always a bit of a tomboy growing up. I never had Barbie's, but was fascinated by things like laser guns and trucks with moving parts.

Back when I was in a relationship, I used to pride myself on being able to shop for a guy pretty well -- at least I thought so -- he might have told you differently though!

I enjoy hearing these stories because women are so closely associated with shopping -- it's nice to hear what the men like to look for, too.

 

[justahumanbeing]

Hey Everyone,

Lately I've been listening to a lot of videos about people who are "house poor" (bought a house they really can't afford,) or are under stress because of various things they bought and are having trouble paying off (cars, luxuries, trips, etc.) I feel especially sorry for the people who bought things they COULD afford at the time, but the expenses surrounding them went up so much, that now they are considering selling.

I find it to be a good learning experience and reminder to myself to try to be very careful about what I purchase.

And it's not just with big ticket items.

I've found that I can pretty easily say no to the big things and make do with something smaller or less fancy. But the places where I really have to watch myself are the little things -- like, my favorite brand of candles go on sale, and suddenly I think I can stock up for a whole year. Or I get enthused about a certain hobby, buy ALL THE THINGS one gets entranced with when discovering something new -- only to find out it isn't really for me, or I lose interest and move on, leaving a pile of things I have to sell, give, or throw away.

And it leaves me kicking myself for wasting money on things I could have avoided if I'd just been a little more mindful! Haven't we all cleaned out our kitchens, closets, and garages, lamenting about all the money we wish we could get back? (Possibly to spend on even more frivolous things we'd have to get rid of, but I digress.)

I saw one video of a young Christian mom who bought a breadmaker during The Time We Were All Trapped at Home, thinking she'd learn to make much healthier bread for her husband and kids -- only to use it twice before looking to give it away.

Can you relate?

* What things do YOU regret buying? Any big ticket items like a home, car, or vacation? What about everyday things like electronics/tech, games or consoles, kitchen/household appliances, clothes, hobbies, toys, tools, etc?

* What suckered you into buying them in the first place?

* What did you wind up doing/ are you going to do with them once you realized it was a purchasing mistake?

* What do you wish you could have rather spent the money on, and what will you do to avoid making such purchases in the future?

We've all made some bad buying decisions.

Let's talk about a few of them together!

I am not a big spender. I have spent a lot for myself as an athlete for my training. That is important. Other than this, I hardly spend anything.

Of course, there are some buying regrets with certain items.

If you travel by train in India, just be wary of what you purchase. Eg: I bought honey and it turned out to be sugar syrup. I was fooled.

Also don't sleep in the station. I lost my carry bag as I was sleeping. Someone took it straight out of my sleeping hands and walked away. This happened at a train terminal.

I bought a share in a pyramid scheme because a very close friend said that it was an investment that would bring in income. It turned out to be a ponzi scheme and my friend betrayed me. The worst part, he became bitter and verbally abused me and I could feel his hatred of me. We were close. I cut that friendship for good and the trust is broken forever. That guy's a Christian by the way

We all pay for things which sometimes are dead ends and sometimes it is just bad luck. I always pray to Jesus for these things as well. I admit I am not so wise when I made those decisions. Just be alert on these things and with your money. Be on your guard to whom you lend to. How much you lend. What you lend is as good as lost if it is a friend.

I would always help someone. I am all for helping people. But only if I have enough myself. I don't like being panhandled by beggars. I would give them when I can. Not when I am busy running and working and they stop me forcefully to pay them change. That's wrong. There are people who walk leisurely who would be willing to help.

I know my values may not be the same as many of you. This is me.

Give everything in God's hands. Try to save as much as you can for a rainy day. Don't trust people, especially ones you don't know and even more importantly, ones you think you can trust with your money.

May Jesus bless all of us.

 

[justahumanbeing]

A collage education, that is the worst investment I ever made in my life. I mean this for me personally, this has nothing at all to do with how I feel about collage or what anyone else does or wants to do. For me, the worst thing that "I" ever bought, was collage classes.

I got to meet a lot of different people in college. I grew up in a collage. Where there is a lack of good parenting, college would impart to you values through education, friendship and peers. I was blessed to learn a lot being among a college society. I would not be who I am today if not for my college education. I made a lot of mistakes and embarrassed myself in college. I learned through trial and error most of what I know. The degree is ok. There was no Campus placement. But you meet good people who help you tremendously in your life in college. You also meet people who play you for a fool in college. If you have other ways to make money, it's right. You don't need a college education. But it is essential for a lot of people out there. I agree with what you wrote by the way

 

[Genipher]

A wood chipper.
We have several fruit trees and the city only takes debris 2x a year so I convinced the husband that we needed a chipper. Thought it would be helpful for the garden or chicken run. Husband assembled it and I was going to run all the branches through. He left me to my task. I spent more time unscrewing the back and cleaning up clogs than getting the job done. And every time I had to turn the machine off, I had to have my husband or 18 year old son come restart the dang thing cause I just wasn't strong enough.
It sat in our garage for a couple months before I told husband I was going to sell it cause I just couldn't use it and he wasn't interested in chipping wood. Lost money on it for sure.

I'm usually the one that ends up wasting money on purchases that I think will be helpful.

Couple years back we bought a butchered hog. We had to buy a freezer to hold all the meat. When the meat ran out and we didn't have the funds to keep it full and it was taking up space, I sold it. At a loss. Then this last year we bought a butchered cow and I was kicking myself for not keeping that freezer. Ended up having to go out and buy one AGAIN.

 

[Jimbone]

I got to meet a lot of different people in college. I grew up in a collage. Where there is a lack of good parenting, college would impart to you values through education, friendship and peers. I was blessed to learn a lot being among a college society. I would not be who I am today if not for my college education. I made a lot of mistakes and embarrassed myself in college. I learned through trial and error most of what I know. The degree is ok. There was no Campus placement. But you meet good people who help you tremendously in your life in college. You also meet people who play you for a fool in college. If you have other ways to make money, it's right. You don't need a college education. But it is essential for a lot of people out there. I agree with what you wrote by the way

Yeah, that was why I was very clear stating I was only speaking about myself and my decision. I get you though, collage is definatly benifical to a great many people, I just wasn't one of them, it was a scam that I fell for when I was already making 6 figures cutting down trees. Thought I could afford it and did for 2 of the 3 years, then 2008 hit, work disappered and school decided I didn't belong there anymore seeing as how I was now broke. No degree, no better career, just crushing debt.

This is written like "poor me", but it was all my decision, and it was just a bad one. That's why I qualified my first comment the way I did. Collage is great for those with goals that require it, but the scam is that it's sold to us like going to collage automatically grants us a successful life as we grow up. Again, we have freedom and can choose whatever we want to do, collage is just not the only road to success, and I wish we were taught that more growing up. I'm teaching my boys that and one cares nothing about collage and the other is working for scholarships. So, know I do agree with you as well.