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.

£400 worth of unspun yarn. Many many kg in case you're wondering how much roving 400 quid gets you.
I then had to buy a spinner.

Both yarn and spinner have lived in my loft for 2 years now

I bought a macbook years ago, on interest free credit. Hated it as always used Windows. Hardly used it and begrudge the monthly payments.

About £1500 on a quilt, plus another small fortune on shipping and import taxes from the US. It's beautiful and I'm glad I own it but 4 years on it's still packed away safely because I don't want it getting worn or dirty.

I bought that shortly after my mum died - I'm detecting a theme!

I imagine spending that much on it the cutlery means you're extra careful about not putting the teaspoons in the bin - that happened a lot with DMs teaspoons, I'd have a yogurt, pot in the sink, spoon in the bin.

If my parents had cutlery that expensive I'd probably have just eaten with my hands... 😅

Yep in our house the cutlery seems to go missing and needs to be replaced every couple of years.

If I'd spent £20k I'd be counting them in and out of the drawers.

Does 20k cutlery just go in the drawer or in a display case somewhere?!

Is "mid wife crisis" a typo?

Because if it's not, it's my new favourite saying.

@WhyDidIDiddle Don't worry about it. You can wear them while you're on Mumsnet or browsing for cruet.

Resin jewellery and ornament crafting has cost me a small fortune [to me] to buy everything I needed and probably went o.t.t with what I thought id need. There is a small spark of joy at times yes, as I've spent so much I'm going to see where it goes though.

We went a bit OTT at the Chelsea Flower show about 30 years ago and bought a hugely expensive, (as well as just plain huge) garden umbrella, all ultra sturdy gorgeous, polished wood mast and fixings and a beautiful cream canvas top, it looked like a galleon in full sail.

It was around a grand, AFAICR. Yes, over 30 years ago...
The trouble was, the mice also took a liking to it while it was stored in the garage and one summer when we got it out and opened it up the sail looked more like a giant cobweb.

I can't imagine just piling them up in a drawer. Presumably they'd be kept in their canteen?

I sometimes feel that money is wasted on the rich.

Not as much as some on here but I stupidly fell for online advertising and bought two drastically reduced cashmere jumpers from a retailer which is supposedly quality stuff from a European site. They arrived and one was OK but not as nice as I'd hoped, and the other was polyester and elastane so I attempted to send them back (I was offered exchange or a refund if I returned them). Cost to return them - to China - is nearly £30 and it has to be tracked. The woman in the PO said it's a complete scam and they will try to say the parcel was lost and won't refund anyway so to consider selling the decent one on Vinted (I'd have to get a friend to do it) and give the other away.
I'm really annoyed with myself because I don't usually go for new brands unless they're recommended. I should have known better!

Right,, it's in the basket ...20k cutlery

😆😆😆😆😆😆😆

This is the sort of thing I'd do.

12k on a trip to WDW Florida when I got a life changing diagnosis for my daughter, she was my baby after a loss and we nearly lost her in the nicu then in the month before her heart stopped and was told she had a congenital heart condition that was life limiting….. I was in shock. I had went out for a coffee and booked the trip in a shocked haze of she’s only young once. We did have the best time and I don’t regret it. As a single parent it was HARD to pay for it but I’d do it again

@WhyDidIDiddle I think the shoes make me feel so bad because they aren't things that last in that way generally because they wear out even if repaired.

Expensive shoes last longer though, and don't lose their shape. I still have a pair of very dark navy suede Bally shoes, wedge heel, from the mid-to-late 80s. I wore them a lot for years (though not in rain/snow, because suede!) but they remained almost like new. Out of curiosity I've just tried them on - they lurk in the wardrobe these days - and bloody hell, 40 years on they are so comfortable!

Your son has great taste in cars! Hope he gets lots of enjoyment out of it. They ate ace.

You know you can get decent seond hand cars for 10k?

We couldn’t afford the canteen as well! They are individually wrapped up in tissue and kept in the (free) velvet roll we got with them.

OP - can we see your lovely shoes! 🙏

I bought a persian kitten for 1k once. I was having a nervous breakdown (literally), and needed comfort. It helped a lot but he got run over 2 years later. Devo.

But I could ill afford him, but he would have been worth 10 times more...

I suspected horses might come up. Went racing. Brought a racehorse.

While pregnant and hormonal bought a £3,000 armchair from Heals (a classic, which I got had them upholster in deep pink designer guild velvet).

No regrets re chair. Still my favourite thing I own 15 years later. Ended up with a few more legs of racehorses before deciding I preferred riding them.

Some Eames kitchen chairs in the same era (double income no kids!). Still as good as new and beautiful.

I balance it all out nowadays by buying my designer stuff in charity shops.

I’ve spent quite a lot on really great cutlery in the past. It lasts a lifetime and it’s heavy and beautiful.

I also got a gold plated set for 10p each in a charity shop last month.

My previous forays into high end stuff in the past has worked out well because I have a good eye now in my charity shop era!

I’ve spent approx 2.5K on 4 handbags over the years. One I used to death, one I use less but still love and will have it for years. One I’ve used once and one I have to my mum who hardly uses it. Don’t really regret it but I do sometimes think two of them were a waste of money. As I’m getting older I’m more about spending money on holidays / experiences. I could never afford stupid money for holidays but I’m currently saving for a 6K holiday to Italy and then a 10K trip to Costa Rica which is a lot for me but when I hear what some people spend on holidays I think it isn’t too bad.

On a whim, I spent £750 on a handbag. We live in a small village where everyone knows everyone. Would have felt a bit ‘look at me!’ using it round here, so only ever used it when we were away somewhere. Felt guilty every time I saw it in my wardrobe.

Sold it on Vinted for £375 and used the money to take my daughter to see Sabrina Carpenter.

That is still a thousand pounds a year… for cutlery…

I bought a skirt at an international airport aboit 16 years ago. I made a mistake with the currency exchange calculation and the skirt ended up costing me about £400. I was mortified when I realised.

But, I’ve worn that skirt over and over. I always get compliments on it. It looks as gorgeous now as it did then.

So, maybe it was meant to be.
And maybe your expensive shoes will bring you much joy too OP 🙏