Things That Are A Waste of Money

[dynasaw]

Now we're all cutting back what do you consider to be a waste of money and things you could cut back any way?

[rcrush]

1. strip clubs

I havent gone in 8 months!

[DS1]

2. Martini nights

[raccoon]

3. Bottled water. Acquire yourself one bottle, and keep refilling it from your tap/filtered water. nt

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Sports, pop music, bad books, cheap/bad/fast food, cheap liquor, cheap art

Basically, for the most part, anything that's cheap is a waste of money.

Buy stuff of quality, and buy less of it because it won't break. Or, for food and drink, buy stuff of quality and then you won't have to eat/drink as much, either, because good food and good liquor has a taste profile that's far above that of the cheaper crap, and so one is satisfied so much quicker.

And don't waste your time and money on shitty art, like pop music, faddish poorly written books, ugly music, and cliche art (like Kinkade, Home Interiors, Precious Moments, the shit in the "art shelves" at Target, JC Penney, and so forth).

[MorningGlow]

5. Eating out

We used to go once a week. Now most of the time we skip it. I miss it, though, because I'm the one who has to come up with something to cook every night. Ick.

[Auggie]

14. Top of my list

[DarkTirade]

6. My ex.

:P

[MrCoffee]

9. The unfortunate thing is that I read #5 and #6 in rapid succession...

sex thread city

[DarkTirade]

15. The real irony is...

the biggest waste of money coming from my ex's direction was that she wanted me to have lunch with her every day, which cost money. :P So the comment above mine made sense in a non-sexy way too.

[zanne]

7. These days, ink cartridges for the copier.....

cable movie stations (no more HBO), going out for coffee, buying new books (used only), crafts, etc.
So, pretty much anything that's fun is now a waste of money.

[arcadian]

8. Buying cheap plastic crap for children.

Of friends and family. Buy it, they play with it once, it goes in the pile of their other cheap plastic crap that no longer gets played with. Also, "picking up the check" on family get togethers, my wife somehow gets stiffed when we go out with her children, she ends up paying for everybody. Sometimes it's like 6 or 7 people. She feels guilty and decides that she must pay for her kids when we go out, even though it was their idea to go out. No more.

[AlCzervik]

10. Magazines.

i used to get maybe 5 or 6 and i ended reading maybe 2 of them.

[kick-ass-bob]

11. New cars.

Biggest ripoff in the world.

[Burma Jones]

12. Religion........

[Arugula Latte]

23. Good one.

:thumbsup:

[Bertha Venation]

13. MP3 players. Blu-Ray players, DVDs. Video games. Pro sports.

[Heidi]

16. Spaghetti sauce in a jar, "trendy" art, gifts to people to whom from you expect reciprocation,

and, in my personal experience, golf and tennis lessons.

[insanity]

17. Fast food

And my body couldn't be happier.

[Heidi]

18. I agree, although

I sure do miss it once in a while. Especially McDonald's and Wendy's. There must be crack in those burgers. x(

[surrealAmerican]

20. You may be surprised to find that some day ...

... you'll go back and try one of those burgers and think, "this tastes horrible". It really happens. Once you're used to homemade food, going back to fast food becomes unattractive.

[Heidi]

21. Oh, I believe you.

But I'm kinda happy living with my fantasy/memory of what a Wendy's single with lettuce, tomatto, onion, ketchup, pickles and mayo tasted like. Here's how bad I was: I'd a Mountain Dew Big Gulp at the 7-11 on the way to Wendy's to pick up a single at the drive-through, then whip around to McDonald's to get McDonald's fries. I haven't eaten fast food in almost 10 years. :hi:

[surrealAmerican]

19. cable TV, most "entertainment" purchases, new clothes.

If you have a good local library, you could do without buying books.
Of course different people waste money on different things. You need to look through your spending from the last few months (this is easier if you usually buy with a credit card) and see what YOU are spending money on that could be cut.

[wartrace]

22. Coffee on the way to work.

I started making a pot of coffee at home & bought a thermos. Now I save the 1.79 I used to pay at the gas station. I pay 7.00 for a container of coffee, it makes about 20 pots of coffee or (1.79 x 20) 35.80 in coffee at the station. I save 28.80 per container of coffee I buy.

[dig a pony]

27. Does TN have decent cafes? I was in a nearby town in my state

and the local cafe had shut down! And the coffee sucked anyhow! My hometown nearby is lousy with Starbucks'and Caribous and even some independent cafes. It's maddening that one town has too many and other nearby towns don't have enough!

[wartrace]

31. I guess they have them- I only get coffee at places that have gas pumps out front.

I have never been to a "coffee place" like starbucks.

[dig a pony]

32. They choose where to open up locations and if it's not upscale

they think it won't be successful, which is false. The kind of gas station coffee or Dunkin' Donuts' version is so not the best kind, but neither is Starbuck's. They roast it too long and it becomes acidic. They have come out with a less extreme version, but independent stores tend to have more varieties and are not so cookie-cutter as a chain is.

[Arugula Latte]

24. Mebbe I shouldna bought me that automatic banana peeler.

:(

[AlCzervik]

26. i'd buy that.

[dig a pony]

25. Eating out too often (once or twice a month if you can afford it is better)

It's really amazing what people can piss away in a single week on coffees, pastries, chips, and other little snacks. Buy all your food from a reasonably-priced grocer, make from scratch, and carry around a lunch bag. It's makes a huge difference in the long run. (Now I just have to take my own advice, huh?)

[ThatsMyBarack]

29. Welcome to DU, dig a pony!

:hi:

Back to OT: Wrapping paper, Xmas cards, a "trendy" new wardrobe, makeup....

[dig a pony]

30. Hi there...about the wardrobe, I enjoy thrifting

There is a place in a nearby town that has the best used clothing and I almost like to keep in under my hat because I don't want everyone over there...;-)

[Throd]

28. Alcohol

I'm drinking a lot less these days.

[BlueIris]

33. Giving up alcohol in 2001 (for health reasons) was the best financial decision I made this decade.

Aside from that $$$-saving Reiki work I had last year.