Money isn't everything, but it's a necessary evil... a necessary evil that we waste a LOT of without realizing it.
One Reddit user asked:
What is something that is a major waste of money?
... so when I said we didn't realize how much we waste, I was not kidding. We're not going to tell you exactly how many of these we're guilty of, but it's definitely the one about ordering take out.
I'm from New York. I don't even LIKE Florida pizza. But it gets ordered at least once a week for some reason. What am I doing with my life?
They're Babies...
Designer baby clothes.
They'll fit into it for a week, maybe two, then it's too small. So stupid.
- livsim95
My wife insisted on several designer outfits when my daughter was born.
She bought them all secondhand, but still paid more than most clothes are new. She swore she'd the be able to sell them all for roughly what she paid - then my daughter had one sh*t explosion that totally wrecked a $70 dress.
That was the end of that.
Smoking
As a reformed then returned smoker, it is a colossal waste of f*cking money ... but here I am.
- Trias84
I quit three years ago and am shocked at how much money I have saved.
I smoked when it was $2.50 Usd for a pack of 20. Had quit before it hit $5. No idea what it is now.
- xSKOOBx
Depends on the state, here in NY it's like $12, and can be over $15 in the city.
In Australia it's $50 for a pack of 30. There's packs of 20, 25, 30 and 50 (!). Not sure how much a carton would be but probably $200+
Here on Vancouver Island, it's 15$ for 20.
Already Well-Off
I completely can't understand the large donations/gift sub bombs to big twitch streamers.
Seeing the top donors lists with people who've donated thousands of dollars to streamers who are already making well over $100k+ per year on subscriptions alone... ?
I understand supporting content creators you enjoy. I've subbed and donated to support content creators as well. But when I see people throwing hundreds to thousands at already well-off streamers, I can't help but think how much help that could do in a charity instead, or maybe invested.
- lrmyers4
The Warranty
Many laptop insurance/warranty policies.
If you actually read the terms and conditions, many of them are very restrictive and filing a claim is a painstaking process. But nobody reads them.
I paid $120 for a four year warranty plan. After accidentally dropping my laptop and breaking the screen, I was told my plan didn't cover accidental damage, intentional damage, misuse damage, etc. Basically the only thing that the plan covered was hardware malfunctions.
And even if there was a hardware malfunction, the company got 3 attempts to repair the laptop before having to buy you another one or reimburse you - and the repairs could take months.
Also they made clear that even if they did get you another laptop it wouldn't necessarily be new and would most likely be a refurbished laptop of "similar quality."
But none of that mattered in my case because the laptop was dropped and I couldn't recover.
... the worst part of all of this was the policy was actually called something along the lines of "Drop protection" - and it specifically did NOT cover drops.
- [reddit]
Skin
My friend plays Fortnite and buys every single skin that comes out. Every. One.
Had a classmate like this. Used to spend about 600 dollars each month. Mind you this was 2 years ago so he's probably spent upwards of 10K.
To be fair, his dad is so rich he has a Ferrari collection.
- xenonyk
I played Fortnite until around the end of Season 4, then the gameplay got sh*t and was so toxic. I think Legendary skins were around £20 each, and Epic ones were £10 to £15 if I recall correctly.
With the amount of sh*t they've been getting I'd guess they rack up several hundred per month.
Take Out
Food Delivery GIF by Uber Eats
Giphy
Delivery or take out.
I know, "you don't feel like cooking" - well, you better start feeling, it saves you lots of money!
"But ingredients cost more than delivery". Yes it does, but if you shop smartly, you can get yourself a few meals for the same money you would pay on one meal delivered.
"But I don't know how to cook". Well, learn. It's 2020, there are tons of sources where you can learn how to cook basic meals to feed yourself without spending hours in the kitchen or endangering your life.
Obviously, it's fine once in a while. Hell, even once a week when you're busy or craving something. Or often if you really can afford it.
But I know people who barely make ends meet ordering in several times a week because they "don't want to cook."
Preying on Kids
Summer educational conferences for high school students.
I went to one as a kid and was a counselor for four summers. At best, it's 7-10 days away from home doing some cool sh!t and meeting people but it'll cost $3000-5000 for the event and you'll have to fly in on your dime. A conference I worked was only 3 days and it was so sad seeing kids come in thinking it would be life-changing, give them a big boost applying to college, and it's all a ruse.
All of that sh*t that is advertised to high school students is really gross looking back on it. I got mailers for those camps, and of course as a kid looking through what is probably the most official-looking thing you've ever been mailed in your life you are super swept up by it.
The damn things we're like an inch thick, always had letters from some famous science dude telling you how much this would change your life (Buzz Aldrin, Bill Nye), and would hype you up by saying things like "Only 5% of students are invited! You've been recommended to us!."
It's all a moneymaking scheme
Getting those letters was so disappointing.
I got several for medical conferences and was SO excited ... until I researched them a little and saw what scams they were. Preying on kids who just want a leg up in their dream career.
Bottles
Bottled water.
Very few places in the developed world have undrinkable tap water. Please stop buying bottled water. It costs more per gallon than gasoline and all the plastic goes into the oceans.
No, it does not get recycled. Plastic recycling is a lie perpetrated by the oil industry.
- ktappe
The profitability of recycling different materials varies over time. If it's not currently profitable, certain types of recyclable material are stored in bales until it is, incinerated, or dumped.
For some of the last 50 years, recycling "was a lie", depending on timing, material type, local facilities, economic factors, etc.
Private
Private high school, private middle school or private elementary school.
There's the argument that "graduates of private high school go on to make more money and have a higher chance of graduating university than graduates of public high school."
Yeah ... because most private school families were already well-connected and able to pay for college tuition. Getting an 80k per year job at your grandfather's auction house the day you graduate college isn't something you earned through merit or because you went to an expensive school.
For most middle class families, private high school is $40,000 minimum for four years of a mild status boost with no long term benefits.
Wasted Food
Any food you bought and didn't eat.
Do you regularly throw out expired stuff? Wilting vegetables? Leftovers?
Add up how much of your grocery bill represents wasted food each month, and you might rethink your habits.
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