De-influencing thread - reasons why NOT to buy things

[Whowhatwerewolf]

Like quite a few people on here I have been trying to reduce or eliminate buying new clothes or beauty treats in 2026. For the most part I've failed miserably but I'm going to keep trying. One thing that helps me greatly is being de-influenced from a purchase. Unfortunately I'm very easily influenced by advertisements but my saving grace is that I can be easily dissuaded from buying things also.

Recently two lovely posters (@Johanna and @Cortietat ) managed to stop me from buying overpriced Sweaty Betty pilates socks and a potentially somewhat wonky Eribé fair isle cardigan respectively by telling me what wasn't so great about these items. I'm so appreciative as this has saved me heaps of money. So I was wondering whether anyone else has anything they'd liked to be talked out of purchasing?

The idea is to post something on this thread that you're considering buying despite trying to save money via a no buy or low buy commitment or simply because you're not sure about a purchase. Other posters respond to say why you shouldn't buy. If anyone thinks what you're considering getting is the best thing since sliced bread and you should definitely proceed they keep quiet about it please as this isn't the thread for that.

So...is anyone in?

A walking pad, will I use it whilst working at home or will it just get in the way (like the exercise bike!)

Don’t do it! It makes me think of a school uniform skirt that a rebellious teen has slightly hitched up. It’s only a classic in the way a school uniform is classic. Also remember that lesbian Russian song by Tatu, all the things she said? Makes me think of that!

You’ll end up piling things on it or, if you’re anything like me, “tidy it away” somewhere really inconvenient and then never get it out again. If you don’t use the exercise bike, will you use the walking pad?

The tartan VW skirt…

the pattern matching between the main part and the waistband is ATROCIOUS! I don’t really accept bad pattern matching in cheapo Primark clothing so for over £500 I expect it to be absolutely lined up and perfectly matched.

And it’s thin shitty fabric.

Shoddy shoddy work.

I went and looked at these in person as I really wanted one.

Overpriced plasticky shite.

I paid £650 for mine in 2008.

It’s worn on all the corners, scuffed, looks like a sack of spuds. The plastic is showing on some of the ribbing.

Even empty is weighs a tonne. The handle is too short to put it on your shoulder. You’ll never lock it as that’s a faff and if you put the flap over it rattles off the lock as you walk.

My version is made in England, the new ones are meant to be worse.

Hurray I resisted! I'm feeling very depressed and needy - I knew I would've regretted it. Just bought a red leather tote, handbag and cashmere jumper on vinted for under £50! I LOVE this thread!

That works only if you never gain or lose weight.

Your earrings are probably made by actual slaves.

Temu shoppers risk buying items made by forced labour, MP warns

UN experts alarmed by reports of forced labour of Uyghur, Tibetan and other minorities across China | OHCHR

See, the thing is that that would apply wherever I bought my earrings. The vast majority of companies are just buying stuff from China and then bumping up the price to sell it on. I do agree that the best option would be to buy less of everything, but it's naive to think that by paying more you're avoiding exploitative practises.

Thank you 👍

Oh well… good on you for only buying quality things and feeling all superior for it.
i am fortinate enough to buy only quality stuff but i can tell you that my best two t-shirts are from a random FB page. Ive had them for 5 yeas, they have not lost their shapes or colours… amazing.
what do you even mean by quality? If you mean expensive then breaking nees! Paying lots does not mean your otem will last longer or wont lose its shapes too fast…

If you can post on here you are perfectly capable, if you want to, of doing a quick google on the ethics and supply chain of any company you're thinking of buying from.

You KNOW Temu is one of the perpetrators of slave and child labour.

The Lidl roomba. I just have this vision of an effortlessly clean kitchen floor...... £94 quid though......

Should I??? No. Talk me out of it!!

I'm tempted by the Cornish Seaweed Bath Co shampoo & conditioner - I have very thick hair and itchy scalp...

https://cornishseaweedbath.co.uk/pages/haircare-main

I fell for the hype and bought some. It wasn’t anything special and didn’t even smell nice. The metal containers were very annoying, the pump didn’t cope with the thickness of the product.

He had his eye out today… ten days in a cone. Then I want to try and integrate him with my cats (who seem incredibly spoiled and privileged to me now) and hopefully it will go well because I don’t really want anyone else to adopt him 😭

We don’t want anyone else to have Pirate. I’m so glad for the update.

For a lot less than £94 you can buy a mop and a broom and do it yourself. You'll get some exercise into the bargain as well, not to mention the satisfaction of knowing you've done something for your home.

We have a cheap roomba knock-off - not from Lidl but similar in price and quality. It worked ok for awhile but has now lost a lot of suction. Even when it worked we still had to hoover the floors manually as well as it never did a good enough job on its own. It also needs emptying constantly and hair and stuff gets tangled up in it so it requires a lot of maintenance. It definitely isn't effortless.

Do you have pets? If so and one vomits or poos and you've set your roomba knock-off to start automatically it will spread it all over the floor and create an unholy mess.

Add up what you’ve spent on Temu vs what items were actually used and not crap. I bought some beads (uneven holes), nail chrome powders (awful) and other bits and looked back and realised most of it was trash. Their marketing is seductive so I never do their offers now.

Ohh it’s gorgeous .. but then I am a total enabler re knitwear .

I have this coat and it goes with everything. But, you already have 3 wool coats, don't need another.

Nothing huge but this has been sitting in my to buy list forever as I can't decide if it's worth it or not.

Do other people you work with have them and use them on calls? And do you honestly have enough space for it, or is the room your desk is in also used for other things and it would be in the way half the time? And is your floor strong enough for the weight and vibrations?

A friend has one and loves it, but she has a separate garden building to work from home in, and other people in her office also have them, so they're all bobbing away together on their teams calls. I think if you were the only one doing that on a call you'd feel a bit of a wally and not use it, and if you'd be tripping over it every evening you'd regret buying it.