To ask what's your stupidity tax?

I am also a high rate stupidity tax payer (ADHD) so parking tickets appear unexpectedly in the post about once every 3 months. I once accidentally drove around for 6 months with no car insurance because I thought it auto renewed.

just 2 weeks ago I posted my car and house keys into the big textile recycling bin in the supermarket car park. I had driven there in my car so had to walk the 2 miles home and spend £200 on an emergency weekend locksmith to get in my house and get my spare set. Then get up at 5am to go meet the bin men to retrieve my keys.

Got stung with a fine for not declaring a vehicle as SORN... all because I could not tick one box.

Bought a £200 item online.. the company went bust so I never got my item, but did not feel able to chase a refund either.

Countless fines for overdue library books.

Loads of clothing that does not fit because I can't face the hassle of returning them.

Spending much effort on carefully done coursework for school/college/uni - only to only get passes as I always handed it in late.

Not chasing a £700 tax rebate I was owed. Too much effort to call up about it.

I have paid several thousand in council tax over the years. I have been on UC since 2017, and back then was entitled to a 100% discount... but the forms were too epic for me (14 pages). With a nudge from my DP, I have since done it, but the forms are now just few boxes, with no bank account statements to send in or anything. Is only 80% discount now though. And no backdating.

Paying £57pm for broadband that costs £26 to new customers for 18 months because I can't face calling up and changing it all.

I didn't think you could misfuel cars anymore, I thought the nozzles were different. I always double and triple check but a few months ago I was obviously distracted and picked up the wrong one and it didn't fit in my car, thank goodness. I probably would have double checked but it was still very fortunate for me.

Very small error but put the wrong reg no into the machine when paying for parking, so had to pay again with the right reg no. Only lost about £1.80 but it was still annoying!

Good thread this - me and DP are regular contributors to Stupidity Tax - although not very original (both have been mentioned and set off flashbacks). My DP had a (long haul) flight booked for 0035 on a Friday night only to turn up at the airport 24 hours late (just as we were arriving at Heathrow to meet them). We also had an incident where we had to change cars at the last minute due to a repair so I inadvertently put our regular registration in the the parking ticket machine and not the work car I was actually driving. Even though we explained what we had done AND supplied evidence that our car (which we had paid for) was actually being repaired in a garage 200 miles away we still had to pay a £100 fine (and we didn't even get a refund on the ticket we had bought) - those firms are absolute scum! (the airline were surprisingly reasonable - I think we only paid about a third of the regular price for a flight 48 hours later) - it did mean my DP managed to miss my parents golden wedding anniversary - I'm still not sure whether they think that was a good thing or not.

Subscribing to the Times Literary Supplement.

@MonicaWalkaway

I was very hormonal and feeling the need to do a deep clean. I collected a bag of stuff that needed to go to the tip. Put it in the car, went in to town, bought all the ingredients for a steak dinner for DH, me and 3 friends. Went to the tip, picked up the wrong bag and threw it in.

No idea how, the rubbish bag was plastic, food one was a cloth reusable one. Rubbish one was massive and full to the brim, the food one wasn't.

And to make it worse, I didn't even notice until I got home, showered etc and was ready to start cooking. DH was annoyed (putting it politely).
It cost us twice - once for the steaks and again for the takeaway for 5 we had to buy to feed us all

Where was DP in all of this?

I find these threads comforting. That most the time these massive moments that leave us stressed and frazzled eventually just become stories.

First holiday I was taking my children on. We were so looking forward to it. Bought airport parking, etc.
Got to London Gatwick, only to discover I was meant to be at London Stanstead.

Was too embarrassed to tell anyone, and luckily my kids were only 5 and 2 at the time.
Drove to Stanstead, Got new flights for the next day, stayed at hotel near the anirport and told my DCs the holiday was starting there and then.
££ down the drain, but was not going to disappoint my DCs.

How did you chuck out the steaks?! Ouch!!

Mine and DH did an expensive 1 together!
DH lost his house key ages ago and we were sharing mine, kept forgetting to cut a new one.

I was out walking with DS 6mo in a sling, locked myself out. No way in. DH couldn’t get back for 2 hours so we walked about. Sunny and warm so fine. DH got back and the locksmith was busy until late, so went for dinner, had to buy nappies and wipes for DS, waited in the car. 8.30pm locksmith came had to change whole lock. Cost £££.

I got out the car and on the passenger seat, was my DHs lost front door key!!! 🫣

Forgot to pay the Dartford crossing charge in time. Paid it as soon as I realised and emailed to say so. They responded with a curt explanation that late payment would not be recognised and to await an enforcement notice. It will be £70 reduced to £35 if I pay within two weeks. Great. Thanks for that. Would have been £2.50. Idiot.

I have ADHD so the stupid tax is just the weekly tax for me😩. Recently ordered ds uniform on m&s and instead of ordering it to be picked up in store, I put delivery.....to my old address 🤦🏼‍♀️ £62 gone (of course new tenants took it and pretended not to have received it). Keep losing ds bus pass, even though he gives it to me so he doesn't lose it (the irony).
So many I can't even say.

Not sure if it's a stupidity tax - more likely a hormone based one tbh but over the years I have:

Thrown out brand new, just bought from the expensive butcher, fillet steaks for 5 people

Locked myself out of the house and had to pay a lock smith

Had a complete mind blank and for some unknown reason, threw the metal ladle into the bowl in the sink but completely missed. Hit (and smashed) a double glazed window. DH was

Packed a pair of boots in a suitcase, put it in the attic, thought I'd lost them so replaced them. Found them a year later.

Left milk in a cupboard for 2 days instead of the fridge.

Absent mindedly put a metal container of crispy beef in the microwave. Ruined both the food and the microwave.

I am a liability

I had a flat tire caused by a huge pothole. Not only did I forget to take a photo of the flat tyre, I didn't get a receipt for the Sunday call out tyre replacement company. So no claim to the council 😭

Thanks to this thread I've just cancelled my Amazon Subscribe and Save order for September which contains loads of stuff I didn't need including supplements for my dog who is very sadly no longer with us.

Speaking to Local Authority staff and the school SENCO as though they were decent human beings and expecting them to respond rationally and have a shred of empathy for the children they have a duty of care towards, or even the slightest regard for the law.

So much wasted time and energy and so much abusive gaslighting endured before I realised that they will only do their jobs when forced to by legal action.

DH not me thankfully, relying on parking sensors to reverse into a parking space, didn't turn round to check and promptly reversed in to a low hanging, very thick, tree branch which shattered the back car window 🤦‍♀️

Bought expensive front row seats for DS’s favourite show for Christmas. When the big day finally came we were halfway to the theatre in the evening when I realised they were matinee tickets. Then had to pay through the nose for replacement tickets for the evening performance. It was a good show though.

Not me, but was a poor guy on a Police Interceptors type program. He was stopped by the police for having no insurance, he was adamant he did, having just taken it out. Checked and the start date was the 1st March, it was the 29th February.

Charged for driving without insurance, but it seems it was going to court so not sure on the full conclusion.

I closed my shop and a good, paying business to move 250m to care for DP's elderly parent, who was 'so looking forward to seeing more of him.' DP is autistic and chronic depressive and I thought the change would help him. Bought a shared ownership place so absolutely no capital left. I'd planned to start up again doing the same work I'd done before.
Ten days after we arrived to her gushing welcome she changed her mind and told us she didn't want us and to f* off.
That's the most stupidity tax I've ever paid. It took five years to be able to save enough extricate us, once I'd found work.
You pay to learn, don't you?

Glad it’s not just me, finally looking into cancelling 2 years later

Not realising a restaurant car park had changed so you had to enter your details at the bar so got fined, plus buying too many clothes online and thinking that they’ll do when I’m not really happy with them.