Overpricing and overspending are all too common in today’s society. One popular internet site asked its users for their opinions on items not worth the extra money. Here are ten items individuals can remove from their lives without forking over their savings.
1. Fast Food
This comfort item is great when road-tripping or when you don’t feel like cooking. However, fast food is not as cheap as it used to be. The infamous $1 menu expanded to a $2 and $3 menu with fewer satiating items available. Fast food has little nutritional value and has negative impacts on general health.
Cooking or dining in at sit-down restaurants ensures you get what you pay for. Not so much with sit-down dining, but when you spend so much for food, you might as well eat “good” food.
2. Clothes
One user proclaimed their disdain for high fashion. They claimed many brand name fashion only sells because Calvin Klein or Gucci adorns the tag. When shopping, you need to research the brand and the quality of the material before purchasing any new items. Depending on the brand, a shirt from Walmart work as well as a shirt from Urban Outfitters or another retail store.
Other users said they spend more money if they know the quality won’t wear out quickly. For example, one person said they’d gladly spend $500 on a Patagonia jacket because it would last the rest of their life.
3. Phones
I’m sure you’ve heard the alleged saying that Apple makes their products last for a few years. That way, you can buy the next, newest, more expensive edition as soon as it comes out. Is this true? I don’t know. I don’t think there is any way to prove this. All I know is that my friend with an iPhone 4 experiences the same amount of issues as my friend who owns an iPhone 13.
Are new phones better than older ones, or is it all a conspiracy? Will we ever know?
4. Vending Machines
Similar to gas stations and convenience stores, vending machines hike up prices on food and drinks for convenience. Purchasing a $3 Gatorade at a train station is much easier than hauling a $10 12-pack of Gatorade with you during your train excursion. Many users said resisting the urge to impulse buy snacks and drinks at vending machines saves several hundreds of dollars annually.
5. Weddings
Someone shared their story of eloping to avoid extravagance and excess expenditures. Average wedding prices range from $10,000 to $30,000. In some cases, couples spend millions on matrimony. Other users in the thread stated couples overspend on food, the ceremony, entertainment, venue, and travel.
6. College Textbooks
A few fed-up students said college textbooks are a waste of money, especially when the resources are public domain. One person on this thread shared that their classes only used textbooks a handful of times throughout their schooling. I can attest to this.
7. New Cars
And you get a brand-new car! Doesn’t that sound nice? Minus all the extra finances and refurbishments that go in to maintaining the vehicle, purchasing a brand-new car seems like a great investment. Most Redditors swear by their trusty used car. The vehicle is empty of all the distracting technology present in newer cars, and the payments cost much less than financing a new vehicle.
8. Suits
One person said they’d utilized their fair share of expensive and inexpensive suits, and they couldn’t pinpoint the difference. Neither can others, they said.
9. Alcohol
Same as suits, users said buying a $100 bottle or a $1000 bottle has the same effect. Why waste the extra money?
10. Food Delivery Services
Uber Eats, GrubHub, and Postmates are all convenient. Sometimes it is worth it to stay in and order takeout where you don’t have to drive to the establishment and pick it up, but according to some, food delivery services only benefit the delivery service. The money is unevenly distributed, and more often than not, the food is delivered more than 30 minutes after pickup, leaving you with a cold delivery.
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