16 "Luxury" Purchases That Are Totally Worth The Money And 11 That Will End Up Costing You Wayy More Than They're Worth

    Go ahead and buy that nice leather jacket! But maybe think twice about the motorcycle.

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    As people get older and more established, they might start thinking about making some more expensive purchases. Maybe they've always wanted a house, or a nice leather jacket, or a motorcycle. But sometimes, upon getting it...they realize it was a total waste of money.

    Fox

    Conversely, there are some things people completely skimp in, when it would be really, really worth it to spend the extra money. To this end, we've decided to round up the expensive purchases people completely regret, along with the ones that were absolutely worth the money. Here we go!

    ^Linked above are the two Reddit threads, which you can check out for more responses!

    1. NOT WORTH IT: A motorcycle.

    Winston saying, "Cece, get rid of the motorcycle!" on "New Girl"
    Fox

    "Can you do mechanic work on a motorcycle? Gonna be $100/hr. for labor so unless you can change an air filter and spark plugs — be ready to eat ramen for three months. I learned my lesson with that bike. Unless I can afford to have someone else do the labor, I can't afford it."

    —u/Human_Robot

    "Took the safety course. Got a license and a bike. Kinda just wanted it for short trips to work and quick rides on a nice day. It's kind of just boring and terrifying at the same time. Few friends keep telling me that I just need to go out on a big ride, but, eh, I just don't think it or the culture surrounding motorcycles is for me."

    —u/jonuggs

    2. WORTH IT: Expensive dental care.

    Ariana Grande and Matt Bennett recreating the "Bring It On" toothbrushing scene in the "Thank U Next" video
    Republic Records

    "I didn’t, and now I face $10,000 to repair the damage."

    —u/Aunt-jobiska

    "My partner is looking at $60,000 for a full reconstruction."

    —u/UniquePebble

    3. NOT WORTH IT: A boat...

    The Lonely Island singing, "I'm on a boat"
    Universal Republic Records

    "Buying a new ski boat. Expensive, too big to keep in the garage, and burned $80 in gas in an afternoon (when gas was still affordable). Mostly I pulled the kids and their friends on wake boards or kneeboards around and around in circles while the air temperature was close to 100 and came home dehydrated and with a headache. A happy day is when you buy a boat. A happier day is when you sell that b****."

    —u/BreakingBad2014

    4. ...and DEFINITELY not a yacht.

    Paramount Pictures

    "Do you know how long it takes to vacuum and dust 5,000 square feet?"

    —u/Human_Robot

    "I always wanted a boat, so one day a few years ago, I bought a small sailing yacht. Took it out, got stuck, ended up stuck in quicksand, and had to be rescued by 15 strong coastguard team. I've been too scared to go back out on it and spend £800 per year on mooring fees and insurance."

    —u/Dull_Reindeer1223

    5. Worth it: "A quality mattress."

    Fox

    Suggested by u/sfriesen33

    "This is where people should definitely spend money. You spend one-third of your life sleeping in bed. And you only need to buy a good mattress every 10 years or so. Money well spent."

    —u/mangomangojack

    6. NOT WORTH IT: A GoPro.

    Si in "Duck Dynasty" with a GoPro on his helmet
    AE

    "I don’t even go on picnics. What the fuck did I need a GoPro for?"

    —u/Duuuuude_WTF

    "I made that mistake too. Thrice. And even though I used it for some 'cool' activities, turns out reliving hours of your day in hopes to assemble a couple minutes of exciting footage is a real struggle. But if anyone wants to watch hours of me skiing groomers interrupted by the occasional lame jump: I'm your guy!"

    —u/sketchcott

    "I bought a GoPro to film myself catching fish. Once I had the footage, I was like, 'Wait, what am I doing with this boring-ass footage again?'"

    —u/9D_Chess

    7. WORTH IT: Expensive tires.

    car wheel
    Mr.wuttisak Promchoo / Getty Images

    "I’ve cheaped out — never again."

    —u/hdiayw55

    "This really goes for anything on your car. I went cheap (I never go cheap; I don’t know why I did) on windshield wipers. They were terrible. When they broke, I spent the big bucks and went high end, and they’re so much better."
    —[deleted]

    8. NOT WORTH IT: Massage chairs.

    in "Crazy, Stupid, Love," Hannah asks if Jacob has "one of those ridiculous massage chairs," and Jacob says he does and has only used it twice, and it was $5,000; later, Hannah tries it out and says she hates it
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "I enjoyed the demo in the shop; that's about it."

    —u/General-Permission-5

    "In my case, it just kinda ended up taking up space. I would go to a cheap shiatsu massage clinic once a month, for like $40/hr (this is in Japan where massage clinics are pretty common) ... A friend's grandparents had a massage chair at their vacation apartment and gave it to me for a few hundred dollars, and doing the math, I'm like, 'That's like a year of massages, and I can use it every single day!' Except I didn't after the initial honeymoon phase wore off. The motor in the leg part broke and was $200, so I fixed it and renewed my promise to more regularly use it, but that quickly failed again. I don't think it has seen more than clean clothes waiting to go back into the closet in at least six months now."

    —u/atlasblue81

    9. WORTH IT: "Lasik."

    Juni with zooming-in glasses in spy kids
    Dimension Films

    Suggested by u/Aggravating_Client36

    "Couldn’t see much past a foot without contacts or glasses. Got lasik, and it’s night and day difference. Been over a decade, and I still have 20/20 vision. So worth it!"

    —u/Reddragonsky

    "Easily one of the best decisions I made. My eyesight was nearing legally blind (-9/-9.5), so my point of view may be more biased. Even years later, there are still days where I just remember that in the past how much contacts might complicate small things and am still happy I don’t have to worry about it. And with my prescription and the cost for contacts/glasses, it’s more or less paid for itself.

    Not only do I not worry about it, but I get a little happy boost that I don’t have to worry about [my vision] — that I can go to read before bed without glasses falling off my face and not having to get up once I’m tired. I can crash at someone’s place without worrying about irritation. I don’t have to worry about packing spares and solution for any short or long trips. It’s just so nice to have another thing off my plate."

    —u/judgementalb

    10. NOT WORTH IT: A pool.

    Amy swimming in booksmart
    United Artists Releasing

    "A backyard pool. I always wanted one until I had one. It was a huge pain in the ass. Had to buy chemicals, had to test the water, had to clean it, found dead snakes in the skimmer baskets, had to get the pump replaced, etc."

    —u/Lenny_III

    "A pool is just a hole in the ground you throw all your time and money into. We also frequently get animal suicides, and have to shock the pool to make it usable. One particular summer I spent more time maintaining it than actually swimming."

    —u/cinemascifi

    "Many people don’t know the maintenance a pool requires. The neighbors have a pool, and they have a frog infestation now. Every night, all you hear is those frogs croaking loudly."

    —u/E7331899

    11. WORTH IT: A nice leather jacket.

    Danny in a leather jacket in "Grease"
    Paramount Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

    "If you're into the style, a quality leather jacket will stay with you for decades. My father still has his that he bought in 1967."

    —u/BaroqueObama1776

    12. NOT WORTH IT: A storage unit.

    putting stuff in a storage unit, Jen tells Judy, "I appreciate you telling me about the storage place," as Judy makes a face
    Netflix

    "A storage room to store all my stuff from my bachelor apartment. I spent $3,000 to store it all for several years and ended up throwing out 90% of it when we moved into our house. Dorm furniture and bad beer signs aren't worth saving."

    —u/HaroldBAZ

    Editor's Note: I can attest to this. I also wasted years storing things I ended up getting rid of. You're better off selling it and saving the money.

    13. WORTH IT: A good blender/a Vitamix.

    Vitamix with ingredients next to it
    Vitamix / YouTube / Via youtube.com

    "Had several subpar blenders over the years and decided to go with the best or nothing approach. It's an absolute weapon; excellent warranty too."

    —u/astroman9995

    "Yep. My first was used and made it eight years. Second one: 21 years. This one: seven and counting. I do everything with it that's in the cookbooks in addition to blending food every day for my daughter's feeding tube the past 36 years. Love the grain-grinding container as well."

    —u/Independent-Rain-867

    14. NOT WORTH IT: A waterbed.

    waterbed with hose attached
    u/zeal_champ / Via reddit.com

    "Biggest waste of money. Spent $1K on the most uncomfortable bed ever. Practically broke my back and sold it for $100 after just a year of using it."

    —TallAFTobs

    15. WORTH IT: A Roomba.

    Roomba vacuuming a carpet
    iRobot / YouTube / Via youtube.com

    "My brother says his Roomba is the shit."

    —u/Gullible_Tell3000

    "The self-emptying kind. I have pets and don’t know how I lived without it."

    —u/KarmaGeddonServed

    16. NOT WORTH IT: A Hummer.

    dad in "Unaccompanied Minors" sees a Hummer and says he can't drive it because it gets terrible mileage
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "A Hummer. It was my biggest dream and obsession when I was younger. After I finally bought one, it was the worst experience of my life. I wanted to blow it up. Granted it was an H3, but everything that could go wrong did. From the heater to electrical issues, to the sunroof leaking and oil leaking, etc. It left me stranded so many times, I was almost better off walking. Look up the 2006 passlock issue alone."

    —u/Careless_Jump2155

    17. WORTH IT: A bidet.

    tushy classic 3.0 attachment
    hellotushy.com

    "Hello Tushy: $99. I cannot believe I used to live like a goddamn animal."

    —u/Teek00

    18. NOT WORTH IT: A touchscreen laptop.

    Qi Yang / Getty Images

    Suggested by u/hxh2001bruh

    "Was it the fingerprints all over the screen?"

    —u/Rapturence

    "It’s cool for all of five seconds, but yeah, not really worth it. I use the touchscreen feature when turning it off, and that’s it."

    —soundboythriller

    19. WORTH IT: Regular massages.

    Hulu

    "Monthly massage. Relaxing, and resets your muscles. Worth every penny."

    —u/Cgtree9000

    20. NOT WORTH IT: A house in the country.

    Peter Walter / Getty Images/500px

    "Was fun at first to have land and be able to do what I want. But now it’s a pain to get anything serviced on the house, deliveries take longer, and it’s a pain to go grocery shopping or just into town in general. And the upkeep on the land is now a time waste, and sometimes I just want someone to deliver me pizza! Moving into town this summer."

    —u/Zorro-the-witcher

    And finally, let's go through a few last things that are always worth it...

    21. "High-quality toilet paper. I’m not wiping my ass with sandpaper."

    The Charmin bear holding a package of toilet paper
    Funny Commercials / YouTube / Via youtube.com

    —u/Ryguzlol

    22. "Good shampoo and conditioner (like salon brands). I never thought it was worth it because it's so much more expensive, but since I've started using it, I don't need to use any hair products at all."

    Emma Stone showering and washing her hair
    Sony Pictures Releasing

    —u/EphemeralApricity

    23. "[A good] winter jacket. I’ve been wearing the same North Face puffer so long it’s come in and out of fashion twice."

    A guy speaking into a mic and wearing a huge puffy coat
    ITV

    —u/notheretoparticipate

    24. "A nice desk chair."

    CBS

    —u/Ulzaf

    "There is nothing worse than having to sit in a chair with no back support and a headrest/top that rolls your neck slightly forward."

    —u/laddersrmykryptonite

    "I bought my own for work. My spine thanks me."

    —u/Bloobeard2018

    25. "If you cook, a high-quality chef knife."

    A woman waving her hand and pointing a knife
    NBC

    —u/NearPeerAdversary

    26. "High-quality walking/hiking shoes and boots."

    Músicas de vinil / YouTube / Via youtube.com

    "Not naming any brands or items, never be afraid to spend money on the real, high-quality good stuff, but always look for it on sale. See Terry Pratchett’s work on the high price of being poor (Sam Vimes’ boots). ... High-quality steel-toed shoes are a must for some professions. Also, get some good gel insoles."

    —u/IntegrityDenied

    27. And finally..."Whatever helps improve your big hobby."

    Jennifer Aniston saying, "Because I'm worth it" in a L'Oreal commercial
    Zerosonic / YouTube / Via youtube.com

    "One of the nicest presents I've ever gotten was a $400 pool cue (that was on sale for $350). It completely changed the game, because now I'm able to be more precise than I ever could with a house cue. If I had to, I'd spend those $400 in a heartbeat myself the second I had the extra cash for it. It's indescribable just how much more smooth and controlled it is compared to a regular one."

    —u/FedoraChronicles

    "Second this. My primary hobby is metal detecting, and I finally have actually nice gear. I have very limited time to indulge my hobbies these days, and it's so much better not having to fight with cheap gear that fails or breaks when I'm out in the field. More time to spend actually enjoying my hobby. Nothing worse than finally getting out to a spot, getting everything unloaded and situated, and a key piece of gear fails and ends your trip. Like dammit, I had one day off in weeks!"

    —u/rusty_L_shackleford