Ever experience buyer's remorse? I know I have. Impulsive, unnecessary, and overall stupid purchases can be the bane of anyone's bank account. But your's probably is nowhere near as bad as these Redditors.
u/victoriwnl asked: What are some dumb purchases you made?
I see the Sign....
I bought several sign language books because I wanted to make friends with a deaf kid at my school. I ended up learning a tiny amount before discovering he was a total creep who wouldn't stop staring at my feet.
Meowed.
So I have this cat this constantly dressed up in stupid crap and I know that people judge me for it, but in reality I figured one day that maybe he was constantly biting and scratching me because he was cold. Turns out I was right and if he doesn't have a sweater on he just goes right back to being an fool.
I no longer judge anyone with any animal in any sort of ridiculous attire because I would rather have some one think I'm a crazy cat lady than be covered in scratches and bite marks.
Annabelle?
I bought a faceless doll to scare people. Turns out I was the most scared one.
I got a scary doll too, it was $30. It was so I can creep people out with it. Turns out they're creeped out for the minute they see it, but I saw it every night on my desk in my room and it creeped me out. One day the hair started moving on its own, and when I checked it out, it was a bunch of small flies. A fly laid it's eggs in her hair.
It was something like "Apple Sine Doll"?
How To....
I've bought a lot of how to kits/books. Like how to knit, how to calligraphy, how to paint, how to write poetry, etc... have I learned how to do a single one of those things? No, no I have not
Edit: y'all thanks but I am aware of the existence of YouTube, google, and libraries... that would be why I'm saying they are dumb purchases lol.
Dane Undone.
Bought a onesie for my Great Dane. don't know why I bought it but I think he liked it.
"get whatever you want"
I bought an $80 pen one time.
Edit: I was about 8 yrs old, and was driving to Florida from NY with my dad and sisters. My dad is super showy (and I have no idea where he got the money) so at a rest stop, he handed us each a $100 bill and said "get whatever you want." So I bought the pen for $80. He was not happy when I got back to the car.
Edit edit: My father and I don't get along, and one of the reasons is he throws money at everything instead of actually solving the problem. So this was basically just to keep 3 little girls quiet during a 19 hour drive. It was pretty typical of him.
Edit edit edit: I'm 33 and no longer have the pen. Idk what happened to it over the years, but I hope someone who loves pens found it and gave it a nice life.
Snapshot
I thought I was buying a vintage Polaroid camera but when it arrived I realized it was a giant poster with a small picture of the camera in the center. I have a bad habit of not fully reading the description before buying (the exact reason I had to go to summer school in the 7th grade) and my boyfriend forced me to hang the poster for a full year as a reminder of what a dummy I am.
House
A house in 2007.... it's still not worth as much as we paid for it.
My parents bought in 2004. Around 2012-2013 when I was applying for the FAFSA, it gave an error when I entered that their mortgage was more than the house is worth.
LIIITTTTT!!!!
A cactus that lights up.
Hey now. I love my lighty cactus. In fact, I'm sitting next to mine right this instant and it's already lit up!
Fish Luxury....
$400 dollar fish tank lighting. I wasn't carpenter enough to build the hood to mount it. It sits in the basement as a monument of my idiocy.
In the past I convinced me parents to spent $500 for fish stuff. I don't know how they were convinced.
Ryan & Ambien....
I had accidentally doubled my dose of pain meds right before I went to go see a showing of the film Drive. On my walk home I ordered a pair of what I thought was the gloves Ryan Goslings character wears in the film. A week later I got them in the mail and realized they were 3 sizes too big and a entirely different color. 160 bucks down the toilet. That night I took my Ambien and apparently decided to try again after staying on the computer after my sleep meds had kicked in. I bought the same pair of gloves.
Crappy Birthday....
An ex broke up with me. She was the first person I dated and didn't really know how to navigate the break up so I bought her a really thoughtful gift for her birthday a month later. What a waste of money and time looking back on it.
Over Niagara....
This kills me every time I remember it and it's honestly made me into the extreme money saver I am today. When I was younger, my family visited Niagara Falls. I had $50 (which is A LOT for a kid with no job) and was excited to buy some souvenirs. I spent it all on key chains, I only got like 6 of them which made it to $50. They were all of the same place, too. It's not like they were from different cities. I wasted all the money I owned on FREAKING KEYCHAINS. Who even uses those?? It haunts me to this day.
Useless Air....
Not me, but my mom. She surprised me with a pair of fancy basketball shoes for my birthday, even though I'd never expressed any interest in such a thing, and I was neither cool nor athletic. I brought them to scout camp a few weeks later and lost one of them in the mud.
They were original, size 11 Air Jordans. In 1984 or 1985.
Still Cringing....
I'm usually pretty conservative with my spending but I have bipolar disorder and sometimes when I am manic I go a little nuts with dumb purchases. My two worst are probably a top of the line spin bike (which I had never tried before) for about $1000 and I resold for 300 once I was out of the episode) and I also convinced myself to join a hockey league. I spent $1200 on skates, pads, gloves, stick and helmet. I have never skated and I still haven't. All the gear is in the back of my closet and I cringe whenever I stumble across it.
Slide....
200 dollar Gucci slides for my high school graduation. Yeah, I bought them for the joke of saying I wore gucci slides to my high school graduation but they aren't even that comfortable so I just re-sold them to someone. KindaA**
Blame Canada
Today I purchased these foot balloon/condoms for my dog to walk in the snow (the ice always leaves her paws bleeding). Of course her nails ripped them apart in 3 mins flat. I have yet to find a solution for my dogs paws in winter, I'm a failed Canadian.
The Dalmatian....
When I was 7, I saved up for a 1' (foot) high porcelain Dalmatian from a department store. My pocket money was £1/week, the dog cost £27.
My mother still has it at her house. It's the kind of thing a 70 year old would buy. I have no freaking idea what was going on in my head.
EDIT: I think it was ceramic, not specifically porcelain. Maybe as tall as 18 inches. This is the closest I could find https://images.app.goo.gl/8Jb9fZLipec4zV8aA
I was obsessed with getting it, and I never had buyer remorse. It's also so completely out of character.
Getting Gnawed
Those claw covers for cats to stop them from scratching up your furniture.
They were ripped off the next day. He was gnawing at his little feet until every one was gone. LadyCreepsPasta
I've trained my cat to not scratch furniture by placing a sturdy scratch pole close to the furniture he would scratch. Every morning when he is eager for breakfast I made him scratch the post before putting down the food. I've done some basic dog training before but so far I've gathered that cats only respond to positive enforcement. I kept encouraging him with treats if he would scratch the post during the day and I've never had any issues since.
Bugs?
Omg when I was in 1st grade, we got school bucks for good behavior and we could "buy" things with them at the school store once a week. One of those things was a ceramic bunny and when it was my turn to buy something, I RACED over to get that bunny so no one else would get it first... no one else was going for that bunny. After I thought about it, I was like wtf was I so worried about. Anyway, the reason I wanted it so much was to give it to my mom as a gift and she kept it for ages.
Twice...
Accidentally bought stuff in clash of clans. Twice.
I knew a guy in high school who worked at Burger King part time just to exclusively fuel his Clash of Clans addiction. He legit spent his entire checks on that game. Wonder how he feels about it now.
Green Death
75$ in plants only to let them die because I forgot about them.
There should be like an SPCA for plants. You know, some place you can guiltlessly drop off your mangy neglected plant
Halloween Blues...
I spent $60 dollars on a electric blue ceramic pumpkin.
Edit: it is a different shade of blue then I thought. I haven't seen it in years because I hid it in the back of my garage after I broke the stem off.
Online Info
I bought books when i was in 1st semester, later realize that i could have read online. So sold them after the semester.
After my first semester and realizing that not every teacher even used the books, I waited until I got the syllabus for each class to see if we in fact needed them. This was when shipping still took 7-10 days too, so I would just use the library copy (if available) or share with a classmate until I got the ones in the mail. But still, I felt good about saving a few hundred dollars every semester.
It's still an insane rip-off though.
My Looks
I have so many... maybe the personal training package & gym membership I kept too long because I felt awkward cancelling. I'm still fat.
bad romance....
A crappy mall katana... while I was on a date, no less.
It was a first date. There was not a second.
Edit: since many of you are requesting details, here goes:
This was close to 20 years ago. I was 19. I had just moved into a new apartment, and thought mounting a katana on the wall would look mature and cool. It never made it up on the wall in any place I ever lived. I eventually sold it at a garage sale. Got $20 for it.
The date wasn't going terribly up to that point, but it was also clear we weren't destined for a second date.
I've never owned a fedora, and thought I grew out of my nice guy/neck beard tendencies by 10th grade. Maybe it was a last gasp attempt for those traits to manifest themselves.
I hope she remembers it, preferably with a laugh. I certainly remember it. I have three boys, and they will definitely hear about it as a cautionary tale. tomdincan
Ruined...
Bought a motorcycle from somebody that didn't "properly" take care of it. There were a few small warning signs but I just let the fact it was the specific model I was looking for, in my price range, with things I could easily fix, cloud my judgement. Basically anything he touched on the bike I have had to replace, or more accurately, pay a shop to replace, because I don't have a garage or really the time/energy to do much of the work on it myself.
It was a little bit cheap (and came with a bunch of spare parts) but I really wish I'd held out longer and paid a bit more for one that had been better looked after, because it would have probably worked out to be cheaper and less hassle to boot. But I live in a pretty small market and was after a specific model, so it might have been 6-8 months.
Altogether the expense hasn't ruined me - I bought it to sorta celebrate getting back into full-time, salaried work - it has definitely made me enjoy the bike a lot less than I have previous ones. I will definitely vet the PO of my vehicles more thoroughly in the future - have just been pretty lucky until now I suppose.
* he did sorta try, which is the problem...
Life Choices
Cocaine. Expensive, addictive, and dangerous all to feel a little euphoric and annoyingly chatty for 30 minutes at a time.
Way way back in the day, I and one of my friends used to spend about 800 bucks a week , sometimes more. I remember getting ready to go on a two week long road trip with her and a couple other friends, and we blew about 3 grand on it, just so we wouldn't run out while at this huge gathering in the woods. It's a strange feeling doing lines in a tent with a bunch of US Marshals and national forestry service people trotting by on horses....
Crabs & Me....
I went on a first date with the girl that I liked, we live in New Jersey and it was July so obviously I took her to the boardwalk. While we were there I saw a vender selling hermit crabs, and my dumb fool thought it'd be funny to buy them as a joke and try to impress her. I then realized after spending $30 on two crabs (two because one would get lonely) that I needed a proper set up.
So we went to petsmart and got a tank, food, sand, and a log for them to play on. Long story short I spent over $100 on hermit crabs and supplies. Not to mention that the girl completely friend zoned me, which is okay because now I have my two crabs Pickles and Júrgis to keep me company.
The Meds....
When I was high off pain meds after my ACL surgery I was on amazon and saw a typewriter that I really wanted. Order it— and it was a picture of a typewriter on a notebook. I'm still mad about that lol
Update: wow, I did not expect so many people to relate to this lol
Everything just seems like a great idea when you feel like you're floating.
It was $12 so I didn't really care about returning it and honestly, it's a funny reminder that I like to have around
My family still brings it up to tease me about it but it is funny so I can't blame them
Super update: I found the link on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T2OLV3U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Gimme the Whip!
Had a crush on a guy I barely knew who told someone else who told me that this guy was into dominant women. A few days later I dropped nearly $600 on bondage gear, an entire strap on setup and what I imagined to be dominatrix outfits. Everything arrived in the mail by a couple weeks later. I tried on everything, looked all manner of ridiculous and suddenly realized I had never planned beyond that point. I couldn't come up with any non-mortifying way to try to let this guy know that I was prepared to dominate him.
Like, I couldn't even decide if it would be less ridiculous to pretend I had always had all this stuff and been into such things, or to admit I bought everything on the off chance that a near-stranger I was infatuated with might be down for it. In the end I gave it all away to an elderly gay couple on Craigslist. That was my $600 value charity donation for the year. Wasn't even tax deductible.
Oh the Apple....
In 1997 Apple stocks were at an all-time low, $4/share as I recall. I went to a financial adviser to inquire about purchasing Apple stocks. Instead, he convinced me to invest my $5000 in a safe labour-sponsored mutual fund that had a 70% tax rebate.
The labour sponsored fund is now tied up in litigation for mismanagement and worth nothing.
If I had invested in Apple instead, those shares would now be worth 3.2 million.
For the Future
I was drunk when I learned that Futurama was leaving Netflix. I was distraught as it's one of my favorite shows. 3 days later I received a package on the doorstep. It was the special edition complete series box set of Futurama. I didn't understand why it was there, but my wife told me that I had drunkenly bought the show out of "solidarity" and then deleted the email receipt because I thought sober me would cancel the order. I then swore her to secrecy until it arrived, at which point she was allowed to fill me in.
Dinner at Burger King...
I bought 5 bitcoins back when they were a dollar each. Wasted some time watching it nickel and dime.
My girlfriend wanted to go out to eat. We were tapped out from medical expenses. The bitcoins had reached $5 each. Five times my money, enough to cover a meal.
And that's the story of how I took my wife on a five.figure dinner date.
For the Win.
A $200 monopoly board game made of wood I found at Winners. It has a drawer for the money and monopoly game pieces but the dividers are made of plastic, thin cheap plastic like the original board game. I was unimpressed so has to return it.
College purchases are probably the worst ones.
So many unnecessary things early on in college. It was the first time I had some kind of income from working a part time job, so I thought it was absolutely necessary to buy all my textbooks instead of renting them or finding them online for free.
I also spent a f*ckton on dorm room stuff, which hardly anyone was going to see or care about since the dorms came furnished anyway. Lessons learned, I'd definitely pass on that advice to anyone going into college in the US.
RIP Megavideo. Gone but not forgotten.
Lifetime Megavideo subscription. It was shut down shortly afterwards for copyright infringement.
Well, you get what you paid for. It was just that it was for Megavideos lifetime, not yours.
Story checks out.
When I was 17 I had unknowingly saved up a lot $2,000 from work - I chose to spend this on a double neck guitar.
That's the most 17 year old with unexpected $2000 to blow purchase ever.
Always go for the BahnCard.
My first time in Germany, I was only there for a few months, so I thought "I don't need a BahnCard; I'm not here for a full year." Then I spent well over 1000€ on train tickets. The whole time I could have been saving 50% AND collecting loyalty points.
So did a lot of people.
Bought $50 worth of Beanie Babies because I thought they'd be worth something
Also bad - buying those plastic tag protectors, and an expensive giant case to display said Beanie Babies to keep them in pristine "collectible" condition.
Worth every cent.
Airplane WiFi. So I could be browsing AskReddit right now.
I've spent once 20 bucks on airplane wifi on a 12hour flight. Only for reddit. No regrets.
Big mistake.
Deciding to go to grad school in 2012 -5 years after graduating- for no other reason than "I have no clue what to do with my life".
Relatable.
I traded a rather rare volume into a local used book store because I had two of them. Then went back to the bookstore a month later and excitedly bought MY OWN BOOK BACK because it was rare and I didn't think I owned it.
I was wrong.
Fair.
Spent over $100 or more buying clothes for my avatar on a virtual reality game when I could've spent it on...you know, actual clothes.
I miss PlayStation Home too.
The things we do for love.
I commissioned an artist to paint a portrait of my then girlfriend's dying pet rat.
She had told me her rat was about to die a month before I got it. By the time it was ready, the relationship had ended and I didn't know what to do with it. I paid 90 for it and it was absolutely worth the price. Artist did an amazing job - I just didn't have anyone to give it to now.
I ended up giving it to her anyway. I regret doing that since I probably just made her feel guilty.
Thing is, I was fully aware we were about to break-up. I just liked her so much and I was totally alone in a new state. I didn't think I was good enough to earn her love - so I tried to buy it.
Real dumb.
A beautiful home.
A mobile home. Worse yet, I paid the down payment by credit. Stupidest thing I ever did. Then when I moved to another state I found that they are not actually very mobile.
It is a great expense and a lot trouble to move them. I wound up letting it get repossessed and eventually had to go into bankruptcy.
It was hiding.
An iPad. I didn't go online a whole lot then, I don't play games, idk where my intentions were. Then I misplaced it. Like, I was questioning if my mom or I sold it without remembering. 4 years. The iPad gone 4 years. I just wished I'd remembered why I sold it & what did I buy instead?
Yea, no. It was next to my chair wedged between the wall. Super critical purchase, obviously. Gave the rediscover one to my mom since hers was used to death.
Asked where I found it, told her. She's like, you're such a responsible shopper, the thought that goes into your large purchases, I could learn something.
Well, reminded her I bought hers too and hate how much she uses it...shame if they both went back into the abyss.
Oof.
My mom got me and my two older brothers Pokémon cards from the farmers market. They both got blastioises (a very rare card) I got a charizard, (an even rarer card) they both convinced me blastoise was better so the next day I traded my charizard for a blastoise at school. My brothers laughed at what an idiotic trade that was. I cried. The next day I went back to school to talk to the kid and get my charizard back. He moved to another state.
My whole life is in shambles now.
Relatable.
When I was around 15, I wasted a lot on Adobe products which I barely used. I never clicked much pictures and actually had no interest in the photoshop stuff. The only product I used was Illustrator for UI/UX design. I almost wasted $2000.
That's a lot of stuffed animals.
Crane game currency. Had an addiction to winning prizes from an app. Spent over $1000.
We aren't perfect. There's plenty of things in our pasts that we look back and cringe at.
That being said, sometimes those cringe moments go far past cringe. Sometimes they get to the point of no return awfulness because that's where our human nature took us in this moment.
He's Not Dead
<p>When I was 17 my brother walked into a room where I was lying down on my back and stamped on my chest. </p><p>I saw red and stood up and punched him square in the face, unfortunately this was in a doorway in front of a staircase, which he fell down backwards and when he hit the wall at the bottom folded up in such a way I thought I'd killed him. </p><p>He didn't move for what seemed like forever and I was certain he was dead, the world just spinning out around me. </p><p>He wasn't dead, obviously, but knocked out briefly and he never laid a finger on me again, after being the kind of nasty bully who had spent much of my childhood just randomly beating on me for his own enjoyment.</p><p>Those were the longest seconds of my life.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MrSpindles/" target="_blank">MrSpindles</a></p>Complete And Total Taking Over
<p>I don't know about "haunts" but it makes me cringe. In public school we had this thing in our school called 'Jumpstart for Kids' where you'd go around, often door to door, collecting money for this charity once a year. </p><p>Anyway I was 12 and I liked a boy in highschool and he convinced me to take the envelope and go door to door and collect money... to give to him so he could buy a drum set. </p><p>I walked around collecting from all these sweet people who told me I was so nice for collecting money for underprivileged kids. Fortunately I got caught and my parents made me donate it instead. So embarrassing.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/heather-rch/" target="_blank">heather-rch</a></p>Scene Of The Crime
<p>Provincial Park, pay shower, 12 years old, line-up to get in. Towards the end of my turn in the shower, get the urge to poop. Cannot hold it. Using a sock to smoosh the last of it down the drain, water turns off. Out of quarters. Put a towel over my head, run out of there past the line-up.</p><p> Get back to the camp site, immediately change clothes, shoes, hairstyle, put on a ball cap. Work up the courage to go by the area later on, it is all cordoned off. Hear people angrily discussing how someone took a dump in the shower.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/eskerhobolo/" target="_blank">eskerhobolo</a></p>When Bullying A Bully Isn't Worth It
<p>We had a camper in this large campground at a lake when I was growing up. Tons of families with kids riding bicycles and golf carts up and down the gravel roads through the property. </p><p>There was this one kid that was a few years older than me (I was 10, he was probably 12 or so) who's dad was the security guard and they lived on site and he was the biggest punk in the park. He'd try and wrestle you in the pool, throw rocks at you as you were fishing, ride off on your bike if you left it laying around, bully and hit smaller kids, even girls. </p><p>I was driving the golf cart down a pretty steep, gravel hill one day when I came up on him on his bike, going the same way as me. He never turned around to acknowledge I was there so I got up just to the side of him and turned HARD right into him. We were both going probably 10-15 miles an hour down this hill. </p><p>He took a nasty spill and rolled off the side of the road and wasn't moving. I kept on going, acting like nothing happened. We were completely isolated so no one saw me. I remember him getting taken away in an ambulance and hearing that he'd been hurt pretty bad.</p><p> I immediately felt remorse for what I'd done but never said a word to anyone. He or anyone else never had any idea I did it either. I look back now and think about how much of a financial strain I put on that family, seeing as how they were already living in a camper. That was a really REALLY evil thing I did and it still crosses my mind quite often.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/harp9r/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">harp9r</a></p>Not Hurting
<p>So you know the carnival horses you can sit on outside of grocery stores (back in the 90's). Well I wanted to ride one and this sweet old woman tried to help me get on, slipped, and really really hurt herself falling into the ride. I just remember hearing her scream and I got scared and ran away.<br></p><p>I'm 31 years old and think about that day at least once a week.</p><p><span></span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/packhawk2689/" target="_blank">packhawk2689</a></p>Gotta Get Up, Gotta Get Out
<p>Easy. When I was 5, I burned my house down.</p><p>We were living in a small home, me, my sister, mom, dad. I was supposed to be in the bed, but I wanted a toy or <em>something</em> that was under my bed, and I didn't want to wake my parents by turning on my light... soooo I grabbed my dad's cigarette lighter and light the flame under my bed. Needless to say it went up like a match. </p><p>My dad tried to stomp the fire out after I started screaming fire, burning his leg horribly. My room and the source of the fire was blocking EVERY other bedroom from escape, so everyone had to jump out of a window. Funnily enough, I don't remember the world-class a** whipping I must have received for that. I just cringe at the thought that I almost killed all of us being a dumb kid.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Paradigm_Pizza/" target="_blank">Paradigm_Pizza</a></p>Escape
<p>I was married to an insanely abusive man. After two years I escaped and he killed himself shortly after. Not sure if it was him avoiding charges, or avoiding his deployment but his family decided it was 100% my fault. They told the police I gave him the gun and encouraged him. </p><p>That was investigated and unfounded. What they didn't know was he'd scanned and emailed me his suicide note the wee hours of the morning of. The police didn't find the note. Of course I handed it over when they asked. His family would not believe I wasn't involved or at fault and harassed me for a long time. </p><p>If I got a job and they found out about it they'd call and leave so many complaints I'd get let go. Found out what I drove and had their other kids and their friends follow me. </p><p>I ended up having to leave that town and disappearing to avoid them. But before I did, I printed a copy of his suicide note, found his moms car at her job, and left it on the window shield. That note detailed the abuse his father put him through, his rage at his mother for never leaving him and making himself and his siblings live with the SOB. </p><p>That he never wanted me to blame myself, that this was his way of getting the hell away from them and the damage he caused. I felt pretty bad for awhile. But at the same time.... they literally wouldn't leave me alone and stalked me for 5 years.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/TinyTinasRabidOtter/" target="_blank">TinyTinasRabidOtter</a></p>If You Give A Pup A Shower
<p>Bored in the house one day alone when I was about 10, so decided to give my dog a shower, I genuinely loved my dog, he was my best friend growing up, but for some unknown reason I decided to turn the shower onto hot water only (extremely hot) and started showering him. There was a delay I guess in him reacting because his fur was so thick, which meant I kept it on him for a few seconds.</p><p>suddenly He started yelping like dogs do when in pain, his instincts were to not be aggressive or try to escape but just looked at me scared and confused.</p><p>I panicked smashed on the cold and cooled him down as quick as I could.</p><p>Fortunately he was not 'burnt' or had any ongoing issues, he never even lost trust in me.</p><p>I felt physically sick and ashamed in myself for days after, and obviously it still bothers me 20 years later.</p><p>The good thing to come from it is that I was so disturbed by my action that I have never knowingly inflicted pain on anyone or anything since.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ChrisLeeHD/" target="_blank">ChrisLeeHD</a></p>Caught In The Act
<p>I was at school and for no reason at all, I eavesdropped a very private and delicate conversation between one of my teachers and her husband. </p><p>Then she opened the door and saw me eavesdropping. It was beyond humiliating and I deserved the scolding afterwards. I was young and stupid obviously, but when I remember the look on her face, I still cringe hard, even if it's been almost 20 years.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/naydeilinsei/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">naydeilinsei</a></p>Shunned
<p>Second grade, I had a classmate (fake name Sasha) who was kinda awkward. Crooked teeth, quiet, not too bright. Didn't really have any friends within the class, though she did have some people she would hang out with at recess. </p><p>In any case, a boy in the grade above us, a friend of my brother's actually, for some reason decided to spread a rumor among all of us that Sasha had lice and to stay away from her. </p><p>I bought it without a second thought, and so did most of us; as far as I know, she wasn't particularly teased, but she was just shunned. No one talked to her. </p><p>She was around till the end of the year and didn't come back for third grade. No clue what happened to her, but I really hope we didn't mess her up too much.</p><p>Next summer, I got the worst case of head lice my pediatrician had ever seen. Karma, my dudes.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Isabel79540/" target="_blank">Isabel79540</a></p>Image by elizabethaferry from Pixabay |
I don't miss high school or the people in it. People who seem to have peaked in high school also weird me out. How? Why? I can definitely tell you that life got much more interesting the older I got (my 20s were way more fun than any of my time in high school). If you were to ask me if I have any regrets, I suppose I would say that I wish I had been more assertive and stood up for myself more. Depression has a way of complicating goals like that, though. Let me tell you: It feels nice to be so much healthier than I was then.
After Redditor Sub2735 asked the online community, "What's your biggest regret from high school?" people shared their stories.
"I'm sure the mentality..."
<p>Being too shy, I'm sure the mentality that everyone hated me wasn't very good for making friends.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv5ytu/what_is_your_biggest_regret_from_high_school/gpad84o?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">aeflare</a></p>"I'm not sure how it could have gone differently..."
<p>Dropping out. I am not sure how it could have gone differently, but I do wish it had. It was expensive to upgrade all that education to get into post-secondary, and I also missed out on a lot of social things.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv5ytu/what_is_your_biggest_regret_from_high_school/gpafhng?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">DaughterEarth</a></p>"I was already pretty cynical..."
<p>I was told I had received a full-ride scholarship, so I stopped putting in any effort on other scholarships. When the time came, it wound up being awarded to someone who applied late, got it due to their family's income level, and then dropped out of college after one month. My first two years of college were a financial nightmare as I had to pay my own way on everything (except rent, as I lived at home and commuted across state lines for work and college). If I had $50 at the end of the month, that was a damn good month. I couldn't get student loans and my parents refused to help, so I had worked out a deal with the financial office at college to pay something like $550 a month, which was about 90% of my income.</p><p>I regret not confronting whoever made that decision about the scholarship. I somewhat regret not putting in the effort to get other scholarships at the same time, but I can't blame myself for it either.</p><p>I was already pretty cynical at that point, but that was when I realized just how quickly your back becomes a knife block for someone else's optics.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv5ytu/what_is_your_biggest_regret_from_high_school/gpalo5m?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">A_Garbage_Account</a></p>"I used to daydream..."
<p>I used to daydream about going back one day and burning it to the ground, but it's just been demolished by land developers. So I guess that dream's dead.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv5ytu/what_is_your_biggest_regret_from_high_school/gpafcpx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">EducationTangle06</a></p>I suppose the phrase, "Always follow your dreams"...
<p>...doesn't apply in this case.</p>"Acting like a clown..."
<p>Acting like a clown, annoying everyone to the point where no one really stayed in contact with me after, and taking my precious little charter school for granted.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv5ytu/what_is_your_biggest_regret_from_high_school/gpae5ak?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">SalFunction12</a></p>I have a friend who has expressed similar concerns about his time in high school.
<p>He ended up spending his college years going to therapy and maturing. His clownish antics were a coping mechanism for a lot of crap going on in his life at the time. He's happier and healthier now and that's what matters.</p>"To be fair..."
<p><span>Dating my best friend. To be fair that's how I found out a lot of people weren't really my friends but getting ghosted afterward really hurt.</span></p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv5ytu/what_is_your_biggest_regret_from_high_school/gpasudw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">kannacantplay</a></p>"She got tired..."
<p>I took my crush to Daft Punk Alive 2007 instead of my best friend. She wasn't responding all day, and I was with my friend. We were about to leave when she called. She'd been with her boyfriend all day and had forgotten about the concert. I took her. My buddy was disappointed but cool about it.</p><p>She got tired of being on the floor halfway through so we sat in the bleachers. We started walking out before the encore because she wanted to get home sooner.</p><p>Always wanted to take my buddy to a Daft Punk show after that, and was going to, no matter where or how much it cost. But I'll never get the chance.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv5ytu/what_is_your_biggest_regret_from_high_school/gpbd6so?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">spanishgrapelaw</a></p>"Looking back now..."
<p>I regret not telling my crushes how I felt about them. Looking back now, I know that those puppy love relationships probably wouldn't have developed into anything long term and I no doubt would've had my heart broken when they inevitably ended but, I can't help but wonder: What if?</p><p>Having cultivated a host of insecurities by the time I got to high school, I was really good at hiding my inner thoughts and feelings - I also probably didn't see myself very clearly. So, I just assumed that there was zero chance of my crushes reciprocating my feelings and never said anything to them about it. I also probably sub-consciously ignored any signs that they were interested in me (again, didn't see myself clearly, was very insecure).</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv5ytu/what_is_your_biggest_regret_from_high_school/gpazwl2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Vegoceraptor</a></p>"The world is wider..."
<p>Not engaging with opportunities available to me and just looking at it like a holding pen just before adulthood.</p><p>It may seem hokey, but join clubs, try out lots of sports, pursue interests, pay attention in class and engage with your peers.</p><p>The world is wider for adolescents than I allowed myself to believe it was at the time.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv5ytu/what_is_your_biggest_regret_from_high_school/gpaxnsf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Big_Requirement_3540</a></p>"I already knew I was quitting..."
<p>Senior year I had the option of a guaranteed internship and doing half days at school. Turned it down because my parents wanted me to be in band (and I enjoyed it so didn't put up a fight).</p><p>I already knew I was quitting when I went to college. The internship would have been great experience to propel my studies/career.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv5ytu/what_is_your_biggest_regret_from_high_school/gpatszd?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">ClubbsMcLubbs</a></p>High school isn't easy.
<p>Nor is it particularly fun for a lot of people. Remember how awful being a teenager was? Remember what it was like to feel like you were at the whim of your hormones all the time? It's an emotional rollercoaster. It's no wonder so many people would rather close the book on high school once it's over (or have some regrets related to their time there).</p><p>Have your own stories? Feel free to share them in the comments below.</p>When we are on the outside looking in, it can feel so obvious that a relationship is doomed.
When we offer advice to friends, family, or people oversharing at a party, the correct next move often seems wildly obvious: get out of that relationship.
Enough Was Enough
<p>"He was mentally ill, possibly with Paranoid Personality Disorder, definitely delusional, maybe schizophrenic. I was accused of all types of things, affairs, being part of plots to 'get' him, even urinating on his toothbrush."</p><p>"I stayed for 3 years after I knew I no longer loved him because I knew he would spiral without someone to look after him. He had destroyed every relationship with his friends and family because they were all also out to 'get' him."</p><p>"I finally told him I would only stay if he got help, which he refused. So I left."</p><p>"I was right about him spiralling. He went from sharehouse to sharehouse as all the other tenants were 'out to get him'. He eventually ended up homeless for a while is now facing 18 different charges so will probably end up in jail."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv3k1j/seriouspeople_who_have_stayed_with_someone_they/gpal6ip?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">damekl</a></p>An Unfortunately Common Response to Fading Love
<p>"She threatened to kill herself and even though I wanted out of the relationship, i didnt want her to be hurt or die. I remember us arguing about something very trivial but she was getting very upset. She walked out mid conversation and came back with cuts all over her legs and thighs."</p><p>"I tried getting help from parents, school counselors, doctors. None helped. So i just tried to manage as much as I can. Eventually she joined the military & moved away and that was the moment I was finally free."</p><p>"Years wasted though."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv3k1j/seriouspeople_who_have_stayed_with_someone_they/gpab7fm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">corazon_im_hurt</a></p>A Bare Bones Story
<p>"Short version: domestic violence."</p><p>"Long version: I was afraid to leave because I believed he would find me and kill me."</p><p>"Conclusion: He pushed me too far and I ran."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv3k1j/seriouspeople_who_have_stayed_with_someone_they/gpaizjk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">AliceMorgon</a></p>Tipping Over the Edge
<p>"He was a violent drug addict and I was scared of what he may do if I left. I never truly loved him but our relationship became very codependent very quickly."</p><p>"He cheated on me, took advantage of the fact that I had a car and money, but I still stayed because he was always threatening to kill himself or to kill my cats."</p><p>"Then one night he literally backed me into a corner and tried to punch me in the head so that finally made me open my eyes and realize I had to get out."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv3k1j/seriouspeople_who_have_stayed_with_someone_they/gpb5z6l?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Theging96666</a></p>Optics
<p>"She's terminally ill, and dying of Cancer, even though she is abusive now, and was before, I can't really leave, the social pressure to be a *good man* plus the cost of divorce and everything else is just too much, at this point it's just easier to wait it out."</p><p>"Plus I really like her family, and if I left her when she was sick...it would pretty much kill that relationship."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv3k1j/seriouspeople_who_have_stayed_with_someone_they/gpbm18j?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Boise_State_2020</a></p>Always a Reason to Stay
<p>"We were living together at 16, she cheated on me and I told her I wanted her to leave, she begged me not to send her back to her moms house because they have like 8 people in a 2 bedroom house and because she would've had nowhere else to go."</p><p>"I was 16 I didn't know how to handle a girl literally begging me so I let her stay against my better judgement and it created a hurtful cycle of falling in and out of love."</p><p>"Feeling like things could get better and then having my world come crashing down every time I look at her because I think of reading the message of the guy saying he loved watching her get on top of him."</p><p>"A couple of years go by and we're not in love, just tolerating each other at this point and then we got pregnant, stayed together through the pregnancy but the stress was too much for both of us and caused fighting, sleeping apart, more cheating."</p><p>"When the baby was born she had finally turned 18 and we moved away our relationship got much better with each other, we're best friends now and are just trying our best to raise our daughter to be healthy and happy and know she's loved."</p><p>"Neither of us had good childhoods."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv3k1j/seriouspeople_who_have_stayed_with_someone_they/gpa47ed?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Lapidot-Wav</a></p>For the In-Laws
<p>"I lived with a man I never loved. His mum was also living with us and I loved her more than my own biological mum."</p><p>"She was the nicest, kindest and the most caring soul I have ever met in my life. I left that man when he told me that he knew I was only with him because of his mum. That was 20 years ago but I still miss her every single day."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv3k1j/seriouspeople_who_have_stayed_with_someone_they/gpbz7av?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Mayfl21</a></p>A Sudden Shift
<p>"I was with my wife for 14 years. For at least half of that, I wasn't happy with the relationship. But I had decided I was ok with it because everything about our life together was acceptable, for lack of a better word."</p><p>"We owned a house, made good money, got along well, shared hobbies, etc. We were basically roommates/best friends who just didn't love each other the way you would normally expect from a married couple."</p><p>"When the pandemic hit, and we were forced to stay home more and spend time with each other EVERY DAY, we started to get a better sense of how well we actually tolerated each other. It didn't go well."</p><p>"She ended up getting really into online gaming and met some other guys and basically cheated on me. In retrospect, it was obvious it would reach that point."</p><p>"But I was content to stay there as long as I could because it was a comfortable life with very little stress and obligation."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv3k1j/seriouspeople_who_have_stayed_with_someone_they/gpaadi2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">knucklehead923</a></p>Slow Fade
<p>"I was no longer as 'in love' with her. But I still loved her. After years together it could become tricky to figure out exactly what It's just a lull and what is it really going away."</p><p>"I was still living with my best friend. But ended it because once we really realized that I wasn't feeling the same way anymore. I was just hurting her for me to stay since she was still in love."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv3k1j/seriouspeople_who_have_stayed_with_someone_they/gpa6h2s?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">collin3000</a></p>Wise, But a Little Sad
<p>"We have good chemistry and built a life together. After a lot of years, love comes and goes. It is like the seasons."</p><p>"As cold as it can be in the winter, if you put the effort in, the spring will always come back."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lv3k1j/seriouspeople_who_have_stayed_with_someone_they/gpa41jl?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Aizpunr</a></p>Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay |
Some people don't take breakups very well. And those that don't can sometimes engage in behavior that others might view as bothersome, unsettling, even toxic.
Others engage in abusive behavior during the relationship, a major red flag that some people might not take seriously until it's too late.
After Redditor XYZ3110 asked the online community, "What's the creepiest thing an ex has done?" people shared their stories.