"I Wish I’d Never Bought This" - Article

[raangoli]

This article made me laugh and wonder what I would have answered. Have you ever felt this way about something you bought?

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www.dailyworth.com/posts/3749-dailyworth-readers-share-their-biggest-spending-regrets


I Wish I’d Never Bought This 2

By DailyWorth Readers July 30, 2015

Some big purchases leave you feeling elated: that new car, or the couch you’ve been saving up for. But what about when that splurge turns into a mistake you wish you could immediately take back? We asked DailyWorth readers to tell us about their most regrettable purchases. And oh, did they spill.

1. “I regret spending $1,500 on a plane ticket to meet my then-boyfriend in Southeast Asia on the last leg of a backpacking summer trip. I thought we were going to spend two weeks catching up, being in love, and exploring a new country together. But instead, I found out halfway through our vacation that he had been cheating on me the whole time he was away. The rest of the trip was spent feeling like a fool, hiding out from him, and being completely livid about the whole situation. We broke up on the plane ride home.”

—Lulu, 40



2. “I once purchased a gorgeous $500 white silk jumpsuit because I thought it made me look like Beyoncé. In truth, it kind of did. But I consequently learned that even looking like Beyoncé wasn’t worth the $500 plus tax I had dropped. I felt so ill spending that amount of money on something as singular as a jumpsuit (as opposed to, say, a winter coat), that I couldn’t even enjoy it. I returned it the next day much to the perplexity of the sales associates who said the jumpsuit was clearly made for me. Or Beyoncé.”

—Lydia, 28



3. “I was living in London and saw a carpet beetle, which is harmless and very common — it's like a moth. But it sort of vaguely looks like a bed bug. So I spent six hours Googling bed bugs, and then had a complete breakdown in front of my roommates. I ended up paying £150 to an exterminator to tell me I didn't have bed bugs. It was crazy embarrassing, and my roommates still tease me about it to this day.”

—Hannah, 42



4. “Throughout college, I spent a ridiculous amount of time researching, purchasing, and reselling designer bags. I got my first job when I was 18 and, for some reason, thought blowing every paycheck on expensive stuff was a good idea. I ended up dropping around $700 on a Louis Vuitton Speedy. I was never happy with the bag itself and I ended up selling it a few weeks later. Whenever I think about that particular purchase, I cringe.”

—Aimee, 28



5. “Private college. I was 17 and stupid and had no concept of the fact that I'd be paying for my visual arts degree forever. Lest you think I've wised up: I'm heading to another private university for a graduate degree. Help.”
—Julia, 26

6. "Small impulse buys, like clothes that are made of synthetic fibers and are cheaply made — all of which add up to an absurd amount of money that I don't want to think about."

—Hailey, 24



7. “I went to Paris for two weeks when I graduated college. I really wanted to splurge on a French fashion item, thinking it would be a special memento from my trip, and who knew the next time I'd be in Paris, and I'm an adult now so I should dress fancy (and every other reason or excuse possible). Well, I spent $400 on a pair of shoes that I never wore. Even now, in my thirties, I’d never spend that much on shoes. I can't believe I spent that when I was younger (and poorer) — I could have used that money for a weekend trip to the French countryside, or French opera tickets, or an amazing meal, or a hotel upgrade ... or, you know, just saved it. Such a waste.”

—Vera, 39



8. “A $90 book on Aristotle to impress my friends. An expensive collection of DVDs by director Pierre Perrault that I haven’t watched and accidentally scratched. They haunt me.”

—Eric, 35



9. “I impulsively purchased a $500 leather jacket in the middle of June. I haven't been able to wear it because it's been consistently 90 degrees. Go figure.”

—Caroline, 23



10. “Anything I ever bought because I wanted to make myself feel better about something else. You know what will never, ever lift a bad mood? Trying on jeans. I've learned that lesson the hard way many times. Just go home and do a kickboxing workout until the endorphins are flowing. You save money AND you get to uppercut your frustration away.”

—Katie, 32

11. “When I first moved to New York, I joined a co-working space. I paid for, like, six months and maybe went twice. I kept thinking I'd go and be so productive and make connections. But, predictably, that didn’t happen.”

—Camilla, 35



12. “I spent well over $2,000 on an Yves Saint Laurent jacket when I was 20. I was living in New York City for a summer and wanted something to commemorate the experience. That jacket is still hanging in the back of my closet, too expensive for me to wear in public and too sentimental to be sold.”

—Stephen, 29

[konapoppy]

I like number 10.

For me, it is the gym membership I got even though I hated the place the second I walked in there. I think I went 3 times over a full year of dues.

[raangoli]

The one about the jumpsuit making her look like Beyonce cracked me up. I kind of wish they had a picture to go with it!

I've been a lot better about this lately, but there are definitely clothes in my closet that still have tags on them. Or others that I bought because it was on sale (I can't pass up this deal!) and wore once or twice.

[Susie]

I get annoyed looking at Calvin's road bike.  I got mine in spring 2011, and felt kind of guilty about breaking the $2k mark on a toy that was just for me, so I cut a couple corners, had them give me cheaper/heavier wheels, etc. to keep the cost in check despite the carbon frame and nicer components.  6 months later Calvin decided he wanted one too.  I was in no position to say no, so the most I said was "are you SURE you're going to put the kind of miles on it that a $2-3k carbon bike deserves?"  Yes, yes, yes, he assured me.  His bike ended up being even a little nicer than mine, since I'd already broken the ice.

Mine has thousands of miles on it, and I'm actually wearing components out.  

His?  I'm guessing its lifetime mileage is around 500.  Tops.  So that was not a great use of money.

I would say I am most guilty with clothes, especially on sale.  I wind up owning things I don't really like or don't fit perfectly just because they were a deal, and then they annoy me with the space they take up as well as the reminder of wasted $.

[irene adler]

I feel this way anytime I buy the cheap option instead of the quality option.

[raangoli]

Susie's post reminds me that I bought a bike that I rode a grand total of 2 times. It's in the basement with a flat tire like 5 years later. Every winter I think I should buy a trainer so I can at least ride it indoors. But then I don't because why waste more money?

I told MH that I should sell it, but he says not to. Alrighty then.

[Deleted]

For me it's the smaller items. Decor, costume jewelry, clothes, etc. I'm learning not to make impulse purchases and not to buy stuff just because it's cheap or a good deal.

[ddi741]

The Camry I bought in 2006. I wanted the Lexus, I could afford the Lexus but I went with the Camry because it had a bigger backseat. At the time I had an Audi A4, my now H and I were long distance and he would come visit and bring friends & family and the Audi was cramped. I was in the market for a new car and had planned to buy the IS 250 but ended up with the Camry. I'm still not sure how it happened. One minute I was at the Car show at the Javitz center and the next minute I was buying the Camry.
The car was great for the 7 years I had it but I never 'clicked' with it (sounds funny saying that about a car).

[StJess80]

Mine is this shirt that I got as a token for registering for some debate conference in high school. The registration fee was $180, and they gave us a shirt and our packet. My mom told me before registering that she wasn't going to let me go for some reason (grades maybe?) but I believed she would change her mind, especially after I spent the $180. Nope. The shirt hung in my closet for years and I never wore it, but couldn't bring myself to get rid of it because it cost $180.

[shell403b]

I bought a $400 plastic (well, ok, lace and vinyl) raincoat by Rebecca Taylor. I saw it on an episode of What Not To Wear. I wanted to keep it so bad, but I was making $30K/year and thought that my money should probably be spent on RENT, so I returned it. I was sad to see it go. 

[Poppy]

Mine are clothes too. I don't know how I am so bad at choosing them. And even worse luck if I buy online.

My secret shame is a stack of "designer" denim (7FAM and its ilk) that I bought online (mostly on sale) that didn't fit and I didn't get around to returning. "But maybe it will fit one day!" Ugh.

ETA -I'm sitting here just getting more worked up over this. I probably have $500 worth of just-too-small jeans in my closet with the tags still on. Barf.

[winnied]

My boot camp year long membership - 4 months in they switched my coach and I disliked the new one. $1,000 down the drain.

[mbcdefg]

I hate my current car. I wish I had gotten something else, even if I had to pony up more cash for something newer. 

Also, I spend way too much money on food and treats. 

[Deleted]

My first car (Chevy Priszm). It was a great car but I was too stubborn to actually listen to my experienced father and either shop elsewhere or seriously negotiate the price. So ended up paying a lot more over the years and learned a very hard lesson.

Also, going abroad on the BUNAC visa (partly due to a boyfriend that was cheating on me as well) was a great personal/growing experience, but caused me a lot of financial set backs for several years. I don't learn about money management the easy way.

[arterr0]

Susie reminded me of the barely used road bike ($1200) I have in the garage. It probably has 100 miles on it. I had a close call with a car that totally freaked me out, and now I never ride it. Any suggestions on where to try selling it, and how to figure out how much to ask for it, are welcomed!

[genet313]

The briefcase for DH that he "had to have" that sits in his closet collecting dust.   What a giant waste of money.
The pull up bar that DH "had to have" that's sitting in the garage, collecting dust.  
The $$ cufflinks that DH "had to have" that sit in the drawer, unused. 

Notice a pattern here?  Thankfully I talked him out of the $$$ erg machine into a nice weight set that he uses all the time.  It's sad and boring, but now I only buy DH repeat gifts of things I absolutely know he'll like and use.  Whatever!


Any piece of clothing that I don't really, really love the second I put on.  I've gotten better about this though. 

[simpsongal]

Arthur Murray dance lessons - almost $1000 and the experience was lousy. DH and I laugh it off, but when the laughter trails we both know 'let us never speak of it again'

[Susie]

I feel like I need a post on MMM about what baby stuff falls into this category. My registry has like 6 things on it because I'm afraid of picking stuff that I'll feel like this about. Since we are not having a shower, it's not one of those "eh, see if somebody buys it for you" sort of things.

[magpie]

My fitbit. It was fun for a few months, but it didn't really make a difference in my habits and I quickly stopped using it. I've been a runner for almost 15 years and walk a lot, so I'm not really sure what I was expecting out of it. Now it's just sitting in a drawer somewhere.

[oscarnerdjulief]

size 6 shorts---too short and tight for me. I've lost weight, but not THAT much. But they were part of a 2 for $30 sale at Target, so whatever.

[raangoli]

Jul 30, 2015 15:20:18 GMT -5 magpie said:

My fitbit. It was fun for a few months, but it didn't really make a difference in my habits and I quickly stopped using it. I've been a runner for almost 15 years and walk a lot, so I'm not really sure what I was expecting out of it. Now it's just sitting in a drawer somewhere.

This is the exact reason I didn't buy one even though I wanted one. I was afraid the novelty would wear off and I'd have wasted $100. 

[v]

Pink suede Gucci loafers. I wore them like 1 time because I have always been so scared of ruining them. Light suede and filthy city streets don't really mix.

I have about 900,000 other regrets, but most of them were cheap regrets at least.

[Deleted]

My Kindle Fire. I bought it before I went to Europe for 2 weeks because I thought it would be great to have a device that does everything at once - I could read, listen to music, watch shows on the airplane, Skype, check the internet, etc.

But I barely used it when I was there and I have other devices that I like much more for those purposes at home (I have a Kindle that isn't backlit, a nice phone, a laptop, etc) so I really never use it. I got a lot of use out of it probably the first 2 months I had it but it was pretty much a waste otherwise.

[Mrs.Rad888]

Jul 30, 2015 15:33:38 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Jul 30, 2015 15:20:18 GMT -5 magpie said:

My fitbit. It was fun for a few months, but it didn't really make a difference in my habits and I quickly stopped using it. I've been a runner for almost 15 years and walk a lot, so I'm not really sure what I was expecting out of it. Now it's just sitting in a drawer somewhere.

This is the exact reason I didn't buy one even though I wanted one. I was afraid the novelty would wear off and I'd have wasted $100. 

Yeah, mine hasn't gotten very much use, either. I got it at the same time as my elliptical, which has been used a little more than the Fitbit. The elliptical has a HRM on it, which makes the Fitbit kind of redundant. 

My biggest regret was buying a new (to me) Toyota Highlander right after I bought my house, a year before I got out of the Navy. I ended up having to sell the house and the car got repo'd because I misjudged how hard it was going to be to find a job that wasn't Navy related in this small town.

[kadams767]

Jul 30, 2015 13:20:29 GMT -5 Poppy said:

My secret shame is a stack of "designer" denim (7FAM and its ilk) that I bought online (mostly on sale) that didn't fit and I didn't get around to returning. "But maybe it will fit one day!" Ugh.

ETA -I'm sitting here just getting more worked up over this. I probably have $500 worth of just-too-small jeans in my closet with the tags still on. Barf.

OMG!  I was just about to post this exact same thing.  The stack of "on sale" designer denim that I bought when I was losing weight but never made it quite small enough to ever wear.  Why I couldn't have bought them in a size that would actually fit, I'll never know.  Apparently my 25 year old self thought that I could somehow whittle myself down to a 28 inch waist somehow, even though I could have just bought 30s and actually worn the damn things.  I finally caved to reality and donated at least $750 worth of unworn jeans just a few months ago.

[Deleted]

Jul 30, 2015 15:38:46 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

My Kindle Fire. I bought it before I went to Europe for 2 weeks because I thought it would be great to have a device that does everything at once - I could read, listen to music, watch shows on the airplane, Skype, check the internet, etc.

But I barely used it when I was there and I have other devices that I like much more for those purposes at home (I have a Kindle that isn't backlit, a nice phone, a laptop, etc) so I really never use it. I got a lot of use out of it probably the first 2 months I had it but it was pretty much a waste otherwise.

I did this before I went to Hawaii.  I never used it, I'd rather my phone or laptop for internet, and my paperwhite for reading.  I sold mine for $50 after a several months of just sitting around.

[Deleted]

Jul 30, 2015 14:52:40 GMT -5 Susie said:

I feel like I need a post on MMM about what baby stuff falls into this category. My registry has like 6 things on it because I'm afraid of picking stuff that I'll feel like this about. Since we are not having a shower, it's not one of those "eh, see if somebody buys it for you" sort of things.

This is a good idea for a thread. I feel like we've done something similar but things are always changing. We've definitely done "what can you not live without" minimalist registry anecdotes.


My flops would be:
Glass bottles (sadly)
One zillion blankets
Duplicate RNP (it's so light you don't need one for each floor)
Any "fussy" clothes. Nothing gets worn with buttons, collars, etc. except maybe for pictures
Buying sizes ahead on sale because I got such a great deal 
Buying too many size newborn diapers
Any swaddling device (DS hated all of them)

[Deleted]

- our old house

-our current sofa. When we moved here we realized our brand new furniture didn't fit through the door. The door is smaller than the average door due to the house being so old. So we went to the nearest furniture store and found the only sofa that would fit through our door and convinced ourselves we liked it. We were actually just exhausted and sick of sitting on the floor.

-my first "business" suit. It was white with pinstripes. It left a lot to be desired.

[MrsAxilla]

We bought a Kia mini van a few years ago because we were having a baby and "needed" it. I HATED that thing! It was ugly, I was afraid it would tip over when I turned corners, it needed a ton of maintenance. We finally decided to trade it in and it was worth basically nothing. We had to roll over the loan to the newer (way better car).

[yentl]

We bought a sleeper sofa for our last apartment. It was a total bitch to get moved in, I had to enlist help and get it through the hall tetris style. We lived there a year, and when we bought our house the layout would not accommodate a loveseat/couch combo. No joke, could not get the sleeper sofa out, so selling it wasn't an option.

DH literally hacked it apart and left it in pieces on the curb. Luckily it wasn't insanely expensive or anything, but it would've made more sense to keep our other couch for the year instead of buying that stupid couch.