Bandwagons you avoid

[VanTran]

1. Gym membership. If I wanna run, I'll run outside. If I want to do cardio indoors, I'll jumprope. Boxing bags, gloves, and handwraps are also inexpensive. Treadmills, bikes, etc. are a joke. You can easily get stronger for free, without weights or machines. Old school boxers didn't need that junk. Do pushups, sit-ups, bodyweight training, ghetto workouts, Spartacus training, etc.

2. Expensive data plan for mobile phones- if you don't need it for work, it's just an expensive Facebook machine. Convenience is boring and doesn't justify the cost.

3. Sports fanaticism/cable - I like sports, but it's no big deal to me if I miss every live game. Cable is expensive, yet everyone seems to justify the cost by "sports!"

4. Macbooks- you gotta be kidding me with this, what a hype machine in college campuses. Go to a Uni lecture, and you'd see 90% Mac users. What do most people in Uni use it for? MS Office, photobooth, facetime, and internet!

5. Alcohol. I don't get it. It's disgusting and expensive.

6. Expensive restaurants/food- it may taste good, but marginal benefit relative to cost. I tried Molinari Delicatessen and gelato in North Beach, SF. What a waste of money.

7. Coffee- a dumb money pit, and probably no cognitive benefits for your workday.

8. Asian fetish/yellow fever- bunch of weirdos.

9. Traveling- I've been to Europe once, no big deal. The truth is, I can't stand packing.

[marketnonsenses]

1. Gym membership. If I wanna run, I'll run outside. If I want to do cardio indoors, I'll jumprope. Boxing bags, gloves, and handwraps are also inexpensive. Treadmills, bikes, etc. are a joke. You can easily get stronger for free, without weights or machines. Old school boxers didn't need that junk. Do pushups, sit-ups, bodyweight training, ghetto workouts, Spartacus training, etc.

2. Expensive data plan for mobile phones- if you don't need it for work, it's just an expensive Facebook machine. Convenience is boring and doesn't justify the cost.

3. Sports fanaticism/cable - I like sports, but it's no big deal to me if I miss every live game. Cable is expensive, yet everyone seems to justify the cost by "sports!"

4. Macbooks- you gotta be kidding me with this, what a hype machine in college campuses. Go to a Uni lecture, and you'd see 90% Mac users. What do most people in Uni use it for? MS Office, photobooth, facetime, and internet!

5. Alcohol. I don't get it. It's disgusting and expensive.

6. Expensive restaurants/food- it may taste good, but marginal benefit relative to cost. I tried Molinari Delicatessen and gelato in North Beach, SF. What a waste of money.

7. Coffee- a dumb money pit, and probably no cognitive benefits for your workday.

8. Asian fetish/yellow fever- bunch of weirdos.

9. Traveling- I've been to Europe once, no big deal. The truth is, I can't stand packing.

Things you do like
1. Sitting in cave
2. writing on forum
3. hating things 99% of the world likes

[dragoncar]

This thread from the get-go:

Agreed.

I'm surprised someone didn't say "index investing" just to piss a lot of posters off (I'm on that bandwagon BTW).

Oooh, nice.

1. Index investing. I keep most of my cash in 2% CDs, and the rest in short-term savings to use whenever I want to buy something.
2. Frugality. Can't take it with you! I'll just spend what I have now before I have to spend it on bills.
3. Biking. Seriously? We invented cars for a reason.
4. Exercise. See above. I don't need to move myself, that's why I have this huge truck.
5. Something... funny. I don't know.

Pretty much everything here: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/our-mustachian-sacred-cows/

[asauer]

1. The 'latest' TV show.  Whatever that is now.
2. Fashion. I'm too old to be cold in the winter wearing a belly shirt or have my feet hurt from 4" heels
3. "Artisan" anything.  If I can make it at home or if my 8 year old can do it...I'm not paying for it
4. the perfect lawn
5. tons of activities for kids.  It's called PLAY OUTSIDE!

[gobius]

Alert:
If you mention your opinion about something you avoid (on a forum of opinions), you're smug.

m'kaaaaaay

We didn't say it was malicious or intentional OP, but there is a sense of smugness in most of these posts.  I felt a little smug reading some of them, since I agree with a lot of them, including your words about Apple.  Do you not sense a little smugness in a lot of these posts?

[sleepyguy]

Let's see... not in any order and just off top of my head.

1. Apple
2. Facebook
3. Twitter
4. Car Payments
5. Coffee buying (Tim Hortons and Starbucks is like a "religion" here in Toronto)
6. Cable TV
7. Movie Theatres
8. Marriage (lol, we're common law)
9. Concerts (don't care), and Pro sporting events (used to care, don't anymore).

[thurston howell iv]

bandwagons to avoid?   Probably anything kids are into these days...

1. social media (facebooks, twitter, etc.)- I don't really care what you're up to. If I need to know I'll come and visit.
2. being glued to the cel phone
3. Needing to have the latest cel phone
4. needing to have the latest pad or pod or whatever they use these days.
5. The garbage that is currently considered "music" - in nearly all genres   (It was said earlier but I'd like to reiterate- Get off my damned lawn!!) :)
6. Overpriced everything (Like Macklemore says "That's $50 for a T-shirt?")
7. Coffee/expensive coffee- I like the smell of the beans- not the actual coffee-- The fancy crap isn't even real coffee after you add in all the candy flavoring
8. Videogames - I think I reached the zenith of my skills with the original pac man
9. Every jackwagon having those giant diesel trucks that blow black smoke all over the place
10. Every jackwagons wife driving a $90k SUV that makes her look like a toddler due to it's size (and the fact that they can't see well to be able to park them properly.)
11. @ and hashtag--- WTF is this stuff?!?!
12. every single "reality" show

I could keep going. I guess you get the idea...

[NoraLenderbee]

I really enjoyed the "Game of Thrones books" and the fact that it's now a popular show is kind of cool, I'll continue watching it when I can.

I think it's perfectly fine to like GoT or zombies or whatever you like. My comment about it was more about the way I feel when people at work talk about their favorite shows, and I just sit there thinking, huh?

[Indexer]

A lot of the things listed here are not bandwagons.  If it has been a thing for more than a few decades.... or more than 3000 years... its not a bandwagon.  Alcohol, not a bandwagon.... its actually been around longer than the wagon! 

Apple. 
Crossfit. 
Reality TV.
Facebook.
Twitter.
Instagram.
Snapchat.
Tumblr.
Pinterest.
Ello.
The next big thing in social media, it will probably be a thing before I hit the little post button.
The Seattle Seahawks.
New diet fads.
Expensive Coffee every morning.
Tablets.  (Why am I paying extra NOT to have a keyboard?  Especially when I already have a smartphone?)
Smart Watches.  (Especially the ones that are $18,000 and not even water proof... Apple.)
Vinyl albums.  (Yes, they are coming back.)
Anal. 
Shopping Utility Vehicles.  (Thats what SUVs have turned into.)


Bandwagons I am on!
Cord-cutting(Netflix)
Indexing
Craft beer brewing

[Eric]

A lot of the things listed here are not bandwagons.  If it has been a thing for more than a few decades.... or more than 3000 years... its not a bandwagon.  Alcohol, not a bandwagon.... its actually been around longer than the wagon! 

Hahaha!  Excellent!  Yes people, if the activity pre-dates the invention of the wagon, then it's safe to say it's not a fad.

[sol]

Anal. 

Way to slip that one in there.

[jennc123]

Crossfit
Fashion
Alcohol
Ebay/online shopping/etsy
$42 cups of coffee
Pay tv

I agree with everything here EXCEPT alcohol.   Dont even consider it a bandwagon item per se.

And crossfit!? Ugh don't get me started with how many acquaintances are drinking that koolaid!!!!!

[AlanStache]

One is said to be "on the wagon" when not drinking alcohol, so how can drinking alcohol be a bandwagon?  :-)

NPR had a thing this morning about 'dress sweet pants', one guy said he paid almost 200$ for a pair, lets all ovoid this bandwagon.  I nearly did a spit-take in my car when hearing that.

[Cromacster]

Anal. 

Way to slip that one in there.

But by your rules anal isn't even a bandwagon!

[Eric]

Anal. 

Way to slip that one in there.

It was quite the shocker.

[AlanStache]

Anal. 

Way to slip that one in there.

It was quite the shocker.

Dont go there.

[gimp]

Anal. 

Way to slip that one in there.

That's what she said.

[Grid]

Anal. 

Way to slip that one in there.

It was quite the shocker.

Dont go there.

Sometimes accidents happen, though.

[Trimatty471]

Designer Purses - Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Michael Kors

Apple Products - I remember when it was Apple vs PC.  PCs was preferred.

Tattoos

Foodie Trend

Home Brews

Migration from the suburb to the city.

Crossover Vehicles AWD

Weaves for not just AAs, Caucasians, Latinas now too.

Weekly Manicures

Spa Days for Kids

[Firefly]

- Weekly "date nights" with your spouse. Nothing wrong with just taking a bath together, going on a walk, snuggling up on a couch/in bed. It's just about the 2 of you being together, right? So why do you need to spend money to go to a fancy restaurant every week.
- Over-scheduling my kids - we just moved into a "tiger mom" land where my 7 year old can't even get together with his friends to play because every single day they have classes and enrichment activities from the moment they come home from school to the moment they go to sleep.
- "Taking care of myself" by spending money on spas, nail and hair salons
- Pretending to be a home decorator and spending tons of cash of matching fancy couches, curtains, area rugs, etc. People need to stop watching HGTV!
- "Investing" in designer anything (with that being said, I do have a Coach work bag that I used for 8+ years :) )
- Obligatory annual cruise.

[iwasjustwondering]

I'm against football.  I won't watch it or endorse it in any way, due to the CTE.  Societies have seemed to need to sacrifice their young men in some sort of ritualistic way for thousands of years.  I don't get it.  It's sad.

NCAA.  It strikes me as basic slavery.

Manicures.  What, my hands aren't good enough as they are?

Measuring everything (this includes fitbits, measuring how many ounces of water drunk in a day, how many carbs/calories/protein grams).  Who has the energy?  If I measure every step, it will freak me out and make me more OCD.  If I monitor my sleep, I am afraid it will break the spell and I will lose my awesome sleeping abilities.

Sol had a good idea, though.  So, bandwagons I do get on:

Starbucks (I love Starbucks coffee, and am addicted to it, although I usually have the good sense to brew it at home).

Comedy.  My bf and I love going to watch stand-up comedy.  Is this a bandwagon?

Alcohol.  I don't drink much, but I do love a glass of wine on occasion.

Awesome TV.  I loved Breaking Bad, and then Walking Dead.  All watched Netflix, of course.  My NY resolution last year was actually to watch more TV.  I am up to about two to four hours a week.  It helps me calm down and manage my general anxiety.

[resy]

"Social" media!! Fercrissake.

Should be anti-social media.
As in "I would rather voluntarily offer all of my thoughts and family photos to Mark Zuckerberg to own forever, rather than engage in real-time voice or face to face interaction with people I call friends."

Believing that you can "keep up with" people via FaceBook is like thinking "hey I will post a little announcement on a bulletin board at the supermarket and if my friends do the same thing, we will all be "keeping up" without ever having to talk or see one another.

Share dinners, go for walks and bike rides, garden or play music together.
C'mon people.

woah, when put that way, you made me want to click over and delete my account immediately! Been thinking of deleting it but Im torn because of my long distance friends/relatives.

[Kris]

"Social" media!! Fercrissake.

Should be anti-social media.
As in "I would rather voluntarily offer all of my thoughts and family photos to Mark Zuckerberg to own forever, rather than engage in real-time voice or face to face interaction with people I call friends."

Believing that you can "keep up with" people via FaceBook is like thinking "hey I will post a little announcement on a bulletin board at the supermarket and if my friends do the same thing, we will all be "keeping up" without ever having to talk or see one another.

Share dinners, go for walks and bike rides, garden or play music together.
C'mon people.

woah, when put that way, you made me want to click over and delete my account immediately! Been thinking of deleting it but Im torn because of my long distance friends/relatives.

Perhaps... But you realize that the MMM forum is a form of social media, too, right? 

There's good and bad to them.  The ability to keep in touch with distant friends is a great aspect of FB.  A disadvantage is that we aren't the customers, we're the product, to be delivered to companies in the form of eyeballs and data.

[blockzilla]

Smartphones - As a 35 yr old technology worker with an active social life I'm often told I "should" but have no desire to ever own one. Tracfone flip phone works for me.

[dragoncar]

"Social" media!! Fercrissake.

Should be anti-social media.
As in "I would rather voluntarily offer all of my thoughts and family photos to Mark Zuckerberg to own forever, rather than engage in real-time voice or face to face interaction with people I call friends."

Believing that you can "keep up with" people via FaceBook is like thinking "hey I will post a little announcement on a bulletin board at the supermarket and if my friends do the same thing, we will all be "keeping up" without ever having to talk or see one another.

Share dinners, go for walks and bike rides, garden or play music together.
C'mon people.

woah, when put that way, you made me want to click over and delete my account immediately! Been thinking of deleting it but Im torn because of my long distance friends/relatives.

Perhaps... But you realize that the MMM forum is a form of social media, too, right? 

There's good and bad to them.  The ability to keep in touch with distant friends is a great aspect of FB.  A disadvantage is that we aren't the customers, we're the product, to be delivered to companies in the form of eyeballs and data.

Huh I guess some people never had a family newsletter or sent family photos in the mail to keep up with friends and relatives.  It was a pain before the Internet and frankly I wouldn't do it as an adult if the Internet hadn't come along.  Email is a good alternative to facebook, but facebook definitely streamlines the sharing.  Use another such service if you don't like facebook but wow who cares if you interact electronically vs in person?  Not everyone has a huge travel budget and I have friends And family all over the world.

[rocksinmyhead]

Saw something this weekend that reminded me of a bandwagon I not only avoid, but actively loathe... any kind of color run/glow run/neon run/stupid fucking money grab disguised as a meaningful/charitable pseudoathletic event. Good God I hate those things so much. This is why people think runners are annoying!!! The only redeeming quality is that they may encourage people who do not otherwise exercise to walk/jog 3 miles... but that's literally the only benefit, and the noise and litter and obnoxiousness of the premise is just not worth it IMO.

[iamlittlehedgehog]

Bandwagons I have avoided and intend to keep avoiding
-wedding shiz, we just had ours for under 5k, I don't regret it and I'm over getting the bride gifts for bachelorette party, the bridal party THEN the wedding day. I'm also over being a bridesmaid.
-expensive coffee (although I do enjoy tea)
-crossfit
-Paleo or food trends
-cosplay (I have many friends who are of the geeky and nerdy persuasion, many can do cosplay on a budget but many others blow their money on weekend conventions and costumes)
-getting your nails done (a pedicure is nice but I can do that home)
-being a workaholic
-Disney anything (we live within a hour of Disney World and I refuse to be talked into a "Florida Pay Plan" to spend 2k plus on yearly park passes)
-Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, etc. Just have no interest.
-designer anything
-twitter
-EDM club scene
-gambling

Bandwagons I quite enjoy and am riding to the grave in
-craft beer
-tattoos (1 every few years that is saved up for a payed in full)
-pets
-nice cell phone (a lot of my work is done on my phone, you can pry my smart phone out of my cold, dead, hands)
-paddleboarding
-Alcohol, specifically whiskey and bourbon
-occasional nice meal out (I'm not the best cook)

[captainawesome]

Wedding stuff - my wife got sucked into all that, so much so we ended up on TV because of it. She regrets getting into a crazy wedding mode. Also regrets how much I(now we) spent to have a big party for all of our friends.

Fad diets- I spend a good amount of my time teaching people to avoid fad diets. I get blank stares when I say "don't be weird" with your diets. eat real food and exercise, simple does work.

ridiculous means of making coffee - insert new and "best way" to make coffee.

Fads I can get behind
-minimalism
-tiny homes - more so for the ideas people come up with to optimize spaces. I don't get how some of those "minimal houses" can end up costing so much however.  Cool to see some CEOs like the CEO of Zappos toying with the idea of tiny homes.
-fitness - I never find it a bad thing when people want to be stronger or better, less fat humans.

[Drifterrider]

Monthly cell phone "plans".  I have a trac fone (I bought the expensive $15 one because it is a flip phone and I can't pocket dial).  I buy minutes or time when I need it.  I don't have a home phone (I can call for free from my computer with a Gmail account). 

[teacherwithamustache]

Coffee--- Never had a cup before in my life.  I had a frappachino gelato once that was ok.  Way too many people addicted to caffeine

Facebook--- Never had an account

Crossfit--- Too many thousandaire yuppies

Mud Runs

Pub Crawls

[Le Poisson]

We are coffee drinkers. But I never buy it in a place that charges more than $0.50 per cup. Most of my coffee is either at home or in church basements/waiting rooms. I don't understand the attachments and wars over Tim Horton's/Starbucks/Dunkin' Donuts.

But then I don't understand the Coke/Pepsi brand attachment either.

[Chuck]

Sports. Opiate of the masses indeed.

[jms493]

Popular TV Shows...I watch none of them.

[taekvideo]

Alcohol. I don't get it. It tastes toxic to me, makes me feel out of control, and is high in calories. I realize I'm in the minority on this one.

I agree!  I've never had an alcoholic drink that I would enjoy if it wasn't alcoholic (either because the things in it that make it taste good are way too high in calories, or because it tastes like ass).  So, whenever I drank it was with the explicit goal of getting drunk.  And even then, it was rare and I was much more likely to do something like cheap vodka shots than sit around and sip a nasty beer for a half hour...Now, just...blech.  Over it!

I very reluctantly joined the Apple bandwagon with an iPhone 5S last summer after my ancient droid shit the bed -- I tried 3 or 4 other non-Apple smart phones and hated them for various reasons (I tried each for 1 week or more, so I was making an informed decision).  Apparently Apple was the only company making a physically small, but higher-quality phone at that point in time :(  (I'm 5'2" and have tiny hands -- and this was before the Samsung Galaxy 5 Mini was released). 

I think the paleo/low carb stuff has a bit of merit, but only because of recent research on the gut microbiome and it's potential to affect/cause sugar cravings depending on the population of bacteria (and I mean actual research, not blog mumbo jumbo).  So, if you're having sugar/carb craving issues and cutting those  things out of your diet completely (at least for awhile) can alter your microbiota permanently, then you might get a lot of benefit from strict paleo rather than an 'everything in moderation' approach.  But it's definitely overblown and not beneficial for the specific reasons that it's touted for.  Personally, I can't stop eating carbs or sugars once I start, soooo I just try not to start, lol. 

GMOs are amazing.  Genetics is amazing.  I get so geeked out about this stuff...it blows my mind how awesome it is and I don't understand people's fear of it.  It's just molecules. 

I'm really bad at fashion bandwagons.  I think I'm constantly stuck 2-3 years behind the trends because I just don't notice until something becomes so ubiquitous that every girl my age is wearing it.  Then I look around and go, uhhh when did that become a thing?  And by the time I actually get around to thinking of buying it or find a good sale on something I actually like, it's going out of style...and the cycle starts over xD

lol must be personal taste... I've loved the taste of beer ever since my first one.. very few varieties that I don't like.
Have you tried beer mixed with orange juice? sounded so crazy when I first heard of it that I had to try it... and it's really good.

[sol]

Have you tried beer mixed with orange juice? sounded so crazy when I first heard of it that I had to try it... and it's really good.

Protip: use a light beer, no stouts or IPAs.  Think of it like a less self conscious Mimosa.

[taekvideo]

Veganism.  It's not healthy, you're not saving the animals or the planet.  For every little cow you think you're saving, a kid in Brazil is living in hellish conditions so you can have your tofu burger

It is healthy... vegans have a longer life expectancy than omnis, mostly due to much lower rates of heart disease.
You don't have to eat tofu burgers to be vegan, I certainly don't.. mostly ordinary foods like pb&j sandwiches, spaghetti/macaroni, refried beans, cereal, etc etc etc.
And it absolutely is good for the environment. Production of meat is highly inefficient, requiring 3-10 times as much farmland and other resources as compared to plant foods (the animals eat a lot more crops than what the final "product" you get from them is). The lower you eat in the food chain the more efficient it is (and these days it has the added benefit of reducing the amount of environmental toxins/pesticides/etc you consume dramatically, as these become concentrated higher on the food chain).
Lastly, a typical American is responsible for the deaths of over 15,000 animals for their food during their lifetime, so being vegan absolutely does reduce animal suffering and death.

I know some people become vegan as part of a bandwagon effect... my cousin did that (she quit after a year and is vegetarian now)... so I won't argue that point.
But for many of us, there's no "bandwagon" involved... I don't even know any vegans in real life right now, and took a lot of flack from family when I made the change.
We do it because it's the right thing to do, and there are very real benefits to ourselves, other sentient beings, and the world.

[The_Crustache]

Pun intended here, but I always have avoided bands that are popular for being popular: Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffett, REM, Dave Matthews, etc.

sorry, have to chime in here. 

Grateful Dead does not deserve to be in your list.  They were popular (and still are) because of the incredible music that they create.  I am in my early 30s and came of age after Jerry died.  The Dead are just as relevant a band to me and my friends as any modern band could be.  Their music is timeless and is truly a gift.

::gets off soapbox::

I agree with this guy, but I have more to add to that.
The Grateful Deal whether their music was any good or not, basically invented the modern rock concert that we all enjoy today, and provides in interesting case study for running band or even a business in Today's environment. They developed new types of PAs that could handle the incredible amounts of wattage that is REQUIRED to play for large audiences. Their tour schedules were important to proving that bands were still profitable enterprises, regardless of record sales (something that is important today). Their DIY hands off approach to intellectual property and copyrights. The festival culture they propagated. etc.

[taekvideo]

- E-readers/e-books: I mean, really?

That's one of the bandwagons I wish more people would get on... so they spend more time reading rather than watching mind-rotting tv :P

They're especially great for people who have trouble with eye strain like me (I use an older kindle keyboard)... already spend too much time looking at a monitor for work/entertainment, couldn't add reading off a back-lit screen to that.
Sure I could use physical books... but not nearly as convenient (plus bad for environment / etc).

Assuming your name is related to your profession I could understand your POV though haha

[taekvideo]

"Social" media!! Fercrissake.

Should be anti-social media.
As in "I would rather voluntarily offer all of my thoughts and family photos to Mark Zuckerberg to own forever, rather than engage in real-time voice or face to face interaction with people I call friends."

Believing that you can "keep up with" people via FaceBook is like thinking "hey I will post a little announcement on a bulletin board at the supermarket and if my friends do the same thing, we will all be "keeping up" without ever having to talk or see one another.

Share dinners, go for walks and bike rides, garden or play music together.
C'mon people.

woah, when put that way, you made me want to click over and delete my account immediately! Been thinking of deleting it but Im torn because of my long distance friends/relatives.

Perhaps... But you realize that the MMM forum is a form of social media, too, right? 

There's good and bad to them.  The ability to keep in touch with distant friends is a great aspect of FB.  A disadvantage is that we aren't the customers, we're the product, to be delivered to companies in the form of eyeballs and data.

Forums/blogs are a different kind of social media from what people usually refer to when they say that. They're usually anonymous and thematic, which makes them a lot different than social networks like twitter/facebook/instagram/etc.