People Are Sharing Things They Splurged On That They Later Really Regretted Buying, And Yeah, Some Of Them Basically Flushed Money Down The Toilet

Sometimes, we spend a lot of money on something and it feels completely worth it. Other times, we buy something expensive and we feel swindled.

Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community members to tell us something they completely regret splurging on and why. Well, people opened up and shared all the expensive things they regret spending their hard-earned money on.

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So, without further ado, here are 18 items that needed a better return policy:

1. Pricey purse

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"In trying to keep up with the Joneses I saved up for and bought a big luxury bag. It wasn't one with the brand all over it. Just a leather bag with the C on the buckle. It was such a heavy bag that I think I used it for a month before it got sent to my closet. Total waste of $350 (15-ish years ago) that could have been spent on something way more necessary."

—njgrl

2. Cotton candy machine

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"A cotton candy machine. I never use it now. And, also, I am terrible at making cotton candy 🤢."
—Anonymous

3. Designer shoes

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"Expensive red bottom pumps. The second time wearing them and the heel snapped. It was a complete waste of money and they weren't even comfortable. I don't know what I was thinking."

—Anonymous

4. Tibetan singing bowl

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"As a broke grad student, I impulsively purchased (with a not-quite-yet maxed-out credit card) a giant carved quartz Tibetan singing bowl that I saw on a school trip.

I'm not Buddhist, nor am I Tibetan. I just thought it was super cool. It was so massive that I also had to pay to have it shipped to my home. I keep it just to remind myself of just how stupid of a purchase that was at the time."

—c49a679543

5. Craftsman leather jacket

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"I bought a €400 leather jacket when I went to Italy, from one of the oldest leather works in Milan.

Then I gained some weight — and I had bought it to be pretty form fitting — so I've maybe worn it five times since I bought it. I also live in Alabama, so I get very, very few chances to wear it due to the heat, and even fewer occasions to wear it out. I can still wear it unzipped, but I spent a lot of money on it and I'd love to be able to actually wear it places. 😭"

—ladypalutena

6. An expensive candle

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"Truly convinced I wasn't gonna make it out of 2020, so I bought some luxury items that summer so I could have a nice relaxing...death? I don't know. But the worst, dumbest thing I bought was a $$$$ candle in the scent 'Apocalypse.' I wanted to know what the end of the world smelled like? I paid $85 to have a candle that smells like a tire sprinkled with gun powder. I now make substantially less than I did pre-covid times, so I've kept it around as a painful reminder of how frivolous and idiotic my spending was at its height."

—snorlaxative

7. A dressy dress

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"A dress. It's really cute, it fits well, and looks great on me. But, spent WAY more on it that than I ever do on clothes. It's a little uncomfortable but the biggest issue is the right occasion never arises. It's just a little too much for casual wear, but not enough for anything more formal. So it hangs in my closet, only worn twice. I regret buying it but don't have the heart to part with it either!"

—jessethecowgirl

8. Pricey wireless headphones

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"Honestly, expensive wireless headphones. Easily hundreds wasted when they stop working after a year and a half. I am NOT paying $200 per year for another pair. I would stay on the lookout for something made to last if you can’t go without music or noise reduction on hand."

—donacielita

9. Exercise bike

Sayan_moongklang / Getty Images/iStockphoto

"A fancy new exercise bike during lockdowns. I used it for a few weeks before it started getting squeaky and loose. I was outside the return window by then and the company wouldn't really help me. It is now a $300 drying rack for my laundry."

—aloevyou

10. Microbladed eyebrows

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"Microbladed my eyebrows. She screwed them up and now I’ve had two laser tattoo removal sessions to fix it."

—t4e202438f

11. Diamond bracelet

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"I totally regret buying my diamond bracelet. It was right after college, I had just gotten a well-paying job so I thought why not. The bracelet was something I had been admiring for months and it cost around $5K. Unfortunately, soon after the purchase I got laid off and I had to settle for a lower paying job. Now my job doesn’t even allow me to wear jewelry so I only wear my money put on weekends. Just a tip to all of you who are straight out of college — SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!"

—Anonymous

12. Robot vacuum

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"Bought a fancy robot vacuum...but someone's gotta pick all the damn toys up before it can clean anything. Now it's just collecting dust, lol."

—s48b32a974

13. Makeup palettes

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"If I had to pick one, it would be makeup. Carrie had shoes, I have makeup, which is why people refer to me as the Carrie Bradshaw of makeup. At one point I had over 20 palettes, and 99.9% are high-end brands. Why do I regret this? Because I’m too lazy to put it on in the morning."

—Anonymous

14. Jet tub

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"A jet tub when we had our new extension. Cost about £3,000 about 20 years ago. We've probably used it about 10 times. It's noisy, just not fun, and a pain in the arse to clean!"

—d4979c4387

15. Vinyl player and records

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"Spent SO much on a vinyl/record player, only to use it about once every two weeks. Not to mention, the 10-plus records I bought to go along with it, which all cost upwards of £40. Never regretted a purchase more!"

—Anonymous

16. Sofa

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"An $800 sofa from Wayfair that's still in the box and I have no intention of putting it together anytime soon. I love it, but I bought it for one apartment and ended up moving into a different apartment that fits my very large, very old sofa. I could really use that money for so many other things, but mostly for an unexpected very expensive dental procedure that I need to have. When I bought it, I was in a good place financially. But with inflation, a large vet bill, and super high rent prices, money has gotten very tight over the past few months. If only I can just pay the dentist with the sofa and call it a day, lol."

—Anonymous

17. And lastly: Master's degree

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"My master’s degree. Endless, endless student loan debt."

—Anonymous

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.