"Don't Ever Do It — It's Never Worth It": 17 People Share The IRL Money Mistake That Cost Them Dearly
Whether you're someone who is savvy with money or not — let's face it, we've all made some regrettable purchases or money-based decisions before. For some people, these decisions might have been life-changing. I came across this Reddit thread where u/The_guy321 asked, "What is the biggest money mistake you have ever made?" and the responses caught my attention. Here are some of them.
1."Becoming a doctor. At the end of the day, it’s just a job. It wasn’t worth flushing my 20s down the drain and accumulating a mountain of debt for this. I’m (finally) in a good spot in life now, but I don’t think the sacrifices I made to get here were worth it. Even from a less self-centered point of view, I don’t really do that much good for others with this job. Modern medicine is so much better at dragging out death than it is at improving life, and I’m tired of being a part of it."
2."I bought a vintage guitar from England (I’m in Canada) and had to get it shipped over the pond. Being a somewhat delicate item, I went for some pretty expensive shipping I think it was 200£ ($244.90) — which was a lot — but not much compared to the 3100£ ($3,795.95). I paid for the guitar. I wrote my address wrong, and the item was shipped to Canada, had an invalid address, was held at the depot for a couple of weeks, then sent back to the guy in England. I had to cover a fee and get it shipped over the pond."
3."I bought a mobile home as a starter home. No one ever explained to me as a young adult the importance of investment and future planning. Mobile homes of course do not hold nor increase in value so you never build equity. It's akin to renting except you have to cover all your own repair costs too. Terrible financial decision. Don't buy mobile homes kids. Just don't do it."
4."One of those boot-camp-style gyms opened up walking distance from our apartment. We wanted to get in shape and figured we'd check it out. It was run by a married couple who was really nice. Initial classes were very small but the exercise was great. The husband also did martial arts instruction so I was considering getting into that. They were doing a really reduced special to get a year membership so I went for it and paid half upfront.
"A few weeks later, I can't remember the conversation but they asked for the remaining payment and I said sure, why not. A little bit after that they called and said, "Sorry, but we opened the gym with a verbal agreement that we would be getting a large number of karate students and that fell through — so we have to shut down. We will get your money back once we get settled after we move back home." I foolishly had paid for all this but never had even gotten a written contract or whatever. They just ended up ghosting me and stopped replying to everything."
5."I opened a credit card in college, bought something (I don't even remember what), and completely forgot about it. I never got a statement. Three years later I suddenly have collections agencies calling me nonstop over a $20 debt with hundreds in 'collection fees'. It took years to get my credit back to 'not shit' levels."
6."I agreed to take over my ex-girlfriend's bills so that she could pay off her debts. Five years and over $100,000 of my money later she was in more debt than when we started and cheating on me. Don't ever do this, just make her be an adult or dump her ass. It's never worth it."
7."The financial thing is what got me to quit nicotine. I realized that I was spending $150 a month on disposable vapes and started comparing it to my other bills. Like, I'm paying more for my unhealthy habit than my car insurance, or my utilities. Kinda hard to justify when you look at it like that."
8."Going to a private university for my graduate degree and then not finishing. Those student loans set me back for quite a while."
9."I lost the wedding ring. Seriously, I lost it."
10."Timeshare. I went to the seminar for a three-night stay at a beach resort. They got me. Phenomenal salesmen, but they lie out of their asses. Spent thousands over a few years, only used the timeshare once, and paid a lawyer to get us out of the contract (basically a mortgage). Now we’re free!"
11."Five years ago I bought plane tickets for my ex to come and see me. He canceled on me three days before saying his grandma was on her deathbed — she is currently still alive. I was 16 and I wasted three years' worth of savings."
12."Getting married to the wrong partner. People like to think about marriage as an emotional and physical commitment and tend to forget that it's a financial commitment as well. If you get entangled with someone who has no clue how financial management works, you're in for a rollercoaster ride."
13."Leasing a brand new vehicle. Extremely hard to get out of if cash becomes tight."
