What have you bought that was a complete waste of money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What have I wasted money on? How about a Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins in Counseling. I got it and have since realized that I really do not like listening to people's problems, ouch. I mean, I am better for it, but could I not have bought some self-help books?

Ooh, me too! Except my Masters from Hopkins is in Economics. Turns out that I really don't like crunching numbers day in and out. Blech.

[Anonymous]

--Expensive baby bedding
--Doula (HUGE waste)
--Diaper champ (turns out I like putting the poop outside instead of hoarding it)
--Expensive stroller-- the umbrella one is better than the Zooper I got as a gift
--Trip to Disney
--Britax car seat-- the cheaper one fits my car better
--Kettler trike. Way overpriced

But none of it compares to pre-baby expenditures. Wedding dress? Ouch!

[Anonymous]

The wedding.

[Anonymous]

Our house is a total waste of money. It was WAY too expensive and is too small.....all for location. Lesson learned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The wedding.

You've made my day!!

I'm getting married soon...
DF wants to have a meal with close friends.
I'm scared to fall for his arguments (money is short, economy is down, it's only a day, people won't show up, too much money for little things) and regret it later...
which girl didn't dream about wearing a wedding gown?
So, I gave up the church wedding, the flowers, the wedding gown and now, his next intent is to convince me to give up the pictures...
all I have left is lunch with close friends and family right after we sign the papers at the court house.

What all was a waste of money on your wedding?

[Anonymous]

I actually think our wedding was a "worthy" expense. But ... we cut corners where we thought made sense. My dress was $200 (got it online) b/c that was all I was willing to spend on a one-time expense. Kept the guest list to a reasonable size and served wine/beer/liquor we purchased in advance. Skipped the whole "champagne toast". Food was simple -- great caterer who prepared roasted chicken/bbq ribs or seafood pasta. Invites were basic until "embellished" by a good friend of mine who is a pro. We didn't get the personalized napkins, skipped favors, kept decor to a minimum but did have nice flowers but more of a seasonal variety rather than flown in from god knows where. That's all I can think of now....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually think our wedding was a "worthy" expense. But ... we cut corners where we thought made sense. My dress was $200 (got it online) b/c that was all I was willing to spend on a one-time expense. Kept the guest list to a reasonable size and served wine/beer/liquor we purchased in advance. Skipped the whole "champagne toast". Food was simple -- great caterer who prepared roasted chicken/bbq ribs or seafood pasta. Invites were basic until "embellished" by a good friend of mine who is a pro. We didn't get the personalized napkins, skipped favors, kept decor to a minimum but did have nice flowers but more of a seasonal variety rather than flown in from god knows where. That's all I can think of now....

it does make sense.

[Anonymous]

Disney, Disney, Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kitchen Aid appliances. My stove has broken twice. The repairman said that they're all bad.

Me too!!!!!!! Our 3 year old stove sucks!!!!

[Anonymous]

I totally agree that the wedding was a HUGE waste of money. My DH and I paid for our wedding and I sooo wish we would have done it differently. In the end, no one was happy.

To the PP, if I had to do it again, I would have a simple ceremony and lunch with a few close friends as you are planning. Much more intimate and meaningful. At a big wedding all you end up with is feeding and watering a group of extended/family friends that you speak to for 5 minutes a pieced. Between pictures and traditions, there really is no time for much else.

One of my sorority sisters had her wedding at The Pierre in NYC. Whole nine yards. Six (seperate) musical ensembles in different rooms, trees of flowers, multiple photographers, multiple courses at dinner. They even had a sushi bar (custom made) and a vodka bar. She always said that she wished she could have attended her own wedding as a guest as she had no time to enjoy all the fanfare.

[Anonymous]

I would not skimp on pictures. They are the tangible representation of your memories and you will never have all those people together in one room again. I show my wedding pictures to my kids all the time.

[Anonymous]

That thing you insert into the shopping cart for your kid to sit in so it's supposedly more hygienic or comfortable or something.

Thing is, it was always such a hassle to take my kid shopping, I avoided it like the plague. So I never used the above.

[Anonymous]

PP, don't skip the wedding pictures. You will love having them and your future children will adore them! Our kids look at them all the time and ask all kinds of questions about the day.

My personal wastes:
-A fancy huge stroller that held a carseat instead of a good old snap & go
-kids' clothes
-LAW SCHOOL

[Anonymous]

Funny on the law school waste. I know many people who would agree on that.

My personal BIGGEST wastes: late fees on almost everything.

[Anonymous]

an overpriced governess