What's your most expensive moment of stupidity?

[HangingOver]

Cheer me up MN.

I visited DF for the first time since moving a loooong way away on the train this weekend. The train fares were over £200 all in but worth it to see DF. Raced to the station today to get the connecting train home and realised the return journey I booked was, in fact, yesterday. Minutes to spare and only first class seats available. £198. So my two days with DF cost me over £400. What an absolute wally! Am trying to channel my inner Love Islander and just say "it is what it is" (and obviously being grateful I actually had the money in my account to buy it). I was trying to think back and I think this is probably my single most expensive incident of stupidity (the one time the waiter accidentally charged my card €300 instead of €30 not counting as that was his fault).

Tell me yours while I drink my fifth cup of free tea.

Saw someone trip and fall, stopped to help and waited for an ambulance which meant I was late back to my car and parking warden was sticking a ticket on as I arrived. I explained what had happened and he said it was no problem, just needed a quick call to the office and it would be cancelled. I thought he meant he would do it (stupid moment number one!) so binned the ticket and forgot about it. Then I moved house. First time I’d moved since getting my license so changed my insurance and driving license, but didn’t realise I had to change address on the owner form thing? (Stupid moment number two!) I only found out when the baliffs arrived at my previous house and tried to take furniture and the new owners decided to get in touch. It cost nearly £1,000 in fees and I’ve definitely learnt my lesson about moving!

@honeybuns007

So you are that person who decides to park very close to the only other car in the car park. Do you also choose to sit very near the only other people in a cinema ? Grrrr

No actually. I would explain further, but it seems you just want a scrap about it, and I can't be arsed, and frankly, it's none of your business... And that's all you took from that? Seriously? And who says Grr? In RL? Are you a grizzly bear? On a semi light-hearted thread to make the OP feel a bit better? Grr (or a more articulate version of it) right back at you.

A few years ago we travelled to another city to see a band then have a few nights away. We had checked into the hotel and were just having a cup of tea when MIL rang to say she had locked our spare keys in the house with the cat, who she was supposed to be feeding. In a panic I booked us the red-eye the next day as our flights couldn’t be changed, plus the hotel was pre-paid. No idea why I didn’t ring a locksmith or even DPD. That was an expensive single night away.

This was saved, but last week I met a friend for dinner. She was rushing off for a train, so I sorted out the bill. Thought it was quite expensive, and realised we had mistakenly been charged for two bottles of wine rather than the glass each we actually had. The waitress was SO apologetic!

Yep- petrol in a diesel car here.
You don't just pay for the draining- you have to pay for the wasted petrol, and you still have an empty tank to fill!!!
Still annoyed.

Tattoo. £20 to get it. Over £600 to get it removed.

I forgot to put the radiator cap back on after filling the water and blew the head gasket on my car. Another car I had the bonnet wouldn't open and I just kept driving it until the oil pump exploded. No idea if the second one was my fault but the first definitely does. I never told anyone I did that until recently and I can't remember who it was I told

Slipped on a wet floor. Tried to stop myself by grabbing a set of racking. Racking came down on top of me... Along with £12k worth of laboratory equipment it housed. Not just the cost of replacing the equipment but millions of pounds worth of work was delayed by months whilst it was replaced.

On the boat- I had the diesel heating on and I knew, knew that I couldn’t switch the engine on whilst it was running. So that was £700 up the swanny. Did the same thing again the next winter.
Dh fitted an extra fuse after that cost 40p.

Buying a wedding ring for exDH.

He refused to wear it "because it might get caught on machinery at work".
He was a fucking teacher - is chalk dangerous? Just meant his marital status was not obvious when he was screwing around.

....small update. Train is now so late that will get at least 25% of the cost back

Scraping my 2 week old Mercedes down the garden wall (I've lived here years and never done it before- £350

Getting that repaired and then kerbing the wheel - £120

Getting that repaired and a week later hitting a pot hole and damaging the same wheel AGAIN - £120

Getting that repaired and 2 weeks later a lady ran into the back of it.

Got that repaired and then sold it.

Bought a mini and I've not...... nope not saying it

Only £500 worth....

I took off my 4 sentimental rings while I dyed my hair. I always sit on the floor to do this. After my shower I only noticed 3 rings. I'm weird and I thought right whichever ring is missing this is a sign. It was my wedding ring. 6 years later I've no idea where I put it. I ordered another recently. The photo online is exactly the same photo as when I ordered it the first time but when it arrived it was much thinner and lighter. Plus it had gone up £100. I loved that ring too.

Silver linings @HangingOver! I once went to Edinburgh by train (I live in SE England) and was so delayed in each direction that I got a full refund which was pretty good since it was also about £200 iirc

Brand new Hobbs dress. Silly Indian sauce stain at lunch at work. Tried to blotch out with fairy. Completely ruined it. Oh but I still wear the dress!

DH booked plane tickets back from Lanzarote for the end of January, not the end of December when we were flying home after a week - and we discovered at the airport for our return trip! No wonder the tickets seemed cheaper than anything else he looked at

All London flights full for the next week, luckily there were 4 seats on a flight to Birmingham 2 hours later (kudos to very helpful fly.be staff!), so we took that and then had to spend money on a taxi to Stansted airport to pick up our car. It was as well my husband was on a contract with a hefty day-rate at the time, so we could just pay for it and roll eyes.

@grafittiartist

Yep- petrol in a diesel car here. You don't just pay for the draining- you have to pay for the wasted petrol, and you still have an empty tank to fill!!! Still annoyed.

I did this a few years ago with a new Mercedes - and yes, it cost me several hundred pounds to get sorted.

But the Merc dealer quoted £4k - apparently their rule is that you're better changing a part (not sure what!) that might have been affected, just to be sure it hasn't been damaged!!! Not sure whether they still have that policy or not, but stopped me using dealerships for servicing ever since.

Went to Gatwick instead of Heathrow for a flight to Italy for a wedding. Realised as we drew into the station. No way to make it to Heathrow in time for the flight, so we had to buy tickets for a new one. Fortunately BA were kind and didn't cancel our return flights (which they usually do if you miss your outward flight, or at least they used to). Thank god it was pre-kids so "only" cost £300!

Christ mine are nothing compared to some of these but:

Travelling back up north from London. On the way to Kings X I got off at the wrong stop (how do you miss Kings X FFS) and then by the time I got to the station it was too late. £130 for standard class on a train where all the seats were taken.

Another time I saw some earrings I liked. They were handmade. Made the mistake of not asking the price at the start. Mid way through fitting them I did decide to ask. £150 PER EARRING! I decided to have just one put in so now walk around with different jewellery in each of my ears and claim it’s a fashion statement.

Went to a festival and packed the tent, but not the tent poles. It was a four hour drive home so that wasn't an option. In the end we had to buy an extremely flimsy, cheap, small tent on-site. At £100 it was the cheapest they had - probably worth about £20 normally.

@BuddleiasBeesAndButterflies

Splashed out on 5 tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, thought it was a bit pricey at £625 but all the children have wanted to see it forever and after a year of cancelled holidays etc thought why not treat us all. After booking realised that was actually only for one half, and was actually £1250 . It'd better be bloody amazing!

What?????

I'm on my fourth round of free snacks in case anyone is wondering. I must say 1st class is excellent.

Just had three penalty notices for driving down a bus Lane a couple of weeks ago. Was a bit stressed in a strange city and trying to find parking for an event.
If I pay tomorrow then it’ll be £90 instead of £180 but I’m freaking out that more may arrive as I feel sure I drove down that road more than three times 😱🤢😩

Dropped a glass bottle of bath oil onto the toilet which cracked the actual pan. £250 to replace - the most expensive bath I’ve ever had!!

A friend put the wrong fuel in her car . Realised while still on the garage forecourt . A helpful man offered to drain the tank over what he thought was a drain below the car, only it wasn’t and the fuel flooded the forecourt. Major fire hazard , petrol station was closed down for deep clean . My friend was charged for the loss of profits for the time the station was closed . That’s an expensive mistake !

@BuddleiasBeesAndButterflies - Your children will love the Cursed Child but the evening is long (if you are not a fan). Book a meal somewhere close to the theatre between parts one and two if you are going on the same day - enjoy!