My Most Regrettable Purchases

Quarantine has really made me assess my spending habits, as I’m sure it has for so many others! I have been thinking about things I have wasted money on and of course, regretting many decisions I have made in the past. I’m not dwelling too much because I am still young and at this point in my life I am probably better off financially than a lot of others my age. I want to reflect on my mistakes though, because it’s obviously important to learn from them! But I prefer to learn from others’ mistakes so I don’t make them myself ;) So I am sharing the purchases I regret the most so that you and I can both learn from my mistakes!

Things I wasted so much money on and shouldn’t have…

Dip Manicures. I have been religiously getting dip manicures every 2, 3, or 4 weeks for the last 3+ years. My nails have looked great throughout this time (obviously) but with the tip my manicures usually cost me about $45. That’s almost $2,000 on manicures in the last 3 years!! During quarantine I realized that not only is that a stupid amount of money to be spending so frequently, but it really damaged my nails. Even post-quarantine, I’m going to try to chill with the manicures. Instead, I’m going to try to invest in less-frequent pedicures, lol!

Hulu Plus. I love Hulu and I’m not planning on giving it up entirely, but for about a year there I purchased the $50/month plan and I don’t even know why?! Nothing I watch on it is required to be a part of that plan. Now I pay $10 a month and I have everything I need. So that’s about $480ish (I’m not sure of the exact timeline so I’m estimating here) wasted… purely wasted. Yikes! I didn’t even realize what I was doing for so long because I have auto-pay and I never looked at the price. So, um… word to the wise, check your bank statements!!

Planet Fitness. This is horribly embarrassing. I can’t even count how many months I have gone without touching my PF membership. I have the Black Card so it’s $20 a month for essentially no reason. Honestly, the main reason I haven’t cancelled it is because I can’t figure out how. *facepalm* I also convince myself that I need it just in case I need to tan. What?! I am the worst. But I do like those massage beds… So I’m still justifying keeping this membership.

An expensive hair cut and color. NOT to say this is always a waste of money, but the time I did this it certainly was. I went to a much recommended hair stylist while I was in college and I showed her a pic of how I wanted my hair (it was basically a trim and a lot of baylayage). I have super dark hair that has never been dyed, and it didn’t take the baylayage color. So I paid $120 for my hair to basically look the same…

Bedroom Set. So, this isn’t a waste of money if you know what you’re doing, lol! I still love my bed set (over a year later) but honestly, it is not really my style anymore and I don’t see it transitioning well into whatever house I buy in the future. Hello, guest bedroom! It’s very farmhouse-vibes, which isn’t really what I want. It also doesn’t match the vibe of either of the apartments I have lived in so far. It is a pretty set, and very high quality considering what I paid for it, but I do wish I would have saved my $1200 for a rainy day, a down payment on a house, or just retirement!!

iPad, keyboard case, and Apple Pencil. I’m kind of changing my tune on saying this is a waste of money right now, because they have gotten good use during quarantine, lol! Altogether I think this cost me about $500. iPad = worth it. The keyboard case, not so much (save your $100!). I also LOVE the Apple Pencil and I had so much fun with it… until my dog nibbled on the tip (read: ruined it) and I never replaced it. So… waste.

Apple Watch. Another one I go back and forth with because there were times that I used my Apple Watch a great deal, but all in all I could never justify paying full price for one considering how much I used it. I haven’t touched it in probably a year, and before the little 5 month spurt where I wore it regularly, I didn’t touch it for another year. I bought mine used for a good price and then my step-dad gave me his old one for free, but I would really regret this one if I had paid full-price for 2 Apple Watches!

Those are the bigger ones that stick out to me, but I’ve obviously wasted money on a lot of other “little” things that add up as well. Like COFFEE. I don’t even want to think about how much money I have spent at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts!! I can say that I have spent at least $5 a week at one or the other for the past 6 years. Really it goes back longer than that too and I have absolutely spent more than $5 a week at Starbucks every week. It’s way too much to estimate but it had to stop! I recently purchased a Nespresso Machine (right before quarantine!) and thank god I did! The coffee is so good and obviously costs way less per cup than Starbucks and Dunkin. It’s been 2 months since I had a Starbucks coffee and I’m hoping I have the willpower to keep that trend going even once everything goes back to normal :)

Random clothing. I have bad habits of going to the mall on my days off and I just can’t leave without buying something?! Even though it’s usually something small, I simply never wear or use these random things!! I have also gone through phases where I ordered so much stuff off SheIn and I wear one or two things but the other 6 things I ordered I never touch again. I also basically refuse to return anything that I ordered online because it just seems like such a pain. I have gotten better with this as of late, but I want to keep up the better habits I have been developing :)

Lastly, I am a “goo hoarder” (any OG Jenna Marbles fans remember this phrase?!). I was cleaning my shower earlier in the week and I realized that I had 4 shampoos, 2 conditioners, 2 body washes, and 2 exfoliators in my shower! WHO NEEDS THAT MANY SHAMPOO OPTIONS?! I also have THIRTEEN bottles of Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works lotions that I don’t even want to use. That is absurd! And I was out here considering treating myself to my favorite lotion, that’s on the pricier end. I told myself I’m not allowed to buy the GOOD lotion or any more shampoo until I go through what I have. I’m working on being less wasteful at this time… and I’m never letting myself live down the thirteen bottles of lotion. It’s not okay!!

What have you wasted money on that you regret?! Let me know in the comments below… let’s learn from each other!!