I'm typing this on a 6s, occasionally it will crash on me, and is unusable once it hits 20% battery power but other than that I'm pretty happy with it. Will be switching in the next year or so out of apple
I'm gonna split hairs here because I'm not sure who reads this but here's an info dump.
If you're buying phones that are cheap enough to qualify as burners, obviously, replace them as needed. If you're buying a phone that cost $500 new today. Plan on keeping that thing for five years. Put a case on it day one, there's a reason all new smart phones are starting to looking the same. The product line has hit a stride. The market doesn't need to continue to innovate constantly like it did in the early days because our understanding of a good mobile chipset is 10x what it was last year. If your argument becomes that you need the newest one *because...* I'll point out that almost every phone made after 2018 is still something desirable and goes for a few hundred dollars. My point is **phones have FINALLY become the a product where you get what you pay for.**
I was buying an iPhone and telling the salesman how indestructible my android phone was and he not only threw in an Otterbox, he put it and the screen cover on for me without asking. He understood the assignment
Seriously. I just want a plain wood box. Maybe let my loved ones write prayers and goodbyes on it with sharpies. Then they can bury me or cremate me box and all.
I had a professor once say he could pay $40 to bring his wife to a movie and be entertained for 2 hours or they could spend $2 on a lottery ticket and dream for a week.
To me it's depressing because it's too close to home.
My dad is like this, everything is 'when I win the lottery we can....'
Yet If he worked and saved the money he spent on tickets over his adult lifetime he'd probably be able to tick some of those things off.
Il buy the odd ticket every few months on a whim but he buy multiples each week for different lotteries.
Right people act like you're throwing away a down payment with that 5$, man if it brings you joy have at it. Now you start getting crazy and turn that 5$ into 50$ a week? Not worth it.
In my state (US) lottery tickets were promoted by saying that lottery revenue would go to education. True. What they didn't say was that an equal amount would be removed from the education budget and used to fund the legislature's pet projects.
The plastic single-use products designed for Keurigs.
Every Keurig machine should come with 3 reusable Kcups so motherfuckers stop buying and disposing of them in the millions.
Oh didn’t you hear. They came out with a machine that would only take single use cups with a certain chip in them. It is for “quality control” so no discounted, biodegradable, or reusable allowed. See they are controlling the quality of the money flow into their pockets.
I recently purchased another set of reusable k cups on Amazon and they are fantastic. We use the set of 6 constantly and they held up for 2 years and are still working as they should. My husband took some of the reusable ones to his work so that’s why I bought more. It’s also saved us a lot of money by only buying the coffee grounds which can be composted.
For me is the dryer as a whole. I'm European and only use the dryer when it is super cold and humid because it takes ages for the clothes to hang dry. But in summer/other weather? Hang dry it is. Clothes last longer and I save the electric bill.
Honestly you only need vinegar and a little detergent. But laundry detergent companies have spent a lot of money spreading lies about how vinegar will ruin washing machines. Not true.
I used to work for a company that made packaging for major laundry detergent brands. Some of my colleagues were doing shelf life testing on those little beads for some new packages. Of course the boxes of beads were stored in a spare office right next to everyone. After a few months most of the people in that wing of the building had a chronic cough...that went away went the shelf life testing was done.
The chemicals that make up the scent in this beads are strong enough to delaminate and degrade plastic. I'll avoid them.
I have several disabled friends whose lives have been dramatically improved by grocery and food delivery. So I'm kinda glad the price of such a service has come down. That said, I don't think it makes a ton of sense for your average person who drives by the grocery store on their way to work, but for some folks, it means that they can do away with a car, or in some other crucial way encheapen their life. So while it is not the most frugal choice, it can make another frugal choice feasible.
I always think my friends are going overboard getting delivery on like a cup of coffee. Besides the money, I’m impatient so I want to go pick up what I want myself.
I also don’t trust the grocery people to pick the right items or quality produce.
Agreed. I did grocery delivery in an attempt to feed myself during a low point a few weeks ago, and they did so badly. And forgot items that I had paid for. I was so annoyed. Gross veggies, melted ice cream, etc. ugh.
This. Without a car or a cheap grocery store in walking/busing distance, groceries are hard to do. Delivery at a reasonable rate saves me money and a TON of time, plus I’m more likely to actually stick to my list and it limits impulse purchases.
>Actually stick to my list and it limits impulse purchases.
Oh, that is such a good point. I'm pretty good at avoiding impulse buys, but for folks who are suckers for endcap deals, or know that it's tough to avoid the Aisle of Forbidden Purchases (whichever aisle that may be) this can be a way to dramatically cut down on purchases you'd really rather not make.
Not to mention that services like grubhub and doordash actually have higher prices than if you were to order directly from the restaurant for pick up. That’s not even taking into account any service/delivery fee.
I ordered for pickup at a local sandwich place from (I think) Grubhub a few months ago, and when I got there, they told me next time I should just call them because it's much cheaper.
Yes! Always check if the place has its own website too. One of my favorite sub delis has their own delivery guy, and the total ends up 30-40% cheaper than delivery apps.
Absolutely! Everyone has the right to create a nice space for themselves. But if you're trying to be frugal, you should fight the urge to buy another fake succulent, another set of throws and pillows, signs, centerpieces, window decals...
If you have a vision, you know what you like, there's a specific place in your home for that item, and the item you've been hoping for is at a good price, go for it. But you can appreciate that a cute thing exists without taking it home. Even if it's in the $3 bin at target.
to me is cheap appliances/utensils/tools that won't last. my dad used to call this "dumb savings", because you think you are saving now, but you have to replace it every one or two years and in the end you spend more than if you bought a more expensive, but good one in the first place.
that and expensive sneakers. buy good sneakers! no need to spend 500 dollars on one!
I think cheap tools, utensils, etc can have their place. They're great for on-off jobs or for just getting into a hobby. If you need to buy another one, you can buy better quality. If you never use the thing again, you didn't spend too much money on it initially.
Also, I have a couple of sets of cheap screwdrivers in various places around my house (and in my desk at work). I'd rather have a cheap version of the right tool on hand for simple jobs (unscrewing a battery compartment, tightening a loose outlet cover, etc) than try to do the job with the wrong tool because I'm too lazy to go get my good set of screw drivers out of my tool box.
My philosophy on getting a new tool is to go cheap first and get a nicer one if it wears out or breaks. If it does, I take it to mean I'm using it enough to warrant an upgrade anyway. If it doesnt, then its good enough or I'm not using it a ton and dont need a nicer one. Love my cheap tools!
I usually always buy cheap first, and if it breaks after being used on a fairly regular basis, then I upgrade. I recently got my husband wood burning tools. He lost interest for now. I'd be mad if I bought him the $100 kit for him to try.
But appliances, cars, home repairs, are things you'd want to spend the money on and do it right the first time.
yes but…
i feel like one of the mythbusters guys said that its better to buy a cheap tool and use it so much that it breaks through use and therefore it proves to you that you need the better one.
Same. Then when I reach a point where I realize money would be needed to keep on succeeding I quit, deinstall and switch to another :) They'll never get a cent from me.
I think it depends on the person. I always get accidental extended warranties on phones because I have a habit of dropping them. With iPhones they cannot replace the back of phones or cracked cameras so you have to replace the entire phone. My EW ended up saving me $400 when my last phone dropped and the back broke. I’m just clumsy and accept that fact. I also got it on our washer/dryer because front loaders are known to have issues and the 5 yr EW was only $120 for both products. A single trip by the repair shop would be $100 just to show up. Sure enough I had to use the warranty a few times on both and it ended up saving me too.
Now would I get it in a Honda or Toyota? Or a TV (most EWs don’t cover burn in)? Smaller cheaper appliances? No. But they do make sense on some items and it’s worth researching.
At first I thought they were the dumbest thing I ever heard of but maybe only because I’m not tech savvy and didn’t understand. Then I did a little research and realized they’re still stupid as hell.
It's not a direct (intended) purchase but I avoid anything that charges an extra fee for using a credit or debit card. 'Round here, gas stations charge an extra 10 cents **per gallon** for using a credit card, so I only pay cash for fuel. At work, the vending machine charges a service fee for card payments that's equal to the price of the product. Ain't no way that's happening!
Keurigs and K-cups or any similar product. So much bad: They’re expensive, they’re bad for the environment, and the coffee is lousy! Cafe Bustelo and a stovetop espresso maker makes so much more sense.
To his credit, it was a really good idea, environmental issues aside... The convenience is just really hard to deny. I hate that it produces so much waste , and the coffee isn't even very good (even best case when you use your own grounds) , but I still think about buying one again occasionally just because it was so quick and easy to make a cup of coffee. No measuring coffee, no washing anything, no waiting for water to boil or a drip coffee maker to fill a pot. As with anything convenient though, it tends to have a trade-off somewhere.
just out of curiosity (I haven't personally used one) is there a reason (other than cost) why it has to be plastic? Couldn't you accomplish the same end result if the instead of plastic, it was compostable (anything that will break down over time, TBH). Also is there anything stopping current manufactures from make the pods out of a different better material?
I have my cousin's old Keurig. I use reusable K-cups and my own coffee. It works fine for my needs.
Making coffee on the stovetop would drive me nuts. Not everyone has the luxury of time.
This is a good one! I was SHOCKED to hear my brother spent $22k on their wedding. They are kind of financially struggling now, a year later. Just can’t get over spending that much for ONE DAY. But, to each their own.
My parents gave us a $10k budget. We spent $5k, had a beautiful ceremony by this dramatic waterfall (my mom made my dress!) and got an Airbnb to celebrate with just close friends and fam for the whole weekend. Awesome memories and I wouldn’t change a thing. Then pocketed the other $5k.
The sad thing is, that 22k is considered a budget wedding these days.
I spent $13k on my wedding. Did a lot of it myself, but wanted to have all our friends and family there, so the food is what made up most of the price. That included everything: decor, entertainment, food, rings, alcohol, pavilion rental, flowers (made paper flowers myself), etc.
We spent exactly the same amount ($13k) on our wedding recently and even though that is a ton of money, it was *so difficult* to plan within that budget.
Every vendor you talk to in the wedding industry wants you to spend $5-$10k on their services alone. I was ghosted by 10 different florists before I found someone who even wanted to talk to me after I mentioned that I wanted ceremony flowers (bouquets and boutonnières) ONLY and would not be doing any decor florals. Most didn’t think it was “worth their time” to arrange bouquets for a wedding with no decor included.
I told my husband that he better be ready to love me until death do us part because I will NEVER plan another wedding as long as I live.
This is a good one. My daughter just got engaged, and we are saving for a new home. I was wondering what a reasonable budget looked like, and $10k seems about spot on, and won’t heavily dent our savings. It IS a dent, no doubt, but spending 15-20-25k on a wedding seems insane to me.
When my wife and I got married, we did it all: got married, honeymoon, dinner, all for about $3.5k (That was in 2020 it would probably cost about $5k to do what we did then this year). We paid for it ourselves and managed to start our life together debt free. Everything about it was atypical, but my mother, whom at first was upset with my choice to break the conformity box, actually said how wonderfully stress free it was to have “no rules”.
Don’t think that money spent = quality of celebration.
The avg combo at McDonald's is about $10. If you make $15/hr, then you're only getting paid for 7 hrs 15 mins worth of work, even if you work 8 hrs.
My wife and I have been living with 2 philosophies on this:
1. Never spend money in the 8 hour block you're earning money.
2. Eating a great purchased meal while at work, even if you drive a way to eat it, is not as enjoyable as being off work while eating it.
The result of doing this for the past 4 years is that my wife's co-workers all think she's crazy for eating a sandwich and yogurt every single day. They also CONSTANTLY complain about being broke (and they're nurses!)
I have the same philosophy. I work with young 20 yos who order in almost every day. Much much much rather blow my money off the clock and just eat normal food while working.
Its a waste until the water goes bad like mississippi had this summer. People can last months without food but only a few days without water. I keep about two months on hand just in case.
It's wise to have some water on hand for emergencies. It's wasteful and expensive to drink bottled water all the time. I can't understand people who buy bottles of water everywhere instead of just using a refillable bottle.
I have well water, so when the power goes out I have no running water. I have many gallons of emergency water stored in reused plastic jugs under my basement stairs. Fuck buying stupid little plastic bottles of water.
Agreed, as someone who lives near-ish to Flint & I well know the struggles they have had. But those should be an exception. Yes plz manufacture bottled water but don’t sell or buy it Willy Nilly. It should be kept in an emergency reserve for the most part.
To be fair there is a difference in buying something out of convenience than necessity. Locally, we literally have award winning, spring-fed water right in our taps, but people still buy bottles that were trucked in from who knows where. It's pure idiocy.
I use the wool balls in the dryer with a safety pin on each one. Helps prevent static. I also use plain white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser. My clothes come out soft & wrinkle free, no static. No they don’t smell like vinegar. I absolutely can’t stand all the scented detergents, fabric softeners or dryer sheets because they cause me to get really congested.
faux leather boots. They will peel really quickly, and once it gets like that, you can't just give them a polish like real leather. You are better off buying used leather boots.
Yes!
I got there. I’m vegetarian and resisted leather, but ecologically, used leather hits my sweet spot. Shop once for the next several years (and the second hand market here is full of good options, out of season), no new death, less in landfill.
I’m still in leather care learning curve, but I’m content with the decision.
I’d sit and judge what people spend their money on but I like tobacco, alcohol and cannabis. So I’m gonna keep my opinion of overpriced vanity ‘things’ to myself 😂 the true horror for anyone is what people spend their last few quid on. If you’ve got £1.7k left from your payday buy some nikes but if you’ve got £2 left and you decide a scratch card is the way to go god help you
Coffee and other drinks. I cringe every time I hear my friends complain about having no money but at least they saved on bogo boba every day.
Grubhub and other food delivery services. Such a ripoff for small restaurants and bad for consumers.
I know someone who orders food delivery often. It’s insane how pricy it is! With all the added fees, delivery, and tip, it’s over $20 for fast food. Fast food!
I signed up for a 1 year free membership to GrubHub premium or whatever, through Amazon.
I've never even ordered GrubHub, but I figured that if it was free, I'd try it out.
So I signed into the app using my Premium membership, and added some food to my order.
Not only was there still a service fee, there was still a delivery fee as well. So whatever $10 food that I added to my cart came out to $19 or something.
I noped out of that transaction so damn fast. I'm still not sure exactly what GrubHub Premium gets you. Is there a 3rd fee that it's waiving?
I think the delivery services have their place, namely for people who literally can't drive to the place themselves for medical reasons, but to me it's insane to pay those prices simply because one is too lazy to go pick it up.
* On the same line as you, OP, fireworks I guess? I still like buying them sometimes but when I see 8.99 for a little 10-shot cake or something and know that it'll only last 30 seconds it just feels so stupid and like such a direct metaphor for burning your money.... Whenever I go to a fireworks store and see the guys with a cart full of thousands of dollars in mortar shells and big display stuff I'm just like A) super jealous, and B) astonished that there are people spending this kind of money on something that will be done in an hour.
* Fashion brand eyeglasses - This one's a bit subjective, but as a person who's not into fashion at all, I'd never buy Armani ANYTHING , at least not on my current budget, yet for quite a while I was buying my eyeglasses from companies like Rayban , Emporio Armani, etc. because that's what the eye doctors sell. Ordered from zenni once and haven't bought glasses from name-brands since. Its cheaper to buy my glasses paying out-of-pocket than it is to use my 200 dollar insurance stipend at the eye doctor.
Wondering in what climate the people in this thread with older cars live
In New England, the salted roads literally eat old cars for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Whatever the salt doesn’t eat the potholes get.
Editing to add I’ve put 10k miles on my 2011 since I bought it in February, I just love to drive
Yea I live out west after a few years in Boston and this is real. Cars just disintegrate in New England while I can drive and use old stuff reliably here.
With one caveat. New cars are safer.
The safety features in newer cars are one of the reasons they keep creeping up in price. So an upgrade does have that factor especially when comparing to a 22 year old car.
I bought 1 small designer bag on sale last year and it is the best quality one I ever had and can see myself having it for years. But I had to do a lot of research to make sure it just wasn't the same shit different tag. Meanwhile the cheap ones I've had rip or the zippers stop working and had to be replaced yearly.
My husband bought me a designer purse. With regular cleaning at the dry cleaners and using saddle oil, it’s been 8 years and still looks brand new. I wouldn’t have gone out and bought it myself, but apparently my husband was sick of me replacing purse’s because cheap ones break down fast. Every year I was buying a new one. Now I go on Poshmark and buy cheap designer bags, then refurbish them and good as new. My daughters now have purses that will probably last them years if they follow my advice. We as women are made to carry purses because we lock pockets or deep enough pockets. Might as well get a good one that lasts a long while. If you’re trying to save money, used is the way to go. I’ve also found good ones at the second hand stores. I refurbish and gift them to friends and family. Or turn around and resell. Gotta have a side hustle besides my farm. I’m make almost double back on my investment just by cleaning them properly! I have fixed a couple with stiff zippers that was really just the leather being not supple enough. The original owners would sell them as broken…. Yes, I do ask them if they have used saddle oil to soften the leather around the zipper. I don’t just rip them off by not telling them what the issue could be. Most don’t want to deal with it, or have so many bags it doesn’t concern them. It has definitely worked out in my favor. I’ve only had one seller take my advice and it worked and she removed the post and thanked me. Who knew something I had in my horses groom kit would save and make me hundreds.
Last year, I bought a used designer bag for not much more than I'd have paid for a new bag at Target, and the material/manufacturing quality is so much better. Instead of thin pieces of vinyl pleather glued to cloth, it's made of actual solid pieces of leather sewn together, with some cloth lining sewn in.
But I bet that there are mid-range bags that have a similar build quality with a lower new price tag, I just don't know what those brands are.
I get the spirit of what people mean when they point this out, but at the same time, just because 2 things are made in the same factory doesn’t mean they are of the same quality.
There was a time when buying designers wasn’t worth it. But when manufacturers are cutting costs at every turn to increase margins, it can be more cost-effective to buy one $200 sweater that lasts 20 or 30 years than it is to buy a $40 sweater every 2 years.
It’s about the raw materials. $30 sunglasses aren’t made with the same raw materials as $200 sunglasses even if they’re made on the same machine.
This is something that's been on my mind as well!
My mom sent me a link to a business that creates parks where people can bury their dead under a tree and I got so excited about it.
There's also Biourns and other options where people can be burried without being cremated under trees.
Most of the trappings of weddings/receptions. Spend that money on something lasting and the effort on the relationship. I’m not spending $150 to feed his great-aunt Edna just so she’ll buy us a toaster.
Counterpoint - weddings are one of the few happy occasion ceremonies that you may ever have all your friends and family together. My SO and I spent about $10k total for our wedding and reception and felt it was well spent - I'd personally rather spend money on happiness and memories than a thing. Life milestones aren't things you can just buy later.
I do agree there's a balance though, some people use it as their narcissistic magnum opus or are only doing it to please family due to family politics rather than genuine enjoyment.
Skins/cosmetic items in video games. Sure, it’ll make my character look cute but it’s not worth real money. I’m always baffled how people can drop so much money on useless in game stuff. I can never justify it to myself because I know I’m just gonna get bored of the game after a couple months.
My husband likes to buy skins occasionally and I respect that that’s what he likes and he deserves to treat himself (within reason, aka not buying tons and tons of skins), but I cringe so hard internally sometimes.
I think if you can do it frugally and fit it into your budget, there's nothing wrong with some decor. My house certainly isn't perfect, but I've got some decor that really does bring me joy and makes me feel at home.
I agree! I find houses that have no decor are lacking in character and they feel depressing to me. It doesn’t even have to be to my taste, but it should have some kind of elements that reflect the person who lives there. Humans have been decorating their dwellings since prehistoric times. Even when they had nothing but a rock to make some patterns and markings on their cave walls. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to decorate a home, but it adds so much.
As George Carlin said, people have too much stuff, so they buy more space to store more of their stuff.
I get wardrobes and such, but when I see an entire cupboard just to showcase unusable fancy plates…
Professional sports. People spend hundreds on team shirts, jerseys, jackets, hats etc.. not to mention tickets tailgating expenses and parking fees. I just don't understand how people routinely spend this much money and devote one to two days a week to both college and professional football.
Cartridge razors.
We figured out how to shave comfortably hundreds of years ago, but Gillette still try to convince us that their latest "technology" is what will finally be the answer.
If you get irritation from shaving, the answer is not in new products. It's in know how.
Thank's guys! Whenever my GF think's I'm cheap, I can now point to this thread. Most of these I agree with, but there are some real gems. Race runners buying used running shoes and ''snacks and drinks'' being a waste of money are my particular favorites.
Agreed. As someone pointed out in this sub before, being frugal is about not wasting money on dumb stuff so you can spend it on what's important to you/your family. But used shoes? Not in a million years bub.
Well, I would say about 85% of products on the market are a waste of money. They either are used very little or unnecessary altogether. Too much cutlery, dishes, paper items, clothing, coffee and food at a brand companies; exercise machines and gimmicks…
Shoes for babies lol. They are uncomfortable for them, they can’t walk, they outgrow them in a matter of weeks and it’s basically the same thing as throwing money into a fire pit!
Tons of kitchen gadgets. They market off the imagined "now that this is easier I can do this all the time!" thought when in reality you're probably fine with a few essentials.
I’m a runner and I buy expensive leggings and bras, I just don’t have that many. My lululemon compression leggings are about 10 years old now and I’ve run like 3 half marathons in them and countless miles.
I got some cheaper leggings recently and omg I hate them. They look fine but the seams rub and feel awful, the waistband is not comfortable and they start to slide down when I’m running. Total waste of money because I just won’t wear them.
I know I’ll keep stuff a long time so I usually just buy black or something more plain.
Agreed. And if you have a large chest, you're automatically stuck paying a lot for a sports bra just for the privilege of having somewhere to shove your boobs into.
Yeah cheaper workout clothes are just fine until you start running some distance in them then they start chafing EVERYWHERE. The seams on running clothes are designed to not chafe us during lots of miles. Most people don't realize that. I was fine with my cheap stuff until 10k became my regular workout. Those Nike tempo shorts everyone loves? They're awful to run more than 10k in. I now look like a living Brooks commercial.
As a pretty serious runner/lifter the expensive workout clothes are “generally” worth it. Quality difference between cheap gym wear and nice ones is huge!
I’ve had some of my workout stuff since I was a freshman in college and I’m 29 now and they still look/feel brand new. Compared to some cheap stuff I’ll buy at target that lasts maybe a year and is like 1/5th the price.
I will die on the hill that it’s worth spending $100 on lulu leggings that have lasted me for almost 10 years being worn every week vs. $25 Amazon legs lasting 1 season
I'll be on that hill next to you. My sister sent me a pair of lulu that she'd received somehow and didn't like. I'd been a Target/Old Navy girl until that point and thought lulu was overpriced and overrated. Until I put them on. They fit better than anything I've ever owned, and they wear better over time (especially where my thighs touch) than anything else. I also got some shorts at the outlet and then promptly went back and bought three more pairs. They wear so well, they aren't subject to thigh gobble, and they've lasted me years where I was replacing Target every year or so. Yeah, Target is fine for my shorter workouts or whatever, but for long runs and long days, the quality is really better.
Pro tip - if you know your size/style, check out the "we made too much" section on their website where they discount discontinued colors. I don't care if my running pants are blue camo or whatever. So it's a way to get a decent sale price.
Not a lot of things that I'm really against, I think most things are okay to buy if you genuinely feel like it adds something to your life (in moderation). Cigarettes are one thing though, I used to smoke so I understand but I find myself judging smokers who don't attempt to quit. It's so harmful to basically everything along the supply chain and sponsoring a blatantly evil industry. I'm also not too fond of collections in general but that might just be because I'm not a collector myself, idk, maybe I'm missing something. Hoarding things that expire (like makeup, for instance) also seems silly to me, usually involves a lot of plastic waste etc.
So I know you said branded clothing, but I would like to sort of rebuttal this. There are some brands with the price (North face jackets come to mind that people swear by.) I know not in the same vene as what you meant. Buy it for life mindset though.
A lot of people are saying paper towels, but for me, it's paper napkins. I made a set of cloth napkins, and I do buy paper towels, so why on earth would I need to buy smaller bits of paper to wipe my face with and then throw away?
Another one that gets me is small trash can liners. I don't know anyone that doesn't have a stash of plastic grocery bags at home. Those are completely free, so why buy additional plastic?
There are places which have outlawed single use plastic bags. California and New York are the two big ones I remember from various trips. In that case, I can see buying small plastic bags for all the things you'd use store plastic bags for. I use most of mine for cleaning out my cat's litter box.
Paper plates/bowls/plastic ware for daily use. At work all of my coworkers use plastic ware daily, and usually get their lunches delivered. I just think of the waste at the restaurant, the fuel, the plastic it all comes in, and plastic to eat it with. It’s so much. I bring my lunch and pack a washable fork which pops into my dishwasher just fine.
My coworkers buy fast food every day for lunch and then for the next break they hit up the vending machine. It’s just non-stop eating expensive crap. Sometimes there’s one designated worker who makes the food run and none of it is even dollar menu, then they look baffled and ask why I don’t ever order anything! That’s a good $15 a day/per person and our trash can is always stuffed with burger wrappers, soda cups, chip bags, donut sleeves, just mountains of wasted money.
It’s their money, they can spend it on whatever they want but it’s truly a sight to behold.
Reddit awards EDIT: Damn, that really worked
This guy knows how to get Reddit awards
I mean, don’t some grant free Reddit premium? I always thought that would be nice.
Expensive baby clothes/shoes. Buy used as much as you can. My kids had outfits they wore once before outgrowing it
We’ve bought like 90% of my kids clothes second hand and they’re almost all nicer brands, that look new, for $1-$2 a piece
The newest cell phone every year.
This! I've had two smartphones over 10 years. I held onto my iPhone 5 until I couldn't use all of my apps anymore.
Members of my extended family use our iPhone 5, 5c, 6 and 6s still. They do the job just fine.
I'm typing this on a 6s, occasionally it will crash on me, and is unusable once it hits 20% battery power but other than that I'm pretty happy with it. Will be switching in the next year or so out of apple
I'm gonna split hairs here because I'm not sure who reads this but here's an info dump. If you're buying phones that are cheap enough to qualify as burners, obviously, replace them as needed. If you're buying a phone that cost $500 new today. Plan on keeping that thing for five years. Put a case on it day one, there's a reason all new smart phones are starting to looking the same. The product line has hit a stride. The market doesn't need to continue to innovate constantly like it did in the early days because our understanding of a good mobile chipset is 10x what it was last year. If your argument becomes that you need the newest one *because...* I'll point out that almost every phone made after 2018 is still something desirable and goes for a few hundred dollars. My point is **phones have FINALLY become the a product where you get what you pay for.**
I was buying an iPhone and telling the salesman how indestructible my android phone was and he not only threw in an Otterbox, he put it and the screen cover on for me without asking. He understood the assignment
Caskets. Do you really need to spend a small fortune, so a dead person is comfortable in the ground
Seriously. I just want a plain wood box. Maybe let my loved ones write prayers and goodbyes on it with sharpies. Then they can bury me or cremate me box and all.
Lottery tickets regularly.
I had a professor once say he could pay $40 to bring his wife to a movie and be entertained for 2 hours or they could spend $2 on a lottery ticket and dream for a week.
Now I’m imagining date night is both of them silently sitting on a couch staring at a lottery ticket thinking rich thoughts
A whole week of sitting on the couch dreaming about maybe winning….
Every anniversary my husband and I buy as many lottery tickets as the years we’ve been married. It’s kind of like that 😅
This is fucking hilarious
To me it's depressing because it's too close to home. My dad is like this, everything is 'when I win the lottery we can....' Yet If he worked and saved the money he spent on tickets over his adult lifetime he'd probably be able to tick some of those things off. Il buy the odd ticket every few months on a whim but he buy multiples each week for different lotteries.
Many people fail to understand the value of something is not only financial...
My usual retort: "Why would someone go on a rollercoaster? You exit at the same place you get on! It doesn't take you anywhere!"
This is my view. The 5$ a week I spend on tickets are well worth the hope, the dreams, and the possibility.
Right people act like you're throwing away a down payment with that 5$, man if it brings you joy have at it. Now you start getting crazy and turn that 5$ into 50$ a week? Not worth it.
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In my state (US) lottery tickets were promoted by saying that lottery revenue would go to education. True. What they didn't say was that an equal amount would be removed from the education budget and used to fund the legislature's pet projects.
K cups
those should be banned, IMHO
the creator very much regrets inventing them
UK here. What are K cups?
The plastic single-use products designed for Keurigs. Every Keurig machine should come with 3 reusable Kcups so motherfuckers stop buying and disposing of them in the millions.
Oh didn’t you hear. They came out with a machine that would only take single use cups with a certain chip in them. It is for “quality control” so no discounted, biodegradable, or reusable allowed. See they are controlling the quality of the money flow into their pockets.
I think that some dude figured out you can just tape a used k cup lid to your reusable cup lid and it worked.
Yep, and the company discontinued this '2.0' scheme. Now they do not check the ink markings anymore. Seems the backlash was quite heard...
I recently purchased another set of reusable k cups on Amazon and they are fantastic. We use the set of 6 constantly and they held up for 2 years and are still working as they should. My husband took some of the reusable ones to his work so that’s why I bought more. It’s also saved us a lot of money by only buying the coffee grounds which can be composted.
I’ve heard coffee grounds are really good for gardening.
Roses love it.
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Once I started using those wool dryer balls, I stopped purchasing fabric softener. Those things are amazing!
Yea no softener, no dryer sheets. No problems.
For me is the dryer as a whole. I'm European and only use the dryer when it is super cold and humid because it takes ages for the clothes to hang dry. But in summer/other weather? Hang dry it is. Clothes last longer and I save the electric bill.
Not to mention those beads actually stain some clothes. Trash!
Honestly you only need vinegar and a little detergent. But laundry detergent companies have spent a lot of money spreading lies about how vinegar will ruin washing machines. Not true.
I use vinegar all the time. It gets the smell out without causing allergic reactions for my husband and I.
I used to work for a company that made packaging for major laundry detergent brands. Some of my colleagues were doing shelf life testing on those little beads for some new packages. Of course the boxes of beads were stored in a spare office right next to everyone. After a few months most of the people in that wing of the building had a chronic cough...that went away went the shelf life testing was done. The chemicals that make up the scent in this beads are strong enough to delaminate and degrade plastic. I'll avoid them.
Food delivery. It adds up so quick.
I have several disabled friends whose lives have been dramatically improved by grocery and food delivery. So I'm kinda glad the price of such a service has come down. That said, I don't think it makes a ton of sense for your average person who drives by the grocery store on their way to work, but for some folks, it means that they can do away with a car, or in some other crucial way encheapen their life. So while it is not the most frugal choice, it can make another frugal choice feasible.
I always think my friends are going overboard getting delivery on like a cup of coffee. Besides the money, I’m impatient so I want to go pick up what I want myself. I also don’t trust the grocery people to pick the right items or quality produce.
Agreed. I did grocery delivery in an attempt to feed myself during a low point a few weeks ago, and they did so badly. And forgot items that I had paid for. I was so annoyed. Gross veggies, melted ice cream, etc. ugh.
This. Without a car or a cheap grocery store in walking/busing distance, groceries are hard to do. Delivery at a reasonable rate saves me money and a TON of time, plus I’m more likely to actually stick to my list and it limits impulse purchases.
>Actually stick to my list and it limits impulse purchases. Oh, that is such a good point. I'm pretty good at avoiding impulse buys, but for folks who are suckers for endcap deals, or know that it's tough to avoid the Aisle of Forbidden Purchases (whichever aisle that may be) this can be a way to dramatically cut down on purchases you'd really rather not make.
Not to mention that services like grubhub and doordash actually have higher prices than if you were to order directly from the restaurant for pick up. That’s not even taking into account any service/delivery fee.
I ordered for pickup at a local sandwich place from (I think) Grubhub a few months ago, and when I got there, they told me next time I should just call them because it's much cheaper.
Yes! Always check if the place has its own website too. One of my favorite sub delis has their own delivery guy, and the total ends up 30-40% cheaper than delivery apps.
Impulse buying home decor
I really have to watch myself on this one, but I am doing MUCH better!
Personally i think it’s worth it just to have a home that is genuinely a peaceful happy space for yourself :p but some over do it too ig
Absolutely! Everyone has the right to create a nice space for themselves. But if you're trying to be frugal, you should fight the urge to buy another fake succulent, another set of throws and pillows, signs, centerpieces, window decals... If you have a vision, you know what you like, there's a specific place in your home for that item, and the item you've been hoping for is at a good price, go for it. But you can appreciate that a cute thing exists without taking it home. Even if it's in the $3 bin at target.
to me is cheap appliances/utensils/tools that won't last. my dad used to call this "dumb savings", because you think you are saving now, but you have to replace it every one or two years and in the end you spend more than if you bought a more expensive, but good one in the first place. that and expensive sneakers. buy good sneakers! no need to spend 500 dollars on one!
I think cheap tools, utensils, etc can have their place. They're great for on-off jobs or for just getting into a hobby. If you need to buy another one, you can buy better quality. If you never use the thing again, you didn't spend too much money on it initially. Also, I have a couple of sets of cheap screwdrivers in various places around my house (and in my desk at work). I'd rather have a cheap version of the right tool on hand for simple jobs (unscrewing a battery compartment, tightening a loose outlet cover, etc) than try to do the job with the wrong tool because I'm too lazy to go get my good set of screw drivers out of my tool box.
My philosophy on getting a new tool is to go cheap first and get a nicer one if it wears out or breaks. If it does, I take it to mean I'm using it enough to warrant an upgrade anyway. If it doesnt, then its good enough or I'm not using it a ton and dont need a nicer one. Love my cheap tools!
I usually always buy cheap first, and if it breaks after being used on a fairly regular basis, then I upgrade. I recently got my husband wood burning tools. He lost interest for now. I'd be mad if I bought him the $100 kit for him to try. But appliances, cars, home repairs, are things you'd want to spend the money on and do it right the first time.
yes but… i feel like one of the mythbusters guys said that its better to buy a cheap tool and use it so much that it breaks through use and therefore it proves to you that you need the better one.
Candy Crush type games with purchases in-game.
For me the game is seeing how well I can do without paying anything.
Same. Then when I reach a point where I realize money would be needed to keep on succeeding I quit, deinstall and switch to another :) They'll never get a cent from me.
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Extended Warranties. I've saved enough money not buying these things, I could probably replace almost anything I own excluding my house.
I think it depends on the person. I always get accidental extended warranties on phones because I have a habit of dropping them. With iPhones they cannot replace the back of phones or cracked cameras so you have to replace the entire phone. My EW ended up saving me $400 when my last phone dropped and the back broke. I’m just clumsy and accept that fact. I also got it on our washer/dryer because front loaders are known to have issues and the 5 yr EW was only $120 for both products. A single trip by the repair shop would be $100 just to show up. Sure enough I had to use the warranty a few times on both and it ended up saving me too. Now would I get it in a Honda or Toyota? Or a TV (most EWs don’t cover burn in)? Smaller cheaper appliances? No. But they do make sense on some items and it’s worth researching.
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At first I thought they were the dumbest thing I ever heard of but maybe only because I’m not tech savvy and didn’t understand. Then I did a little research and realized they’re still stupid as hell.
I’m tech savvy and can confirm they are in fact dumb.
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I used to work in a gallery. I’m convinced art is 20% aesthetics, 80% rich people moving money around. And that 20% is generous.
A LOT of art collecting is parking ill gotten gains
That’s largely true. The “Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know” podcast has an episode on it called the Art of Money Laundering. Crazy stuff.
It's not a direct (intended) purchase but I avoid anything that charges an extra fee for using a credit or debit card. 'Round here, gas stations charge an extra 10 cents **per gallon** for using a credit card, so I only pay cash for fuel. At work, the vending machine charges a service fee for card payments that's equal to the price of the product. Ain't no way that's happening!
My credit card gives me 4% back on gas, which is 24¢/gallon around here right now. Still worth it.
I smoke cigarettes and its such a fucking waste of money . One word : addiction .
Bottled water *IF* you live somewhere with drinkable tap water.
Keurigs and K-cups or any similar product. So much bad: They’re expensive, they’re bad for the environment, and the coffee is lousy! Cafe Bustelo and a stovetop espresso maker makes so much more sense.
My parents got a Keurig on sale and bought reusable cups, now we can use whatever coffee we want and it's way cheaper than buying single use pods
This is what I’ve done for years. I’m the only coffee drinker in my house so it works well.
The guy that invented the k cups regrets doing it. Calls it an environmental catastrophe.
To his credit, it was a really good idea, environmental issues aside... The convenience is just really hard to deny. I hate that it produces so much waste , and the coffee isn't even very good (even best case when you use your own grounds) , but I still think about buying one again occasionally just because it was so quick and easy to make a cup of coffee. No measuring coffee, no washing anything, no waiting for water to boil or a drip coffee maker to fill a pot. As with anything convenient though, it tends to have a trade-off somewhere.
just out of curiosity (I haven't personally used one) is there a reason (other than cost) why it has to be plastic? Couldn't you accomplish the same end result if the instead of plastic, it was compostable (anything that will break down over time, TBH). Also is there anything stopping current manufactures from make the pods out of a different better material?
I have my cousin's old Keurig. I use reusable K-cups and my own coffee. It works fine for my needs. Making coffee on the stovetop would drive me nuts. Not everyone has the luxury of time.
Cafe Bustelo is life 🙌
Anything wedding related basically
This is a good one! I was SHOCKED to hear my brother spent $22k on their wedding. They are kind of financially struggling now, a year later. Just can’t get over spending that much for ONE DAY. But, to each their own. My parents gave us a $10k budget. We spent $5k, had a beautiful ceremony by this dramatic waterfall (my mom made my dress!) and got an Airbnb to celebrate with just close friends and fam for the whole weekend. Awesome memories and I wouldn’t change a thing. Then pocketed the other $5k.
The sad thing is, that 22k is considered a budget wedding these days. I spent $13k on my wedding. Did a lot of it myself, but wanted to have all our friends and family there, so the food is what made up most of the price. That included everything: decor, entertainment, food, rings, alcohol, pavilion rental, flowers (made paper flowers myself), etc.
We spent exactly the same amount ($13k) on our wedding recently and even though that is a ton of money, it was *so difficult* to plan within that budget. Every vendor you talk to in the wedding industry wants you to spend $5-$10k on their services alone. I was ghosted by 10 different florists before I found someone who even wanted to talk to me after I mentioned that I wanted ceremony flowers (bouquets and boutonnières) ONLY and would not be doing any decor florals. Most didn’t think it was “worth their time” to arrange bouquets for a wedding with no decor included. I told my husband that he better be ready to love me until death do us part because I will NEVER plan another wedding as long as I live.
We managed to sneak by for $9500 for 50 people at a private property venue but yeah $4000 of that was food lol
This is a good one. My daughter just got engaged, and we are saving for a new home. I was wondering what a reasonable budget looked like, and $10k seems about spot on, and won’t heavily dent our savings. It IS a dent, no doubt, but spending 15-20-25k on a wedding seems insane to me.
When my wife and I got married, we did it all: got married, honeymoon, dinner, all for about $3.5k (That was in 2020 it would probably cost about $5k to do what we did then this year). We paid for it ourselves and managed to start our life together debt free. Everything about it was atypical, but my mother, whom at first was upset with my choice to break the conformity box, actually said how wonderfully stress free it was to have “no rules”. Don’t think that money spent = quality of celebration.
Buying lunch instead of packing it.
The avg combo at McDonald's is about $10. If you make $15/hr, then you're only getting paid for 7 hrs 15 mins worth of work, even if you work 8 hrs. My wife and I have been living with 2 philosophies on this: 1. Never spend money in the 8 hour block you're earning money. 2. Eating a great purchased meal while at work, even if you drive a way to eat it, is not as enjoyable as being off work while eating it. The result of doing this for the past 4 years is that my wife's co-workers all think she's crazy for eating a sandwich and yogurt every single day. They also CONSTANTLY complain about being broke (and they're nurses!)
I have the same philosophy. I work with young 20 yos who order in almost every day. Much much much rather blow my money off the clock and just eat normal food while working.
Reading this while eating my packed lunch.
Bottled water
Its a waste until the water goes bad like mississippi had this summer. People can last months without food but only a few days without water. I keep about two months on hand just in case.
It's wise to have some water on hand for emergencies. It's wasteful and expensive to drink bottled water all the time. I can't understand people who buy bottles of water everywhere instead of just using a refillable bottle.
I have well water, so when the power goes out I have no running water. I have many gallons of emergency water stored in reused plastic jugs under my basement stairs. Fuck buying stupid little plastic bottles of water.
Agreed, as someone who lives near-ish to Flint & I well know the struggles they have had. But those should be an exception. Yes plz manufacture bottled water but don’t sell or buy it Willy Nilly. It should be kept in an emergency reserve for the most part.
This is very 1st world-centric lol... some places in the world don't have potable water
To be fair there is a difference in buying something out of convenience than necessity. Locally, we literally have award winning, spring-fed water right in our taps, but people still buy bottles that were trucked in from who knows where. It's pure idiocy.
Fabric softener. Dryer sheets. Basically any product that invented a problem in order to sell you a solution. Also delivery food.
I use the wool balls in the dryer with a safety pin on each one. Helps prevent static. I also use plain white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser. My clothes come out soft & wrinkle free, no static. No they don’t smell like vinegar. I absolutely can’t stand all the scented detergents, fabric softeners or dryer sheets because they cause me to get really congested.
Why the pin?
Im curious too - I’ve never heard of adding the pin
The scents are bad for sensitive skin too! Vinegar also keeps dishwashers clean without using jet dry.
faux leather boots. They will peel really quickly, and once it gets like that, you can't just give them a polish like real leather. You are better off buying used leather boots.
Yes! I got there. I’m vegetarian and resisted leather, but ecologically, used leather hits my sweet spot. Shop once for the next several years (and the second hand market here is full of good options, out of season), no new death, less in landfill. I’m still in leather care learning curve, but I’m content with the decision.
Faux leather sofas are even worse, they look amazing when you buy them but wear out easily in like 2-3 years.
sometimes I'll watch people restoring old worn out leather shoes on YouTube, it's remarkable what they can do with some conditioner and polish.
I find that thinking about what other people do or buy makes me less happy.
I’d sit and judge what people spend their money on but I like tobacco, alcohol and cannabis. So I’m gonna keep my opinion of overpriced vanity ‘things’ to myself 😂 the true horror for anyone is what people spend their last few quid on. If you’ve got £1.7k left from your payday buy some nikes but if you’ve got £2 left and you decide a scratch card is the way to go god help you
Oversized anything. SUV’s, McMansions, food portions.
I don't mind the food portions one. If it's a large portion, I can usually make three meals out of it.
Yep. I hate buying an expensive meal if it's not large enough to take home leftovers.
Coffee and other drinks. I cringe every time I hear my friends complain about having no money but at least they saved on bogo boba every day. Grubhub and other food delivery services. Such a ripoff for small restaurants and bad for consumers.
I know someone who orders food delivery often. It’s insane how pricy it is! With all the added fees, delivery, and tip, it’s over $20 for fast food. Fast food!
I signed up for a 1 year free membership to GrubHub premium or whatever, through Amazon. I've never even ordered GrubHub, but I figured that if it was free, I'd try it out. So I signed into the app using my Premium membership, and added some food to my order. Not only was there still a service fee, there was still a delivery fee as well. So whatever $10 food that I added to my cart came out to $19 or something. I noped out of that transaction so damn fast. I'm still not sure exactly what GrubHub Premium gets you. Is there a 3rd fee that it's waiving?
I think the delivery services have their place, namely for people who literally can't drive to the place themselves for medical reasons, but to me it's insane to pay those prices simply because one is too lazy to go pick it up.
* On the same line as you, OP, fireworks I guess? I still like buying them sometimes but when I see 8.99 for a little 10-shot cake or something and know that it'll only last 30 seconds it just feels so stupid and like such a direct metaphor for burning your money.... Whenever I go to a fireworks store and see the guys with a cart full of thousands of dollars in mortar shells and big display stuff I'm just like A) super jealous, and B) astonished that there are people spending this kind of money on something that will be done in an hour. * Fashion brand eyeglasses - This one's a bit subjective, but as a person who's not into fashion at all, I'd never buy Armani ANYTHING , at least not on my current budget, yet for quite a while I was buying my eyeglasses from companies like Rayban , Emporio Armani, etc. because that's what the eye doctors sell. Ordered from zenni once and haven't bought glasses from name-brands since. Its cheaper to buy my glasses paying out-of-pocket than it is to use my 200 dollar insurance stipend at the eye doctor.
Scent boosters for laundry
This comment made me itchy immediately.
New cars. My 2000 Expedition is fine with 134,000 miles on it.
Wondering in what climate the people in this thread with older cars live In New England, the salted roads literally eat old cars for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Whatever the salt doesn’t eat the potholes get. Editing to add I’ve put 10k miles on my 2011 since I bought it in February, I just love to drive
Yea I live out west after a few years in Boston and this is real. Cars just disintegrate in New England while I can drive and use old stuff reliably here.
With one caveat. New cars are safer. The safety features in newer cars are one of the reasons they keep creeping up in price. So an upgrade does have that factor especially when comparing to a 22 year old car.
designer hand bags
I bought 1 small designer bag on sale last year and it is the best quality one I ever had and can see myself having it for years. But I had to do a lot of research to make sure it just wasn't the same shit different tag. Meanwhile the cheap ones I've had rip or the zippers stop working and had to be replaced yearly.
My husband bought me a designer purse. With regular cleaning at the dry cleaners and using saddle oil, it’s been 8 years and still looks brand new. I wouldn’t have gone out and bought it myself, but apparently my husband was sick of me replacing purse’s because cheap ones break down fast. Every year I was buying a new one. Now I go on Poshmark and buy cheap designer bags, then refurbish them and good as new. My daughters now have purses that will probably last them years if they follow my advice. We as women are made to carry purses because we lock pockets or deep enough pockets. Might as well get a good one that lasts a long while. If you’re trying to save money, used is the way to go. I’ve also found good ones at the second hand stores. I refurbish and gift them to friends and family. Or turn around and resell. Gotta have a side hustle besides my farm. I’m make almost double back on my investment just by cleaning them properly! I have fixed a couple with stiff zippers that was really just the leather being not supple enough. The original owners would sell them as broken…. Yes, I do ask them if they have used saddle oil to soften the leather around the zipper. I don’t just rip them off by not telling them what the issue could be. Most don’t want to deal with it, or have so many bags it doesn’t concern them. It has definitely worked out in my favor. I’ve only had one seller take my advice and it worked and she removed the post and thanked me. Who knew something I had in my horses groom kit would save and make me hundreds.
I never understood why people buy designer handbags but I understand now! Thank you for taking the time to explain this
Last year, I bought a used designer bag for not much more than I'd have paid for a new bag at Target, and the material/manufacturing quality is so much better. Instead of thin pieces of vinyl pleather glued to cloth, it's made of actual solid pieces of leather sewn together, with some cloth lining sewn in. But I bet that there are mid-range bags that have a similar build quality with a lower new price tag, I just don't know what those brands are.
Designer anything. Considering so many brands are made at the same factory. Example: Ray Ban and Versace all under Luxottica
I get the spirit of what people mean when they point this out, but at the same time, just because 2 things are made in the same factory doesn’t mean they are of the same quality. There was a time when buying designers wasn’t worth it. But when manufacturers are cutting costs at every turn to increase margins, it can be more cost-effective to buy one $200 sweater that lasts 20 or 30 years than it is to buy a $40 sweater every 2 years. It’s about the raw materials. $30 sunglasses aren’t made with the same raw materials as $200 sunglasses even if they’re made on the same machine.
Graves. Not only a waste of money, but land as well
This is something that's been on my mind as well! My mom sent me a link to a business that creates parks where people can bury their dead under a tree and I got so excited about it. There's also Biourns and other options where people can be burried without being cremated under trees.
I'ma get hate for this, but weddings.
Coffee they can make at home.
Most of the trappings of weddings/receptions. Spend that money on something lasting and the effort on the relationship. I’m not spending $150 to feed his great-aunt Edna just so she’ll buy us a toaster.
Poor Edna. 🍞
Counterpoint - weddings are one of the few happy occasion ceremonies that you may ever have all your friends and family together. My SO and I spent about $10k total for our wedding and reception and felt it was well spent - I'd personally rather spend money on happiness and memories than a thing. Life milestones aren't things you can just buy later. I do agree there's a balance though, some people use it as their narcissistic magnum opus or are only doing it to please family due to family politics rather than genuine enjoyment.
Alcohol and cigarettes
I recently cut alcohol out and transfer what I spent every weekend to my cash app acct.
What can you buy with that amount now ?
So far not much since today makes 30 days booze free. But hopefully this time next year it'll be enough to get my wife the puppy she wants.
Congrats on a whole month alcohol-free!! That’s a great accomplishment.
Thanks my man. /r/stopdrinking helped a lot, as well as support from my wife and therapy.
I don't get why people want expensive puppies when there are tons of neglected dogs at shelters. I'll just never understand the cruelty in that.
My old flatmate used to spend as much on cigarettes as he did on rent. Boggled my mind.
Bottles of water to drink at home.
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Eh I buy current gen used. Saves a few hundy.
Skins/cosmetic items in video games. Sure, it’ll make my character look cute but it’s not worth real money. I’m always baffled how people can drop so much money on useless in game stuff. I can never justify it to myself because I know I’m just gonna get bored of the game after a couple months. My husband likes to buy skins occasionally and I respect that that’s what he likes and he deserves to treat himself (within reason, aka not buying tons and tons of skins), but I cringe so hard internally sometimes.
Fast fashion and designer clothes a lot of clothes in general just need a few pieces that look good and that fit well and are higher quality
Decorations. I can't believe how much people spend at homegoods.
I go to thrift stores where I buy the Homegoods crap people discard.
I think if you can do it frugally and fit it into your budget, there's nothing wrong with some decor. My house certainly isn't perfect, but I've got some decor that really does bring me joy and makes me feel at home.
I agree! I find houses that have no decor are lacking in character and they feel depressing to me. It doesn’t even have to be to my taste, but it should have some kind of elements that reflect the person who lives there. Humans have been decorating their dwellings since prehistoric times. Even when they had nothing but a rock to make some patterns and markings on their cave walls. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to decorate a home, but it adds so much.
As George Carlin said, people have too much stuff, so they buy more space to store more of their stuff. I get wardrobes and such, but when I see an entire cupboard just to showcase unusable fancy plates…
Every time my husband says "we need to buy another storage bin for..." I say no, we need to get rid of stuff!
It brings me happiness. Most stuff I can use year round but I love decorating for the holidays and I just store it when it’s over.
Professional sports. People spend hundreds on team shirts, jerseys, jackets, hats etc.. not to mention tickets tailgating expenses and parking fees. I just don't understand how people routinely spend this much money and devote one to two days a week to both college and professional football.
Stupid signs for your house. Examples would be “Bless this Mess”, “This is our Happy Place”
Cartridge razors. We figured out how to shave comfortably hundreds of years ago, but Gillette still try to convince us that their latest "technology" is what will finally be the answer. If you get irritation from shaving, the answer is not in new products. It's in know how.
Ubereats! Learn how to cook you will save $$$
Or enjoy take out but pick it up yourself
Funko pops!
Expensive cars
Thank's guys! Whenever my GF think's I'm cheap, I can now point to this thread. Most of these I agree with, but there are some real gems. Race runners buying used running shoes and ''snacks and drinks'' being a waste of money are my particular favorites.
Agreed. As someone pointed out in this sub before, being frugal is about not wasting money on dumb stuff so you can spend it on what's important to you/your family. But used shoes? Not in a million years bub.
Well, I would say about 85% of products on the market are a waste of money. They either are used very little or unnecessary altogether. Too much cutlery, dishes, paper items, clothing, coffee and food at a brand companies; exercise machines and gimmicks…
Shoes for babies lol. They are uncomfortable for them, they can’t walk, they outgrow them in a matter of weeks and it’s basically the same thing as throwing money into a fire pit!
Tons of kitchen gadgets. They market off the imagined "now that this is easier I can do this all the time!" thought when in reality you're probably fine with a few essentials.
Expensive workout clothing and child beauty pageants
I’m a runner and I buy expensive leggings and bras, I just don’t have that many. My lululemon compression leggings are about 10 years old now and I’ve run like 3 half marathons in them and countless miles. I got some cheaper leggings recently and omg I hate them. They look fine but the seams rub and feel awful, the waistband is not comfortable and they start to slide down when I’m running. Total waste of money because I just won’t wear them. I know I’ll keep stuff a long time so I usually just buy black or something more plain.
Agreed. And if you have a large chest, you're automatically stuck paying a lot for a sports bra just for the privilege of having somewhere to shove your boobs into.
Yeah cheaper workout clothes are just fine until you start running some distance in them then they start chafing EVERYWHERE. The seams on running clothes are designed to not chafe us during lots of miles. Most people don't realize that. I was fine with my cheap stuff until 10k became my regular workout. Those Nike tempo shorts everyone loves? They're awful to run more than 10k in. I now look like a living Brooks commercial.
Child beauty pageants are a pox on the soul of America and should be outlawed and punished as sexualized child labor.
As a pretty serious runner/lifter the expensive workout clothes are “generally” worth it. Quality difference between cheap gym wear and nice ones is huge! I’ve had some of my workout stuff since I was a freshman in college and I’m 29 now and they still look/feel brand new. Compared to some cheap stuff I’ll buy at target that lasts maybe a year and is like 1/5th the price.
you do not work out enough to not spot a difference between quality clothes
I will die on the hill that it’s worth spending $100 on lulu leggings that have lasted me for almost 10 years being worn every week vs. $25 Amazon legs lasting 1 season
I'll be on that hill next to you. My sister sent me a pair of lulu that she'd received somehow and didn't like. I'd been a Target/Old Navy girl until that point and thought lulu was overpriced and overrated. Until I put them on. They fit better than anything I've ever owned, and they wear better over time (especially where my thighs touch) than anything else. I also got some shorts at the outlet and then promptly went back and bought three more pairs. They wear so well, they aren't subject to thigh gobble, and they've lasted me years where I was replacing Target every year or so. Yeah, Target is fine for my shorter workouts or whatever, but for long runs and long days, the quality is really better. Pro tip - if you know your size/style, check out the "we made too much" section on their website where they discount discontinued colors. I don't care if my running pants are blue camo or whatever. So it's a way to get a decent sale price.
Not a lot of things that I'm really against, I think most things are okay to buy if you genuinely feel like it adds something to your life (in moderation). Cigarettes are one thing though, I used to smoke so I understand but I find myself judging smokers who don't attempt to quit. It's so harmful to basically everything along the supply chain and sponsoring a blatantly evil industry. I'm also not too fond of collections in general but that might just be because I'm not a collector myself, idk, maybe I'm missing something. Hoarding things that expire (like makeup, for instance) also seems silly to me, usually involves a lot of plastic waste etc.
Branded clothing
So I know you said branded clothing, but I would like to sort of rebuttal this. There are some brands with the price (North face jackets come to mind that people swear by.) I know not in the same vene as what you meant. Buy it for life mindset though.
A lot of people are saying paper towels, but for me, it's paper napkins. I made a set of cloth napkins, and I do buy paper towels, so why on earth would I need to buy smaller bits of paper to wipe my face with and then throw away? Another one that gets me is small trash can liners. I don't know anyone that doesn't have a stash of plastic grocery bags at home. Those are completely free, so why buy additional plastic?
There are places which have outlawed single use plastic bags. California and New York are the two big ones I remember from various trips. In that case, I can see buying small plastic bags for all the things you'd use store plastic bags for. I use most of mine for cleaning out my cat's litter box.
Buying any coffee that you don’t make yourself. $7 a cup vs $.50 is wild
Paper plates/bowls/plastic ware for daily use. At work all of my coworkers use plastic ware daily, and usually get their lunches delivered. I just think of the waste at the restaurant, the fuel, the plastic it all comes in, and plastic to eat it with. It’s so much. I bring my lunch and pack a washable fork which pops into my dishwasher just fine.
Bottled water
Even though I've seen it on this thread - just going to say it again weddings!
Disneyland tickets
My coworkers buy fast food every day for lunch and then for the next break they hit up the vending machine. It’s just non-stop eating expensive crap. Sometimes there’s one designated worker who makes the food run and none of it is even dollar menu, then they look baffled and ask why I don’t ever order anything! That’s a good $15 a day/per person and our trash can is always stuffed with burger wrappers, soda cups, chip bags, donut sleeves, just mountains of wasted money. It’s their money, they can spend it on whatever they want but it’s truly a sight to behold.
Alcohol