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Original poster

Expensive mistakes

61 replies

Roominmyhouse · 24/11/2021 20:13

I’ve just released I’ve booked the wrong tickets for an event and a non-refundable hotel so I’m now over £100 down and gutted. Going to try and sell the tickets but it’s unlikely. 😞😞😞

Make me feel better and tell me your stories of expensive mistakes so I feel less of a tit! I could have sworn there was a thread like this before but couldn’t find it by searching.

OP posts:
DaisyNGO · 24/11/2021 20:16

oh lord, only DP knows about this

I went on a practical DIY skills thinking I could get to a stage where I could be better at repairing stuff, e.g. a cupboard door off hinges, put shelves up, plastering.

I was awful. Spent £600 and only did half the course. I felt like Niles and Frasier on the car maintenance course.

there is no reason I should be incompetent with a drill. I am mortified.
When I had a flatmate, she did all the practical stuff while I stood around and made the tea, hence why I thought a course would save me money.

well, I did put shelves up but they were wonky so I got said former flatmate to do them again.

I might have to NC now!

inmyslippers · 24/11/2021 20:20

Reversed into a park van. Thankfully no damage to the van but I needed a new bumper £350

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 24/11/2021 20:20

We go on holiday in three weeks, 2 days and currently awaiting two child passports. So hopefully not an expensive mistake. (One has been approved, the other we are still in processing. Submitted at the same time...)

whatstobecomeofus · 24/11/2021 20:21

I spent a fortune on custom made shoe orthotics for me and ds (hypermobile and severe pronation) and they fell apart after three months. I couldn't face going back to complain in case I was sold even more products.

Original poster
Roominmyhouse · 24/11/2021 20:21

@DaisyNGO

oh lord, only DP knows about this

I went on a practical DIY skills thinking I could get to a stage where I could be better at repairing stuff, e.g. a cupboard door off hinges, put shelves up, plastering.

I was awful. Spent £600 and only did half the course. I felt like Niles and Frasier on the car maintenance course.

there is no reason I should be incompetent with a drill. I am mortified.
When I had a flatmate, she did all the practical stuff while I stood around and made the tea, hence why I thought a course would save me money.

well, I did put shelves up but they were wonky so I got said former flatmate to do them again.

I might have to NC now!

Oh I love this, particularly the Frasier reference! 😆
OP posts:
Original poster
Roominmyhouse · 24/11/2021 20:22

@Aroundtheworldin80moves will keep my fingers crossed for you! 🤞🏻

OP posts:
MaybeAMoaner · 24/11/2021 20:25

While my son was at secondary school- for five whole years I had to pay £17 per week for the bus for him.
Three weeks after he completed and left school I found out he could have been getting the train (which is close to the bus stop) for £5.50 per week.

I can’t bring myself to put these figures in a calculator and see how much money I flipping wasted over those 5 years. Argh

DaisyNGO · 24/11/2021 20:33

OP when I left the course, I told the tutor "I can't carry on being the Niles of the course".

she didn't get the reference, which made me have to explain myself more!!!

Original poster
Roominmyhouse · 24/11/2021 20:36

@DaisyNGO oh no! 🙈

OP posts:
Aroundtheworldin80moves · 24/11/2021 20:39

Nearly 10 years ago a friend, DH and I paid to enter a big event. Around £100 per person. Plus travel, hotel etc

10 minutes in... I dislocate my knee and need to be carted off in an ambulance. DH needs to come with me. Friend doesn't want to/can't continue alone (it is a team event).

Its known as "the most expensive mile run ever" in our family.

EcoCustard · 24/11/2021 20:47

I ordered some expensive made to measure curtains however I put the wrong drop length in and ended up with curtains that dropped about 5cms from the pole. I cried a lot when I opened the box they arrived in. I ordered when I was 2 weeks post partum and suffering very much from sleep deprivation and brain fog. They cost about £140 non refundable, was gutted.

Scotabroad24 · 24/11/2021 20:47

Had a thread about this a while back.

I was 39 weeks pregnant and waiting for my new car, took a rental car for a week and stupidly didn't pay for fully comp insurance (was about 100€) thinking I couldn't possibly need it.
Drove the car straight into our gate post and managed to horrifically dent and take the paint off both doors and the back bumper. Checked the paperwork and the excess was 1500€.
Returned the car, cried my eyes out at my stupidity, the poor guy took pity on me and only charged me 400€. Still expensive but could have been much worse!

Thirstquenching · 24/11/2021 20:50

Booked the campsite in France for one date, the ferry on a different date and time off my work for another different date

Rhioplepog · 24/11/2021 20:52

Made to measure hand made blind for dining room. Arrived and I’d measured it to short. Could not send back and didn’t fit any other windows. I am still salty about it 5 years on!

SweatyYetti · 24/11/2021 20:55

Bought the wrong house, thought it was perfect at the time... Moved 2 years later and although the house did increase slightly in value it cost us more than any profit made to move but we were very unhappy there.

CorpusCallosum · 24/11/2021 20:58

Threw away a pile of envelopes left hanging around from DHs birthday opening sesh.

One contained £300 😵

We took joint responsibility.

Original poster
Roominmyhouse · 24/11/2021 21:00

@CorpusCallosum

Threw away a pile of envelopes left hanging around from DHs birthday opening sesh.

One contained £300 😵

We took joint responsibility.

Oh my!

Definitely found my people here!

OP posts:
ivegotthisyeah · 24/11/2021 21:01

@Thirstquenching

Booked the campsite in France for one date, the ferry on a different date and time off my work for another different date
Grinsorry this one wins 🤣
Dilbertian · 24/11/2021 22:18

Turned up for the wrong flight home. Right time, right airline, right terminal, wrong gate.

I had been travelling with my 10yo dd and our return flights had cost less than £200 in total. It cost us nearly £600 to get back home.

liveforsummer · 24/11/2021 22:25

I was to be bridesmaid at a friends wedding other side if the country. Chatting to other bridesmaid who referenced the date which then stuck in my head. Without double checking I booked return flights, train and hotel from Edinburgh to Brighton for me and 2 dc. Only later I thought to actually question it. No idea why, I'm normally so organised with travel. Thankfully the hotel let me move dates (at a big additional cost as correct weekend was Brighton pride and closer to the date rooms were at a premium. Ended up with 2 doubles also and cramming in to one as no family rooms left) train and flight admin fees were more than just re paying the tickets though. This was 6 years ago and still angry with myself 😆

MauveMavis · 24/11/2021 22:49

I lost a bag relating to my hobby.

It cost me >300 to replace the stuff in it. Some was sentimental and irreplaceable.

Happened 18months ago.
Still gutted.

2020isnotbehaving · 24/11/2021 22:54

Spent £400 on glasses at vision express after they wore me down for hours I wasn’t 100% on frames and all extras but was really shattered. They kept saying could change my mind if any problems etc when they arrived so big that when my head was back on wheelchair head rest they would flick up off my nose. Something I was trying point out at the time but assured me no all fine. When I complained denied all comments about being able to fit them to fit and refused give me a penny! Ended up throwing them in the box for glasses in Africa or some such appeal.

MountainDweller · 24/11/2021 23:00

More DH than me but I still feel bad about it! I got a new (to me) car this summer and the old one wasn't worth much but I decided to sell it anyway as a do-er upper. A guy from a garage came and looked at it and offered me a small amount. It saved us taking it to the tip so I said yes. He asked if I had winter tyres for it, I said yes and DH got them out of the garage, guy loads them up, paperwork completed and off he goes. A few months later when it's time to put the winter tyres on my new car, we went to get them out of the garage only to find we have handed over the tyres to the new car instead of the old one. So instead of making €100 the whole thing cost us €200 for new tyres (the ones we accidentally gave away had only been used for one season) BlushShock

supremelybaffled · 24/11/2021 23:04

Family member has been waiting and waiting for an interview for their dream job, after having passed preliminary rounds months ago. Got confirmation today - interview next week.

Being a bit nosey, I thought I'd read up on the company. I have just read on their website that this employer's terms specify no visible tattoos. Guess who went and got themselves a tattoo on Monday? I despair, I really do.

Discwriter · 24/11/2021 23:15

This thread makes me feel better. I foolishly took my 3 and 6yr old to an expensive theatre show yesterday. It was a 'relaxed showing' but still only managed to make it to the interval. I've learned my lesson and will now only spend money on renting the Paw Patrol movie AT HOME or suchlike until they're teenagers.