to ask you what things people spend money on that you just don't understand?

[FeelinTwentySixPointTwo]

This isn't a judgey thread or a bashing thread. People are absolutely free to spend their money on whatever they choose. Horses for courses.

But that said.. what expensive things do you see other people spending their money on that you simply don't "get"?

Mine is personalised numberplates. Cannot compute why anyone would care what combo of numbers or letters is on their car.

Interested to see what others think!

How on earth can a private GP be a waste of money. If you can’t see an NHS one when you need to it’s worth every penny

There are things I wouldn’t buy even if my funds were unlimited and there are things that I currently think are ‘a waste of money’ that I’d totally buy if I had more free cash to burn.

This is really all about taste and people showing their taste with their spending choices. I wouldn’t thank you for a trip to Disneyland, a cruise, or an all inclusive in the Maldives because they don’t suit my interests - I get why they suit other people. I happily spend my money on the types of holidays that suit me.

The thing with private plates, is I notice them and I constantly see the same ones around my area. And I go, oh there’s the car that lives around the corner, oh they’re always in Sainsbury’s car park, oh they go to this gym, oh they’re visiting the pet shop today, etc.

I wouldn’t want my car to be so recognisable everywhere I went.

Agree. I've had 2 brand new cars in my 55 years and one new build house, as well as older, second hand versions of both.

The newbuild house we still live in and is the best house I've ever had, and we also got a great price on it. The cars were both really good deals too.

It was also nice to be able to choose the exact options we wanted, for both the house and our current car.

I also like decent quality food and clothes. All of these things improve the quality of my everyday life. I think holidays are worthwhile too and can understand the expense if it's something you really want to do. I also try and buy decent quality stuff that I hope will last, but I'm not really keen on shopping or adding to the pile of landfill, so I'm willing to pay more.

Other than that, we are very frugal. We don't spend money on takeaways, restaurants, coffee out, beauty treatments/haircuts, expensive gadgets, expensive TV subscriptions, expensive mobiles.

I personally can't understand why people pay to go to the cinema surrounded by people making noise eating expensive popcorn sitting in an uncomfortable chair, when I can watch a film relaxing on my sofa with my own food at home and get up to wee when I want. But I don't really understand why people pay for entertainment. Maybe I'm weird!

If I'm going out to do something, I want it to involve socialising or exercise like hiking/walking, or a combination of both, which is free and the best entertainment. One of my favourite things to do in my free time is to go on a long walk in the countryside with a friend or DH.

Because i wanted a certain breed, blank canvas with the markings i like looking at every day.

I've spent years re-training client horses caused by people's f-ups, i wasn't going to spend time retraining a dog when i could train it right first time!

Also, we don't meet the "criteria" most rescues set even though our dog has an amazing fun filled life

I have the opposite opinion. What’s the point of buying a glass of wine in a bar when I can buy a bottle and drink it at home, likewise I have both gin and tonic at home. However I don’t have a huge selection of spirits, fruit juices and garnishes to make lots of different cocktails, so I’ll often choose a cocktail. There’s not much price difference really, I might choose a beer if I want to save money.

Expensive handbags
Holidays to Dubai
"Aesthetic" treatments that are very obvious
Personalised numberplates

Going to pubs. Why would I want to spend twice the price for a drink to be surrounded by noisy people when I could enjoy it in the privacy of my home.

TV subscriptions. Some people I know seem to have every one available and binge watch endlessly. We were gifted a 6 month Netflix subscription and barely watched anything

Totally agree. Nailed it thank you!

Sure but understanding why and agreeing why are different things. I understand why people think that paying for private school is worth it but I don’t agree that a lot of the reasons people give are valid or are true. (I’ve been to both so I know). In my opinion it’s a waste of money - other people can disagree. I also understand some people live in areas where they feel it’s their only choice. But again where I am results are better at local state schools. So no, I don’t agree but I do understand:

Coffee.....

I’ve had Ikea ones for years in the past and never had that problem. Do you seal them twice a year. For me that’s the only faff tbh.

I get priority boarding when I book additional cabin luggage as part of the deal.

i agree that it hardly seems worth it on its own but when it comes with the package, obviously I’m going to use it.

Try explaining that to my ultra-competitive relative though. Whenever we’ve been on a flight together and I’ve gone through priority boarding on account of my additional carry on, she shrieks at me from her seat LOOK, I MADE IT ON JUST AS FAST/BEFORE YOU/JUST BEHIND YOU.

🙄🙄🙄

Make up I just don't get it neither do I have patience to plaster make up in just to go for pint of milk. Lol

Fleece tops with wolves on.

I disagree. Whitening can be really subtle. I do mine every couple of years and in no way looks fake bright luminescent teeth.

Same, mine are naturally quite yellow and I drink a lot of coffee. Whitening them just looks like I’ve cleaned them!

You can go for Tom Cruise blinding white but most people just go a shade or two lighter and you wouldn’t know.

Five Guys.

Had it yesterday as was the choice of the people I was with (I wasn't paying). The burgers are like £11. Its a burger. It's a burger.

Also I'm vegetarian and the veggie burger was a sandwich of vegetables. It wasn't a patty. It was vegetables on bread and a piece of that plastic cheese you get at McDonalds. I mean it was ok, I ate it, to be polite.

I need to see the markup on that sandwich. I need an itemized receipt.

Botox / fillers

some people are buying into a trend and if we know nothing about the trend we wouldn’t understand why these people are spending their money on certain things.

Take those big reusable cups with a lid and a straw coming out of them made by Stanley. I see them everywhere and assume it must be an instagram thing (I don’t do instagram). They look like giant tommee tippee cups - totally ludicrous- but I assume it must be a trend I’m blissfully unaware of. People get sucked into making themselves look daft just because they want to follow a trend. Just like lip fillers.

Netflix is about £8 a month. It's the only entertainment I pay for. I don't see what the issue is.

I don't do veg boxes, but I imagine that everyone lives close to a farm shop...

Prosecco is quite cheap and actually nicer than champagne so I'd argue it's only champagne that's a waste of money.
Also I barely get a hangover with Prosecco, despite what people say about bubbly drinks.

I don't hate them, but I only order one for myself once in a blue moon. If I don't want to cook there are loads of cheaper options and if I want to pay restaurant prices, I want to sit in the restaurant.

OMG. There is so much variety of home food you need to try if you think it's 'nearly always nicer' lol.
Restaurants are mainly for socialising anyway, not for the food itself for me, but I also sometimes like just getting a change of scene on my own.

Yes, but before so many people started whitening their teeth, we didn't think everyone with natural teeth looks like a 'snaggle toothed old fogey'. Slightly teeth are normal!

I missed whoever said pre-prepared veg. That's a really good thing!

The shite you see on FB like
Boo Baskets at Halloween
OTT Xmas eve boxes
Easter hampers with helium balloons etc
Valentines Day presents and hampers for kids