biggest wastes of money in modern life and how to avoid!!

[domesticgodless]

The excellent frugality thread yesterday made me ponder the biggest 'money pits' which suck up our hard-earned.

I looked in my own wardrobe. At least 3 'party' type dresses probably worth £80 each but the most I will fetch on ebay for the lot is about £20. FAIL

I also looked at my dresser. Topped with lots of rather pretty potions and creams. I've got no way of proving they didn't work. Presumably I'd look even older without them (?!). But total value of all toiletries, particularly 'anti-aging' stuff, in my house is probably £200 and is it worth it? I suspect not and I'd look better if I just got fresh air and exercise more often...

Today was passed on motorway by a gleaming 4x4 with a personalised numberplate. Why?? Why spend money on that when you could have a less glamorous car with a normal numberplate and more, er, other things you like like a nice holiday?

I think the other major money pit in our lives is probably DIY/Home improvements (particularly when done by workmen/builders: it's like 'open your wallet and repeat after me: help yourself). I spent a fortune 'improving' 2 houses in London when I was married. I left each shortly afterwards, my ex got the last one after 18 months in it and it's now a complete bachelor pit complete with falling-down curtains :D I distinctly remember spending a fortune fitting cherry-wood cupboards in the kitchen of one place which clearly did not improve value of house. FAIL

More suggestions welcome.

Designer anything
Regular takeaways
Ditto regular coffee from Starbucks etc
Expensive face creams
Loads of different magazines or papers when they all say the same thing
New books - charity shop for me
Speedy boarding/reserved seats on airlines (last essential if you have young kids but adults can happily sit apart for a couple of hours surely
Personalised number plates - unless they are VERY funny
Pandora braclets - why would you want the same thing as everyone else and pay through the nose for it.

Shoes that yo can hardly walk in but look nice. Expensive cooking ingredients for a recipe, that you only need two drops off. at £100 for beginners knitting. Join a knitting chat group if you want to learn or look up youtube or buy a knitting magazine. I've always wanted a Kitchenaid. They look so nice. But I know I'd hardly ever use it.

That's why I buy my party dresses from ebay - I let someone else do the "sale bargain" thing.

Oh I forgot - Warhammer figures - as an early teen DS went on & on about them and used LOTS of pocket money to buy them as they are very pricey for not much.
Played with some of them a few times and others never even got painted before he became bored with them. Probably the most money we ever spent on toys which never really got played with. I know that some of your kids will have them & love them but certainly an expensive waste of money in our house. Cheap plastic figures from Woolies or Poundstretcher provided more far happy hours.

TV licence... don't really understand why anyone bothers with this any more now we have iplayer etc!

Erm, because Iplayer is from the BBC and still needs to be paid for out of the licence fee :)

Agree on coffee from Starbucks etc, designer handbags and personalised number plates, they always look stupid, don't see the point

Special fragranced water for ironing. Someone I know uses it all the time and it must cost a fortune. It fills the chamber up only three times and then you have to buy another bottle. Complete waste of money IMO.

Hmm, yes, from my post above:

"cinema (though we do go cause DD likes it, I'd rather stay home with no other people!)"

And guess what we did today, and who prompted it. Then she pesters me for humungously expensive popcorn . I gave in because she had a friend along, so I bought some between the three of them. But that's not enough, she wants drinks as well. Refused that, refused to let her buy drinks with her own money (would be about a month's pocket money I expect) and was almost regretting the whole thing. Yes I'm a curmudgeon and would rather have stayed home.

newspapers/magazines
alcohol
cigarettes
labelled clothing
brand new cars
and i hate to say it but pets -they cost so much money. i couldn't be without mine now i have them but if i dont think i would choose to have them now if i didn't have them already.

and junk food. specifically crisps for me.

TV license. Not required to pay it if you just watch online as long as it isnt live.
Party dresses. Buy mine on Ebay.
Cigarettes.
New cars
Pre made sandwiches, just why ?
People who buy bottles of pop all the time. Just bring your own !
Heating - layer up.

My hair isn't wavy or curly, it's coarse and kinky. It looks like complete SHIT without straighteners.

Lots of cushions. They're nothing but a nuisance. I got some made to match some new bedroom curtains. I wish I'd not bothered.

@ nuisance cushions. I bet they look lovely though!

coffees. take away and sit in coffees with a snack .. you could buy your lunch or dinner sometimes for the amount it comes to. ive stopped and hopefully will save....

Meals out. I rarely eat out anywhere these days and think that was worth the money.
We paid £65 for a family meal out this week and it was poor to average. Pizzas etc. last night dh and I had a night in without the kids I cooked salmon, roast potatoes in rosemary, green beans in fresh mint and made a lemon and dill sauce and it was fantastic.
Eating out is now a rip off.

See I think meals out are worth spending money on, but I don't take children, and I do use Tesco club card vouchers.

Mostly things from Cath Kidston, yes they look pretty but it's a tea towell ffs. Likewise Emma Bridgwater ceramics. Will it make my life better? No. I have to remind myself of this often.

With you redadmiral - Tinternet.

I should be making sweet love to dh instead - there is a lot of pointed 'going to bed now' activity happening while I post on here and listen to Psy on the headphones.

Hair dye (salon or home) - your natural colour suits you the best, and you don't have to keep paying for highlights.

And yes to the dress thing. I try and think about cost per wear now instead. Just bought a cashmere jumper that I expect to keep me warm for years until dc destroy it for £60 and a dress for a friend's wedding for £35.

I have a pet hate at the moment about branding... The amount that some big companies spend on their brand is shocking, it adds nothing to the product it si just to get you to buy it. If I see a big flashy advert I now dont buy the product!

kiwigirl thanks ! just signed up to the eboook thing.
Agree with all about teh coffee shop and nought sanfdwiches. My colleaguse send a fortune on them, whil I have a much healthier lunches I bring in - takes no longer to make at home than I would queue for anyway

Baby Things (we are due in march)
It is so shocking how expensive this stuff is! A friend just had a baby and bought a brand new bugaboo- at £800. With an extra 125 for the car seat, which she insists on using instead of the stuff that came with the wheels. So she spent 800 quid on wheels.
I have a lot of second hand stuff (moses basket and stand, highchair, baby swing and baby bjorn carrier- retail £285, I spent £50) I am getting fed up with people turning their noses up at me. Its clean and works- why would I buy a new one? and most of it is blue, and obviously my baby girl will grow up with a complex cos her baby swing is blue!!
And I spend waaay too much on takeaways. That is the one thing I really need to stop.

Face cream -just use E45 wilko version and a sun block mixed in
Kitchen roll- how did your granny manage without?
Facials-put your own cream on (see face cream)
Magazines- paying for adverts? Why?
Expensive makeup-I use boots naturals £2 for a mascara
Books- library has loads and you can request
Fabric conditioner
New clothes-charity shops have great quality for 10% of the price
Cut flowers-they are dead, buy a plant

Could go on

Interest on loans. Save up and buy it when you can afford it.