Author Topic: What's your dumbest mistake?  (Read 41210 times)

melalvai

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 588
  • Age: 49
  • Location: Columbia, MO
    • Bicycling and Walking Around
What's your dumbest mistake?
« on: December 06, 2013, 10:28:52 AM »
I've made some dumb mistakes lately and I'm hoping your stories will make me feel better and know that I'm not the only one. I also expect my own recent mistakes to pale in comparison to some of yours!

I ordered a new mattress. It arrived--and it is Full, not Queen. I thought they sent me the wrong one. But no, I ordered the wrong one! Well, at least this mistake won't actually cost me (much) more than time & frustration. I can return it, and I haven't even opened the package so that makes it a little easier to return, though it's a stinking big package and not easy to maneuver.

Today the check engine light came on. I took it in, and the mechanic cleaned out the carburetor and asked "Are you using premium gas?" D'oh! I remembered when we bought it he said synthetic oil only, but I had forgotten about the gas. He cleaned it out and didn't charge me. (I have the bestest mechanic ever!) Hopefully I didn't cause any serious damage and it isn't going to cost us. (The dumber mistake might have been this selection of car in the first place, I have been going back & forth about that, but right or wrong it was a carefully reasoned, thought out decision, unlike these other mistakes.)

So I'm feeling pretty stupid right now like maybe I should just go to bed (on the old mattress) for the rest of the day before I do anything else dumb!

andru365

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 16
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2013, 10:45:31 AM »
What kind of car is it?  Not many carbureted cars on the road these days

lifejoy

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3928
  • Age: 35
  • Location: Canada, eh
  • Lovin' the Mustachian life!
    • Not Buying This
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2013, 11:06:14 AM »
My dumbest mistake:

Blowing through $20,000 of inheritance due to grief and consumerist mindset.

However, did I learn from it? HELL YEAH. So maybe it's a good thing that I learned such a valuable lesson at such a young age. :)

frpeebles

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 97
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2013, 11:17:29 AM »
A carbureted engine throwing a CEL due to use of regular gas? Sorry, smoke is being blown. Regular fuel is no 'dirtier' than premium. Premium's purpose is to prevent internal damage to high compression/performance engines, not to keep carburetor jets clean. Additionally, given that most CELs are emissions related what sensor was it that determined the carb was in need of a cleaning*? Assuming you have a carb... Which I highly doubt due to the aforementioned synthetic oil requirement...

I, too, want to know what car this is given carbs haven't been in regular service on passenger vehicles for a few decades.

Use premium fuel only if your car manufacture (or reputable engine builder) states it as a requirement. If it's not it's money down the drain for nothing.

*Answer: There is no sensor for this.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2013, 11:25:33 AM by frpeebles »

Jamesqf

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4038
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2013, 11:54:31 AM »
A carbureted engine throwing a CEL due to use of regular gas?

A carbureted engine even having a CEL in the first place?  Maybe, but they have to be pretty rare.

gillstone

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 392
  • Age: 42
  • Location: The best state in the Union (MT)
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2013, 02:48:54 PM »
I was rolling over my 401(k) from an old employer 3 years ago and used 10% of it on a pennystock *flinches awaiting the facepunch*.  The stocks went from 540 shares at 1.21/share through a 1:30 reverse split and now are 18 shares at .25 each. I hold on to them now to remind me why I should stay in index funds. 

melalvai

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 588
  • Age: 49
  • Location: Columbia, MO
    • Bicycling and Walking Around
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2013, 05:02:18 PM »
I don't really want to admit what kind of car it is because it is not MMM-approved. At least we paid cash for it and did not finance it.

It is in the manual that we should only use higher octane.

I thought he said something about carburetor but to be honest I don't know vehicular terminology and he might have said something else. Whatever it was, he cleaned it out and the sensor turned itself off after he did that.

melalvai

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 588
  • Age: 49
  • Location: Columbia, MO
    • Bicycling and Walking Around
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2013, 05:19:30 PM »
But seriously...what I was hoping for was the type of mistake where you forgot something, overlooked something, clicked the wrong button, that sort of thing. The sort of mistake that is immune to logic, reason, etc. At least I'm assuming that everyone makes mistakes like that, that I'm not the only one? Please tell me that is true!

Eric

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4057
  • Location: On my bike
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2013, 05:46:12 PM »
But seriously...what I was hoping for was the type of mistake where you forgot something, overlooked something, clicked the wrong button, that sort of thing. The sort of mistake that is immune to logic, reason, etc. At least I'm assuming that everyone makes mistakes like that, that I'm not the only one? Please tell me that is true!

Sometimes I'll start a post and then I'll just

hybrid

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1688
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Richmond, Virginia
  • A hybrid of MMM and thoughtful consumer.
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2013, 08:23:07 PM »
Bought a house I could not afford at age 23.  By age 26 I was 30K in the hole.  Took years to dig out from that mistake.

Cinder

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 468
  • Location: Central PA
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #10 on: December 07, 2013, 03:06:42 AM »
Shortly before finding MMM, I was convinced to spent $1700 on a stupid Kirby vacuum cleaner.  I didn't realize how dumb that was until to late.  The bastards didn't even give me the 'free bags' they said they would!

I feel ashamed every time I use it, but it serves as a reminder of how dumb one can be. 

Junior667

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 34
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #11 on: December 07, 2013, 04:11:39 AM »
It may not be my dumbest mistake but it was the first one that came to mind.

I was repairing a folding treadmill and needed turn it over for some reason. I didn't pay attention where I grabbed it and when I picked it up, it folded on both my hands and I had no way to unfold it and no one else was home. I sat there stuck in my homemade idiot trap for about 20 minutes before I was able to wiggle one hand free.

I seem to have a gift for injuring myself in creative ways.

Charlotte

  • Guest
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #12 on: December 07, 2013, 04:26:29 AM »
Went from debt free to $60k in the red. In one year.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

plantingourpennies

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 443
  • None.
    • Money, Kittens, Happiness
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #13 on: December 07, 2013, 05:59:48 AM »
Meh...maybe not buying another duplex in '11. I passed on one that was next to my parents property; it was 70K but the value is now around 115K and rising.

If you haven't already done so, make peace with your past mistakes, or they will continue to haunt you! Read Your Money or Your Life for an interesting way to come to grips with your financial past.

best,
Mr. PoP

ender

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7402
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #14 on: December 07, 2013, 07:09:06 AM »
I don't have a single "big" mistake I can point to. And at 25, the combination of "I want this!" mistakes I made before finding MMM/Dave Ramsey/Bogleheads didn't really hurt me the way they hurt a lot of others because I never went into debt for them.

If I retire early (35-40ish) probably the biggest mistake would be doing an on-campus masters for 2.5 years instead of working FT, though I did have a stipend during this time so I also didn't go into debt for this.

gooki

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2917
  • Location: NZ
    • My FIRE journal
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #15 on: December 07, 2013, 01:20:19 PM »
Financing a car for $6k at 8% interest with insurance costing $1,500 a year. All when I was a student, and didn't need a car (had a bike, flat city).

kamikazejello

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 22
  • Location: Southeast
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #16 on: December 07, 2013, 01:54:42 PM »
Went from debt free to $60k in the red. In one year.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Id love to hear the details on this

wtjbatman

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1301
  • Age: 40
  • Location: Missouri
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #17 on: December 07, 2013, 02:10:11 PM »
Got my first full time job, decided to buy a year old mustang convertible. Had no credit, so had to get a co-signer, even then I ended up with an interest rate over 10%. Car payment ended up being $430 a month, and insurance was $130 a month. To put that in context, my take home pay from my new full time job was about $800 a month. Took me the full five years to pay it off. And I sometimes wonder why I ended up starting college later in life.

Car was pretty sweet though, and chicks dug it ;)

YK-Phil

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1173
  • Location: Nayarit (Mexico)
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #18 on: December 07, 2013, 02:57:08 PM »
hmmmm....getting married...once...twice...three times...

The third time is not a mistake though...

Bruised_Pepper

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 189
  • Age: 35
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #19 on: December 07, 2013, 03:53:58 PM »
But seriously...what I was hoping for was the type of mistake where you forgot something, overlooked something, clicked the wrong button, that sort of thing. The sort of mistake that is immune to logic, reason, etc. At least I'm assuming that everyone makes mistakes like that, that I'm not the only one? Please tell me that is true!

Sometimes I'll start a post and then I'll just

Once, I was applying for a Mailroom Clerk job online, but I dragged my resume into the wrong listing.  Now I'm a double-platinum rapper.  Oops.

YK-Phil

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1173
  • Location: Nayarit (Mexico)
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #20 on: December 07, 2013, 06:59:42 PM »
But seriously...what I was hoping for was the type of mistake where you forgot something, overlooked something, clicked the wrong button, that sort of thing. The sort of mistake that is immune to logic, reason, etc. At least I'm assuming that everyone makes mistakes like that, that I'm not the only one? Please tell me that is true!

I once owned a 1972 VW van which I had left parked in my mom's driveway in Montreal a few years before. That van had taken our family on camping trips through Canada, the US, Mexico and Central America, and was reliable like only an old VW can be. I loved that van, its toaster-like shape so ugly that it was beautiful, the fact that it had been our home on wheels and took us everywhere without ever causing any issue, and I really wanted to admire its beauty one last time outside my window. So that summer, my wife, 6 month-old daughter, my wife's little 14-year old sister, and I decided to fly to Montreal to pick it up and drive back to Yellowknife. Before embarking on such a long journey, a little over 5,000 km, I took it to my VW mechanics for a complete inspection. The verdict: engine, tires, brakes, etc., were in perfect condition, everything was good to go, except the carburetor which could die at any time. Time was tight, and I didn't have time to order a new one, so I took a chance and decided to go for it. About 4,000 km into the trip, a few miles outside Valleyview (Alberta), the van started to putter, and the engine died on the side of a two-lane highway. I was actually pretty happy that we had made it that far, and although fixing a carb on an old VW is relatively simple, it was beyond my roadside abilities...so I called CAA (our AAA) and had my beloved van towed to the nearest garage in Valleyview. Unfortunately, it was a weekend and everything was closed, so I left it parked at the garage, not before writing a detailed account to the mechanic, including my assessment of the problem. We then proceeded to trek back to Yellowknife, a not-so-simple task in the middle of Northern Alberta. Our only option: hitch a ride with a local waitress to the nearest bus depot in Peace River, about 150 km north. We got there around 11 pm, found the cheapest place to crash -still over $100 in these parts of the world for a muddy truckers style motel, and caught the 6 am bus to Yellowknife, a 1000-km -and $800 bus journey, straight North. Eighteen hours later, we finally got home at 1 am, tired, hungry and dirty...

The next morning, I called the mechanic, confident that I had given him very detailed technical information to fix the problem, and joyfully asked him if he was able to get the van going, and how much it would cost me...He laughed, and replied: It was an easy fix, and quite cheap on top of that, it'll cost you $40, I just filled your tank, you were out of gas...

fkampere

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 23
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #21 on: December 08, 2013, 06:12:50 AM »
Buying a truck 2 years ago because I thought it would make me look cool not because I needed one.

NinetyFour

  • CMTO 2023 Attendees
  • Walrus Stache
  • *
  • Posts: 6875
  • Age: 62
  • Location: Southwestern US
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #22 on: December 08, 2013, 08:23:59 AM »
Loved your story, ykphil!!  Very funny!

Letj

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 415
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #23 on: December 08, 2013, 08:37:24 AM »
Bought a condo in myrtle beach in 2007 for $200K that today it's worth $70K.  I can't get rid of it and the rent it generates does not cover the cost.  I have been pulling out about $1,000 per month since 2007 out of pocket.  It's one of those mistakes you just can't get out off quickly.

ScienceSexSavings

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 119
  • Location: Montréal
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #24 on: December 08, 2013, 07:20:03 PM »
I once bought a round-trip plane ticket in the wrong direction. Noticed it and got it reversed, thank goodness!

scrubbyfish

  • Guest
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #25 on: December 09, 2013, 12:21:42 AM »
Spent $2000 to attend a series of 2-day workshops...located a 14 hour drive away, with no option for child care.

Um, did I forget I had a child?!?!?

I haven't been able to access a single workshop in the course. Bah.

Reading this thread I think I'm lucky, though -up 'til recently I was simply too poor (by any lender's standards) to access loans and similar errors!

rockstache

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7270
  • Age: 11
  • Location: Southeast
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #26 on: December 09, 2013, 10:46:47 AM »
The other one is assuming my insurance is the best value. I'm with USAA which is awesome in almost all ways and I figured that the only way to get cheaper insurance would be to go with a less-than-reputable company....until I shopped around and cut my car insurance in half with a well rated company

Please tell me what company this is! I have USAA too, and I haven't found anything cheaper.

Cromacster

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1695
  • Location: Minnesnowta
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #27 on: December 09, 2013, 11:01:04 AM »
One mistake I made was to Rollover my 401(k) from a previous employer to my Roth.

I'm still on the fence whether this was a real mistake, it has its advantages and disadvantages.  The initial tax bill hurt since I did it all at once...that was probably the main mistake.  I was sorta sold on the "tax rates will only go up from here so you might as well pay them while they are (relatively) low"...yea I was dumb haha.

Also note that I'm only 26 and probably wont hit FI until 40-45.

Itchin4Scratch

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 27
  • Location: Rochester, NY
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #28 on: January 02, 2014, 08:40:28 PM »
My dumbest mistake was giving most of my life savings to my boyfriend ($7k) so that he could move to our dream city, find a job and apartment, and then send for me.  The plan was that I would keep my job until he sent for me, just in case he failed for some reason.   I thought $7k would be enough to support him though any hardship.  What could go wrong?

He stole my money and ran.  :(

sherr

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1541
  • Age: 38
  • Location: North Carolina, USA
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #29 on: January 03, 2014, 08:03:12 AM »
My dumbest mistake was giving most of my life savings to my boyfriend ($7k) so that he could move to our dream city, find a job and apartment, and then send for me.  The plan was that I would keep my job until he sent for me, just in case he failed for some reason.   I thought $7k would be enough to support him though any hardship.  What could go wrong?

He stole my money and ran.  :(

Hey, look at the bright side; in the long run that may have been an excellent investment. Better to get rid of him sooner than later.

scrubbyfish

  • Guest
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #30 on: January 03, 2014, 08:54:16 AM »
What could go wrong? He stole my money and ran.  :(

How I adore you (person I do not know) for being able to write this now, to be able to look back and write this humorously!

I made the equivalent mistake several times over (though my "life savings" were tiny), each time in a new and creative way such that I could successfully fool myself time and again. Argh. I finally stopped doing this in my thirties: When a boyfriend insisted I put his name on the title of the house I had covered every single cost for, I finally ended my self-sabotage and simply declined to. Whew.

Clever Name

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 141
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #31 on: January 03, 2014, 02:33:02 PM »
My biggest mistake was taking out student loans.  I had a scholarship that covered my entire tuition bill and then some, which combined with the Pell Grant I qualified for could have covered all my living expenses and let me graduate debt-free.  Instead I took out loans to the tune of $3000-4000/year so that I could eat out a lot and buy nicer versions of things I already didn't need and now I have $15,000 of debt to pay off.  Luckily I am in a fairly lucrative field (software engineering) and should be able to eliminate that debt within the next year, but that money could have been a nice foundation for my 'stache instead.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10880
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #32 on: January 04, 2014, 07:10:42 PM »
So when I was young and single, I ate out.  A LOT.  As in, sometimes 3 times a day.  When I bought my house with my husband years later, I found a copy of my credit card statement from that time.  Oh My God.

But probably more expensive was buying the house.  We bought in 2004, which wasn't the peak, but it was pretty overpriced.  Our 2BR, 1BA, 1100sf house is right now worth about $130,000 less than we paid for it, and that doesn't count the $70k we've put into it.  Ouch.

pipercat

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 282
  • Location: Central VA
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #33 on: January 04, 2014, 08:36:10 PM »
Getting involved with multi-level marketing several years ago. Sure, there were minimal " required" expenditures, but there was always some sort of training or retreat to go to that would reveal the true key to success! Although some of the training was worthwhile on a personal level, it certainly did not improve my business. The big pep rally-type conferences were unnecessary. I could have gotten the same inspiration by checking certain books out of the library.

ichangedmyname

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 418
    • Luxe Frugality
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #34 on: January 04, 2014, 09:09:47 PM »
Getting involved with multi-level marketing several years ago. Sure, there were minimal " required" expenditures, but there was always some sort of training or retreat to go to that would reveal the true key to success! Although some of the training was worthwhile on a personal level, it certainly did not improve my business. The big pep rally-type conferences were unnecessary. I could have gotten the same inspiration by checking certain books out of the library.

I also did this but only went to the initial "seminar" and shelled out 5,000 pesos which is a little over $100 nowadays. Then I didn't do anything. So I just basically handed them my money.

Many times I have friends who have asked me to join some sort of MLM product. I just refuse. When they selling point is not how great the product is but how much you can earn by recruiting people to sell the product for you? Then I keep on walking.

Also I signed up for Avon so I can get discounts on the products. I still have products I haven't opened.

Also, yesterday I opened 5 sub accounts in my Ally online savings and funded them so I went over my 6 transaction limit and was charged $10. I haven't gotten over it.
« Last Edit: January 04, 2014, 10:12:20 PM by ichangedmyname »

strider3700

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 516
  • Location: northern BC
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #35 on: January 05, 2014, 11:38:45 AM »
I bought a brand new motorcycle. over paid because I didn't know you could haggle on new.  Drove it off the lot with 2 km and it instantly lost 30%of it's value.  Put 7000km on it in 3 years.  Saw another biker die on the road by my house and sold it for 40% of what I paid.  In the grand scheme of things it was a relatively cheap lesson

ritchie70

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 268
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #36 on: January 08, 2014, 11:06:12 AM »
The other one is assuming my insurance is the best value. I'm with USAA which is awesome in almost all ways and I figured that the only way to get cheaper insurance would be to go with a less-than-reputable company....until I shopped around and cut my car insurance in half with a well rated company

Please tell me what company this is! I have USAA too, and I haven't found anything cheaper.
Geico

As far as I can tell, insurance is something you need to put out to bid every few years or the rates get out of control. I went from State Farm to Allstate a few years ago and the total insurance cost dropped about 40% if I remember right.

I assume the Allstate price will go up and we'll have to switch somewhere else in another couple years.

eyePod

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 963
    • Flipping A Dollar
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #37 on: January 08, 2014, 12:23:17 PM »
Buying a subwoofer/amp set for my tan toyota camry while in high school.  At least I waited till black friday.  And it did look pretty cool but it seemed to drain my battery a lot quicker than when it wasn't hooked up.

melalvai

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 588
  • Age: 49
  • Location: Columbia, MO
    • Bicycling and Walking Around
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #38 on: January 09, 2014, 01:44:46 PM »
As far as I can tell, insurance is something you need to put out to bid every few years or the rates get out of control. I went from State Farm to Allstate a few years ago and the total insurance cost dropped about 40% if I remember right.

I assume the Allstate price will go up and we'll have to switch somewhere else in another couple years.

I thought so too. When I found out my husband's new job came with a discount on insurance through another provider, and at the same time we were getting a new car, I got quotes from our current company (Allstate) and the other company (Liberty something). The Allstate quote horrified me-- we've been with them for a decade and that ought to count for something, right? But when I told them what Liberty was quoting us, they suddenly found us a better deal that beat Liberty. It included the words "loyalty bonus".

amused_bouche

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 11
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #39 on: January 09, 2014, 01:53:14 PM »

I was repairing a folding treadmill and needed turn it over for some reason. I didn't pay attention where I grabbed it and when I picked it up, it folded on both my hands and I had no way to unfold it and no one else was home. I sat there stuck in my homemade idiot trap for about 20 minutes before I was able to wiggle one hand free.


This reminds me of the time, back in my gym-going days, when I stepped on a treadmill THAT WAS ON. And on a full run speed, nonetheless. Some douchecanoe had gotten off and decided to leave it running. I saw him look sheepishly back from the water fountain as I was face planted on the floor trying to figure out what had just happened. I never before thought to double check whether the treadmill was left on but didn't make that mistake again.

Then I quit my membership and never looked back.


Posthumane

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 396
  • Location: Bring Cash, Canuckistan
    • Getting Around Canada
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #40 on: January 09, 2014, 02:02:35 PM »
I've had a number of the "overpaid for x..." mistakes like everyone else, but there are always new ones that come up that go with your original question of "clicked the wrong button, forgot something, etc."

A recent one that comes to mind is getting an expensive set of glasses, which I get reimbursed through work. However, I simply forgot (or more accurately neglected) to submit the expense, even though the $400+ receipt was hanging on my pinup board for months. Eventually the reimbursement period expired.

An older on that comes to mind was from my university days. I went to the final exam for one of my courses and was sitting outside the exam area for a while waiting for them to post the seating list for the exam. I was a bit early but not overly so, so I was suprised there weren't other people around waiting nervously as well. About 10 minutes before the shceduled exam time they still hadn't posted the seating list, so I got suspicious and went to a computer to check the schedule. Sure enough, the exam had actually taken place the day before... This led to me failing a class that I had otherwise good grades in, and having to retake it the following summer.

ch12

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 592
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #41 on: January 09, 2014, 04:32:37 PM »
What could go wrong? He stole my money and ran.  :(

How I adore you (person I do not know) for being able to write this now, to be able to look back and write this humorously!

I made the equivalent mistake several times over (though my "life savings" were tiny), each time in a new and creative way such that I could successfully fool myself time and again. Argh. I finally stopped doing this in my thirties: When a boyfriend insisted I put his name on the title of the house I had covered every single cost for, I finally ended my self-sabotage and simply declined to. Whew.

This is exactly what my roommate's and my fathers were worried about. We set up a household account to pay our monthly bills. Her dad asked her, "What will you do if she takes the money and runs?" When she told me that, I said that we both have equal skin in the game. We equally contribute and benefit from any household expenses (electricity, groceries, Internet, etc.). We've been friends for 8.5 years at this point; we were best friends in college. She's the only one of my college friends that I regularly kept up with at least once a week over the entire 4 year period.

Also we live together. It's not like I can just up and vanish in a day. We work at the same company, and we have one car (mine). Anywhere that she goes, I go. The reverse is true.

I ended up soothing my father's fears by explaining that, no, I was not giving her access to all my bank accounts. That would be stupid. At the beginning, we were contributing $250 each to start out and then refilling the account once a month up to a limit of $500. Does putting hundreds of dollars in a shared account require trust? Sure - but it's substantially less trust than giving my roommate/best friend access to all of my money. Plus, the benefit of a shared account means that we jointly pay any household bills, and I never have to chase her down for money. It doesn't matter who pays for groceries, since it comes out of the same account. We have a box for receipts. We have access to the same bank information for the one account we share of my 12ish accounts.

Her father, his doomsday predictions proven wrong (more severe than the 1 quoted above), has persisted in being nervous about her not having her own car. We live in Madison. We're both introverted, even though I'm out and about way more often than she is. She goes on walks alone, and we pretty much don't see one another all day at work. I work out in the apartment complex's gym for a couple hours a day. When she needs to go somewhere, I drive her there. Having another passenger in the car means that I halve the cost of my gas. It's worked out fine.

It seems crazy to me to give my life savings to someone else, but that doesn't mean that you can't trust anybody.

EDIT: This thread reminds me of my favorite line of the book Happy Money. It goes something like "Everyone has experiences that turned out to be not what they expected. Liz went surfing on the North Shore of Hawaii and got attacked by a shark. Mike tried Diet Coke Lime."
« Last Edit: January 09, 2014, 04:51:11 PM by ch12 »

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23128
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #42 on: January 09, 2014, 04:44:53 PM »
I saw Batman and Robin.  In the theatre.  Not on a dare.  GuitarStv's innocent life may never recover from the shatteringly horrible trauma that was that movie.  Why was Mr. Freeze gigantic?  Why was Bane in the movie?  Why did anyone think Clooney would work as Batman?  Why did the suits have carved nipples?  Oh God, I'm getting flashbacks again . . .

tracipam

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 81
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #43 on: January 09, 2014, 04:51:04 PM »

Ah, these sorts of things are what I call "paying the stupid tax."  My most recent--forgetting to keep my mudroom (with washer and dryer) warm during the recent cold snap.  BURST went the pipes.  Duh!

Back in ancient history--barely scraping the required GPA my first semester in college to keep my scholarship, then breezily deciding to take 3 more credits (of harder classes) --goodbye, scholarship!  My $8000 mistake. Live and learn. 

AlmostIndependent

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 518
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Anchorage, AK
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #44 on: January 09, 2014, 06:15:06 PM »
I once bought a round-trip plane ticket in the wrong direction. Noticed it and got it reversed, thank goodness!

I did that once.

eyePod

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 963
    • Flipping A Dollar
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #45 on: January 12, 2014, 01:38:33 PM »
I saw Batman and Robin.  In the theatre.  Not on a dare.  GuitarStv's innocent life may never recover from the shatteringly horrible trauma that was that movie.  Why was Mr. Freeze gigantic?  Why was Bane in the movie?  Why did anyone think Clooney would work as Batman?  Why did the suits have carved nipples?  Oh God, I'm getting flashbacks again . . .

Oh the nipples.

Clooney made a great Bruce Wayne.  Terrible Batman.  Michael Keaton surprisingly made a great Batman.  Terrible Bruce Wayne).

Still surprise but Christian Bale was a pretty good combination of Wayne/Batman.

msilenus

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 524
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #46 on: January 12, 2014, 02:38:02 PM »
When I was applying for college as a stupid teenager I checked the wrong box on my application.  Transferring into the major I wanted was prohibited at the time, so I stuck it out and now have a B.A. in mathematics.

It shaped my education in weird ways, but didn't really impact my life in the long run.

Tempe

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 147
  • Age: 35
  • Location: Virginia
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #47 on: January 14, 2014, 12:31:41 AM »
I've had a number of the "overpaid for x..." mistakes like everyone else, but there are always new ones that come up that go with your original question of "clicked the wrong button, forgot something, etc."

A recent one that comes to mind is getting an expensive set of glasses, which I get reimbursed through work. However, I simply forgot (or more accurately neglected) to submit the expense, even though the $400+ receipt was hanging on my pinup board for months. Eventually the reimbursement period expired.

An older on that comes to mind was from my university days. I went to the final exam for one of my courses and was sitting outside the exam area for a while waiting for them to post the seating list for the exam. I was a bit early but not overly so, so I was suprised there weren't other people around waiting nervously as well. About 10 minutes before the shceduled exam time they still hadn't posted the seating list, so I got suspicious and went to a computer to check the schedule. Sure enough, the exam had actually taken place the day before... This led to me failing a class that I had otherwise good grades in, and having to retake it the following summer.

I had something similar only it was that I didn't how up for the 1 out of 2 days class course on cpr. I originally signed up thinking oh, 2 days I can get it out of the way sooner. I realized I missed the class the day after and went through a bunch of appeals and things, but because I had no doctors note, and I missed 50% of the class I was marked as failed. And that moved my credits from  15 to 13 so I lost 240$ in a pell grant, and still paid 200$ for the class. I was out 440$ and had the fn marring my straight A's. I then took the cpr/first aid with classmates who had the same thing happen and we paid a total of 80 each$, with free snacks and subs.
 Thank god my grades don't mean anything for the future but failing that class still hurts. It didn't help the teacher was a total jerk when I contacted her. I did end up having way more fun with the training I did with my classmates till I got snubbed afterwards by them, but the training was shorter too.  7 hours vs 16 hours.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2014, 12:34:14 AM by Tempe »

shotgunwilly

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 548
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #48 on: May 08, 2014, 09:37:53 AM »
What could go wrong? He stole my money and ran.  :(

How I adore you (person I do not know) for being able to write this now, to be able to look back and write this humorously!

I made the equivalent mistake several times over (though my "life savings" were tiny), each time in a new and creative way such that I could successfully fool myself time and again. Argh. I finally stopped doing this in my thirties: When a boyfriend insisted I put his name on the title of the house I had covered every single cost for, I finally ended my self-sabotage and simply declined to. Whew.

Where do y'all find these jackasses? And why... just, why? Oh right, nice guys finish last?

Workinghard

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 636
Re: What's your dumbest mistake?
« Reply #49 on: May 08, 2014, 10:19:42 AM »
Loved your story, ykphil!!  Very funny!

Me too! I'm still laughing. Sounds like something I would do.  😉