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!

Stanley Cup water bottles. They're about 50 quid. Gen Zs seem to be obsessed with them. I can think of a thousand other things to spend my hard-earned cash on

Completely agree with this. I think they must do it to appear to have a high status. To me it has the opposite effect. I could afford a £40 grand 4 wheel drive beast of a car, but I wouldn’t dream of buying one. What’s the point? Gas-guzzling, hard to park and the only people they impress are others who have fallen for the same crap and also have expensive big cars! I just think people who drive them look shallow and a bit thick - certainly bad with money. My car is worth about £4,000 and is perfect for me and really nice to drive. Think of all the things you could do with the money you save on not looking like a twat! There is nowt as strange as folks.

We've rehomed 8 cats over the years, and all have been lovely. We don't live the life of saints, but we don't live very near a major road either. Never had a problem with the rehoming process.

I personally don't get Botox, long fancy nails, lip fillers, tattoos, big holes in your ears, tongue piercing, fruit flavoured vapes, expensive hols just to lie on the beach, lots of designer stuff if you have to get into debt to buy them, second homes (who wants to go to the same place every year?), big angry dogs. But maybe I'm just old!

Agreed, if you have allocated seats.

I don't know if the airlines that operate this sort of system allocate seats in advance but if they don't, I can see why you might want to get on first to get near the front, so you're first off into the post-Brexit passport queues ;) But if you already have an allocated seat it does seem pointless.

Oh but it is. The expensive dog breed is the latest fashion accessory.

I have found my people! Agree with so many of these. It often strikes me what a weak and easily led society we are and how we follow the pack with 'designer' stuff and stupid crazes like big lips and crazy eyebrows. I hate the culture of 'want' over 'need' and the idea of folk taking out credit for flash cars and big tellies is madness. Live to your means.
But you're not taking my holidays away from me or my one takeaway coffee treat a week!

Some of these comments are just misinformed and a little bit silly

No you can’t buy a reliable car for a couple of hundred quid anymore, stop being ridiculous. It would be old with high emissions, massive milage and struggle to find parts to fix it. It’s not just cost effective.

Holidays to far flung places might seem really expensive but if you want to see the world it is going to be expensive whichever way you look at it, as it’s a long way to travel and then you stay there longer because of the distance and that costs too. One of things that isn’t necessarily frivolous it just comes at a cost. I don’t think travelling to new places is unnecessary.

New build houses, where do you plan to house people (in a growing population) if you don’t understand you have to build them in the first place. You can’t buy a new old house can you?!

Edit to add…chopped vegetables, think outside the box. “It’s much easier just to chop it yourself”. Yeah tell that to someone with one hand, arthritis, EDS etc.

You were really hoping to catch me out with this one 😄

I have visited most of the state quite extensively from childhood to my early 30s, with friends and family scattered all over the state but mostly in the north-west (Pensacola and Ft Walton Beach) and over in Ft Lauderdale. I also covered the area as a travel journalist for four years so I’ve probably seen the best of the state doing that.

I would happily spend a fortnight on Sanibel Island in the autumn but I honestly can’t understand people who go to Florida every year when there is a whole lovely world out there. Throw in the current political climate and I might not even bother with that.

I was a bit sceptical into a client bought me one for Christmas. Now I drag it everywhere with me. Full of icy filtered water.

You’re doing Florida wrong then 😆

I don’t go for the parks. I go for paddle boarding or kayaking the springs; snorkeling; road trips through the keys, walking the nature preserves and horseback riding through the saw palmetto forests.
It really is spectacular and far away from those Disney crowds…although I might pop to see Epic.

I dont care if people send their offspring to Private Schools. It is up to them

Private Schools are status symbols for a lot if people and always have been An old class breeding ground for one upmanship and snottiness..

As in my child is better educated and more intelligent than yours because they went to Private School. Even if the kids are really thick

Lets say they serve their purpose

Lets put it in a scenario as that might help. Couple have 4 children, they all need new school uniform for the start of term, buy too early and they might be too small so they have to be bought end of August. Uniform & PE kit for each child comes to £50 and shoes for each child £30. That’s £80 per child or £320 in total. The parents have a regular fixed income but also have a car that needs servicing/MOT/taxing the same month, they have a couple of birthdays, they want to start putting money into savings ready for Christmas and they need the boiler servicing to ensure their insurance stays valid going into winter. At checkout they are offered Klarna, to split the cost over 3 months at £106.67p per month or pay the full amount of £320 upfront. Do they pay it in lump now and leave themselves overdrawn for this month and potentially have a greater impact on their credit or spread it at no extra cost to soften the blow for what are essential items for their children?

Good point, if I had a private plane I doubt a few theme park entrance fees would make much of a dent in my millions.

Sadly my private PLATE (bought by my ex) doesn't put me anywhere near that category, but your comment gave me a good giggle 🤣🤣

Florida isn’t my type of holiday. But I completely understand why someone else would love it

I think you probably missed my answer, but I have spent way more time in Florida than the average person and I still don’t get it.

I do it right by going very occasionally and not staying too long.

There’s a lot I would choose not to spend money on but most times it’s obvious why others would. I am also guilty of spending on things I don’t necessarily need so mainly I think spend your cash on what you like and don’t feel guilty.
What ‘I don’t get’ is parents who spend on things like Botox, nails, eyebrows, eyelash tints, sunbeds etc whilst their children don’t have enough clothes or decent shoes and coats.

I wasn't trying to catch you out. I was interested as my first step in Florida was in 1980 and I have been going to various parts of it since then. I also owned a house on the West coast at one point. I have ventured into other Southern states but they don't have the same vibe for me and there are so many vibes to get in the state. Politics 🤷‍♀️ it's not noticeable unless you look hard.

PVC windows and front doors

How come? They’re practical in our damp climate.

Well I do! Both mine were state-educated.

Takeaways, not so much. Twice a year at most for us.

I’ve worked in both and teachers can actually teach in private schools. Disruption would not be tolerated because parents are not paying those fees to have time wasted by the class clown, or worse.

i got to know many parents and in my experience none of them were motivated by what you call snottiness. They were extremely hard-working professionals who wanted a good education for their children. They were also good people - liberal-minded and supportive of the charitable projects at the school, particularly those which provided bursaries for less affluent families. Your judgment is unfair.

Both mine were state-educated but I don’t feel bitter or resentful about those who could afford private schools.

But the squeeze on these schools will eventually push out the middle class families and private schools will become the preserve of the international mega-rich. I don’t think that’s a good thing.

I don't think they're as strict with cats as they are with dogs @Jaxhog

Gambling. I don't get it at all.

Ah, I just went back and read your experience there - it is extensive. I guess we’re all different.

I am 44 and I started visiting FL in 1991 and get to spend around 6 - 9 weeks a year there. So I’ve spent a significant amount of time in the sunshine state for a tourist. The only years we haven’t been are Covid years and that broke my heart. I have been to many other countries; Greece, Italy, France, The Bahamas, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and lots of other places, but none feel like FL to me.

But what makes the world interesting is that we’re all different and it clearly doesn’t have the same impact on you.

Nothing in the world like kayaking past a gator though!

Happy travels to other places. I’m going ‘home’ in just 10 days. Whoop!

Then get those people who buy new cars and they straddle between two bays as so scared that get dents and scratches. If that concerned, don’t get an expensive car then!