"I Went Through A Phase And It Wasn’t My Brightest Moment": People Are Revealing The Pandemic Purchases They Regret Buying And Which Were Worth Every Penny
In a recent post, I asked the BuzzFeed Community what they regretted buying during the pandemic and the range of answers definitely made me feel less alone with my purchase regrets.
That post had so many comments of people sharing what they bought and regretted during the pandemic years that I decided to ask the community what they bought during the lockdown that they actually didn't regret at all. Here is a mixture of both: pandemic buyer's remorse and items that seemed to be money well spent.
1.NO REGRETS: "A nugget couch. My kids love it and I had to buy another for Christmas. The physical benefits of having it for my kids were incredible. When things shut down we lost physical therapy for two months until they figured out a plan. We did an occasional zoom with his therapist when she was available and we used the nugget for different PT exercises such as crawling, climbing, and stepping up and down. My oldest used it as a crash pad and sensory thing. I'm now obsessed and am planning on buying one or two more eventually."
2.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I spent over $100 on fancy fabric masks. Fast forward to the discovery that fabric masks aren’t as effective as disposable masks. My fabric masks are now collecting dust in my sock drawer."
3.NO REGRETS: "My Nectar mattress and bedframe. My old mattress was on its last leg and I was using it to spread out and update construction plans so the old mattress was pretty much useless once I went back to the office. It's been two years and I still snuggle in with a smile on my face."
4.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I bought some art supplies that I haven't touched and a weighted hula hoop (thanks TikTok) that did literally nothing for me. Luckily, I was able to recoup my money by reselling it on eBay. I was super close to buying a guitar, but happy my sanity won that round."
5.NO REGRETS: "A house with a home gym. Best therapy I’ve ever been to."
—Anonymous
6.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I always spend money on hobby supplies to pick up a new hobby like crochet, cross stitch, painting, etc, and then I do it for a month and then everything just goes into a closet. I really have to force myself to not try everything that looks fun."
7.NO REGRETS: "My Nintendo Switch! Got it just to play animal crossing in summer 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, and have not regretted it for a moment since!"
8.NO REGRETS: "A house. I know many people were struggling to pay rent and that we are very lucky. We’d been saving for years, but kept putting it off because it would add an hour to my husband’s commute every day. When his company announced that remote work would become the norm and interest rates were very low we decided to bite the bullet. Moving from 900 square feet in a major metro area to a rural (and cheaper) home is the best decision ever, and one we might have put off for years if it weren’t for the pandemic.
—Anonymous
9.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I bought a lot of jewelry — nothing expensive — just cheap costume jewelry from, like, Wish. But now I work from home permanently in my pajamas and never wear any of it."
10.NO REGRETS: "I bought myself a little woodburning iron in the early days of the pandemic with a gift card I had received from my sister that holiday season, thinking I’d at least have a little fun trying it while I was stuck at home even if I wasn’t very good. Turns out I LOVE woodburning, and last Christmas I made all my family members' gifts with the iron. I’ll take it out when I’m bored and burn designs into pieces of scrap wood and hang them up on my wall, and the pieces have slowly been growing to cover the largest wall in my apartment. I’m even thinking of opening up a little online store to sell pieces, all thanks to a boredom purchase during COVID."
11.BUYER'S REMORSE: "The only truly stupid thing I bought was a $70 UV cleaner for my phone. Back when we thought we were bringing COVID home on our groceries and cell phones."
12.NO REGRETS: "A project boat. I spent a year working on refurbing the hull and having the interior done. I actually enjoyed all the garage time building the motor. And now I have a bad-ass jet boat to run the Parker Strip!"
—Anonymous
13.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I had extra money during the pandemic, we could just work tons of extra hours but couldn’t go out to eat or do anything fun so we ended up with a nest egg (a substantial sum of money) for the first time ever so I ended up buying tons and tons of clothes and totally replacing my wardrobe. Now we moved and I do house cleaning and painting and can’t wear any of my pretty dresses to work anymore."
14.NO REGRETS: "Before the pandemic, my bedroom was nothing more than furniture and knick-knacks in awful yellowy-beige colored walls. Short before COVID hit the US, I splurged on a new bedroom set. When we finally got around to setting things up, we also painted, hung pictures, and just decorated in general. It kind of shocked me how much easier it was to quarantine in a room that I actually LOVE and that completely reflects my personality. I felt so much more relaxed and comfortable. It played a huge role in keeping my mental state (which I already struggle with) in check given all the chaos going on in the world! We also got two puppies, which my mom has been wanting for YEARS. Having to train and take care of animals was a much-needed distraction from quarantine boredom and also provided plenty of fun and laughs that were desperately needed. Absolutely no shame being part of the 'pandemic pet' crowd!
15.NO REGRETS: "I bought guitars and a lot of them. I grew up playing guitar and first started learning in junior high. Over the years, I went through phases where I played guitar every day, to times when I stopped playing completely and sold everything. During the pandemic, I started playing again out of boredom and went on a guitar-buying spree. Right now, my guitar collection stands at 13 guitars, and I don’t regret buying any of them. I still play guitar nearly every day, and even learned some basic guitar repair/maintenance during the pandemic, since so many shops were closed during the pandemic."
—Robert, 48, CA
16.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I bought a drawing tablet (not the too expensive kind though, thank goodness I had that much sense left in me) because with being home all the time during the lockdown, I thought I'd finally switch from pencil to digital. Needless to say, I've used it about four times before letting it collect dust tucked away in my closet."
17.NO REGRETS: "A heated blanket. Are you lonely like me? Do you crave the sensation of being wrapped in another human's body heat, but are unable to acquire such intimacy? Get a heated blanket and change your life! I honestly feel so much better using it."
18.NO REGRETS: "A cast iron skillet. I spent a pretty penny on that thing and I have zero regrets. I taught myself how to cook during the lockdown, and not be dependent on takeout. The money I put into getting that skillet has actually saved me money in the long run."
—Anonymous
19.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I bought a $4000 gray leather sectional with a matching chair and ottoman. They are gorgeous but uncomfortable as hell. I should have bought a loveseat and a couch. Fuck, I am still mad."
20.NO REGRETS: "My road bike. I used to run but it was giving me anxiety attacks. When the pandemic hit my husband asked if I wanted to go for a run and I can’t describe how much I didn’t. I always loved being on a bike so I splurged and bought a really nice second-hand road bike from Facebook. I was out of shape after recovering from an injury, so I started out riding 5 miles and barely hitting 12mph. By the end of the summer, I hit my goal of 20 miles at 15–16mph. I got the courage to join an all-women cycling group and the next summer I cycled 270 miles across Massachusetts in four days (starting at mile 0 at the NY border and ending in Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod) and cycled my first metric century and full century (100 miles). When I ride it calms my anxiety, even when it’s tough. I found my sport!"
Man rides a bike outdoors in the park on a sunny day at sunset.
21.NO REGRETS: "I bought a pirate hat during the lockdown. Not like a cheap one you get in a party shop, a proper heavy-duty leather tricorn hat made by a company that makes items for Live Action Role Play. I don't know why, but I've always wanted one. I love it! I run a little shop and make silly social media videos for my shop, and I wear the hat in my shop and videos sometimes. Folks get a kick out of it. No regrets!"
22.NO REGRETS: "My dog. Everyone told me not to get one because I wouldn’t want him after our furlough ended and were allowed back out, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. My pup is my best friend. I couldn’t imagine life without him. He’s been through the best and worst moments of my life over the last couple of years. We’ve lived in 3 states together so far and as I embark on a new chapter of my life, he’s the only constant that has been by my side. I say this often but he saved me more than I saved him."
23.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I bought a set of bongo drums from a local music store in the summer of 2020 because I wanted to support a small business and I actually wanted to learn how to play. I still want to, but never found the time because the employed members of my house are always on the phone, and grad school has been keeping me busy. Now my cat just sits on the bongo drums to chill."
24.NO REGRETS: "I don't regret purchasing my mountain bike, boxing equipment, and my yoga mat with poses on it. Also, a Nutribullet. Oh, and a beautiful leather-bound journal."
25.NO REGRETS: "I love my Savannah cat! I was finally ready to get a new cat after my previous rescue passed away. All the cats at the local shelters were being adopted within a day so I found a very reputable breeder of Savannahs. At $2500 she was one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made, but I don’t regret it for a second. She’s incredibly loyal, intelligent, and friendly. I can keep the patio door open all day and she’ll never try to run away. But she does sit out on the patio yelling at the neighbors until they come over and give her some attention. She’s always by my side playing, doing tricks, or demanding attention. She makes me smile and laugh every day. I can’t imagine my life without her."
26.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I regret buying lots of crystals. I went through a phase where I thought I needed one of each. Not my brightest moment."
27.NO REGRETS: "A desktop PC. It was a huge upgrade from the 13" 2011 MacBook Pro I was using to WFH. The screen is much bigger, everything is faster, and it's so much easier to do anything I want. Plus, I can actually run games without my Mac threatening to take flight! I built mine in October 2020, so before everything got too crazily priced."
28.NO REGRETS: "A 3D printer. It's fun to get creative with it and can even serve as a side hustle."
29.NO REGRETS: "Maybe TMI but our bidet attachment. We got one just as the pandemic was beginning and it was a great thing we did because our area didn’t have toilet paper for months. It makes me wonder why America hasn’t adopted bidets more as they do overseas with how useful and convenient they are."
30.NO REGRETS: "A pressure cooker! I can make so many meals in it without needing to use a separate pan to sauté ingredients first, it cooks ridiculously fast compared to a slow cooker (but yields the same result), it locks in more flavors, and makes the BEST rice. I can cook multiple dishes in it at the same time using the trivet, and it can be left alone for hours if need be. Often I forget to set my slow cooker early enough, so it’s been a lifesaver. I’ve cooked a pork shoulder in 35 minutes versus 8 hours in the slow cooker, for example."
31.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I regret buying snowshoes. We live in Minnesota, and I was desperately looking for ways to get out of the house as winter 2020 approached. We were light on snow that winter and we have still never used them."
32.NO REGRETS: "Fancy ice maker and a Nespresso. Both were great investments. The ice in my freezer always tasted weird and buying ice is hard to store. I use bottled or filtered water and get crystal clear ice. And the Nespresso was a game changer. I feel like I have Starbucks in my house and TikTok has lots of great coffee hacks."
33.NO REGRETS: "I love my office chair. I spent the first few months of COVID working at my dining room table with a corresponding chair, and my lower back REALLY felt the lack of support and comfort. I still work from home and at my dining room table, except now it has an office chair as the fifth seat."
34.NO REGRETS: "I bought a Cricut machine! I don’t regret it one bit. In fact, I used it to start an Etsy shop and now have over 500 sales making custom gifts and things. Totally worth it!!"
35.NO REGRETS: "I started doing Misfit Market during shutdown and I'm still obsessed with it. When I would physically go to stores I could see what produce was on sale and in season, but that stopped during the shutdown. Misfit Market sends me fruit and veggies that are wonderful."
36.NO REGRETS: "Big monitor with a keyboard and wireless mouse. I knew after the first week that working on a laptop wasn’t going to cut it."
37.NO REGRETS: "A deep freezer chest! We bought it during the pandemic to buy in bulk and freeze food so we wouldn’t need to go to the supermarket so often and to store breast milk. (My daughter was three weeks old when the lockdown started). Now we still use it for groceries and only have to do one big supermarket trip once a month! It’s been a life and money saver."
38.NO REGRETS: "My Peloton, which I love and still use today. I lost some weight, feel much fitter and stronger than before I bought it."
Peloton / Via giphy.com
39.NO REGRETS: "A garden box. There's a local carpenter who makes them and I was looking for a way to keep gardening without having to bend over quite so much. It's been the best thing I've bought in years! Not only did it make gardening easier, but it also kept it safe from curious dogs. I'm considering buying a second one for next year!"
40.BUYER'S REMORSE: "I regret buying a refinished vintage desk, bought locally (with socially distanced pick up). Quickly came to the conclusion that even though it's a small desk, it is still too big for the room I wanted to put it in. So now I'm trying to resell it. No takers yet."
41.NO REGRETS: "Kayaks! We've spent so much time since then on the river or lakes and has been a great way to spend more time outdoors seeing places we normally wouldn't have."
