Author Topic: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?  (Read 18961 times)

cytvta

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #50 on: June 03, 2016, 01:28:29 PM »
I regret buying a $15 waffle maker because I've used it a grand total of once...though it was for a brunch.

I use my waffle maker all the time, best appliance I own! It's even probably even stopped us from going out to dinner when we had nothing else in the house. I'm also from Vermont and the waffles are excuses to eat maple syrup... so that could have something to do with it.

LOL! That makes sense, I think my waffle maker would be a perfectly good appliance if I was willing to make waffles, but I just never want them...I'm more a bacon and eggs type of person. I do love Vermont maple syrup! Do you get the A quality stuff?

Of course! I once had a roommate (here in MA) who put Vermont Maid (spoiler alert, it's not real syrup and also not from VT, in fact VT tried to sue them) in the fridge. I threatened to throw it in the garbage. I always have at least half a gallon of the good stuff on hand.

Also, I made this amazing meal once it was a Belgian waffle, with a sunny side up egg on it, cover it with cheese and put in the oven for a few minutes. It was....amazing. I hoping to find some more recipes to try out.

talltexan

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #51 on: June 03, 2016, 01:31:03 PM »
I'm still horrified contemplating how much my wife's and my wedding cost in 2008. We paid almost none of that, but my FIL is a good enough investor that--over time--the opportunity cost would become quite substantial.

Roboturner

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #52 on: June 03, 2016, 03:01:20 PM »
My SO bought a big stupid cruiser bike for a lot of money, it's so so heavy and impractical to ride, in Colorado especially. She got a practical rode bike later, so now it takes up half of our shed, not getting used - just being stupid and heavy.

gimp

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #53 on: June 03, 2016, 03:28:00 PM »
I'm not sure I really regret it, but it still pisses me off.  When our boys were very young my wife convinced me to buy a very expensive Rainbow swingset.  We had to have an excavator level part of our yard, and we had to install a bark pad.  The boys used it a bit, but not as much as we expected.  We sold it several years later for 1/2 our cost, but I figure it still cost us at least $50 bucks for every time it was used.  Now my wife wants to get rid of the pad and re-landscape that area.  I told her 'no fucken way'.

Use the pad for a grill!

Papa Mustache

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #54 on: June 03, 2016, 04:52:45 PM »
Or build an above ground fire pit on it. Surround it with benches made of wood and/or bricks.

Saw a beautiful one behind a house on a scooter ride yesterday.

My most ridiculous purchase was a new car way back when. Buyer's remorse about the time we made the second payment. Loved the car, and we continue to love the car - but hated the payments.

Paid it off early. Vowed to drive it forever and we are. Definitely getting our money's worth.

meghan88

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #55 on: June 03, 2016, 07:29:52 PM »
I'm still horrified contemplating how much my wife's and my wedding cost in 2008. We paid almost none of that, but my FIL is a good enough investor that--over time--the opportunity cost would become quite substantial.
I think more people should be horrified about wedding costs.

One Noisy Cat

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #56 on: June 04, 2016, 06:17:10 PM »
   About 35 years ago the Kodak instamatic camera I had since I was a kid broke and with a regular job I'd move up into the world of Pentax 35 mm camera with all kinds of lenses and filters. My father was pretty conservative with money but he liked photography and had several cameras. It wasn't a total flop..I used it some. Although being a klutz I found I had problems threading a 35 mm roll (unlike dropping a Kodak cartridge in and closing the lid) and after about 5 rolls I gave up on it. I don't know where the camera is..the last time I searched for it 10 years ago the filters and lenses were in the closet on the top shelf but the body was gone..fell through a hole in the space time continuum (or maybe I took it in for repairs and forget about it but I don't remember it being broken.

Cannot Wait!

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #57 on: June 04, 2016, 09:46:46 PM »
A low-end couch.

3 years ago we decided it was time to buy furniture that fit in our oddly shaped living room (versus rocking the hand-me-downs and Thrift Store purchases that we had).

We had $1000 budgeted, which in our naïve minds should be more than enough to buy a new couch.  We were basically laughed out of the furniture stores.  We ended up buying an $850 couch from a sketchy furniture store.  As soon as it was delivered we had buyer's regret.  But we had already given away our old furniture so we've kept the couch.  We both hate it.  It is uncomfortable, cheap, falling apart, and makes us feel like fools every time we look at it.

I'm not sure what the answer to a new couch is.  Ideally we'd have high consumption relatives who like to replace their furniture and give us cast offs (but we don't).  A comfortable, sturdy couch from a reputable store is $$$.  A CraigList/thrift store couch would work except potential bedbug remediation could negate any savings and ruin our lives.  I dream of IKEA, but the nearest store is 200 miles away.
I bought an extremely comfortable highend  couch and kept it for 18 years!  Well used and well loved and we got our money's worth.  I just got tired of it and at times wished we hadn't spent so much on it so that we could get something new.  So if you're the type of person that likes a change every now and again, don't commit yourself to an expensive piece of furniture.   I've since got 4 couches for free off kijiji that have been great.  I can't imagine buying new ever again.

GuitarBrian

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #58 on: June 04, 2016, 10:29:33 PM »
I'll play...


Leopold VX6 rifle scope. Was a bargin at $777... I can't see a bit of difference between it and the VX2 I got my bother, except for the $500 price difference.

Browning BAR rifle. The scope is on this... I like it, but I should have waited to see the other options I had on my list. It is too pretty and heavy. There wasn't much of a monetary difference here, but in hindsight, I would have gotten something lighter.

New cell phones. I bought several new phones over the years, even when they were last year's model... Should have saved major $$$ and bought used.

A ukulele. I got a really nice Hawaiian made 8 string ukulele... Now I know, I don't care for it that much... $700. I need to sell it.

On the plus side, my two vehicle purchases have been great. Two houses have been perfect so far...

Homey The Clown

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #59 on: June 05, 2016, 09:48:52 PM »
A little late to the thread, but I didn't see this one. I got a Go Pro camera a couple years ago for Christmas. I've done a few fun things with it, like some swimming pics and some POV video from a Grand Canyon Backpacking trip, but ask me how many times I've watched those videos. Oh, and it was my suggestion and it came from my wife, so it was our money.

For our anniversary this year, my wife bought me a $50 (!) mechanical pencil (here in case you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Mechanical-Pencil-Brushed-L101/dp/B0002T3YCK). I'm not a $50 pencil kind of guy and sent it back. I felt kind of bad, but I'd feel worse keeping it. Here's my favorite, not dirt cheap, but good quality: http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Twist-Erase-Automatic-Assorted-QE517BP2-K6/dp/B002JG10GG/

BDWW

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #60 on: June 05, 2016, 10:14:00 PM »
Pre-MMM i decided I wanted to get into woodworking. I did research and convinced myself I didn't want to settle for cheap tools. So I probably have 3K of supplies that get occasional use, but nothing to justify the expense

Perspective, my regrets are usually the other way. I spent $1700 on a Taiwanese table saw, that I thought would be all I needed. Constant fettling, blade seems to go out of square after 50 bf. Now I need to figure out how to recoup some of my costs on it, and fund the new one. I'll probably budget $3500 for the replacement.

kina

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #61 on: June 06, 2016, 07:31:43 AM »
For our anniversary this year, my wife bought me a $50 (!) mechanical pencil (here in case you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Mechanical-Pencil-Brushed-L101/dp/B0002T3YCK). I'm not a $50 pencil kind of guy and sent it back. I felt kind of bad, but I'd feel worse keeping it. Here's my favorite, not dirt cheap, but good quality: http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Twist-Erase-Automatic-Assorted-QE517BP2-K6/dp/B002JG10GG/
your wife will remember that forever.

Chris22

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #62 on: June 06, 2016, 10:58:58 AM »
I'm still horrified contemplating how much my wife's and my wedding cost in 2008. We paid almost none of that, but my FIL is a good enough investor that--over time--the opportunity cost would become quite substantial.

My wedding cost would give you people fits.  The only thing I paid for (aside from the engagement ring) was the gifts for the groomsmen, a cool Swiss Army knife that was personalized and like $40/ea.  My FIL paid for the rest.  However, he cashed out stock from his employer at the time, it was trading at ~$22-23/share when he sold it, and it eventually tanked to like $3/share.  So I tell him that money was gone anyways, at least he got a good meal and a night of drinking out of it.  He doesn't see the humor, necessarily. 

Kitsune

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #63 on: June 06, 2016, 11:04:27 AM »
I'm still horrified contemplating how much my wife's and my wedding cost in 2008. We paid almost none of that, but my FIL is a good enough investor that--over time--the opportunity cost would become quite substantial.

My wedding cost would give you people fits.  The only thing I paid for (aside from the engagement ring) was the gifts for the groomsmen, a cool Swiss Army knife that was personalized and like $40/ea.  My FIL paid for the rest.  However, he cashed out stock from his employer at the time, it was trading at ~$22-23/share when he sold it, and it eventually tanked to like $3/share.  So I tell him that money was gone anyways, at least he got a good meal and a night of drinking out of it.  He doesn't see the humor, necessarily.

We paid more than I'd like for our wedding (5k), mostly because my husband comes from a close-knit community and doing something big was important to him.

We now live in that community, so... No regrets. The goodwill and good community are worth it.

(If we'd spent 20k, I might have a different opinion)

Miss Piggy

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #64 on: June 06, 2016, 11:47:04 AM »
For our anniversary this year, my wife bought me a $50 (!) mechanical pencil (here in case you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Mechanical-Pencil-Brushed-L101/dp/B0002T3YCK). I'm not a $50 pencil kind of guy and sent it back. I felt kind of bad, but I'd feel worse keeping it. Here's my favorite, not dirt cheap, but good quality: http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Twist-Erase-Automatic-Assorted-QE517BP2-K6/dp/B002JG10GG/

Ouch.

MgoSam

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #65 on: June 06, 2016, 12:07:32 PM »
For our anniversary this year, my wife bought me a $50 (!) mechanical pencil (here in case you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Mechanical-Pencil-Brushed-L101/dp/B0002T3YCK). I'm not a $50 pencil kind of guy and sent it back. I felt kind of bad, but I'd feel worse keeping it. Here's my favorite, not dirt cheap, but good quality: http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Twist-Erase-Automatic-Assorted-QE517BP2-K6/dp/B002JG10GG/

Ouch.

Yikes. I lose pencils and pens all the time so I just go with the cheapo ones. I would be scared to have one that cost this much, regardless of how nice it is. I'm guessing that these pencils make sense for architects.

Roboturner

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #66 on: June 06, 2016, 12:16:57 PM »
For our anniversary this year, my wife bought me a $50 (!) mechanical pencil (here in case you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Mechanical-Pencil-Brushed-L101/dp/B0002T3YCK). I'm not a $50 pencil kind of guy and sent it back. I felt kind of bad, but I'd feel worse keeping it. Here's my favorite, not dirt cheap, but good quality: http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Twist-Erase-Automatic-Assorted-QE517BP2-K6/dp/B002JG10GG/

Ouch.

Yikes. I lose pencils and pens all the time so I just go with the cheapo ones. I would be scared to have one that cost this much, regardless of how nice it is. I'm guessing that these pencils make sense for architects.

I have an expensive mechanical pencil, it's just the greatest thing ever, I have no regrets, but I also use it everyday soooo

Fishindude

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #67 on: June 06, 2016, 12:22:58 PM »
Garages and basements are littered with unused exercise equipment of all types that purchasers with good intent bought and then stashed away out of sight after walking by them feeling guilty for their lack of use day after day.   We've been guilty of these purchases several times.   Go to the gym or take a walk.

lifejoy

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #68 on: June 06, 2016, 12:28:59 PM »
Shoes.

I never seem to pick the right ones and it's a reasonable purchase when I need them, but it's such a waste when I get it wrong. :(

The Happy Philosopher

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #69 on: June 06, 2016, 12:47:36 PM »
I convinced my wife to get a fancy road bike. She wasn't sure she really liked it, but I assured her she would get used to riding it over time. I was wrong. She rarely rode it due to the fact she did not like the more aggressive road bike geometry.

When we sold that bike years later (nearly new) and got a cheaper commuter bike which fit her style she loves it and rides 10x as often.

Lesson: But things you love, not things you think you will love eventually. And listen to your wife!

MgoSam

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #70 on: June 06, 2016, 02:20:01 PM »
I'm still horrified contemplating how much my wife's and my wedding cost in 2008. We paid almost none of that, but my FIL is a good enough investor that--over time--the opportunity cost would become quite substantial.

My wedding cost would give you people fits.  The only thing I paid for (aside from the engagement ring) was the gifts for the groomsmen, a cool Swiss Army knife that was personalized and like $40/ea.  My FIL paid for the rest.  However, he cashed out stock from his employer at the time, it was trading at ~$22-23/share when he sold it, and it eventually tanked to like $3/share.  So I tell him that money was gone anyways, at least he got a good meal and a night of drinking out of it.  He doesn't see the humor, necessarily.

We paid more than I'd like for our wedding (5k), mostly because my husband comes from a close-knit community and doing something big was important to him.

We now live in that community, so... No regrets. The goodwill and good community are worth it.

(If we'd spent 20k, I might have a different opinion)

If you saw how much my sister spent on her wedding or how much my brother spent on his you would faint! And by "spent" I mean that they got our parents to pay for nearly all of it. Both weddings were multi-day affairs (traditional Indian weddings) and I believe my sister's had roughly 502 guests.

h2ogal

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #71 on: June 06, 2016, 02:39:14 PM »
DH bought a restaurant.   Let me say for the record "Dont Do It" to everyone except my worst enemies.....well, I don't actually have any real 'enemies' so let me just say "just dont" to everyone.

Kitsune

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #72 on: June 06, 2016, 04:00:45 PM »
Shoes.

I never seem to pick the right ones and it's a reasonable purchase when I need them, but it's such a waste when I get it wrong. :(

Agreed, and seconded.

Bumperpuff

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #73 on: June 06, 2016, 04:25:19 PM »
I regret buying a $15 waffle maker because I've used it a grand total of once...though it was for a brunch.

Waffle makers are surprisingly versatile. I use mine for has browns, falafel, masa waffles, even grilled chicken/fish/burgers.  I even use it to make waffles from time to time :)

lifejoy

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #74 on: June 06, 2016, 04:43:32 PM »
I regret buying a $15 waffle maker because I've used it a grand total of once...though it was for a brunch.

Waffle makers are surprisingly versatile. I use mine for has browns, falafel, masa waffles, even grilled chicken/fish/burgers.  I even use it to make waffles from time to time :)

Pinterest tells me I can use a waffle maker to crisp up leftover French fries! I would love to try it one day!

Kitsune

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #75 on: June 06, 2016, 05:16:35 PM »
I regret buying a $15 waffle maker because I've used it a grand total of once...though it was for a brunch.

Waffle makers are surprisingly versatile. I use mine for has browns, falafel, masa waffles, even grilled chicken/fish/burgers.  I even use it to make waffles from time to time :)

Pinterest tells me I can use a waffle maker to crisp up leftover French fries! I would love to try it one day!

Put rice with a bit of sesame oil in it. Once it's waffled, top with a bit of soy sauce and a fried egg. It's a total cop-out for really excellent fake fried rice. :)

lifejoy

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #76 on: June 06, 2016, 05:17:11 PM »
I bought a banjo.   I play guitar and thought it might be fun to try something new.   Almost no skills transfer, and months later I'm still terrible at banjo.   Regret is a strong word.   I bought it with budgeted fun money, and got a good enough deal that I could recover it all on resale.  But I still can't play banjo, it just sits there mocking me.

It felt so good when I released myself from the mockery of my accordion! Gave it away after I had no success selling it :)

lifejoy

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #77 on: June 06, 2016, 05:18:18 PM »
Pre-MMM i decided I wanted to get into woodworking. I did research and convinced myself I didn't want to settle for cheap tools. So I probably have 3K of supplies that get occasional use, but nothing to justify the expense

My dad justifies the expense by making himself amazing solid wood furniture :)

Book shelves, tables, benches... It's his retirement hobby. He took a few courses.

athiker10

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #78 on: June 06, 2016, 07:40:37 PM »
A low-end couch.

3 years ago we decided it was time to buy furniture that fit in our oddly shaped living room (versus rocking the hand-me-downs and Thrift Store purchases that we had).

We had $1000 budgeted, which in our naïve minds should be more than enough to buy a new couch.  We were basically laughed out of the furniture stores.  We ended up buying an $850 couch from a sketchy furniture store.  As soon as it was delivered we had buyer's regret.  But we had already given away our old furniture so we've kept the couch.  We both hate it.  It is uncomfortable, cheap, falling apart, and makes us feel like fools every time we look at it.

I'm not sure what the answer to a new couch is.  Ideally we'd have high consumption relatives who like to replace their furniture and give us cast offs (but we don't).  A comfortable, sturdy couch from a reputable store is $$$.  A CraigList/thrift store couch would work except potential bedbug remediation could negate any savings and ruin our lives.  I dream of IKEA, but the nearest store is 200 miles away.

Part of my job is purchasing for my nonprofit (including furniture). Our participants are HARD on the furniture. We're looking forward to trying these, once our FY rolls over: http://www.homereserve.com/

SomedayStache

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #79 on: June 06, 2016, 07:50:32 PM »
Part of my job is purchasing for my nonprofit (including furniture). Our participants are HARD on the furniture. We're looking forward to trying these, once our FY rolls over: http://www.homereserve.com/

Please report back once you've sat on one of these!  The price is great, but is the comfort?

athiker10

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #80 on: June 06, 2016, 07:54:31 PM »
Part of my job is purchasing for my nonprofit (including furniture). Our participants are HARD on the furniture. We're looking forward to trying these, once our FY rolls over: http://www.homereserve.com/

Please report back once you've sat on one of these!  The price is great, but is the comfort?
Will do! (but it may be second hand-I don't actually get out and visit our scattered units)

MoneyCat

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #81 on: June 06, 2016, 09:18:59 PM »
I spent $700 to buy a brand new replica 1755 British Long Land Pattern Musket (aka a "Brown Bess") to use for Seven Years War reenactments. Five years later, I moved away and decided to leave the historical reenactment hobby because it was costing me thousands of dollars each year. I sold the musket to another reenactor for $500. Total waste of money.

sleepyguy

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #82 on: June 07, 2016, 08:18:15 AM »
Hmmm guess mine aren't so bad after reading posters :)  not in any order

1. Camera gear... spent probably close to a thousand only to lose interest in the hobby.  Now I just take pictures with my phone, lol.
2. Tennis equipment, latest I purchase two wilson prostaff racquets only after a couple outings i was developing tennis elbow.  Messed with different tension and string configurations but still same issue.  Went back to my old racquets... that was $350 down the drain... not to mention the waste of time stringing and wasted strings.
3. Philips projector and LCD TV.  This was many years back, but both are garbage... black levels suck and they were overpriced POS.  My GF worked at philips at the time and got them at a decent 'discount'... and they still weren't worth it.  This was many years ago but it was like $1000 each.  One plus side is they both still work after over 10yrs.
4. Sunglasses, specifically Oakley... i was a beach volleyball fanatic in my younger days and had to own a variety of oakley sunglasses.  I probably still 10+ lying around, they aren't cheap at $100-200 per pair.  What a waste of money.

Like some other posters here, housing and cars have been pretty good purchases over the years.  Housing is a pure fluke though due to the crazy GTA market.

I still spend too much on computer/electronic gear but nothing near the level it was years back.

dcheesi

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #83 on: June 07, 2016, 09:13:38 AM »
I've got a chain of these going; do I get a combo bonus? ;)

1. Stocked up on various freezer goods on discount.
    -->FF to: Fridge/freezer stops cooling properly. And because all that freezer food keeps the fridge part cold, I don't notice a problem until the freezer has already mostly thawed. All that food wasted, and money down the drain.

2. Bought a large mini-fridge instead of another full-size. I'm single, and I've learned my lesson about over-buying freezer items, so that's all I need. It's cheaper *and* more efficient, win-win! And even if it doesn't work out, I can always re-purpose it as basement beer-fridge [remember this for the next part].
    -->FF to: I'm facing dental surgery, and need a place to store/make ice for ice packs, etc. Realize last minute that my mini-fridge freezer won't cut it. It's the middle of winter and almost nobody has a freezer in stock, so I wind up paying ~$50 extra for the GE-badged version at Home Despot. (Addendum: recovery went so well that I barely needed any ice!)

2a. The freezer. Small chest freezer, fits easily into a corner of my basement. Even if I wind up getting a full-sized fridge later, I can always use more freezer space (and a backup in case of another fridge failure), right?
    -->FF to: I'm unexpectedly transferred to a much higher-COL area. Can't "afford" anything more than a small 1br apartment in the new place, which means that both the mini-fridge and the freezer are now collecting dust in a storage building, and will probably wind up in the trash/craigslist once the move is completed.

3. Just to put the cherry on top, I'm also selling the house I was in, which means that it needs functional (and "normal") appliances to make the place move-in ready. So I get to buy the full-size fridge I was trying to avoid, and I don't even get to use it! Couldn't find any decent deals on Craigslist, etc., so I bit the bullet and bought the "rental unit special" from Lowe's just to check that box.
    -->FF to: My house goes on the market, but doesn't sell or even get more than a handful of showings for a couple of months. Now the old site is closing down, and they're getting rid of furniture and equipment, including the break-room refrigerators. If I had waited to list the house, or just left the fridge space empty for a while (which in retrospect wouldn't have mattered since no one even looked at the place), I could have scored one of these for <$50!
« Last Edit: June 07, 2016, 09:20:28 AM by dcheesi »

Hall11235

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #84 on: June 07, 2016, 01:56:51 PM »
I really regretted a pair of Merrell walking shoes that I bought on sale a couple of years back. Every use left my my feet and toenails stained black. There must have been something wrong with the inner lining of the uppers. Awful pair of shoes. I swore off Merrells after that.
It makes me sad to hear that. One of the purchases I DON'T regret was my pair of Merrell Trail Gloves. Best Damn shoes I ever bought. Bought them in 2011, and, several 1,000 miles later (I ran CC in college), they are still in good shape!

But, TBH, maybe I just have weird feet...

Adventine

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #85 on: June 07, 2016, 08:57:28 PM »
I really regretted a pair of Merrell walking shoes that I bought on sale a couple of years back. Every use left my my feet and toenails stained black. There must have been something wrong with the inner lining of the uppers. Awful pair of shoes. I swore off Merrells after that.
It makes me sad to hear that. One of the purchases I DON'T regret was my pair of Merrell Trail Gloves. Best Damn shoes I ever bought. Bought them in 2011, and, several 1,000 miles later (I ran CC in college), they are still in good shape!

But, TBH, maybe I just have weird feet...

Maybe the Merrell line of athletic shoes is better quality compared to their line of walking shoes... But I'm not going to waste my money again to test that idea. I had a much better experience with Clarks.

Astatine

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #86 on: June 07, 2016, 09:39:50 PM »

1. Camera gear... spent probably close to a thousand only to lose interest in the hobby.  Now I just take pictures with my phone, lol.

Oh yeah, I did something similar but cheaper. DH and I both bought new point & shoots just before we got married because our old cameras were both dying at the same time. 4 years later, DH uses his at least weekly and usually has it in his daily backpack. Mine? I got excited about taking macros for the first year or two then went, meh. I stopped wanting to take photos because of the digital clutter and I kind of lost interest in taking macros. Now I just use my camera phone. Even though it's a 4 year old iPhone 4S, the photos are still pretty good and I can quickly post them on social media if I feel like it.

Not sure what else I've bought that was reasonable at the time but in hindsight a mistake. I tend to get rid of stuff asap if I no longer enjoy having that item in my life, so I can't really remember.

Ah, I remember one. Paying $1,500 for a photographer at our wedding. The photos were pretty shit, apart from a few, and I would have rather spent time with our guests instead of having photos taken. But, DH really wanted professional photos so I caved.

dcheesi

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #87 on: June 08, 2016, 08:20:16 AM »
I really regretted a pair of Merrell walking shoes that I bought on sale a couple of years back. Every use left my my feet and toenails stained black. There must have been something wrong with the inner lining of the uppers. Awful pair of shoes. I swore off Merrells after that.
It makes me sad to hear that. One of the purchases I DON'T regret was my pair of Merrell Trail Gloves. Best Damn shoes I ever bought. Bought them in 2011, and, several 1,000 miles later (I ran CC in college), they are still in good shape!

But, TBH, maybe I just have weird feet...

Maybe the Merrell line of athletic shoes is better quality compared to their line of walking shoes... But I'm not going to waste my money again to test that idea. I had a much better experience with Clarks.
I have a pair of Docksides that do this. Personally I rarely take my shoes off in public, and the pigment washes off pretty easily, so I'm not really worried about it; I just figured it was a natural consequence of going sock-less in leather shoes.

Adventine

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #88 on: June 08, 2016, 09:04:59 AM »
I really regretted a pair of Merrell walking shoes that I bought on sale a couple of years back. Every use left my my feet and toenails stained black. There must have been something wrong with the inner lining of the uppers. Awful pair of shoes. I swore off Merrells after that.
It makes me sad to hear that. One of the purchases I DON'T regret was my pair of Merrell Trail Gloves. Best Damn shoes I ever bought. Bought them in 2011, and, several 1,000 miles later (I ran CC in college), they are still in good shape!

But, TBH, maybe I just have weird feet...

Maybe the Merrell line of athletic shoes is better quality compared to their line of walking shoes... But I'm not going to waste my money again to test that idea. I had a much better experience with Clarks.
I have a pair of Docksides that do this. Personally I rarely take my shoes off in public, and the pigment washes off pretty easily, so I'm not really worried about it; I just figured it was a natural consequence of going sock-less in leather shoes.

My shoes weren't leather. They were made of some weird black suede material. I don't take my shoes off in public either, but it was not fun to find myself at the end of the day in the shower, soaping my feet at least twice and scraping off black dye embedded under my toenails.

talltexan

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #89 on: June 08, 2016, 01:45:07 PM »
My co-worker was just casually mentioning that he and his wife bought a horse (they own others, so some costs of ownership are fixed already) for $1 a few years ago. That horse has since generated $14,000 in medical bills.

Homey The Clown

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Re: Biggest "reasonable purchase" regret?
« Reply #90 on: June 09, 2016, 01:08:18 PM »
For our anniversary this year, my wife bought me a $50 (!) mechanical pencil (here in case you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Mechanical-Pencil-Brushed-L101/dp/B0002T3YCK). I'm not a $50 pencil kind of guy and sent it back. I felt kind of bad, but I'd feel worse keeping it. Here's my favorite, not dirt cheap, but good quality: http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Twist-Erase-Automatic-Assorted-QE517BP2-K6/dp/B002JG10GG/
your wife will remember that forever.

Yes she will (she remembers everything). But I'd rather her do that than keep buying me expensive versions of things for which I prefer solid, but lower cost versions. I like good things, not fancy things. I don't want a fancy watch, I don't want a fancy knife. This present was so out of left field it was mind blowing.

I would not have used that pencil any more than my favorite. In fact, I would have used it less because of its worthless eraser. Honesty is more important than letting my wife think I love the present. She's returned things I bought and I didn't feel bad at all.

One of the better presents she bought me was fancy chocolate bars one year. She bought me about $20 worth of really good chocolate.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2016, 01:10:36 PM by Homey The Clown »

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!