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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"Straight men of Reddit, what is the strangest thing you have been told not to do because 'that's gay?'"
The following behavior just screams, "gay," fellas. Watch out.
Song Choice
"Sing a Lily Allen song during karaoke."
– KentuckyFriedEel
School Protocol
"Advice I received in high school from other students:"
"Don't cross your legs with one knee over the other. Put one ankle over the other knee."
"When carrying books, palm them and carry them at your side. Don't rest one edge of the books near your waist."
"Never button the top button of your shirt."
– Gorf_the_Magnificent
Look, But Don't Look
"This one time, at summer camp, this guy who'd just been swimming in the lake told me you could tell how cold the water was by how hard his nipples were. 'But don't stare too long,' he said, 'because that's gay.'"
"You were the one who told me to look in the first place!"
– SonOfTheShire
Sandwich For Sissies
"When I was a kid, my dad called me a sissy because I cut a sandwich diagonally."
– captainmagictrousers
Getting Woodwind
"I played the clarinet. I got called Faginet a lot."
– Virtual_Caramell
"But that's one women do," one might argue.
Daddy Duty
"Changing my daughter's diaper. Mentioned it in the office one day. Called gay."
– Bullydaddy
A Lighter Shade
"Buying a white IPhone."
– Freshrendar
"Added my husband (then boyfriend) to my phone plan. Went to the store on my own to upgrade both our phones. We both just wanted the next gen Samsung. It was only available in purplish-pink in store."
"I shrugged and said it didn't matter, he's putting a case on it anyways. Guys working at the store kept trying to talk me out of it, actively pushing me to go to another store, making them lose commission, just so my partner wouldn't have a feminine phone. He used his pink phone for 3 years."
– Caity26
Life Skills
"I've been criticized for knowing how to sew and cook. Those are essential life skills!"
– placeholderNull
"My father was a Marine drill instructor in the 50's. Guess who did all the sewing in my house growing up?"
"Yeah, no one dared to call him gay for it."
– desrever1138
Here are examples of guidelines for being a manly man, according to manly men.
Manly Appetite
"Not a straight man but... back in my bartending days I asked a man if he wanted to see a dessert menu. He said 'if I wanted dessert I'd order wings like a real man.'"
"Weird flex but okay."
– BigJiggies
When I'm In The Mood, I Masticate
"When I'm feeling extra manly, I just take a bite out of a cow and then chew on some raw wheat."
"Like a man."
– AmigoDelDiabla
No Appointments Necessary For Straight Men
"I left a pick-up basketball game because I had an appointment to get a haircut. Evidently, the only straight way to get a haircut is as a walk in."
– patricksaurus
Abiding By The Law Is So Gay
"Using turn signals. And not as some sort of euphemism, but literally using them while driving to turn or change lanes."
– Sargatanus
In grade school, some fellow classmates asked me to check for gum on my shoe because they saw me step in some.
When I lifted my leg to take a gander, the boys were howling hysterically as if my actions confirmed something.
Well, it sure did. Apparently, if I l looked at the bottom of my shoe from in front of me, I was "normal," but since I bent my leg back and looked at the bottom of my shoe from behind, that made me "so gay."
Although, I didn't come out 'til years later, maybe those goons were onto something. Thanks for the heads up, guys.
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