Crazy stuff you can't believe people waste money on

[Rebecca]

Originally Posted by Annie

I'm often confused as to why people go out to get their hair done for no reason. I mean, to get a cut and dye job is one thing, but to go to a salon to have the hair curled or straightened for one night for no reason but to look cute? It's weird. Like, I know people that go out and do that even when they don't have a function to attend later in the day. They'll wash their hair the next morning and it's like it never happened.

I don't get that either!!! I guess I understand the people who go to have their hair blown out and straightened if they don't wash it for awhile...but even then I think that's kind of stupid. I mean, why can't they blow dry their own hair???

[72Tiger]

Originally Posted by hollyvangogh

Starbucks...I just don't get it. Now, I don't drink coffee but I do like herbal tea, cocoa, and Pero (tastes a bit like coffee). And I can't imagine spending $3-$4 dollars a day on coffee! Is it really that good? And wouldn't it cheaper in the long run to buy gourmet coffee beans and automatic coffee maker? If you want it to go, there are really nice travel mugs available.

Starbucks has always smelled 'skunky' to me. I don't understand its popularity.

[Xin Lu]

LOL, I wrote a post about this a while ago and one of my coworkers recognized that I was talking about him when I wrote that breathalyzers are pretty useless.
The post is here:

Stop Buying Things That No One Will Ever EVER Need! — The Baglady

Xin

[boba1212]

I am a products junkie myself but I do wonder about the women who spend $100 for a teeny 1oz tube of the latest cosmetic craze. There are studies out that show drugstore brands work jsut as well (or in most cases, none of the products do exactly what they claim) but people think the more $$$ they spend, the better the product.

[lucille]

Originally Posted by Rebecca

I don't get that either!!! I guess I understand the people who go to have their hair blown out and straightened if they don't wash it for awhile...but even then I think that's kind of stupid. I mean, why can't they blow dry their own hair???

My mom is one of those people who get their hair done once a week. I don't know what ever started that fad but I have found it mind-boggling my entire life. The beehive and such hair styles from the 50's were the single best marketing return for the beauty shop industry ever. They got an entire decade of women committed to giving a beauty shop weekly business and refusing to wash their hair in between.

[Anthony Marrone]

I read GQ, Esquire and other magazines whenever I am in Borders (I would never pay to subscribe to these magazines) and I am dumbfounded at the list of the cost of these clothes. I was entered by a friend in Esquire's Best Dressed Real Man in America, and I never buy anything that isn't hanging on the sale rack. Who are the people that buy the Just Cavalli t-shirts for $170? Where are the lawyers or bankers who wear authentic Burberry suits that run into the thousands? I want to meet this people, and raid their wardrobes...

[Rebecca]

I never realized the how magazine price scam until I met someone who sold magazines through some kind of group where they were only $1 a piece. He explained to me something about how the ads actually pay for the magazine and make a profit for them, and that the subscription price is just mark-up? I can't remember the exact explanation, but now I get a few magazines and it was only a few dollars per magazine for 3 YEARS.

[alex]

Steven Spielberg once asked, “Why pay a dollar for a bookmark? Why not use the dollar for a bookmark?”

I use magazine subscription inserts or business cards.

[rstlne]

Bottled water. I understand that bottled water is widely available and convenient when you're out and about. What I do though is I fill up bottles with tap water and bring those with me.

[Ronni]

Originally Posted by alex

Steven Spielberg once asked, “Why pay a dollar for a bookmark? Why not use the dollar for a bookmark?”

I use magazine subscription inserts or business cards.

Back before I was doing this frugal thing, I used to get the five for $1 bookmarks from Half-Price Books. The prices have gone up since then. I use post-its for my bookmarks, or random pieces of paper, and if I own the book, well, I just fold the page down. Bad, I know, but it's free and easy.