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25 Items People Can’t Believe They Actually Paid For
Whether it’s a trendy gadget, an ill-fated investment, or a spur-of-the-moment buy, these experiences remind us to think twice before opening our wallets. After all, the best things in life often don’t come with a price tag.
Reddit, the internet’s bustling hub of discussion, often brings out the most entertaining, bizarre, and thought-provoking conversations. Recently, a user posed a simple yet intriguing question: “What is the dumbest thing you have ever spent money on?” The responses poured in, revealing a treasure trove of funny, regrettable, and downright puzzling purchases. Here are some of the standout answers.
#1
Image source: tummyache-champion, Snack Toronto / pexels (not the actual photo)
A pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos that I absolutely could not afford and paid for with my whole credit card limit. I wore them twice. They are INDESCRIBABLY uncomfortable, the soles are paper thin, and the red scrapes off pretty much immediately if you wear them outside. I was young and clearly very stupid.
#2
Image source: SevenTheTerrible, Norman Tolba / pexels (not the actual photo)
Cigarettes. I didn’t mind at the time, but having been off them for a decade, it is such a stupid way to spend money in retrospect.
#3
Image source: xilata, Liza Summer / pexels (not the actual photo)
Extra lives on candy crush.
#4
Image source: verltodd, TranStudios Photography & Video / pexels (not the actual photo)
My wedding. We are now divorced so I feel I could have used that money for something more worthwhile. Lesson learned.
#5
Image source: Dee_Breeze, Mstudio / pexels (not the actual photo)
$40 on a pair of jeans and belt just to get into a club with my friends never wore them again.
#6
Image source: skulloflugosi, 20th Century Studios
A life-size Danny Devito cardboard cutout. I use him as a seasonal decoration so right now he’s wearing a flower crown. In the winter he become a Christmas tree.
#7
Image source: Missus_Aitch_99, Ron Lach / pexels (not the actual photo)
A soup tureen. I thought a married lady who throws dinner parties and fancy brunches (which I was at the time — widowed recluse now) just HAD to have one. I searched for two years to find one that blended with my taste and looked good with my China but not so good that it was all matchy-matchy. Finally found the perfect one, bought it (expensive!) and put it in a cabinet. And NEVER used it, not even once. Turns out I’m too control freaky to serve from a tureen — have to plate the soup so I can get the swirl of sour cream or truffle oil or scattering of minced chives just right.
Kept tureen for a few years then took it to my cousin’s annual yard sale. It didn’t sell.
#8
Image source: Wishilikedhugs, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
I got my degree in audio engineering right before everyone stopped buying CDs and the music industry completely changed… So that.
#9
Image source: sasa_shadowed, Emrah AYVALI / pexels (not the actual photo)
Actually my first cat.
I saw her and fell in love. Knew she had never seen a vet, was way too small and ill.
Regret came after I brought her to the vet.
I was dumb a f … that was expensive. (Cat is healthy now – and I am broke) .
#10
Image source: Commercial-Novel-786, RDNE Stock project / pexels (not the actual photo)
You know that box on your tax form that asks for $1 or $5 for the presidential re-election fund?
I checked it.
Once.
#11
I went for one of these stuffed animals vending machine with a claw. It was a big machine with a lot of empty space but a few animals on the right side. Actually it was so big that it had two payment terminals, two claws, etc. I paid for it using my CC on the left side and went for the controls. Well, guess what, it was not one big vending machine, but two separate machines with a god damn glass window between them, and the one on the left that I was using was completely empty.
The laugh my fiancee and I had was well worth the $1 I wasted. Actually after that I went for the other machine and… Also didn’t manage to get the stuffed animal. But my fiancee tried and got one in her first try!
Image source: Morpheus_Roland_Sam
#12
Image source: scienceforbid, Beata Dudová / pexels (not the actual photo)
DLC and pay-to-play on phone games.
#13
Image source: ZeldaTheOuchMouse, José María Mateos / flickr (not the actual photo)
A factory sealed copy of the Bibleman PC game.
#14
My ex-wife, of course.
Image source: ThinkingMonkey69
#15
Image source: Stormraughtz, Robert / flickr (not the actual photo)
Know that replica frostmourne blizzard and epic weapons made? yeah one of those.
Doesnt even steal souls, what a rip off.
#16
Image source: Iriscze, The Lazy Artist Gallery / pexels (not the actual photo)
A diet program that cost a fortune. Ended up binging on pizza instead.
#17
Image source: MrsJaneEmma, Vickie Intili / pexels (not the actual photo)
A Furby. I actually still got it somewhere, more than 25 years later.
#18
Image source: Sea-Air-3193, Caleb Oquendo / pexels (not the actual photo)
Honestly, fast food. I always crave a specific thing and buy it and then it’s just ok. Why did I spend $20 on a s****y burger and fries? I could have just taken my lazy a*s home and made better for cheaper.
#19
Image source: zippyboy, Alex Koch / pexels (not the actual photo)
My Go-Pro camera 10 years ago. Turns out, I don’t live the exciting life I thought I did.
#20
Image source: FulaniLovinCriminal, Bruno Scramgnon / pexels (not the actual photo)
I got given a voucher for a iwantoneofthose.com about 15 years ago, and could find nothing I wanted, so I now “own” a square kilometre of the moon.
#21
Image source: MegawackyMax, Alexander Kovalev / pexels (not the actual photo)
Once, just ONCE, I purchased in-game cash with real cash in a videogame.
I felt *dirty* afterwards. Never again.
#22
Image source: PedalMonk, Dmitry Demidov / pexels (not the actual photo)
I bid on a guitar signed by Metallica through a radio station auction, where the proceeds would go to a charity. This was over the phone (before cell phones were big and everyone still had home phones) and live on the air. Me and one other dumb a*s got into a bidding war for this guitar signed by Metallica. I “won” by making a crazy ending bid of $8000, $1500 more than the last bid. The goal was to be the crazy one, and it worked. The other dude bowed out and I “won” it.
I went down to the radio station to pick it up. No party hats, no “great job!”, no greeters, just me and my shame of paying waaaay too much for a s****y, Chinese made Fender with 4 sigs on it. They gave it to me in an open cardboard box with no COA.
It’s worth about $300 now, probably. Even worse, I played it a few times and wore down one of the sigs. I mean, it’s still there, but you can tell it’s been rubbed off a little.
The only saving grace was that I got to write it off on my taxes and got back like 6K that year or something like that.
So yeah, used a credit card with 12% interest. Luckily I had a good job, so it only took 6 months to pay it off.
Do I win?
#23
Image source: thatcompguyza, William Choquette / pexels (not the actual photo)
I paid upfront for a 4 year gym contract.
Price was mind blowing.
I went once in 4 years, my own fault.
#24
Image source: ActuallyTBH, Peter Fazekas / pexels (not the actual photo)
Drones were such a fad. I bet 90% of people found themselves in a single situtation where they thought “Damn, I wish I had a drone here” bought one and never did again.
#25
Image source: Dolphin_Princess, Eliézer Fernandes / pexels (not the actual photo)
A Porsche
Because midlife crisis.
Got wisdom to pour?