Stupid Purchases - Page 3

Ronni · 02-25-2008, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynnae

I have a Creative Memories cutting system that's still unopened.

Really??? I LOVE the Creative Memories cutting system. It's the best ever, I promise you.

My stupid purchases? This volcano thing from The Discovery Channel store. My son really wanted it and I had a gift card... but it's noisy and not all that pretty, so I think it needs to be taken to Goodwill or given away. I could also try to take it to New Uses general store. They take gently used appliances and things of that nature.

A cheap DVD player. The stupid thing lasted a few months before it crashed. This time, I spent a few extra bucks and got a name brand one with a warranty.

A guitar a few years ago. I was really into church and EVERYONE played guitar, so I wanted to play too. Yea, that lasted long. NOT.

I sold it on Craigslist in late 2006.

StudentMom · 02-25-2008, 04:41 PM

- Elliptical trainer ($700)
- timeshare ($7000 + apr)
- baby swing, extra stroller, playmat and other baby stuff that was used max 10 times
- cheap Ikea furniture
- $300 winter coat I've worn once

Seriously, the list could go on and on. Most of my purchases from the past few years have been stupid waste of money. Good thing I've learned my lesson, no stupid purchases for over a year now..

BamaRo · 02-25-2008, 04:53 PM

I was up, and ill, very very early one Sunday morning. (maybe I can blame the madness on fever?!?! LOL!) I ordered a "Bean' exercise inflatable, it's sort of like one of those big exercise balls but shaped so it's comfortable to lie back in. Fifty bucks, and guess how many times I've used it....not even once! But my son uses it all the time to build play forts with. (still not worth the money but he has enjoyed it!)

hermione · 02-29-2008, 11:01 PM

For those of you who mentioned yarn as a regretful purchase, my sister recently wrote an article titled "Untangling Yarn Troubles" with some suggestions for using up excess yarn. We recently got rid of a lot of ours by using them on various small projects. In case anyone is interested, there's a list of ideas for uses and pictures of things she made with it.

mbhunter · 03-01-2008, 12:43 AM

Lots and lots of coffee cups that would get me discounts on drinks in various stores, gas stations, and restaurants. Some were decent deals but others were lousy deals, and the cups were low quality and very heavily marked up. After that I bought a Stanley stainless steel thermos and brewed my own. Waaaay cheaper.

Solinvicta · 03-01-2008, 07:19 AM

I've got a few - I both an exercise bike from Walmart and decided to go for the cheap-o model. It wound up going mostly unused because part of the display broke, and the pedals didn't really offer enough resistance. I have a some gadgets too, like a Palm Pilot, that isn't really going unused, but if I knew how little I was going to use it, I probably wouldn't have bought it in the first place. Also, I have a weakness for musical instruments that I find at flea markets. I rarely lose money on them...typically, I buy them at a good price, and then resell them later. But, I also never make money on them, and they wind up making a huge amount of clutter.

GOTO Fashion · 03-03-2008, 11:36 PM

I tend to overbuy fabric. Years ago, I would by anything in the cheap bins at Wal-Mart or the fabric stores if it caught my eye. Eventually, I realized that I wasn't really using any of the fabric I was buying, and stopped buying fabric altogether "at least until I used up what I already had." I still have 99.9% of the old fabric, in two large plastic storage tubs in the garage. Lately, I bought a bunch of fabric and polyester stuffing to create throw pillows for my home - I ended up using 50% of that.

Total, my fabric hoarding probably cost a couple hundred dollars, plus storage costs for nearly 2.5 years during remodel projects - pretty steep for something I didn't really need when I bought it in the first place!

Megan · 03-04-2008, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GOTO Fashion

I tend to overbuy fabric.

If you're looking to get rid of that, lots of fabric do ok on eBay. You won't make a fortune, but you'll get some of your costs back at least.

GOTO Fashion · 03-04-2008, 10:18 PM

Megan -
Thanks for the tip about eBay - I think I'll give it a shot for those pieces that I decide I will probably never get around to using. Most of them were so cheap when I bought them, I'd probably break even.

mcnerd · 03-05-2008, 01:10 PM

The Crafting supplies reminded me of my late mother. She was totally "in" to crafting, anything and everything. She was good at it too and sold her stuff at yearly Boutiques, but her eyes were bigger than reality. Every weekend I had to drive her around to the three major craft shores where she probably spent at least $200 each week, more if they had specials. After she passed it took me almost a year to empty the house out of all the crafts -- donating all of it to a local school. Most stuff was packed in so deep she couldn't have found it anyway to use it.

Moral: Buy what you will use and use what you buy.

Hmmm, now if only "I" could follow that advice, but that's another story.

02-29-2008, 11:01 PM	#24
hermione Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: California Posts: 414 Reputation: (141)	For those of you who mentioned yarn as a regretful purchase, my sister recently wrote an article titled "Untangling Yarn Troubles" with some suggestions for using up excess yarn. We recently got rid of a lot of ours by using them on various small projects. In case anyone is interested, there's a list of ideas for uses and pictures of things she made with it. __________________ My blog: Pecuniarities ~ Creative frugal living and personal finance My CafePress Store: Mozartini \| Follow me on Twitter!

03-01-2008, 12:43 AM	#25
mbhunter Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 82 Reputation: (22)	Lots and lots of coffee cups that would get me discounts on drinks in various stores, gas stations, and restaurants. Some were decent deals but others were lousy deals, and the cups were low quality and very heavily marked up. After that I bought a Stanley stainless steel thermos and brewed my own. Waaaay cheaper. __________________ Mighty Bargain Hunter

03-03-2008, 11:36 PM	#27
GOTO Fashion Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: L.A. Posts: 80 Reputation: (11)	I tend to overbuy fabric. Years ago, I would by anything in the cheap bins at Wal-Mart or the fabric stores if it caught my eye. Eventually, I realized that I wasn't really using any of the fabric I was buying, and stopped buying fabric altogether "at least until I used up what I already had." I still have 99.9% of the old fabric, in two large plastic storage tubs in the garage. Lately, I bought a bunch of fabric and polyester stuffing to create throw pillows for my home - I ended up using 50% of that. Total, my fabric hoarding probably cost a couple hundred dollars, plus storage costs for nearly 2.5 years during remodel projects - pretty steep for something I didn't really need when I bought it in the first place! __________________ GOTO Fashion/Haus CecilyBee Family Maven Frugal Style&Beauty CoolSavings LinkShare

03-04-2008, 10:18 PM	#29
GOTO Fashion Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: L.A. Posts: 80 Reputation: (11)	Megan - Thanks for the tip about eBay - I think I'll give it a shot for those pieces that I decide I will probably never get around to using. Most of them were so cheap when I bought them, I'd probably break even. __________________ GOTO Fashion/Haus CecilyBee Family Maven Frugal Style&Beauty CoolSavings LinkShare

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02-25-2008, 04:41 PM	#22
StudentMom Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: VA Posts: 29 Reputation: (11)	- Elliptical trainer ($700) - timeshare ($7000 + apr) - baby swing, extra stroller, playmat and other baby stuff that was used max 10 times - cheap Ikea furniture - $300 winter coat I've worn once Seriously, the list could go on and on. Most of my purchases from the past few years have been stupid waste of money. Good thing I've learned my lesson, no stupid purchases for over a year now..

02-25-2008, 04:53 PM	#23
BamaRo Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 31 Reputation: (10)	I was up, and ill, very very early one Sunday morning. (maybe I can blame the madness on fever?!?! LOL!) I ordered a "Bean' exercise inflatable, it's sort of like one of those big exercise balls but shaped so it's comfortable to lie back in. Fifty bucks, and guess how many times I've used it....not even once! But my son uses it all the time to build play forts with. (still not worth the money but he has enjoyed it!)

03-01-2008, 07:19 AM	#26
Solinvicta Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Sandy Hook, CT Posts: 77 Reputation: (12)	I've got a few - I both an exercise bike from Walmart and decided to go for the cheap-o model. It wound up going mostly unused because part of the display broke, and the pedals didn't really offer enough resistance. I have a some gadgets too, like a Palm Pilot, that isn't really going unused, but if I knew how little I was going to use it, I probably wouldn't have bought it in the first place. Also, I have a weakness for musical instruments that I find at flea markets. I rarely lose money on them...typically, I buy them at a good price, and then resell them later. But, I also never make money on them, and they wind up making a huge amount of clutter.

03-05-2008, 01:10 PM	#30
mcnerd Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Southern California Posts: 72 Reputation: (12)	The Crafting supplies reminded me of my late mother. She was totally "in" to crafting, anything and everything. She was good at it too and sold her stuff at yearly Boutiques, but her eyes were bigger than reality. Every weekend I had to drive her around to the three major craft shores where she probably spent at least $200 each week, more if they had specials. After she passed it took me almost a year to empty the house out of all the crafts -- donating all of it to a local school. Most stuff was packed in so deep she couldn't have found it anyway to use it. Moral: Buy what you will use and use what you buy. Hmmm, now if only "I" could follow that advice, but that's another story.