We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which expensive items they've bought that are *not* worth the splurge, and their answers may just save you some money. Here are the eye-opening results:
1. "First class tickets for short, domestic, not overnight flights are not worth it. Totally worth it for overnight or 8+-hour flights! Otherwise, it's a waste of money."
2. "A good computer. This might be different for other people who need a good and powerful computer for their jobs or gaming, but I don't need it for either. I bought a really good one for a lot of money, and I only use it sometimes for Netflix and YouTube."
3. "My 'luxury' car. It's temperamental and has some of the dumbest, most expensive problems I've ever had to deal with. Your LED running light is starting to dim? Can't replace the bulb? You have to replace the entire headlight assembly...for $4,500."
"You live in a place that gets very cold in the winter (-40°C/-49°F)? Perfect. This piece of garbage doesn't have a block heater, so it will definitely freeze solid, then spend seven months in the shop because it's a stupid collab between a German manufacturer and a Japanese manufacturer and was only produced for two years, so nobody knows how to work on it. Should the dealership have informed you of these things when you purchased the car? Probably, but they didn't, so it's your problem now, sucker."
4. "I bout one of those cocktail machines that went viral on TikTok. Such a waste of money. The cocktail pods taste nasty, the least strong setting still pours out a heavy shot, and it was way too expensive. Never again; I’d much rather just mix cocktails myself."
5. "Getting coffee at popular coffeeshops. I’ll stick with Folgers and buy a house a decade earlier."
"Folgers is the best!!! I also like the Cafe Bustelo espresso, using an affordable espresso machine. Your espresso will taste the same whether you use a $20 Hamilton Beach or $1,000 bougie one."
6. "Designer glasses. Just buy some online. Even if you have fantastic vision insurance, buying them from somewhere like Eyebuydirect or GlassesUSA will probably be cheaper than your copay. I got a pair of prescription sunglasses from Eyebuydirect for, like, $30."
"They’re always having sales, and they have frames starting at, like, $9. They have like a thousand frame options and a good selection of lens options. It’s just so much better in my opinion, especially if you’re ADHD like me and always lose or sit on them haha."
7. "A few of my friends bought one of those fancy at-home workout bikes and weren't that impressed, especially considering the cost."
8. "My bachelor's degree. I wish I had spent a few years working and figuring out what I wanted to do for a career, or going to to community college instead of a four-year school. At 18, I wanted to 'pursue my passion,' and now, I have a degree I don't use, and every job I've had after college has never required a college degree."
"My degree. Most expensive piece of paper I’ve ever 'purchased.' I say it in quotes because I’m still paying out the rear end for it!"
9. "Expensive, brand-name alcohol. It's good, and $3 champagne sucks, but there's a lot in between that's perfectly fine. A $20–30 bottle will do fine, and the difference in taste doesn't justify the price difference."
10. "Some pairs of shoes I used to have come to mind. I’ve spent $200–300 on pairs of heels that turned out to be a lot less comfortable than I thought initially. Fortunately, I recouped some of that money thanks to being able to sell them on Poshmark."
11. "Cast iron pans. There's too much stuff to do to maintain that seasoning. I still end up using my regular wok for everything."
12. "I paid $1,100 for popular at-home training equiment. I think I used it twice. It was fine, I guess — just not my bag. I prefer running outdoors. It sat untouched in my garage for a year or so, then I sold it for $200."
13. "Basically anything new — especially clothes, toys, and kitchenware. I use a secondhand shopping app that works like iStore; you add the product to your cart and pay. It's too much hassle to have to write 20 messages on Facebook Marketplace for one purchase, so I'm really happy that I found it."
"When I need clothes for my kids, I buy these packages with, like, 10 pants, 10 t-shirts, etc. for no money and minimal impact on the environment."
14. "Ticket packages for tourist attractions. The savings is normally just a few dollars, which can add up, but then you feel rushed to do everything. My daughter gets anxiety easily so sometimes we need to take a break in the hotel for a little while, but then you feel like you don't get your money's worth."
"I would rather just buy tickets when we get there so we can take our time deciding if it is something we HAVE to see or if we could do something else after a quick break."
15. "A luxury handbag. I bought it used for 1/4 the price of a new one, and it was in very good condition, but I’m still always nervous about getting it dirty when I take it out, and it seems like the places I go the most (grocery store, library, friend’s houses, etc.) don’t necessitate a bag like this."
16. "I got one of those luxury advent calendars this year for £350. Even though I was able to sell about half the contents for £200, in reflection, it was overpriced."
17. "Staying at a five-star luxurious hotel. My wife and I did our honeymoon in August. We went to Athens and a couple of Greek islands. We spent four days in Athens, then another night as we waited for our flight home. The first four days, we stayed in a five-star hotel, it was really nice. On the last night, we stayed at what all the travel guides said was the best most luxurious hotel. It was about double the price of the first hotel we stayed at."
"While the second hotel was really nice, it was nearly double the price. Not nearly worth the money."
18. "Streaming services. I honestly would have canceled it years ago because I don't watch half the stuff on there and really could rely on DVDs for particular favorites, but I literally just keep it now for my niece and nephew."
19. "I bought a very expensive hair dryer; I succumbed to peer pressure by TikTok and, albeit a cool product, the payoff just isn’t worth it, unfortunately. There are several more heatless curl AND curling iron options that work better than a $500 hair dryer. Save your money!"
20. "Perfume. I love smelling like an expensive department store no matter where I am, but to spray a $150 bottle on me just to go to the beach felt like a waste, so I started buying knock-offs. The compliments haven’t changed."
21. "I got this expensive vacuum cleaner that I heard a lot about. Don’t. It's definitely not worth the cost. If you get one, you then get to lower the cost of yours by turning in the names of your friends and family, so that they, too, can be cajoled into getting one. A good way to end friendships. It’s cheaper in the long run to just buy a cheap vacuum at a discount store that will only last a few years then get another one when it craps out."
And finally...
22. "Mine is a little superficial, but it’s a heated laundry rack. It was expensive, but figured it was worth the price. Turns out: Your clothes don’t dry faster. You have to keep moving your clothes, so the heated part reaches different parts of your clothes. Or you have to lay it flat, but then, you can only dry three pieces at a time."
What's something expensive you bought that wasn't worth it in the end? Let us know in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.