What stupid stuff do you waste money on?

[SammyTheDog]

For me it's candles, and clothes in Primark that I'll either never wear, or wear once and chuck in the charity bag. Or getting tipsy on a night out and ordering (and paying for) expensive shots for everyone. I often wonder how much money I'd have for my retirement if I didn't spend so much on crap. Anyone else do this?

I'm addicted to beautiful cross stitch kits from Etsy and those things don't come cheap. But I get bored of them so quickly.

Ah yes, another of my addictions uncovered. But I rarely buy them brand new, I love hunting for them in charity shops. And not just Folio Society either, I love adopting beautiful hardback books and bringing them home to live with me. Our old dining room is now a bona fide little library, I must have nearly a thousand books in there. I've asked for a book embossing gadget for my birthday and can't wait to play with it.

And, there's take out coffee of course, at least once a day if not twice. Especially if it's from a little, quirky independent coffee shop. It's ridiculous as we have a fancy Nespresso at home and several travel mugs. Yet still I buy them.

I don't see these things as wastes of money tbh. Little things which make you happy and help you enjoy your one, short life, (especially things which don't have a big carbon footprint like secondhand books and coffees in small indie coffee shops), just aren't a problem or waste to me at all

Edited to correct spelling error!

No my mother was a spender and hoarder that ended in a divorce from my step dad.

Really?
I knew about stuffing it in your pants drawer-my mother used to do it
I didn't know about curing it-thank you

Clothes and shoes mainly. But I also return quite a few items and then regard that, in girl math terms, as having saved money! I also order in food when I can't be bothered to cook. I try to limit that to once a week. But I realise it's expensive/wasteful.

Costa coffee trips. It's so expensive now but still go for some reason.

I spend this on the odd game every so often. For the development costs, it's well worth it. Especially as I always pick ones with good pay to play ratios - I expect £2 to give me a good hour of entertainment minimum.

Books are not a waste of money unless you never get to read them!

I'm picturing a glamorous and slightly raddled Princess Margaret type

I'm an Aliexpress addict. Lots of random stuff like elastic to help keep bed sheets on, hair bands, ribbons, swimming towels, charging cables, party supplies, light up toys. Most stuff gets used and everything is cheap, but sometimes I've been too busy to shop and managed fine without those things!

I am good at not spending money on takeaway coffee or meals.

Same here!!

Pretty napkins.
Pretty candles that I refuse to light as they’re so pretty.
Pretty wrapping paper.
Ribbons for presents.
Gift bags.
Pretty notebooks I don’t need.

I don’t use most of the above items, but kind of collect them as I want to use them, but then they’ll be gone and I can’t look at them anymore. I think I need therapy - again!

@SprinkleOfSunak you don't need therapy, just display shelves. These things are art, to you. You need two piles, some to display and some to use.

I've thought about this and there's no one thing I wate money on. I guess I don't need a collection of anything, so all my collections could be said to be wasteful? My biggest thing though has to be clothes. I split from my controlling partner and experimented with my style for a few years, since I could. I made some expensive mistakes and have donated some items with the tags still on them. As someone who grew up with nothing, this feels shocking to me.

CBD oil.

Books
candles
home bargain hauls

Second hand craft and sewing books,all craft materials especially fabric. Have a massive collection of perfume, to be fair mainly from a few years ago when it was possible to get bargains!
I've cut right down though. I won't be working much longer though as in my mid 70s, bracing myself for tough times.
Biggest expense are the pets,especially vets bills. They are my priority now.

Defo take out coffee ☕️

Ooh the clothes buying is horrendous for the environment 😢

They’re so worth it when they come-up though aren’t they? 🙂

Oh dear lord… I am not even sure where to start, but craft supplies probs comes top of the list! 😂

During lockdown I stopped buying 'stuff' (shops closed, no deliveries etc) and stuck to it. In 9 mo I'd cleared my overdraft and saved quite a bit. Was very pleased with myself.

Nowadays my frivolous spending is vintage tat that I definitely don't need, but it's sooo pwetty I just have to have it

Like the rustic style egg timer which floats in a bubble of water and is made from an old Lancashire loom shuttle. 🤔

For me it’s fabric. I sew and make mine and my husbands clothes. I am care ful about the fabric I buy though. I tend to stick with good quality organic natural fibres and oeko tex which indicates that harmful chemicals have not been used in the production. I seek to be more frugal, but it’s tough.

Books.
Knitting yarn (it's stuffed in every conceivable hiding place so my family don't find out what a Yarn Freak I am).
Nice clothes made from natural fibres.
Euromillions tickets - one a week ( two, if Tuesday's jackpot is massive). I definitely get more than £2.50 worth of enjoyment looking at the beautiful houses and gorgeous stuff I could buy with my winnings. (It does occasionally cross my mind to think of charitable donations/helping family, but then I think 'Oooh, I could have a tiara!' and forget all about being benevolent and generous.)

Clothes!! Particularly dresses for work and going out. I very rarely pay full price - usually Ebay or sales with at least 30% off. I also like accessories, scarves etc.