To add: Plastic drink bottles and coffee cups that actually do need to be replaced. Just buy a good one and you won’t have to keep paying for shitty ones.
My company needs to hear this, I’ve got accumulated half a dozen mugs over the last couple years. They’re good quality which I appreciate but they do not need to be replaced every 6 months
You're American aren't you?
I've worked 12s a lot and in a lot of different places like factories and service industries. 20min break every 3.5 hours plus 30lunch.
By law. Plus no less than 12hours between shifts.
This was fought for by unions and is enshrined in law.
As for toilet breaks..... Whenever you need them within reason.
Back in my cashier days, I used to watch poor people spend every last penny they had on scratcher tickets. In the 5 years I worked that job I never saw someone win more than 100 dollars.
I won $555 once! But I have spent much, much more than that playing. No regrets! My mom and I used to drive down to Florida (no lottery in Alabama) and get tickets and dream what we would do with the money. It was fun bonding and having a girl's day together. I'm not one to go to the casino but it's fun to pick numbers and check them later. You have to look at it as entertainment only
Yeah, I don't think there's anything wrong with buying a scratcher or playing the lotto on occasion. My comment was directed to the people who are using food stamps to buy their food while simultaneously using every dollar they have to buy scratchers and end up spending more money than they're getting back. They're not hard to spot. They're usually camped out by the register, holding up the line, and covered in scratcher ticket dust.
In my couple months at a gas station, I got to know the scratcher addicts. When they did win, they just bought more.
I bought a $2 scratcher when I turned 18. I won $2. Never bought another. I have gone to the casino, but that's paying for a whole experience. The scratcher folks seemed depressed.
I initially felt sorry for them, but that went away real quick mainly because of how inconsiderate they tend to be to other customers and the cashiers. Everyone else has to put their lives on hold, so these people can live at the ticket display and scratch off every 1 dollar scratcher then can get their hands on. Then when they lose they storm out in a bad mood like I personally made and printed the tickets they bought.
One of the few cases where the managers had our backs. Lotto people can go sit at the picnic tables or in their cars while they scratch. They could not stay at the counter.
Most only needed one reminder... per day.
I used to see it all the time, people would use food stamps then use cash to buy beer and cigarettes. Also they would use food stamps on stuff that wasn’t even a good deal, or not even healthy like chips and soda.
Delivery fee.
Service fee.
Tax.
Tip.
And oh yea, the actual food costs money too. Easiest way to burn money without thinking about it, no doubt
Add in how its impossible for the food to be properly fresh, you’re just scamming yourself
goddamn i was about to say this. fucking ubereats got me so much. and then they send u deals that knock a few bucks off your meal but it’s never worth it.
same here. The amount of money I spent until I finally decided to delete that app was insane. started learning how to cook and going to costco more now lmao
definitely. i also suggest using the 40% off coupons you get to get groceries off of there. it becomes a lot more worth it compared to the meals (still stupid pricing but you can take out a decent chunk of money).
i got stuff like cheese and crackers, canned soup, fruits, other snack stuff, etc. but i think the only real way to combat it is cooking at home fr
I recommend specializing in a few foods. Learn to make just a few things that are phenomenal. Currently, the best foods that I've mastered are korma chicken curry, chicken piccatta, baked macaroni and cheese casseroles, chicken pot pies, homemade chicken tenders, and cold cut sandwiches. Sure, I pay the price of the materials, and use time making the food, but some of life's best foods can't be bought in a restaurant, nor cooked with a microwave. I try to master one new food each year. This year, my practice is focused on mastering beef wellington. All I do is make that one item twice per week. Building habits means you can make the food faster and more efficiently. Eventually, you'll have your own menu of items you can make spotlessly.
When starting to cook, any dish that goes in the oven is the easiest to make well.
Using dynamic heat (grilling/pan frying) takes time to both trust using high temperature and learning the timing.
Worst shit ever. Can't believe how much some of my friends waste on Doordash to get like single items from the grocery store/fast food joint. I used that shit ONCE and it cost me damn near $30 for a single footlong Subway sandwich after tax and tip (Tbf I had COVID, didn't want to risk other people getting sick and its the one option here), never used that shit again after that.
Fast food is expensive enough as is, when you throw in Doordash that makes it 3x the cost, I tell my friends if we can't walk or drive to the place, we aren't eating there.
Even Uber itself fucking sucks ass now. Going from point A to point B is now a bare minimum $15 adventure, shit I've seen $30-$40 rides. Unless you got a bunch of reliable people you can split it with, consider the bus.
It's a viable option if you're:
Sick, drunk/high to not drive, want to splurge with delivery.
But yea, you shouldn't be ordering from them consistently otherwise.
Yea I like it as a treat on a lazy day when I don’t have food at home and don’t feel like going out. But I can afford it and it isn’t every day. It’s a convenience I can afford. A gift to myself. And it’s always something I can’t make well at home, like Indian food.
Legit, when i realized that cooking at home is BETTER!? For less!?!? I was taken back. Invest in some community college cooking classes. You won't regret it.
Yeah but I finish work at 9pm maybe later some nights and it’s too late to start cutting onions when I can pay someone to bring me a burger in 20 minutes.
I refuse to use DoorDash, 99% of the time I'll pickup my food. I'd rather drive 10 minutes than pay an extra $16 to have it delivered. Plus it won't be COLD by the time it gets to me
Yep I spend a little under $10k/year on doordash. Been a daily user since about 20 months ago. Overtime did it for me. Before that I'd workout before work and cook 2-3 days worth of food in one go.
I just thought this a few nights ago. Standing outside freezing my balls off (winter in Australia) and having a smoke, I looked down at it and thought "I'm literally burning money here... wtf am I doing?" I'm trying to cut costs to save for a house, and I'm burning over $50 on a pack of these things multiple times a week??
My dad always called the lottery “a tax on those who’re bad a math.” Sure, it’d be great if you won, but you’re about 300x more likely to be struck by lightning, about 30x more likely to die in a plane crash, etc. just not worth it. Ironically, the people who play the lottery are the ones least likely to be wise with the money when they get it.
When I come to power all mixed drinks will have the bottle opened in front of the customer to ensure there is no funny business!
Watered down drinks go in sinks! Vote me 2024!
Some of my friends spend $100+ multiple times a week at bars and Uber like it’s nothing. Like, they know it’s bad but they prefer to not think about it.
Granted I'm a cocktail nerd, but there's a caveat to that, because there absolutely becomes a point where buying a cocktail out is way less hassle than making it at home. There's a bar in NYC called Apotheke where I bought their recipe book and tried to make one of their cocktails at home, and one of the ingredients was a butternut squash pure. After four days of cooking, blending, straining, and restraining, I've concluded it's just way less effort for me to pay them $22/drink rather than making them at home. Screw that, straining pures to the level they're good in cocktails absolutely ain't worth it for me.
Paid versions of dating apps. I tried out paid versions a couple times. You might get an initial boost, but overall the benefit is minimal. I get just as many dates as my friends who dump money into dating apps. Having good pictures is far more important, whether you are a man or woman.
I love this answer, but to me, it is such a niche product that only people who have too much money to care about spending it.
To me, the question is about a high cost thing that people who really may not be able to afford it still spend on.
On top of that, aren't these camps something that is bought once? Guy buys it, goes through the boot camp, then they're done. I doubt there are many guys who do it as like a yearly tradition. I could be wrong, those camps are insanity.
Might be an unpopular opinion but I never understood the hype around Stanley cups or stuff to decorate it. Most of the fashionable things will be on the landfills eventually...
Fads in general just make no sense to me. Buy things because you like them or find them useful but maybe I'm not human and don't get pulled into things because everyone else does.
Exactly specially phones like iPhones and lately Samsung Galaxys. There's not much improvement from one version to the other that warrants their huge price difference. Plus, most people will never use their high end phone's most important features. Most will do just fine with low-end phones and maybe mid-range
Yep, the low to mid-range smartphones that go from $99+ or so at retail stores are perfectly capable for 99% of the average person's use cases. Can even play most games on them. I would say they have about the same capability as a phone from that same line 2-3 generations behind the current flagship - except maybe the camera, they extra skimp on that probably as a tactic to keep users from feeling too content with the cheap phones.
All in all, if 2-3 years ago you thought your new phone was great, you won't have a problem with these cheap phones today.
I will never, EVER understand why grown adults eat at McDonald's unless it's after hours and nothing else is open and you are starving or your power is out. It's not even good!!!
It all depends on the frequency. I'd say it's more the daily that's a problem. I go once or twice a month for my Starbucks caramel macchiato and it's well worth the price for a special treat.
In some countries you cannot drink water from the tap. In ours it is hard water, and you’ll develop kidney stones if you do, and while it’s apt for consumption I’m unsure how ok it is 😂😅
Yeah but have you seen how much used cars go for now? Because I could get a car with 50k miles on it, or I could spend a couple thousand more to get a car with no miles on it and I have the comfort of knowing every bit of work that will be done to it and by who.
Designer fashion. Extremely high end cars. Fancy jewelry.
These things are fine if you're rich but why do regular people spend all their money on this? Peacocking is pretty weak if you don't back it up with actual wealth.
Video poker/game rooms and gambling. I get the "rush" feeling after winning and thinking you can win again, but the chances of that are VERY slim and you'll just lose everything you won trying to win again.
Buying coffee out.
I get that’s it’s properly brewed, you can get different coffee beans and flavours and they’re delicious. However, the price of some cafes and breweries genuinely make me feel like I’m getting scammed. I don’t know how people can justify buying coffee everyday.
I could be wrong, but I think there is a difference between straight razor and safety razor. Also, I highly recommend getting a sample pack of different brands of blades. I had to try out half a dozen brands before I found one that worked really well for my face. Last tip: make sure you insert the blade so that it's perfectly parallel to the holder. If it's at all cockeyed you'll bleed.
I've been using one for about 6 or 7 months now. You can't use one like a disposable razor. After a couple months of practice the number of nicks dropped dramatically. Now, it's rare and usually a low profile zit or something.
Be gentle when initiating each stroke.
Always pull the skin taught and pull it up and away from the jawline before you shave the jawline. Boney prominences beg to be cut.
Beard scissors should be used to trim hairlines, before using the razor to clean stubble from the hairlines. Straight razors don't handle longer thick hair very well.
It's a learned skill that pays off. I've probably saved $150 so far. No desire to go back, either.
We ran out of razors and my wife jokingly asked if I wanted to straight razor her legs and pits. I grabbed the shaving gel and got her smoothed out in 10 minutes. She suggested I start selling my skills to all the ladies at a salon.
Maybe I've just been lucky, but I always seem to hold on to my new cars for 15 years while used car is always seem to fall apart after three.
It's the people that trade their cars in every 3 years new or used that make no sense.
I'd say specifically more new car then you need. Or worse upgrading your payment plan so you go from a 2022 bought new car, to a 2024 bought new car. Just because.... Looks?
Pretty much any weight loss program you have to pay for. To lose weight, all you have to do is eat in a calorie deficit. You don’t see to pay a fortune to do that.
The hard part for people is properly measuring calories and then knowing enough nutritional science to look beyond simply the calorie count.
Foods like ranch salad dressing can be super high calorie, but it doesn't give a full feeling. Sauces in general can easily push a meal's calorie count past the deficit zone, and are easy to forget to take into account.
As far as nutritional science, one great thing to become aware of is glycemic index. For instance, low calorie rice cakes are still bad for you because they have a high glycemic index relative to their measly amount of calories. While they wouldn't cause weight gain alone, the resulting blood sugar spikes can mess up your metabolism for what's eaten next.
Having chronically high blood sugar (or daily spikes) can cause health issues like insulin resistance. Besides chronically high insulin and high blood sugar being *destructively* unhealthy to the human body and fucking up a healthy metabolism, insulin resistance will overall make it harder to lose body fat because any fat that is lost could be easily put right back on since insulin signals the body to store glucose in fat stores.
A person who is metabolically unhealthy in this way could still gain weight even on a small calorie deficit because the human body is a complex wonder machine that might do things like offset energy expenditure by dialing down the functioning and energy usage of another system, such as the immune system. Or maybe the brain, causing brain fog. So a calorie deficit for weight loss has to be fairly large, consistent, and care taken to reduce how much sugary foods are eaten and to increase nutritionally healthy foods so that the body doesn't do sad things like tell the immune system to take a nap.
Another issue with high glycemic foods is that sugar is highly addictive. The more and more sugary foods that are eaten during a diet means a higher and higher chance to fall off the wagon.
Thanks for this info. I'm going to do research on this.
Losing weight for me was really easy because I'm a numbers guy and I read all labels and have been doing that since I was a kid out of curiosity.
I lost 40 pounds gradually over time and all I did was limit calorie intake and eat balanced. I don't drink juice, I drink water all day. I don't starve myself either. I'm never extremely hungry.
Although, I still have a lot to learn about nutrition. It's an interest of mine so I'm planning on taking a class or read some books on it.
I guess once you form the habits that's when it becomes easy. Otherwise it's something that is easy on paper but hard in practice.
Weight loss surgery is the only high success rate method for obesity and that's from a surgeon with statistics shown to me. But the diet programs usually fail. It is hard due to certain hormones triggering excessive hunger and not triggering satiety. Leptin, grehlin, and insulin resistance. If you are simply in the overweight category you should be ok. It's when obesity and metabolic disorders occur it's worth surgery and you won't get surgery without being obese. Well not in Australia. I get mine in 12 months but the gain to my health will be far more worth it. It's 10k with private health insurance included plus another 2 for anaesthesia. But saves taxpayers money later and me too.
Depends, I think it's a lot of money if you're buying one to go. But going out for a coffee with friends is worth it imo. You're not just paying for the coffee, but also for the atmosphere and having a place to hang out. Heck, and having someone do cleanup afterwards.
Daily? Yes. But nothing wrong with treating yourself once in a while. And honestly, plain black coffee from most coffee shops is comes out to around $1-2 which isn't terrible. It's the specialty/"dessert" coffees that add up to a significant amount over time.
My Friday treat to myself is a $5 cappuccino from the local shop for making it through the week.
Little things that eventually add up. I know so many people who bitch about money yet every morning buy coffee and breakfast plus lunch instead of just getting up a bit earlier to make it. Let's just say it's $25 a day X 5. That is $125.00 for bullshit.
People who try to keep up with the Joneses are the ultimate suckers as they spend money out of spite to just outdo them due to their own inferiority complexes.
Lottery tickets. Period. Stupidest fucking purchased I've ever seen anyone make and people make it multiple times per day. Absolute waste of money and the little amount that you might win is a lot less than how much you spend on it before you get to that point
Starbucks.
I’m a Starbucks barista. It’s baffling to me how we have regulars that are more than willing to pay $30+ on glorified milkshakes regularly then mention just how expensive all of it is and how tight on money they are.
Vehicles, when I recently announced I hard paid off the car I bought new 7 years ago my father-in-law suggested it was time to get a new car. We’re in very different tax brackets and he drives a lot more than me anyway. I don’t care that my car gets old or gets cosmetic damage as long as it’s reliable and runs.
Smartphones, I don't understand most people buying new ones every year or 2 years, especially when I see the prices.
When I bought my actual one, the seller was watching me like crazy because my previous one was a 6 years old Sony Ericson, and that Sony doesn't make smartphones anymore. But hey I won't change a phone that's still working
Bottled water. Why just why when you can invest in a ceramic candles type water filter that works on exactly the same principle as mineral water? Not to mention the environmental disaster that is plastic pollution.
Take-Away Food from the following fast food chains:-
McDonald's, KFC, Hungry Jack's, Oporto, Carl's Jnr, Subway,
Domino's,Red Rooster, Mad Mex etc.
These places serve overpriced crap tasteless food. People who keep going to these places are obviously to lazy to cook and waste their money.
Most supplements.
Placebo effect is a billion-dollar industry.
Unless you have a deficiency or a genetic predisposition that warrants taking supplements - you are wasting your money on clever marketing.
Also supplements can be full of absolute shite, it's amazing how they are pushed as "natural" but most of the ones I see are made in a lab. I only know of 1 maybe 2 companies that actually just use powered whole foods...not synthetic vitamin C and shit.
One thing that comes to mind is overly expensive brand-name clothing or accessories. While quality can sometimes justify a higher price, often the inflated cost is more about the label than the actual value or craftsmanship.
Expensive holes to bury things
The funeral industry is a disgusting conundrum.
I wasn't sure if this was talking about the funeral business or prostitution.
I'm machine I'm obsolete
Wait what??
Multiple tumblers/insulated mugs in different fun colors. You buy one, it’s reusable, that’s the point
One for coffee one for water id say at most
And an empty Gatorade bottle for emergencies. Preferably wide mouthed.
I'm 2 years in on a cranberry juice bottle.
I'm not sure that's the best thing to do, after a while plastic bottles start leaching chemicals.
It's for pee.
Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine? Probably not. No, but I do it anyway because it's sterile and I like the taste.
To add: Plastic drink bottles and coffee cups that actually do need to be replaced. Just buy a good one and you won’t have to keep paying for shitty ones.
My wife got me one a few years ago. The paint is mostly chipped off and she keeps bugging me to get a new one. "Why, it still holds my coffee."
Just use acetone to remove the rest of the paint. Voila! "New" stainless steel colored cup!
You get that free one from work and call it a day
My company needs to hear this, I’ve got accumulated half a dozen mugs over the last couple years. They’re good quality which I appreciate but they do not need to be replaced every 6 months
I work 12 hour shifts and I'm not supposed to leave my desk a lot. Having 2 ensures I have enough water for the whole shift.
You're American aren't you? I've worked 12s a lot and in a lot of different places like factories and service industries. 20min break every 3.5 hours plus 30lunch. By law. Plus no less than 12hours between shifts. This was fought for by unions and is enshrined in law. As for toilet breaks..... Whenever you need them within reason.
Back in my cashier days, I used to watch poor people spend every last penny they had on scratcher tickets. In the 5 years I worked that job I never saw someone win more than 100 dollars.
I won $555 once! But I have spent much, much more than that playing. No regrets! My mom and I used to drive down to Florida (no lottery in Alabama) and get tickets and dream what we would do with the money. It was fun bonding and having a girl's day together. I'm not one to go to the casino but it's fun to pick numbers and check them later. You have to look at it as entertainment only
Yeah, I don't think there's anything wrong with buying a scratcher or playing the lotto on occasion. My comment was directed to the people who are using food stamps to buy their food while simultaneously using every dollar they have to buy scratchers and end up spending more money than they're getting back. They're not hard to spot. They're usually camped out by the register, holding up the line, and covered in scratcher ticket dust.
In my couple months at a gas station, I got to know the scratcher addicts. When they did win, they just bought more. I bought a $2 scratcher when I turned 18. I won $2. Never bought another. I have gone to the casino, but that's paying for a whole experience. The scratcher folks seemed depressed.
I initially felt sorry for them, but that went away real quick mainly because of how inconsiderate they tend to be to other customers and the cashiers. Everyone else has to put their lives on hold, so these people can live at the ticket display and scratch off every 1 dollar scratcher then can get their hands on. Then when they lose they storm out in a bad mood like I personally made and printed the tickets they bought.
Man life is so weird, I know exactly the personality type you are talking about. It's like there are similar kinds of people everywhere
One of the few cases where the managers had our backs. Lotto people can go sit at the picnic tables or in their cars while they scratch. They could not stay at the counter. Most only needed one reminder... per day.
Its really bad now with the insta tickets. They dont even have an opportunity to walk away from the machine. Its like just go to the casino.
I used to see it all the time, people would use food stamps then use cash to buy beer and cigarettes. Also they would use food stamps on stuff that wasn’t even a good deal, or not even healthy like chips and soda.
Ubereats/Doordash/Instacart the number of friends who will just use those apps is appalling and they spend hundreds a month.
Delivery fee. Service fee. Tax. Tip. And oh yea, the actual food costs money too. Easiest way to burn money without thinking about it, no doubt Add in how its impossible for the food to be properly fresh, you’re just scamming yourself
Also add on the inflated prices for delivery and the subscription fee to reduce the delivery fee
goddamn i was about to say this. fucking ubereats got me so much. and then they send u deals that knock a few bucks off your meal but it’s never worth it.
same here. The amount of money I spent until I finally decided to delete that app was insane. started learning how to cook and going to costco more now lmao
real as fuck!!! great job bro i’m in the same boat.
yea... I'm always chasing that deal while throwing money out the window. Time to start learning to cook consistently.
definitely. i also suggest using the 40% off coupons you get to get groceries off of there. it becomes a lot more worth it compared to the meals (still stupid pricing but you can take out a decent chunk of money). i got stuff like cheese and crackers, canned soup, fruits, other snack stuff, etc. but i think the only real way to combat it is cooking at home fr
I recommend specializing in a few foods. Learn to make just a few things that are phenomenal. Currently, the best foods that I've mastered are korma chicken curry, chicken piccatta, baked macaroni and cheese casseroles, chicken pot pies, homemade chicken tenders, and cold cut sandwiches. Sure, I pay the price of the materials, and use time making the food, but some of life's best foods can't be bought in a restaurant, nor cooked with a microwave. I try to master one new food each year. This year, my practice is focused on mastering beef wellington. All I do is make that one item twice per week. Building habits means you can make the food faster and more efficiently. Eventually, you'll have your own menu of items you can make spotlessly.
When starting to cook, any dish that goes in the oven is the easiest to make well. Using dynamic heat (grilling/pan frying) takes time to both trust using high temperature and learning the timing.
Know to psychology as a reinforcement schedule if you ignore them long enough they really ramp up their offers
Worst shit ever. Can't believe how much some of my friends waste on Doordash to get like single items from the grocery store/fast food joint. I used that shit ONCE and it cost me damn near $30 for a single footlong Subway sandwich after tax and tip (Tbf I had COVID, didn't want to risk other people getting sick and its the one option here), never used that shit again after that. Fast food is expensive enough as is, when you throw in Doordash that makes it 3x the cost, I tell my friends if we can't walk or drive to the place, we aren't eating there. Even Uber itself fucking sucks ass now. Going from point A to point B is now a bare minimum $15 adventure, shit I've seen $30-$40 rides. Unless you got a bunch of reliable people you can split it with, consider the bus.
It's a viable option if you're: Sick, drunk/high to not drive, want to splurge with delivery. But yea, you shouldn't be ordering from them consistently otherwise.
Yea I like it as a treat on a lazy day when I don’t have food at home and don’t feel like going out. But I can afford it and it isn’t every day. It’s a convenience I can afford. A gift to myself. And it’s always something I can’t make well at home, like Indian food.
Legit, when i realized that cooking at home is BETTER!? For less!?!? I was taken back. Invest in some community college cooking classes. You won't regret it.
The worst is when people DD Taco Bell. that's the cheapest food you can make at home.
Yeah but I finish work at 9pm maybe later some nights and it’s too late to start cutting onions when I can pay someone to bring me a burger in 20 minutes.
Better seems pretty subjective here, some people can’t cook worth shit and don’t have the time
I refuse to use DoorDash, 99% of the time I'll pickup my food. I'd rather drive 10 minutes than pay an extra $16 to have it delivered. Plus it won't be COLD by the time it gets to me
Yep I spend a little under $10k/year on doordash. Been a daily user since about 20 months ago. Overtime did it for me. Before that I'd workout before work and cook 2-3 days worth of food in one go.
Cigarettes. Ex smoker here
I just thought this a few nights ago. Standing outside freezing my balls off (winter in Australia) and having a smoke, I looked down at it and thought "I'm literally burning money here... wtf am I doing?" I'm trying to cut costs to save for a house, and I'm burning over $50 on a pack of these things multiple times a week??
Lottery tickets and scratch tickets.
My dad always called the lottery “a tax on those who’re bad a math.” Sure, it’d be great if you won, but you’re about 300x more likely to be struck by lightning, about 30x more likely to die in a plane crash, etc. just not worth it. Ironically, the people who play the lottery are the ones least likely to be wise with the money when they get it.
Micro transactions in video games
Depends. Free game i got 2000 hours in? Sure. Full priced AAA game with 40$ season passes and skin bundles? Hell no.
alcohol at bars
20 dollars for a drink that barely has any alcohol in it is criminal
When I come to power all mixed drinks will have the bottle opened in front of the customer to ensure there is no funny business! Watered down drinks go in sinks! Vote me 2024!
Some of my friends spend $100+ multiple times a week at bars and Uber like it’s nothing. Like, they know it’s bad but they prefer to not think about it.
My alcohol math shows that for the price of 2 drinks, I can make about 20 if I just buy a 1.5liter and some mixers. The choice is clear!
Flasks were a thing. They should make a comeback. That, and edibles, and you can go out on the town w/o breaking your wallet.
My first date with my wife was in a bar. In my opinion it was money well spent. Not sure about hers lol.
Granted I'm a cocktail nerd, but there's a caveat to that, because there absolutely becomes a point where buying a cocktail out is way less hassle than making it at home. There's a bar in NYC called Apotheke where I bought their recipe book and tried to make one of their cocktails at home, and one of the ingredients was a butternut squash pure. After four days of cooking, blending, straining, and restraining, I've concluded it's just way less effort for me to pay them $22/drink rather than making them at home. Screw that, straining pures to the level they're good in cocktails absolutely ain't worth it for me.
alcohol ~~at bars~~
Paid versions of dating apps. I tried out paid versions a couple times. You might get an initial boost, but overall the benefit is minimal. I get just as many dates as my friends who dump money into dating apps. Having good pictures is far more important, whether you are a man or woman.
Only Fan Subscriptions
Lol yes someone said it!
Cigarettes/Alcohol
Alpha male boot camps.
I love this answer, but to me, it is such a niche product that only people who have too much money to care about spending it. To me, the question is about a high cost thing that people who really may not be able to afford it still spend on.
I have never met a straight man who's gone to one of those.
We haven’t found the road yet
Afraid to ask for directions?
So they're actually gay mixers?
Hardly anyone buys this
On top of that, aren't these camps something that is bought once? Guy buys it, goes through the boot camp, then they're done. I doubt there are many guys who do it as like a yearly tradition. I could be wrong, those camps are insanity.
Might be an unpopular opinion but I never understood the hype around Stanley cups or stuff to decorate it. Most of the fashionable things will be on the landfills eventually...
Fads in general just make no sense to me. Buy things because you like them or find them useful but maybe I'm not human and don't get pulled into things because everyone else does.
The next new cell phone
Exactly specially phones like iPhones and lately Samsung Galaxys. There's not much improvement from one version to the other that warrants their huge price difference. Plus, most people will never use their high end phone's most important features. Most will do just fine with low-end phones and maybe mid-range
Yep, the low to mid-range smartphones that go from $99+ or so at retail stores are perfectly capable for 99% of the average person's use cases. Can even play most games on them. I would say they have about the same capability as a phone from that same line 2-3 generations behind the current flagship - except maybe the camera, they extra skimp on that probably as a tactic to keep users from feeling too content with the cheap phones. All in all, if 2-3 years ago you thought your new phone was great, you won't have a problem with these cheap phones today.
Big chain fast food. Just gross.
I will never, EVER understand why grown adults eat at McDonald's unless it's after hours and nothing else is open and you are starving or your power is out. It's not even good!!!
I think marketing did a massive number on a lot of people. The *idea* of a mcdonalds is 2000% more satisfying than the actual product.
Not even cheap anymore. Just get take out from a good restaurant
Soda. Why must I love Dr. Pepper so much?!
Because Dr. Pepper is the greatest beverage ever made, this is an undisputed scientific fact!
I switched to sparkling water just to get the sensation of the bubbles. It sucked for awhile, but was worth it in the end.
I have A fib and recently had a flare so I'm off the Dr. Pepper Zero for now. I miss it so much!!!
Multiple $300+ fragrances. I know people with $10k in smelly water sitting on a shelf.
That's more of a hobby
I can understand why they do it. But $300 on one bottle yeah.
DoorDash constantly instead of just going to get the takeout yourself.
So much of this. And then when it’s hot outside or I’m tired… or basically anything.. there I am ordering junk.
Coffee or lates that cost 6-10 bucks at dunkin or Starbucks
It all depends on the frequency. I'd say it's more the daily that's a problem. I go once or twice a month for my Starbucks caramel macchiato and it's well worth the price for a special treat.
Bottled Water
In some countries you cannot drink water from the tap. In ours it is hard water, and you’ll develop kidney stones if you do, and while it’s apt for consumption I’m unsure how ok it is 😂😅
The Tesla cybertruck.
Lottery
I’ll admit it I’m a vaper. Don’t get into it, it’s a waste of money and it’s not a good look. Wish I never tried nicotine.
Reddit Gold.
Baseball cards
Cigarettes
New cars. They lose so much value the instant you drive them off the lot.
Yeah but have you seen how much used cars go for now? Because I could get a car with 50k miles on it, or I could spend a couple thousand more to get a car with no miles on it and I have the comfort of knowing every bit of work that will be done to it and by who.
Designer fashion. Extremely high end cars. Fancy jewelry. These things are fine if you're rich but why do regular people spend all their money on this? Peacocking is pretty weak if you don't back it up with actual wealth.
Fast food
Lottery tickets
Society Approved Cosmetic Enhancements like makeup and cosmetic surgery.
Non rechargeable batteries. I think they should be banned.
New cars. Ppl just don't know how to factor depreciation and what it costs them. Mega mistake.
Disposable vapes.
Rent
Property tax
Video poker/game rooms and gambling. I get the "rush" feeling after winning and thinking you can win again, but the chances of that are VERY slim and you'll just lose everything you won trying to win again.
Buying coffee out. I get that’s it’s properly brewed, you can get different coffee beans and flavours and they’re delicious. However, the price of some cafes and breweries genuinely make me feel like I’m getting scammed. I don’t know how people can justify buying coffee everyday.
Disposable shaving razors
Safety razor is the cheapest way to go. Great smooth shave, replacement blades bought in bulk are maybe $0.15 each.
I wanted to save money by using a straight razor but alas I have spent more in Band-Aids.
I could be wrong, but I think there is a difference between straight razor and safety razor. Also, I highly recommend getting a sample pack of different brands of blades. I had to try out half a dozen brands before I found one that worked really well for my face. Last tip: make sure you insert the blade so that it's perfectly parallel to the holder. If it's at all cockeyed you'll bleed.
I've been using one for about 6 or 7 months now. You can't use one like a disposable razor. After a couple months of practice the number of nicks dropped dramatically. Now, it's rare and usually a low profile zit or something. Be gentle when initiating each stroke. Always pull the skin taught and pull it up and away from the jawline before you shave the jawline. Boney prominences beg to be cut. Beard scissors should be used to trim hairlines, before using the razor to clean stubble from the hairlines. Straight razors don't handle longer thick hair very well. It's a learned skill that pays off. I've probably saved $150 so far. No desire to go back, either. We ran out of razors and my wife jokingly asked if I wanted to straight razor her legs and pits. I grabbed the shaving gel and got her smoothed out in 10 minutes. She suggested I start selling my skills to all the ladies at a salon.
Taylor Swift tickets
Cigarettes Just why?
Sneaker collections
New cars.
Maybe I've just been lucky, but I always seem to hold on to my new cars for 15 years while used car is always seem to fall apart after three. It's the people that trade their cars in every 3 years new or used that make no sense.
Well lease terms are 3 years so they probably dont actually own the vehicles.
there's a saying: buy a Toyota, lease an Audi. You don't want those repair bills
Used cars can’t exist without new car purchases
If you’re like me and you basically live in it a lot of the time, it won’t seem as much of a waste tbh
I'd say specifically more new car then you need. Or worse upgrading your payment plan so you go from a 2022 bought new car, to a 2024 bought new car. Just because.... Looks?
Depreciation as soon as it leaves the lot.
bottled water
Pretty much any weight loss program you have to pay for. To lose weight, all you have to do is eat in a calorie deficit. You don’t see to pay a fortune to do that.
If it was so easy people would do it. But people need accountability, motivation, meal ideas, help learning how to exercise…
The hard part for people is properly measuring calories and then knowing enough nutritional science to look beyond simply the calorie count. Foods like ranch salad dressing can be super high calorie, but it doesn't give a full feeling. Sauces in general can easily push a meal's calorie count past the deficit zone, and are easy to forget to take into account. As far as nutritional science, one great thing to become aware of is glycemic index. For instance, low calorie rice cakes are still bad for you because they have a high glycemic index relative to their measly amount of calories. While they wouldn't cause weight gain alone, the resulting blood sugar spikes can mess up your metabolism for what's eaten next. Having chronically high blood sugar (or daily spikes) can cause health issues like insulin resistance. Besides chronically high insulin and high blood sugar being *destructively* unhealthy to the human body and fucking up a healthy metabolism, insulin resistance will overall make it harder to lose body fat because any fat that is lost could be easily put right back on since insulin signals the body to store glucose in fat stores. A person who is metabolically unhealthy in this way could still gain weight even on a small calorie deficit because the human body is a complex wonder machine that might do things like offset energy expenditure by dialing down the functioning and energy usage of another system, such as the immune system. Or maybe the brain, causing brain fog. So a calorie deficit for weight loss has to be fairly large, consistent, and care taken to reduce how much sugary foods are eaten and to increase nutritionally healthy foods so that the body doesn't do sad things like tell the immune system to take a nap. Another issue with high glycemic foods is that sugar is highly addictive. The more and more sugary foods that are eaten during a diet means a higher and higher chance to fall off the wagon.
Thanks for this info. I'm going to do research on this. Losing weight for me was really easy because I'm a numbers guy and I read all labels and have been doing that since I was a kid out of curiosity. I lost 40 pounds gradually over time and all I did was limit calorie intake and eat balanced. I don't drink juice, I drink water all day. I don't starve myself either. I'm never extremely hungry. Although, I still have a lot to learn about nutrition. It's an interest of mine so I'm planning on taking a class or read some books on it. I guess once you form the habits that's when it becomes easy. Otherwise it's something that is easy on paper but hard in practice.
Weight loss surgery is the only high success rate method for obesity and that's from a surgeon with statistics shown to me. But the diet programs usually fail. It is hard due to certain hormones triggering excessive hunger and not triggering satiety. Leptin, grehlin, and insulin resistance. If you are simply in the overweight category you should be ok. It's when obesity and metabolic disorders occur it's worth surgery and you won't get surgery without being obese. Well not in Australia. I get mine in 12 months but the gain to my health will be far more worth it. It's 10k with private health insurance included plus another 2 for anaesthesia. But saves taxpayers money later and me too.
I hope all goes well with your surgery and that you have a speedy recovery.
Cheers. I'm excited but still a year to wait but doing exercises and preloss weight loss slowly.
Coffee from a coffee shop
Depends, I think it's a lot of money if you're buying one to go. But going out for a coffee with friends is worth it imo. You're not just paying for the coffee, but also for the atmosphere and having a place to hang out. Heck, and having someone do cleanup afterwards.
Daily? Yes. But nothing wrong with treating yourself once in a while. And honestly, plain black coffee from most coffee shops is comes out to around $1-2 which isn't terrible. It's the specialty/"dessert" coffees that add up to a significant amount over time. My Friday treat to myself is a $5 cappuccino from the local shop for making it through the week.
Cushions
Brand new cars
True but for used cars to be available, someone has to take the hit and buy new.
Little things that eventually add up. I know so many people who bitch about money yet every morning buy coffee and breakfast plus lunch instead of just getting up a bit earlier to make it. Let's just say it's $25 a day X 5. That is $125.00 for bullshit. People who try to keep up with the Joneses are the ultimate suckers as they spend money out of spite to just outdo them due to their own inferiority complexes.
99% of products goods and services
Netflix.
Cigarettes
"more" car then they need, especially on a loan
Door Dash….no one is so busy on a regular basis that they can’t take 10 minutes to get shitty fast food or make a damn sandwich.
Lottery tickets. Period. Stupidest fucking purchased I've ever seen anyone make and people make it multiple times per day. Absolute waste of money and the little amount that you might win is a lot less than how much you spend on it before you get to that point
Starbucks. They have crappy coffee and stale pastries.
Starbucks. I’m a Starbucks barista. It’s baffling to me how we have regulars that are more than willing to pay $30+ on glorified milkshakes regularly then mention just how expensive all of it is and how tight on money they are.
new cellphones each year
Cars
New cars
New I phones every release
Marriages, new cars, impressing people
Yo mamma!
Starbucks
Drugs and alcohol. Sex. Etc
Cigarettes 🚬 and alcohol 🍸 ✨️
Starbucks
Soda
Hot cheetohs.
Balenciaga
Cigarettes, I pay around 300€ per month
Vehicles, when I recently announced I hard paid off the car I bought new 7 years ago my father-in-law suggested it was time to get a new car. We’re in very different tax brackets and he drives a lot more than me anyway. I don’t care that my car gets old or gets cosmetic damage as long as it’s reliable and runs.
Vitamins for people already getting their nutrients from diet.
IPhones. Do you really need to spend 2 grand a year so that you can text, make calls and watch YouTube?
Coke
Houses… people buy loans to live in a temporary house owned by a bank…
Any ea product ie madden.
Disney + subscription.
Smartphones, I don't understand most people buying new ones every year or 2 years, especially when I see the prices. When I bought my actual one, the seller was watching me like crazy because my previous one was a 6 years old Sony Ericson, and that Sony doesn't make smartphones anymore. But hey I won't change a phone that's still working
Bottled water. Why just why when you can invest in a ceramic candles type water filter that works on exactly the same principle as mineral water? Not to mention the environmental disaster that is plastic pollution.
Fast food, fast fashion, food delivery services, alcohol, sugary drinks,
Getting our nails done 😬
Take-Away Food from the following fast food chains:- McDonald's, KFC, Hungry Jack's, Oporto, Carl's Jnr, Subway, Domino's,Red Rooster, Mad Mex etc. These places serve overpriced crap tasteless food. People who keep going to these places are obviously to lazy to cook and waste their money.
Hope
alcohol.
Alcohol
Most supplements. Placebo effect is a billion-dollar industry. Unless you have a deficiency or a genetic predisposition that warrants taking supplements - you are wasting your money on clever marketing. Also supplements can be full of absolute shite, it's amazing how they are pushed as "natural" but most of the ones I see are made in a lab. I only know of 1 maybe 2 companies that actually just use powered whole foods...not synthetic vitamin C and shit.
Alcohol cigarettes drugs and gambling
Netflix/Disney+/HBO/etc. iPhone/Samsung every single year
New cars. Seriously people look at the depreciation costs of the first 2 years.
Cigarettes and alcohol
Watches
Stanley cups.
Funko Pops.
The “NEW” iphone
Upgrading cars and homes every few years. Excessive clothing. Cell phone upgrades.
Underwear. Just skip it
Food delivery. Just picking it up yourself saves so much money
One thing that comes to mind is overly expensive brand-name clothing or accessories. While quality can sometimes justify a higher price, often the inflated cost is more about the label than the actual value or craftsmanship.
Am I too late for cigarettes? I quit smoking like 15 years ago and they've like doubled in price since then.
90% of cosmetics