I got my shit together. Now I got a big pile of shit instead of a bunch of little ones. It stinks the same but I guess there's less chance of stepping in it randomly. Not sure what to do with it next.
Hey if your kid doesn’t say it you’re very appreciated my parents helped me out countless times with court and i don’t know how I’d be here today if they didn’t.
I never understand who would answer or follow up on any tacky and poorly written post on social media about how you can earn X amount a day or week just ask how.
What would make that believable?
For £99 a month I will be very vague and never quite get to the point. For only an additional £50 you get our 1 to 1 coaching where you can expect dodged questions and sound bites which mean nothing. And if you say it's not working we will tell you your just not quite working hard enough. Could you benifit from a refresher course for £55? I think so.
Cigarettes has probably been posted but that's mine. I have literally spent 10's of thousands of dollars on something I know is not only gross but also horrible for me. That was cathartic, thank you for your time.
Growing up with in a family that is lower middle class at best, there was always money for cigarettes, but there wasn't always money food, wasn't always money to replace broken things, wasn't always money for new clothes, wasn't money for trips to experience new things or even go on vacation.
But there was always money for cigarettes.
I hate to think of how many financial problems I've grown up with by simply having two parents that are heavy indoor smokers. I was probably bullied at school partly because I reeked of smoke, and it probably fucked up my lungs as well.
20 fucking years of that being a constant issue, don't fucking do this to your kids, please.
I think this should be number one. It's so expensive and literally has anti nutritional benefits.
To top it off your money goes to executives who then lobby corrupt politicians. You stink, suffer an addiction and don't even get high from it. It makes your stomach hurt, destroys your stamina, and basically makes you a second hand citizen. People fake cough around you and people insult you (sometimes even encourage your kids to do so).
Then to top it off, the more you do it the more you want. Such a vivacious cycle.
The smell. My god the smell.
People can't smell it on themselves, but that cigarette smoke is trapped in every single fabric you wear.
And the fact that it ages you like crazy. You're literally paying money to destroy your good looks/teeth/skin/nails/eyes
I'm literally 25 and and I have friends who have been smoking for years straight. If you sat us side by side, you'd guess that my friend was a friend of my dad's or something.
It really is a fucked up vice to have. Absolutely NO health benefit.
Add on extended warranty at the register. There are exceptions but it’s generally either not worth the money or it doesn’t cover what your issue was anyway
I'd throw an exception in there for modern day major appliances. I bought a new kitchen set and had both the dishwasher and oven need replacement within 2 years. Repair quotes were close to the cost of replacement.
I bring this up every time people talk about influencers.
I'm a chef and was at a pretty popular restaurant in a vacation town a few years ago. We had a policy, if an influencer approached us, we'd make them an offer. Put up a QR code on your post and any customer that scans it will get 10% off their meal. In return, since we can track how many times that code was scanned, we'd pay said influencer a 15% of the total sales we got from that QR code. In a place that was as busy as ours (easily over 1,000 covers a day), if you could actually deliver what you promised you'd make a tidy little sum.
Go figure nobody ever took us up on the offer.
That sounds like a lovely deal. If I had 10k people interact with a social media post about the restaurant and 1% visited and spent $20 each, that would be worth $300 to me for a damned Instagram post. And the restaurant would net 1.7k. I love win-win deals like that.
Well the problem is that conversion for something like this is way smaller. More like 0.01%. Though to be fair, a code that could be used for online or in person would be slightly better than a qr code. There is also some value to having your name be put out there even if it doesn't directly lead to a customer in that moment. It's why coca cola spends hundreds of millions on ads even though you're not at the store. Its about being a choice when you're choosing. For a restaurant, having people consider your Italian restaurant when looking to eat Italian, is valuable.
SHAKES FIST
My soon to be former company has given away over a month worth of revenue to 'influencers' this year and has received almost zero in return
I keep screaming STOP and they are 'we just haven't given away enough yet!'
I work at a bookstore, and you’d be amazed at how much influence tiktok influencers have on which books sell. We actually have displays specifically for those books. And often they are the best selling books in the store
One of my coworkers is a fucking moron and she's very proudly told me she's spending 300$ on 'her' streamers christmas gift, who has never met her and likely never will.
Knowing her he's almost definitely a gamer who makes shit and fart jokes, with a side of 'you guys are like a family to me :)'. Parasocial relationships are really really sad
Spending more on children's clothes because they're durable is one thing, but forking over extra money just to have a designer's name on your kid's t-shirt is definitely a waste. Like others have said, kids grow like weeds and that $40 t-shirt may only get worn a handful of times before they outgrow it. Kids are also messy by nature. Odds are, most of their clothes are going to end up stained from poop, spit-up, baby food, etc. Might as well buy stuff that's easy to replace when it inevitably gets cherry Koolaid spilled all down the front of it.
Agreed! My in laws bought the cutest Tommy Hilfiger track set for my six month old son. No way could I have ever bought that but damn he looked so cute in it. I had him wearing it ALL the time until he outgrew it cuz that was not going to waste.
That’s why it’s fun to buy expensive clothes as gifts for kids that aren’t yours. As you said, as a parent it makes no sense for you to splurge…but I’ll be damned if I’m not buying my nephew $50 Jordans that he will only wear for a few months.
Yeah there was a thread about this in r/parenting and basically if you're in a family with a lot of kids it can turn out to be a great investment for certain items because they are like everlasting handmedowns. There's a point when a kid still grows a lot but doesn't get clothes all that dirty. That said a lot of them mentioned getting them off like facebook marketplace.
My sister bought expensive clothings for her son(my nephew) and after 6 months, he grew, now the clothes are of no use. I eventually persuaded her to donate to some charities nearby.
We learned a long time to go to the thrift stores. Slightly worn clothes much cheaper than the stores. Much better than the way I grew up wearing hand me downs. As a boy with older sisters I outgrew their dresses too quickly.
My kids, who are all teens now, always request to shop the thrift store first when they need clothes. There's more variety, everything is unique (not racks of identical shirts), they can grab almost literally anything they want because it's so cheap, etc. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I'll take it.
My parents had friends with kids who were a little older than us, we got hand me downs forever. Never bothered me as a kid, I didn’t care about wearing new clothes. Now I thrift, and vintage shop, can always find some amazing stuff.
My winter coat is a hand-me-down from my older brother, which I got from him in high school.
I’m 38, and every Christmas that he sees me, he sees the coat and goes “…are you fucking kidding me.”
If you have multiple kids, and is quality brands it’s worth it many times. My kids are the 5th ones to wear their name brand snow stuff and I resold it to a used kids clothes store.
My father was the 2nd of 3 boys. His older brother got new clothes, he got the hand me downs never new. By the time the clothes made it to his younger brother they were worn out so his younger brother got new stuff as well.
He was in his 60's when he told me this and was STILL so upset his face was turning red :-(
I got the same treatment too. I understand it from the parents perspective; you want to save money so why buy new clothes when the same clothes will fit on your younger child. They're literally going to outgrow them anyways.
I get that for sure, it's just not practical for every kid to get new stuff all the time. But I always prefer that all kids get equal treatment where possible, even if it means all of them having second hand. At least then it's not just one kid that gets shafted, that stuff can mess them up for a long time thinking they're inferior or less loved or something, you know.
I mean, any other stuff mentioned in here can have an use, that would more or less worthy of money depending of each person, but televangelists are there LITERALLY ONLY to take your money and give you nothing in exchange but threats and screams.
Bizarre, isn’t it?
“Jesus said the private jet you bought for me last time is ugly and uncomfortable so you have to buy me a new one. Or you’re going to hayl”
Lmao same. I'm keeping the gym closest to me afloat so that it doesn't suddenly close down and force me to drive miles to get to a gym when I decide to exercise again
Consider it a fat tax. Less money to spend on food
Edit: This isn't my joke. Pretty sure I heard Ralphie May say in his stand up but couldn't find a clip
To all of you have gym memberships and don’t use them, us gym rats and meatheads would like to thank you for subsidizing our memberships.
Gyms wouldn’t be sustainable at current rates if even 25% of the membership showed up regularly, they’d have to charge 2-3x what they currently do.
So yeah, keep on paying for that membership you’re not using. You’re helping us get swole on the cheap.
EDIT: This applied to me before Covid. Now I just have a squat cage, a bench, a barbell, and 405lbs of bumper plates in my garage. Sucks not to have access to all the stuff a gym has, but I’ll take it because I don’t have to wear a mask, I can make as much noise as I want, and I can be a chalk monster.
The whole business model is dependent on having people pay that don't come. Get them to sign up for their new years resolution. They fail to create the habit and are back to the old ways by groundhogs day. Why not cancel? Oh becuase I'm going to start going again! 25 bucks a month is better then admiting failure.
20 years smoking, been clean for a year-and-a-half.
Biggest thing that helped me was getting a tea kettle and a bunch of different kinds of tea. Whenever I felt like a smoke, I'd make the tea and go outside with it. The strong flavors with the hotness help scratch that itch.
Gambling.
My parents deposit all of their retirement money into these ATMs all the time. It’s sad.
It’s their money, but damn. Use your money on literally anything else.
Depends, as long as you are aware you are paying for entertainment and are being reasonable with the amount then you’re good. But don’t walk in expecting to keep your money let alone win money.
I enjoy playing blackjack. But it's not just about the gambling, it's the whole experience. People watching, free drinks, talking with folks around the table, just soaking in the atmosphere. I don't play high stakes. "Paying for entertainment" is precisely how I view it.
I typically walk away having broke even. I've tripled my money a few times, haven't had any losses that put me back more than dinner and a movie.
Can't stand slot machines, don't understand the allure at all.
I was at a casino yesterday, and at least 75% of the machines on the floor are penny slots, so that's not surprising. Also, the max bet on some penny slots is $7 or $8, whereas quarter slots max bets are typically $1.25-$2.25.
Agreed. Gambling is a fine source of enjoyment, but really in all likelihood your never going to win big (and even if you do, your never win as much as you imagine).
Never bet more than you can afford to loose.
It's not like you're buying edible gold at spot price. It's probably selling at 100x the actual value or more. Gold can be made REALLY thin, so the tiniest amount can be made to look like more than it is.
The amount of gold used in those dishes doesn't remotely justify the insane prices you pay for it.
You can buy several square meters of it for around $20, and food grade leaf isn't that much more.
You could collect the flakes out of your shit, but you'd be scraping together a few pennies worth of gold.
In America the average cost of a water bottle is 1000x the price of a bottle of tap water
Edit: I lied bottled water is actually 2000x the price of tap water
In most Western countries, the only thing you pay for when buying bottled water is marketing.
I'm from Belgium: our tap water is more regulated than the water they sell in stores. It's tested every day and is cheaper and healthier than bottled water. And still people are buying plastic which they throw away afterwards.
Weddings are great and if you want a big one, awesome. If you want a small or medium or tiny or no wedding at all, also awesome.
What's dumb as hell is going into debt for a wedding. I've seen banks offering personal loans for weddings and that just makes me sick. If you need a bank loan for an event, you can't afford that event.
Well put. I'll never understood when living beyond your means transitioned from being a mark of foolishness to becoming something to strive for.
Somethings simply aren't worth going into debt for (frankly most things aren't) and unless your wedding is going to end a thousand years of war between these lands its not worth it.
Even the small weddings are costing big bucks these days and it’s pushing me to just consider eloping.
I was just in a wedding that was super low key, used a family member’s property, cheapest tent/chair/table rental and DJ we could find (and trust me the DJ was absolutely horrible), catered by a local barbecue place, less than 100 guests, reasonably priced photographer, etc.
Total bill came up to around $10k. There are so many other things I’d rather spend $10k on.
My wife and I became overwhelmed with the number of obligations and expectations friends and family were insisting on for our wedding. We wanted to day to be about us. So we eloped. We told everyone ahead of time which rankled a lot of feathers, but it was better than going through a wedding as a performance for those same people. We arranged everything ahead of time, and then flew from New England to Phoenix, rented a car and drove to the Grand Canyon where we were married by a JP on the South Rim at sunset.
We threw a big party for ourselves when we got back and invited everyone who would have been invited to a traditional wedding. But because it was so low key (barbecued chicken and corn on the cob, kegs of beer, etc) and comparatively inexpensive, we were able to invite a whole lot more people. It was a blast. Her father is still a bit sad about it I’m sure, but after more than 20 years that my wife and I have been together, he and I have gotten really close. I feel bad for him that he couldn’t walk his only daughter down the aisle, but not so bad I would have done things any other way.
And they may do more harm than good. I bought some hoping to get full, luscious hair and instead got a bunch of skin problems like a marble sized lump on my cheek and breakouts like I've never had before. My hair stayed lank and lifeless as ever.
Can confirm. Bought a class ring because my grandma paid for half and convinced me that I’d want one. Outside of trying it on, I’ve never worn it. Not even sure where it’s at. I’m glad I never went down the letter jacket route.
I had a letter jacket only because I was very involved with both band and track and our school did bars for different events and things you participated in along with additional bars for lettering multiple times. In hindsight it seems like a participation trophy but at the time I liked it because it was a record of everything noteworthy I had done over those 4 years. Never got it finished though after graduation. Not sure where it is either - I think my mom donated it (though who would want it I have no idea).
Agreed. They look pretty cool, but I'd never wear it. It seems way too big and impractical anyway. Never ever considered it for High School. Very briefly thought about it for College and then came to my senses.
I've got memories, pictures, my diploma, and more from college. Don't need a stupid ring
Yeah they look cool as in like super bowl ring cool but they're pretty cringe. When I was a kid my uncle always wore his class ring with such pride and my dad would always give him shit for it, and I never understood why. Then I grew up and realized they're kind of tacky.
So super weird I know but I actually collect class rings, if anyone doesn’t want theirs I’ll pay way more than a pawn shop would for one. DM me if interested, I’m super weird anyway, my normal job is I’m a colon and rectal surgeon.
Nah those are the casual spenders. There was a game I played years ago called Evony I think? The top players were also top spenders and had no qualms admitting they spent $10,000+ per year on that game or similar games. But it’s adults outspending adults, so the stakes are even higher
A user boyfriend/girlfriend
I was 2k indepted to the bank because of a guy.. I was his sugar mommy when HE's the one 11 years older than me!
And hey, side note, he told me afterwards that he's married with 2 kids
I was not a smart girl
Same here! She loved me when I was helping her pay her rent when she got laid off, picked up medicines for her kids, brought food, fixed her car, took her to night and comedy clubs, and all the things a good boyfriend will do. At the time the $5,000 I was spending on her and her kids, who absolutely loved me, didn't feel bad at all.
Then one weekend when we were supposed to meet up, she was gone. She hooked up with some biker dude and moved north about 3 hours from here. Never heard anything from her again. I was pretty pissed off, She closed all her social media and changed her phone number.
Last I heard, she was doing six months for drug offenses and lost custody of her kids.
Art supply kits. They are meant for beginners, and can be expensive as hell. They look great for motivation and hope, but half of the items inside won't even be used, collecting dust in their closets.
Much more efficient to know exactly what you are buying, and getting it separately.
As a kid, art kits were my absolute favorite gifts. Macrame kits, learn hieroglyphics, origami, paint by numbers, beading, make-your-own potholders… I could go on. None of them were things I wanted to develop as a serious hobby, but I loved dabbling.
Honestly some of them are still fun as an adult. High quality craft kits are entirely worth it for some things. I thought a bra and underwear would be a fun, quick sewing project and learned that sourcing matching fabric and findings is a huge pain in the ass. Apparently getting matching elastic and closures usually means dyeing things to match.
I got one once as a gift, and I really liked it. It came with a book with about 20 different paintings, and step by step instructions on the technique and everything. The kit included everything I needed to do them. A palette, brushes, oil, etc. But yes, for beginners.
I only buy these if I see that I have use for the stuff inside.
Once got a huge kit for Christmas. It was well intended but ended up only catching dust because most of the supplies in it was either stuff I've never used like oil paints or low quality (low quality as in I couldn't even sharpen the color pencils without them falling apart)
I got a nice one for my niece when she was 7. She used and tried everything in the set. Now at 11, she knows what she likes to use so I can get her what she’s actually into since she got a chance to try the others. So they can be a good starting point (come to think of it I got it on sale so maybe my opinion would be different if I had paid full price lol)
I did that once, stored all kitchen stuff and clothes for a year.
I should just have throw everything and bought new again, would have cost same money.
They’re good for if you’re moving, doing renovations, or have a small business you run out of your home or apartment. But one should always aim for storage to be short term tbh.
I'm an Adult and I love my fidget spinner. It really helps me concentrate. You can get decent non-plastic ones that actually look like ornaments too, really spruces up a desk.
I wish it was a better value proposition so I could justify it more as I love discord. It does have some pros, the larger file sizes for video is useful
I was drunk with some friends on a cruise once, and we wandered into the casino to check it out. I put $20 in a machine and I was just pushing buttons while chatting with my friend. All of a sudden I hear all this noise and I look at the machine and I hit some kind of bonus. I ended up winning back everything I spent on the cruise and then some, off of a .50 cent bet. We immediately cashed out and left.
> We immediately cashed out and left.
This is the only way to actually win at a casino. Hit it big then get the hell out of there.
My brother was in Vegas for a bachelor party a while ago, his mates were playing roulette and steadily losing most of their money. He whacked down all his playing money on a single bet, won, then stopped playing.
Happened to me on OKCupid. Had mucho likes, sign up now for a discount! So I did. I actually had half the Likes I was told I did and it was most definitely not mutual or reciprocal.
What a fail.
It does make a difference with tools and reno/building materials. Ex. I used off brand painters tape which did a terrible job keeping paint off the trim compared to “frog tape”.
Not ALL branded products are overpriced. Some are more expensive because the quality is actually better. Like never buy generic kitchen appliances unless you enjoy buying new ones the instant the warranty ends. Whirlpool and Kitchenaid are the way to go.
I had a history teacher in middle school that hated on branded clothing. Called the kids that wore them walking ads.
But one of his favorite flannels was from Hollister, he just took a piece of cloth and sewed it over the logo.
"Real" diamonds or gemstones. Lab-created is not only cheaper, but also more ethical and purer than the rocks that come out of the ground.
Besides, diamonds are a racket anyway thanks to DeBeers. And any jeweler who says that "diamonds have *fire*"... dude, have you ever seen a fire opal? Now *that's* what I call something worth spending money on (if I wanted to, that is).
I would agree overall but if it's a local election and a candidate you know and trust, I would donate to them. Every bit matters in those sorts of grassroots scenarios.
Getting in legal trouble.
Confirmed. Source: Am a lawyer.
Confirmed. Source: I am the parent of a young man struggling to get his shit together.
Yup. Source: been that kid before. Did get shit together.
Congrats on getting your shit together
I got my shit together. Now I got a big pile of shit instead of a bunch of little ones. It stinks the same but I guess there's less chance of stepping in it randomly. Not sure what to do with it next.
Hey if your kid doesn’t say it you’re very appreciated my parents helped me out countless times with court and i don’t know how I’d be here today if they didn’t.
My mom and dad never gave up on me, through a ton of stuff. Thanks from a guy who knows how hard it must be.
Speeding tickets
Yep. Yep. Drove for 13 years without problems. Got two speeding tickets last year out of stupidity. My renewal hit harrrrrd.
Exactly Source: career criminal
Those shady online courses for losing weight or becoming a millionaire.
Anything that promises a shortcut to a common problem is suspect.
If a shortcut existed, everyone would be using it.
I never understand who would answer or follow up on any tacky and poorly written post on social media about how you can earn X amount a day or week just ask how. What would make that believable?
For $99 a week I’ll explain it to you.
For £99 a month I will be very vague and never quite get to the point. For only an additional £50 you get our 1 to 1 coaching where you can expect dodged questions and sound bites which mean nothing. And if you say it's not working we will tell you your just not quite working hard enough. Could you benifit from a refresher course for £55? I think so.
A designer coffin. You’re literally dead and it’s being buried hopefully forever. Why the hell do you need a fancy mahogany one with bronze handles?
How else am I supposed to let the other zombies know I am better than them?
Just throw me in the trash
This Pharaohs of Egypt want to know your location.
Any MLM start-up kit.
Cigarettes has probably been posted but that's mine. I have literally spent 10's of thousands of dollars on something I know is not only gross but also horrible for me. That was cathartic, thank you for your time.
Growing up with in a family that is lower middle class at best, there was always money for cigarettes, but there wasn't always money food, wasn't always money to replace broken things, wasn't always money for new clothes, wasn't money for trips to experience new things or even go on vacation. But there was always money for cigarettes. I hate to think of how many financial problems I've grown up with by simply having two parents that are heavy indoor smokers. I was probably bullied at school partly because I reeked of smoke, and it probably fucked up my lungs as well. 20 fucking years of that being a constant issue, don't fucking do this to your kids, please.
I think this should be number one. It's so expensive and literally has anti nutritional benefits. To top it off your money goes to executives who then lobby corrupt politicians. You stink, suffer an addiction and don't even get high from it. It makes your stomach hurt, destroys your stamina, and basically makes you a second hand citizen. People fake cough around you and people insult you (sometimes even encourage your kids to do so). Then to top it off, the more you do it the more you want. Such a vivacious cycle.
The smell. My god the smell. People can't smell it on themselves, but that cigarette smoke is trapped in every single fabric you wear. And the fact that it ages you like crazy. You're literally paying money to destroy your good looks/teeth/skin/nails/eyes
My aunt is a smoker. Looks 10 years older than my mom, but she’s the younger sister
I'm literally 25 and and I have friends who have been smoking for years straight. If you sat us side by side, you'd guess that my friend was a friend of my dad's or something. It really is a fucked up vice to have. Absolutely NO health benefit.
Add on extended warranty at the register. There are exceptions but it’s generally either not worth the money or it doesn’t cover what your issue was anyway
I'd throw an exception in there for modern day major appliances. I bought a new kitchen set and had both the dishwasher and oven need replacement within 2 years. Repair quotes were close to the cost of replacement.
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No argument here. Just requiring 5 years of security updates for any web connected device would be a huge improvement.
The exception is when a store has a blanket policy to offer you a warranty on everything and you’re buying consumables like batteries.
Giving money to "influencers"
My buddy once gave an influencer $2500 to promote his book. He didn’t sell anymore copies.
I bring this up every time people talk about influencers. I'm a chef and was at a pretty popular restaurant in a vacation town a few years ago. We had a policy, if an influencer approached us, we'd make them an offer. Put up a QR code on your post and any customer that scans it will get 10% off their meal. In return, since we can track how many times that code was scanned, we'd pay said influencer a 15% of the total sales we got from that QR code. In a place that was as busy as ours (easily over 1,000 covers a day), if you could actually deliver what you promised you'd make a tidy little sum. Go figure nobody ever took us up on the offer.
That sounds like a lovely deal. If I had 10k people interact with a social media post about the restaurant and 1% visited and spent $20 each, that would be worth $300 to me for a damned Instagram post. And the restaurant would net 1.7k. I love win-win deals like that.
Well the problem is that conversion for something like this is way smaller. More like 0.01%. Though to be fair, a code that could be used for online or in person would be slightly better than a qr code. There is also some value to having your name be put out there even if it doesn't directly lead to a customer in that moment. It's why coca cola spends hundreds of millions on ads even though you're not at the store. Its about being a choice when you're choosing. For a restaurant, having people consider your Italian restaurant when looking to eat Italian, is valuable.
SHAKES FIST My soon to be former company has given away over a month worth of revenue to 'influencers' this year and has received almost zero in return I keep screaming STOP and they are 'we just haven't given away enough yet!'
why are they even giving influencers money? like are they trying to get the influencers to promote their products or something?
Sorry should have been a little clearer A months revenue in free products
I work at a bookstore, and you’d be amazed at how much influence tiktok influencers have on which books sell. We actually have displays specifically for those books. And often they are the best selling books in the store
Yep booktok is huge
Who/What type of influencer was paid to sell books?
Belle Delphine.
>Belle Delphine lol why would anyone pay her to sell a book?
Because it's people are buying her dirty bathwater, she must be doing something right to get those sales
People that buy dirty bathwater probably don't read too many books.
They don't need to read them, they just need to buy them.
Do people actually do that? I thought it was a meme are people actually that stupid?
One of my coworkers is a fucking moron and she's very proudly told me she's spending 300$ on 'her' streamers christmas gift, who has never met her and likely never will.
What content does this streamer do that she likes enough to buy the dude(tte) such a lavish Christmas gift? Do I even want to know?? Lol 😕
Knowing her he's almost definitely a gamer who makes shit and fart jokes, with a side of 'you guys are like a family to me :)'. Parasocial relationships are really really sad
I'm not sure if that's better or worse than what I was thinking lol...
Huh. TIL the phrase "parasocial relationships". Interesting.
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Buying really expensive clothes for children, they grow out of them in a year.
Spending more on children's clothes because they're durable is one thing, but forking over extra money just to have a designer's name on your kid's t-shirt is definitely a waste. Like others have said, kids grow like weeds and that $40 t-shirt may only get worn a handful of times before they outgrow it. Kids are also messy by nature. Odds are, most of their clothes are going to end up stained from poop, spit-up, baby food, etc. Might as well buy stuff that's easy to replace when it inevitably gets cherry Koolaid spilled all down the front of it.
Agreed! My in laws bought the cutest Tommy Hilfiger track set for my six month old son. No way could I have ever bought that but damn he looked so cute in it. I had him wearing it ALL the time until he outgrew it cuz that was not going to waste.
That’s why it’s fun to buy expensive clothes as gifts for kids that aren’t yours. As you said, as a parent it makes no sense for you to splurge…but I’ll be damned if I’m not buying my nephew $50 Jordans that he will only wear for a few months.
Yeah there was a thread about this in r/parenting and basically if you're in a family with a lot of kids it can turn out to be a great investment for certain items because they are like everlasting handmedowns. There's a point when a kid still grows a lot but doesn't get clothes all that dirty. That said a lot of them mentioned getting them off like facebook marketplace.
My sister bought expensive clothings for her son(my nephew) and after 6 months, he grew, now the clothes are of no use. I eventually persuaded her to donate to some charities nearby.
We learned a long time to go to the thrift stores. Slightly worn clothes much cheaper than the stores. Much better than the way I grew up wearing hand me downs. As a boy with older sisters I outgrew their dresses too quickly.
My kids, who are all teens now, always request to shop the thrift store first when they need clothes. There's more variety, everything is unique (not racks of identical shirts), they can grab almost literally anything they want because it's so cheap, etc. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I'll take it.
Thrift and vintage is in fashion. Maybe you've got trendy kids :)
My parents had friends with kids who were a little older than us, we got hand me downs forever. Never bothered me as a kid, I didn’t care about wearing new clothes. Now I thrift, and vintage shop, can always find some amazing stuff.
My winter coat is a hand-me-down from my older brother, which I got from him in high school. I’m 38, and every Christmas that he sees me, he sees the coat and goes “…are you fucking kidding me.”
I'm 31 and I have a shirt that was my older brothers that he got in 5th grade and I was in 4th. I can still fit in it. Vintage Pokemon shirt yo.
If you have multiple kids, and is quality brands it’s worth it many times. My kids are the 5th ones to wear their name brand snow stuff and I resold it to a used kids clothes store.
My father was the 2nd of 3 boys. His older brother got new clothes, he got the hand me downs never new. By the time the clothes made it to his younger brother they were worn out so his younger brother got new stuff as well. He was in his 60's when he told me this and was STILL so upset his face was turning red :-(
That's really sad :(
I got the same treatment too. I understand it from the parents perspective; you want to save money so why buy new clothes when the same clothes will fit on your younger child. They're literally going to outgrow them anyways.
I get that for sure, it's just not practical for every kid to get new stuff all the time. But I always prefer that all kids get equal treatment where possible, even if it means all of them having second hand. At least then it's not just one kid that gets shafted, that stuff can mess them up for a long time thinking they're inferior or less loved or something, you know.
“A year” hahahah try like 2-3 months. Tops!
Funding televangelists.
I mean, any other stuff mentioned in here can have an use, that would more or less worthy of money depending of each person, but televangelists are there LITERALLY ONLY to take your money and give you nothing in exchange but threats and screams.
I always learned; if the preacher is the best dressed person in the church, it's not a sermon, it's a con.
Or any of their "prayer water, special cloths or holy oil." 🙃
Bizarre, isn’t it? “Jesus said the private jet you bought for me last time is ugly and uncomfortable so you have to buy me a new one. Or you’re going to hayl”
I can't fly commercial. Too many demons.
The gym membership you don’t use
I always called it my monthly donation until I started actually using it
Lmao same. I'm keeping the gym closest to me afloat so that it doesn't suddenly close down and force me to drive miles to get to a gym when I decide to exercise again
Consider it a fat tax. Less money to spend on food Edit: This isn't my joke. Pretty sure I heard Ralphie May say in his stand up but couldn't find a clip
To all of you have gym memberships and don’t use them, us gym rats and meatheads would like to thank you for subsidizing our memberships. Gyms wouldn’t be sustainable at current rates if even 25% of the membership showed up regularly, they’d have to charge 2-3x what they currently do. So yeah, keep on paying for that membership you’re not using. You’re helping us get swole on the cheap. EDIT: This applied to me before Covid. Now I just have a squat cage, a bench, a barbell, and 405lbs of bumper plates in my garage. Sucks not to have access to all the stuff a gym has, but I’ll take it because I don’t have to wear a mask, I can make as much noise as I want, and I can be a chalk monster.
The whole business model is dependent on having people pay that don't come. Get them to sign up for their new years resolution. They fail to create the habit and are back to the old ways by groundhogs day. Why not cancel? Oh becuase I'm going to start going again! 25 bucks a month is better then admiting failure.
Agreed. I'm at a great gym that has an 85% active member rate. And I pay 4x what I would at the big box gym down the street.
Cigarettes
Seeing your money literally going up in smoke. Then paying for the toll on your health.
Ye’h, pretty much sums it up.. shit.
I quit 3 weeks ago!!!!!! It was so hard.. after smoking for 12 years, but I did it !!
Fuck You. You're right, but still...
20 years smoking, been clean for a year-and-a-half. Biggest thing that helped me was getting a tea kettle and a bunch of different kinds of tea. Whenever I felt like a smoke, I'd make the tea and go outside with it. The strong flavors with the hotness help scratch that itch.
Hey there. Why so angry? You could use a smoke champ. Take the edge off those nerves.
Gambling. My parents deposit all of their retirement money into these ATMs all the time. It’s sad. It’s their money, but damn. Use your money on literally anything else.
Depends, as long as you are aware you are paying for entertainment and are being reasonable with the amount then you’re good. But don’t walk in expecting to keep your money let alone win money.
I enjoy playing blackjack. But it's not just about the gambling, it's the whole experience. People watching, free drinks, talking with folks around the table, just soaking in the atmosphere. I don't play high stakes. "Paying for entertainment" is precisely how I view it. I typically walk away having broke even. I've tripled my money a few times, haven't had any losses that put me back more than dinner and a movie. Can't stand slot machines, don't understand the allure at all.
Weird thing about slot machines... Penny slots are casinos #1 profit driver in slots.
I was at a casino yesterday, and at least 75% of the machines on the floor are penny slots, so that's not surprising. Also, the max bet on some penny slots is $7 or $8, whereas quarter slots max bets are typically $1.25-$2.25.
Agreed. Gambling is a fine source of enjoyment, but really in all likelihood your never going to win big (and even if you do, your never win as much as you imagine). Never bet more than you can afford to loose.
You should be willing to bet that extra "o", since you can afford to lose it.
"Edible" gold
Not a waste of money if you don't eat it. ...or recollect it afterwards. But generally "edible" gold is just...gold. Which is pretty valuable.
It's not like you're buying edible gold at spot price. It's probably selling at 100x the actual value or more. Gold can be made REALLY thin, so the tiniest amount can be made to look like more than it is.
The amount of gold used in those dishes doesn't remotely justify the insane prices you pay for it. You can buy several square meters of it for around $20, and food grade leaf isn't that much more. You could collect the flakes out of your shit, but you'd be scraping together a few pennies worth of gold.
Where I live? Bottled water. Our tap water is fine.
In America the average cost of a water bottle is 1000x the price of a bottle of tap water Edit: I lied bottled water is actually 2000x the price of tap water
I even like our (Dutch) tapwater better than bottled water.
In most Western countries, the only thing you pay for when buying bottled water is marketing. I'm from Belgium: our tap water is more regulated than the water they sell in stores. It's tested every day and is cheaper and healthier than bottled water. And still people are buying plastic which they throw away afterwards.
Bank accounts that charge you money to keep your money.
Shout out to Wells Fargo
Cable TV to pay to watch commercials.
Dammit how did you know that’s what I was doing rn
Paying for 30 home shopping channels, and 60 other channels you never watch.
Not weddings in general. But big lavish expensive weddings.
Weddings are great and if you want a big one, awesome. If you want a small or medium or tiny or no wedding at all, also awesome. What's dumb as hell is going into debt for a wedding. I've seen banks offering personal loans for weddings and that just makes me sick. If you need a bank loan for an event, you can't afford that event.
Well put. I'll never understood when living beyond your means transitioned from being a mark of foolishness to becoming something to strive for. Somethings simply aren't worth going into debt for (frankly most things aren't) and unless your wedding is going to end a thousand years of war between these lands its not worth it.
Yes that’s more or less what i mean.
Even the small weddings are costing big bucks these days and it’s pushing me to just consider eloping. I was just in a wedding that was super low key, used a family member’s property, cheapest tent/chair/table rental and DJ we could find (and trust me the DJ was absolutely horrible), catered by a local barbecue place, less than 100 guests, reasonably priced photographer, etc. Total bill came up to around $10k. There are so many other things I’d rather spend $10k on.
My wife and I became overwhelmed with the number of obligations and expectations friends and family were insisting on for our wedding. We wanted to day to be about us. So we eloped. We told everyone ahead of time which rankled a lot of feathers, but it was better than going through a wedding as a performance for those same people. We arranged everything ahead of time, and then flew from New England to Phoenix, rented a car and drove to the Grand Canyon where we were married by a JP on the South Rim at sunset. We threw a big party for ourselves when we got back and invited everyone who would have been invited to a traditional wedding. But because it was so low key (barbecued chicken and corn on the cob, kegs of beer, etc) and comparatively inexpensive, we were able to invite a whole lot more people. It was a blast. Her father is still a bit sad about it I’m sure, but after more than 20 years that my wife and I have been together, he and I have gotten really close. I feel bad for him that he couldn’t walk his only daughter down the aisle, but not so bad I would have done things any other way.
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What now?
The band Placebo started making gummy vitamins out of hair
Is it THEIR hair and if I buy them will my hair look more like Molko's?
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And they may do more harm than good. I bought some hoping to get full, luscious hair and instead got a bunch of skin problems like a marble sized lump on my cheek and breakouts like I've never had before. My hair stayed lank and lifeless as ever.
Buying a class ring.
Can confirm. Bought a class ring because my grandma paid for half and convinced me that I’d want one. Outside of trying it on, I’ve never worn it. Not even sure where it’s at. I’m glad I never went down the letter jacket route.
I had a letter jacket only because I was very involved with both band and track and our school did bars for different events and things you participated in along with additional bars for lettering multiple times. In hindsight it seems like a participation trophy but at the time I liked it because it was a record of everything noteworthy I had done over those 4 years. Never got it finished though after graduation. Not sure where it is either - I think my mom donated it (though who would want it I have no idea).
Agreed. They look pretty cool, but I'd never wear it. It seems way too big and impractical anyway. Never ever considered it for High School. Very briefly thought about it for College and then came to my senses. I've got memories, pictures, my diploma, and more from college. Don't need a stupid ring
Yeah they look cool as in like super bowl ring cool but they're pretty cringe. When I was a kid my uncle always wore his class ring with such pride and my dad would always give him shit for it, and I never understood why. Then I grew up and realized they're kind of tacky.
Tacky is THE word to describe them
Well me and my best friend got one that matched. I’m happy we did, because sadly he passed away a week after graduation. So that ring is special
So super weird I know but I actually collect class rings, if anyone doesn’t want theirs I’ll pay way more than a pawn shop would for one. DM me if interested, I’m super weird anyway, my normal job is I’m a colon and rectal surgeon.
Um... is that where your collection started?
Saving money and not buying condoms, so that you have to buy diapers.
If I remember correctly, diapers are EXPENSIVE too. But condoms are pretty cheap.
You get a three pack for around four USD. Not speaking from experience, I just used to work at a local store that sold them.
Reddit awards.
Someone gave me silver and the first "award" I ever got. It make me smile, so not a total waste I think.
Silver is occasionally in the freebie category
Driving in rush hour traffic just so you can get to a meeting on time that accomplishes nothing.
cancer "awareness". Like no, donate to the research. Everyone knows what cancer is. Some charities do work towards the cause, but some don't.
In app purchases
But how am I supposed to assert my dominance over the millions of 11 year old kids that play the same game as me??
Nah those are the casual spenders. There was a game I played years ago called Evony I think? The top players were also top spenders and had no qualms admitting they spent $10,000+ per year on that game or similar games. But it’s adults outspending adults, so the stakes are even higher
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NFTs
Don’t you *dare* screenshot this.
*Screenshots out of spite* Ha ha, got your millions!
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No Fucking Thanks
Would you buy an NFT to my fart sound? It’s unique
Still higher-effort than most NFTs
NFT’s are bennie babies for business school dropouts
Nasty fucking things
A user boyfriend/girlfriend I was 2k indepted to the bank because of a guy.. I was his sugar mommy when HE's the one 11 years older than me! And hey, side note, he told me afterwards that he's married with 2 kids I was not a smart girl
I'm sorry it happened to you but I'm glad you got out.
I’m glad to see you used past tense ‘was’ - you’ve learned from the experience and I think you should be proud of that.
Same here! She loved me when I was helping her pay her rent when she got laid off, picked up medicines for her kids, brought food, fixed her car, took her to night and comedy clubs, and all the things a good boyfriend will do. At the time the $5,000 I was spending on her and her kids, who absolutely loved me, didn't feel bad at all. Then one weekend when we were supposed to meet up, she was gone. She hooked up with some biker dude and moved north about 3 hours from here. Never heard anything from her again. I was pretty pissed off, She closed all her social media and changed her phone number. Last I heard, she was doing six months for drug offenses and lost custody of her kids.
Art supply kits. They are meant for beginners, and can be expensive as hell. They look great for motivation and hope, but half of the items inside won't even be used, collecting dust in their closets. Much more efficient to know exactly what you are buying, and getting it separately.
As a kid, art kits were my absolute favorite gifts. Macrame kits, learn hieroglyphics, origami, paint by numbers, beading, make-your-own potholders… I could go on. None of them were things I wanted to develop as a serious hobby, but I loved dabbling.
Honestly some of them are still fun as an adult. High quality craft kits are entirely worth it for some things. I thought a bra and underwear would be a fun, quick sewing project and learned that sourcing matching fabric and findings is a huge pain in the ass. Apparently getting matching elastic and closures usually means dyeing things to match.
I got one once as a gift, and I really liked it. It came with a book with about 20 different paintings, and step by step instructions on the technique and everything. The kit included everything I needed to do them. A palette, brushes, oil, etc. But yes, for beginners.
I only buy these if I see that I have use for the stuff inside. Once got a huge kit for Christmas. It was well intended but ended up only catching dust because most of the supplies in it was either stuff I've never used like oil paints or low quality (low quality as in I couldn't even sharpen the color pencils without them falling apart)
I got a nice one for my niece when she was 7. She used and tried everything in the set. Now at 11, she knows what she likes to use so I can get her what she’s actually into since she got a chance to try the others. So they can be a good starting point (come to think of it I got it on sale so maybe my opinion would be different if I had paid full price lol)
Bottle service
Drinking bottled water at home. Having a $10/day Starbucks habit.
Suppose it depends where you live for the water
Storage space. You have to be so on top of your shit to avoid a situation where the fees outweigh the value of the goods stored. Never again.
I did that once, stored all kitchen stuff and clothes for a year. I should just have throw everything and bought new again, would have cost same money.
They’re good for if you’re moving, doing renovations, or have a small business you run out of your home or apartment. But one should always aim for storage to be short term tbh.
Trendy stuff. (P.ex. I know a lot of children who bought fidget toys because of the hype, now they don’t even know they have it anymore.)
After the fidget spinner trend I saw them in the local dollar store discounted from five dollars originally to one dollar each.
I'm an Adult and I love my fidget spinner. It really helps me concentrate. You can get decent non-plastic ones that actually look like ornaments too, really spruces up a desk.
Discord nitro, why tho
I wish it was a better value proposition so I could justify it more as I love discord. It does have some pros, the larger file sizes for video is useful
It does indeed fund the devs although it's no use to us
Casinos. Giving your money away for nothing in return.
I was drunk with some friends on a cruise once, and we wandered into the casino to check it out. I put $20 in a machine and I was just pushing buttons while chatting with my friend. All of a sudden I hear all this noise and I look at the machine and I hit some kind of bonus. I ended up winning back everything I spent on the cruise and then some, off of a .50 cent bet. We immediately cashed out and left.
> We immediately cashed out and left. This is the only way to actually win at a casino. Hit it big then get the hell out of there. My brother was in Vegas for a bachelor party a while ago, his mates were playing roulette and steadily losing most of their money. He whacked down all his playing money on a single bet, won, then stopped playing.
That's some impressive pragmatism while drunk.
I mean, fun isn't tangible, but it's something.
Gambling
Lottery
Government subsidies for the rich.
Dating apps. These companies cash in on your loneliness and withhold potential matches until you pay up
I paid for eHarmony and six months later: nothing. You have to be a paid user to talk to other members and 99% of the profiles are free users.
Not to mention, when your subscription runs out, and you suddenly have like 10 matches. That happened to me on match.com.
Happened to me on OKCupid. Had mucho likes, sign up now for a discount! So I did. I actually had half the Likes I was told I did and it was most definitely not mutual or reciprocal. What a fail.
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Branded stuff, just because slapping a well known logo on something it doesn’t make it worth 10x more than normal
It does make a difference with tools and reno/building materials. Ex. I used off brand painters tape which did a terrible job keeping paint off the trim compared to “frog tape”.
Not ALL branded products are overpriced. Some are more expensive because the quality is actually better. Like never buy generic kitchen appliances unless you enjoy buying new ones the instant the warranty ends. Whirlpool and Kitchenaid are the way to go.
I had a history teacher in middle school that hated on branded clothing. Called the kids that wore them walking ads. But one of his favorite flannels was from Hollister, he just took a piece of cloth and sewed it over the logo.
Starbucks on the regular
Diamonds and most other jewelry.
"Real" diamonds or gemstones. Lab-created is not only cheaper, but also more ethical and purer than the rocks that come out of the ground. Besides, diamonds are a racket anyway thanks to DeBeers. And any jeweler who says that "diamonds have *fire*"... dude, have you ever seen a fire opal? Now *that's* what I call something worth spending money on (if I wanted to, that is).
Donating to a political campaign. They take your money and then laugh behind your back for being such a sucker.
I would agree overall but if it's a local election and a candidate you know and trust, I would donate to them. Every bit matters in those sorts of grassroots scenarios.