Dumbest thing you ever bought ...

[wrigley]

an engagement ring!

 

[2soon2tell]

1972 Chevrolet Vega- Motor Trend Car of the Year 1971 What a POS.

 

[Urchina]

The Cat Spa. Probably the dumbest impulse buy I've ever made. Cats wouldn't touch it with anything. Ever.

I'm just grateful it was only $25.

 

[FinanceDude]

1972 Chevrolet Vega- Motor Trend Car of the Year 1971 What a POS.

My Grandma had a Pinto, then a Vega, then a Pacer. Her last car was a 1985 Aries K, auto, no air..........

 

[Frugality_of_Apathy]

Ouch! And just imagine - - anyone they hooked you up with paid $1200, too.

I have never paid for a dating service, but that seems like a lot of money! Setting up a dating service like that might be a good part time ER job for someone, though.

Sounds almost like a foolproof plan. If you take two people willing to spend $1200 on the service chances are they have a lot in common. Desperation mostly, but you'd think jamming two desperate co-dependents together would form a bond no one could break.

 

[bbbamI]

Ok, I'll 'fess up. A GIGANTIC weight machine/body builder...we call it "The Monster." DH was the one that purchased it. We've had it for 11 years and have used it maybe 50 times. He's said his job takes up too much of his time, so it sits there collecting dust. Well, in about 2 months he'll be retiring. We'll see what happens....

Scrap metal anyone?

 

[Cruisinthru]

A new 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with two-tone paint and T-Top. It was my divorce present to myself and it was just about as miserable as the ex-husband....

 

[Walt34]

A $1,100 engagement ring, a fancy wedding, and honeymoon in St Thomas.

She was worse than owning a sailboat.

She's since remarried, and I hope the guy can afford her. He has my sympathies.

 

[aaronc879]

I bought 17" chrome wheels and low-profile tires for my acura integra when I was 20. The wheels it came with were perfectly fine. Big waste of money.

 

[mickj]

Timeshare

 

[kumquat]

VTI a year ago

 

[Midpack]

A 1975 Corvette as my only car in 1977 when I was 23 years old, single, and knew everything. Bought it from a dealer, but a side deal from a salesman, not through the dealership (I should have known, but I was 23 looking at a Vette). It looked great, but it was an awful car to drive and it made no sense for anything but bar-hopping. Going to the golf course (with clubs), the grocery store, forget it. After 9 months I went to sell it, and found out it had been hit hard while parked outside the original owners house. Frame had been straightened, but not quite right.

Dumb...dumb...dumb, hopefully I'm much smarter now.

I even have a picture of my biggest mistake...

 

[NW-Bound]

Dumbest in terms of dollars lost?

AMD. I admired it as the heroic David against the Goliath Intel.

Real life is unfortunately different than fiction. Cost: $16,683, including $222 in trading costs for jumping in and out over the years.

Well, then there's the 2nd mistake of $11,219, and the 3rd one of $9,565. It goes on and on.

How could I brag about making money over the years then? I got my shares of winners, by dumb luck perhaps, which cancel the above losses.

Still trying to learn from my experiences.

 

[ls99]

The saying: the happiest day in a man's life is the day he buys his first boat, the second happiest is the day he gets rid of the damn thing, is true

My 27' clinker planked wooden Jersey skiff could be rated as a dumb buy. It was very enjoyable for the time it owned me.

It was very nice to bail out at lunch time dash down to the Hudson River marina, tear across the river to a nice dockside restaurant, eat, then reverse the process and back tow*rk.

Its un-glorious end began on a rough day with fairly good sized waves on the river, when I heard the hull groan, felt it bend on a large wave. Made instant beeline for the docks, had it hauled out, and later transported home.

Its fate was sealed. I cut it apart, found significant and unrepairable (at any semblance of reasonable cost) rot in both keelsons.

It did keep the house warm through the winter feeding the stove.

By the way the boat was thirty some odd years old.

 

[unclemick]

The saying: the happiest day in a man's life is the day he buys his first boat, the second happiest is the day he gets rid of the damn thing, is true

My 27' clinker planked wooden Jersey skiff could be rated as a dumb buy. It was very enjoyable for the time it owned me.

It was very nice to bail out at lunch time dash down to the Hudson River marina, tear across the river to a nice dockside restaurant, eat, then reverse the process and back tow*rk.

Its un-glorious end began on a rough day with fairly good sized waves on the river, when I heard the hull groan, felt it bend on a large wave. Made instant beeline for the docks, had it hauled out, and later transported home.

Its fate was sealed. I cut it apart, found significant and unrepairable (at any semblance of reasonable cost) rot in both keelsons.

It did keep the house warm through the winter feeding the stove.

By the way the boat was thirty some odd years old.

My least favorite four letter word: boat.

Worst yet - I repeated the mistake at least four times over several decades before I got it thru my thick skull - for me -

Dat's a No! No!

heh heh heh -

 

[laurence]

Elliptical exercise machine. Only cost us $300 per use.

Why did it seem cool at the store yet felt so ridiculous at home, having your arms and legs swinging back and forth.

 

[ls99]

My least favorite four letter word: boat.

Worst yet - I repeated the mistake at least four times over several decades before I got it thru my thick skull - for me -

Dat's a No! No!

heh heh heh -

I've been cured of the boat thing, well almost. I do have a kayak, much enjoyed. It does not eat dollar bills by the minute.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

2001 Hyundai Accent

No doubt. Had it as a rental car. The gas pedal is really a leading indicator to perhaps some acceleration. Well, at least the racket gave you plenty of notice of future forward movement.

 

[Moemg]

Elliptical exercise machine. Only cost us $300 per use.

Why did it seem cool at the store yet felt so ridiculous at home, having your arms and legs swinging back and forth.

I bought several stationary bikes that were great sweater dryers !

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

Ok, I'll 'fess up. A GIGANTIC weight machine/body builder...we call it "The Monster." DH was the one that purchased it. We've had it for 11 years and have used it maybe 50 times. He's said his job takes up too much of his time, so it sits there collecting dust. Well, in about 2 months he'll be retiring. We'll see what happens....

Scrap metal anyone?

Never ceases to amaze me what these exercise equipment makers can foist on people. I found out early when I was a dirty poor grad student that the only things I needed were 200 push ups a day, a backpack full of engineer text books, a solid chair, and insane amount of motivation. I wish I have that motivation now. Now 20-40 pushups, and I'm done. Then again, school had other motivations for me to keep in shape.

I'm not entirely free of guilt from exercise equipment binge. At one time I had 3 bikes and about 8 sets of wheels plus so much riding gear that I didn't need to wash anything for a week, and I still have a closet full of TKD sparring gear. My new place has a TKD gym literally 1 block away. I walked past it tonight to dinner and never bother even looking in.

 

[Free To Canoe]

Yes, I too am dumb.
Bought something called Muzicdepot.com in 2001.

Free

 

[Walt34]

I've been cured of the boat thing, well almost. I do have a kayak, much enjoyed. It does not eat dollar bills by the minute.

I bought a used Porta-bote (A Folding Foldable Portable Fishing Boat And Dinghy By Porta-Bote also known as Portabote Porta-Boat Portaboat Foldboat, Instaboat   Portabot) and a 5-hp Briggs & Stratton outboard. With that I can spend a whole day on the river for less than $5.

The boat folds up and leans against the wall in a corner of the garage.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Finance Dude, your Grandmother now holds a record in my mind for worst car purchases!
My parents bought a new Vega, though!

The purchase that comes to mind as one I regret is probably my first car, where my payments were more than my rent. But it did teach me a great lesson (never have payments on a car) and I did get 375,000 miles out of it before I sold it to the junkyard for $500. Live and learn.

I was very happy when we sold our sailboat, but I do not regret the purchase one bit. It was a vehicle for our dreams, and it carried us happily there and safely back home.

 

[waltwill8]

First car, because it was really cheap!
'57 Nash station wagon - Pink and gray- [-]drove[/-] fixed it for a year and sold it for $100. Good riddance!!!!

 

[My Dream]

A 1975 Corvette as my only car in 1977 when I was 23 years old, single, and knew everything. .

Funny you should say that, I'm the original owner of a 75' Vette and will never sell it. It has so many memories and is a reliable car although I don't use it as a daily driver. I'm so glad I purchased it and I'm hoping one day I'll pass it on to my son or daughter.