talk to me if you stupidly bought something £££ you couldnt really afford

[WhyDidIDiddle]

In my defence, I have had a horrible time featuring death which has left me on a swing between dark depression and f*ck it do it now you might be dead tomorrow.

I bought a pair of shoes that I really liked but were a ridiculous amount to spend on shoes of any kind. I feel a bit sick when I think of it. I will keep them as its not bankrupting but it is stupid out of the savings money. I do like them but it was really really really stupid. No one should spend that much on a pair of shoes.

Hoping I am not alone and someone can make me feel a bit better with similar tale that didn't end horribly.

It doesn't compare to the cutlery (🤣) but I just got my first TOAST jumper in the sale and at £140 it definitely felt like a splurge but I treated myself anyway.

Yes my kids have "lost" (binned) so many fucking teaspoons out of my lovely set that cost £500 and I thought that was a lot!

I’ve spent 5k on mud control mats for the coral area of my stables.

It has made my life so much easier and given a dry area for my horses but I know it was a lot.

I could have got a cheaper version but I went for the top of the range as I didn’t want my horse’s feet to go through them.

I did kit three field shelters out in them too (a big area).

Do not feel bad about your shoes OP. Every time I feel like I was mad I think back to wading through mud and getting stuck with wellies, wheelbarrows and the sheer misery I had before them.

Excellent thread. Enjoy your shoes OP!

@edwinbear absolutely lovely story, thanks for sharing.

I can’t think of one single item I’ve spent a lot on but I’m a total knobhead when it comes to starting one hobby and getting bored and starting another. Paints, screen printing, paper cutting, resin…most recent one with crochet and I have four half finished jumpers and all their associated yarn just sitting in my bedroom. Just can’t be arsed 😁

I recently spent £450 on a jacket - I bought it online and thought it was a proper jacket but it’s actually more like a top as the woolen material is very light and sheer. When I opened it I immediately planned to return. I tried it on and I think it’s one of the nicest pieces of clothing I’ve ever worn… so I’m keeping it. And I still don’t have a jacket and now can’t afford one. (But I did get several compliments when I wore my new top out yesterday!)

Treating yourself well if you can afford it is not stupidity.

To me too. I just missed a long distance flight

What a fabulous thread. Love the cutlery.
Adore the cats.

I am a frugal person married to another frugal person. Wish I had bought some lovely furniture when I had the chance to!

I was brought up by my grandad

When I was about 13,I came home to find my father's sister (no aunt of mine) had put him in a home as he had early dementia and everything I owned was in a skip

My clothes,old toys,shoes,school books,school uniform,san-pro-everything I owned (and I didn't have much)

I ended up back at my parents who refused to replace anything and I had to work like hell to buy most bits back (like my school uniform and books) but couldn't afford to buy my old toys back

Years later I discovered ebay and bought every single one of my toys back (plus the ones I didn't have)

Cost me a fortune but makes me very happy

They mean nothing to anyone else but to me they are priceless

And dp dusts them for me so it's a win-win

I love this thread but it's really made me realise how much I struggle with spending on unnecessary things.
We certainly spend a lot on travel but anything else I look for the cheapest possible and go without so much.

In my 20s I had very little money but now I have a good chunk of disposable income every month and a lot of savings and I still think exactly the same. I panic at unexpected costs and frantically try and work out how to make the money back.
I love buying clothes but they are always cheap, I don't think I could spend over £50 on an item.
I'm trying to get better, enjoy your purchases ladies!

Just make sure you wear and enjoy them, OP - no ‘keeping for best’!

Haha! Yes it is very cat! I adored him,such a personality.🐱🐈‍⬛ For heaven's sake don't mention it to your furry overlord, you'll be pestered without remorse!

I am glad to read that other people buy expensive items and then don't use/wear them because they are 'too expensive'.
I splashed out on a pair of Tiffany sunglasses (circa £300) about 5 years ago to make working for utter bastards feel worth it. I didn't really have that kind of money to spare.
Although I love them they have stayed in their case safely at home in case I drop them, damage them, or lose them.
Silly isn't it.

A bobsleigh salt and pepper? Looks tacky, whatever it cost.

Don't the men also deserve a treat, even in the man-hating community of MN?

And I know one of the owners of this company too. Great man.

New & Pre-Loved Cashmere Ilkley

Does £30k on a degree that I don’t need for my job count? (Plus the £100k in lost paid working hours over the 3 years 🙄)

Yeah, it's the Aspreys tag that makes the price, though even that wouldn't be worth that on the resale value. If yours is early 19th century, have you checked out the actual maker, from the marks, as some are very collectable.

I have cutlery we bought in 1975, nothing fancy but we liked it and a dinner service we bought at the same time to which I've added over the years via ebay.

Ha, yes, thank you!!! I seem to remember Jill putting lipstick on to go to the auction and 'feeling very grown up'... and didn't a kindly Retired Major type tell her that Pedro looked like he had 'good lines' under all the dirt and advised her on how to bid?

Ditto, the rest of my brain is munge, probably from too many falls on my head, and this is all I will remember when I take up residence in the Home for the Bewildered... 😄

(Weren't the illustrations wonderful though?) 🐴

I've recently realised some of the stuff I've had for decades costs an absolute bloody fortune now.

I got some Le Creuset pans in my early 20s and a set of Denby plates and bowls. Yes, they were not cheap, but they certainly weren't "how can I justify this" type prices. Both were in Debernham sales and we were on pretty low wages at the time so we definitely didn't spend a fortune on them.

Now the casserole pot goes for £280 and plates are over £20 each.

TWO HUNDRED ANDS EIGHTY QUID. For a cooking pot. I own two of the buggers (got my parents' one when they decided it was too heavy) and I have a dreadful feeling they'll be the most valuable things my kids inherit by the time I drop dead.

Dh and I went to Switzerland as an anniversary treat. Saw a watch he liked. It was probably a decimal place in the wrong direction in comparison to the prices we usually buy gifts at. But we live quite frugally so thought “why not?”. He liked the idea of giving something sentimental to our son for his 21st.

Dh got robbed the first day he wore back at work in London. He texted me on the train whether it was best to put it in his laptop bag or keep it hidden under his coat. He had forgotten to take it off.

Shit happens.

I grew up with a dad who was terminally ill. Many years under a cloud. I am very good at not sweating the small stuff which has no material impact on life. Everyone still breathing and healthy? Roof over our heads? Great, let’s crack on then.

We bought Georgia O'Keeffe prints at the Museum in Santa Fe which then cost us 10x their price to have framed locally in UK but I still love them.

OP, those shoes are great and I hope you wear them every chance you can! I completely understand that sick feeling though. Once you’ve worn them a few times it’ll be all positive associations though 😊

@TimeForATerf I have recently joined the fountain pen club (not in the MB league) and may I gently say - use it! It might as well be lost if it’s just sitting in a drawer.

I always try to employ the “sunk cost” fallacy if I have buyer’s regret - the money is gone, might as well get whatever benefit you can. Thanks everyone for the interesting stories!

My late MIL would always bring out some elegant fish knives when we visited, to eat our chippy tea with!