We all make bad choices when it comes to purchasing stuff. Please share with us your last bad purchasing choice...
1. What was it.
2. What was wrong about it.
3. When did this occur
4. What did you learn from this error in judgement.
Perhaps we can all learn from each other's mistakes.
Overall Rating: votes
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Posted 1 year ago #
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Great topic! I bought a beautiful but COMPLETELY useless storage bin -- it's so pretty that I was just lured into it! But it's not good for actual storage since it's too soft and the material can't really be cleaned so as soon as it gets dusty it will look terrible.
I think I knew, even as I was buying it, that I shouldn't -- but the price and the plain old cuteness of it made me come up with a million excuses.
I should have waited, come back in a few days, and reconsidered then. I will bet you a million bucks that if I had waited I would have forgotten about it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I bought a day-planner with paper pages in December at the discount store (USD, about $5.99).
The monthly calendar pages have grids but are not labeled by month and day; you have to do that yourself. The daily grid squares are tiny. On top of that, only 6 months of daily pages are included for adding your detailed lists.
I can't return it, because I wrote in it and shredded the receipt.
I won't buy one like this again; thank goodness I didn't spend much money. I do like using a planner with paper pages; I just didn't buy the kind which suits me.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Not the most recent, but the most egregious. I bought a Slappa CD case (the kind DJs use) as a storage solution for my ridiculous music library. It is too bulky, too heavy, too hard to organize, and I generally hate it. It was the wrong choice because I don't need to *transport* my CDs.
This was going on two years ago and I have since been getting small leatherette shelf boxes and filing the CDs in them after ripping dance tracks to the main computer. I will give away the Slappa once I've finished the project, and the lesson is to not buy something just because I'm impatient and I think it *might* work.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I recently purchased a book that I started to read and realized it bores me to tears. I should have known to take it out of the library.
Secondly, I purchased a couple of songs off of iTunes that I ended up not wanting.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The most recent purchases I regretted were 2 tops:
The first was a workout top from Lululemon which looked lovely, fit well, and was on sale. Perfect, right? ... Then I wore it to a few high-impact cardio classes, and noticed that, between the built-in bra being too small, and the straps being too stretchy, the top kept riding down in the chest area, exposing my sports bra, and impeding support rather than adding to it. I figured that removing the built-in bra would make it a comfy top for yoga; however, after the bra was removed, the top started looking odd and droopy. No idea how its structure could change so dramatically, but that top is now in my donation bag. It's an almost new, and otherwise good top, but just not for me, I guess...
The second was a dressy, long top that I bought to wear with leggings when I go out salsa dancing. I've taken to wearing leggings (which I otherwise never wear) because they're just so much more comfortable for dancing than either jeans or skirts, and I had to buy a few long tunic-type tops to go with them (I don't really want my bum exposed, even in leggings). The rest of the tops I bought were flowy at the bottom, so they were fine, but this one top is form-fitting, and the fabric is quite slippery, the combination of which means that it rides up like crazy and by the end of one song I end up with its bottom part bunched up around my waist. Not pretty. Otherwise it's a gorgeous top and I love the way it looks (on its own and on me), but it's not terribly functional for the use I indended for it. Haven't decided what to do about it yet -- donate it, wear it outside of my salsa outings, or modify it to stop it riding up.
Lesson learned: try on clothes for their intended purpose, to see how they'll perform. Walk, jump and dance in everything ;)
Posted 1 year ago # -
I bought a paperclip holder when the glass dish I was using worked perfectly well. It is red and I have a weakness for red office stuff. It was only a dollar but I wish I had left it at the store.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@Anita - dancewear can be SUCH a trial! If you otherwise like your tunic, you might try just opening the side seams from the bottom hem up to about the level of your leggings waistband. Take a few stitches to secure the seam at the top of the opening, and now you have a swirly effect. :-)
Posted 1 year ago # -
chacha1- i can't tell you the number of times in the past that i bought something that wasn't exactly the right thing because i was impatient and wanted something to work right then, that moment. after- i would be disappointed with myself for having done it yet again.
i don't like being mad at myself-that was one of the best motivators to get me to be more stubborn with myself when i shop.Posted 1 year ago # -
@chacha1 -- thanks for the suggestion! That's what I was thinking as well, but given that my previous attempt at modifying something went so wrong, I'm a little apprehensive. Might still give it a try though, it's only a $20 top after all, and if it's between this and not wearing it, I don't have much to lose :)
Also: I seem to have the opposite problem from you: instead of buying something out of impatience, I postpone buying something that's not perfect until something better comes along; then something better fails to come along, and the previous item is no longer available. Which is why I still have the same old gym bag that's slowly coming apart, but can't bear to part with over $100 for a new one that's *almost* what I'm looking for.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@Anita, I had to laugh imagining you in the dressing rooms at the department store jumping around throwing your hand in the air and kicking your legs up. I wish I could be in on that shopping adventure.
I also love your shopping logic of postponing buying something until you find exactly what you want. The only problem with that plan is sometimes the perfectionist bug can bite and in the end the old item becomes totally dysfunctional and you then need to replace it in a hurry. Dilemma!The last item I purchased that I am sorry about is a HP Photosmart Plus - B209a printer. Worst printer we have ever owned. It won't feed paper smaller than letter size without it pulling crooked and drinks ink like there is no tomorrow. It would be cheaper to replace it than to buy the next batch on ink cartridges and it is useless for my art projects. So much for going with a reputable brand. Next time I will make sure I get a demonstration in the store and read all the product reviews before buying a new printer.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I need to remember that I shouldn't be tempted by clothes in the sales!
Last spring(2010)I bought a dark brown jumper that I have only worn twice this winter because I look in the wardrobe and don't feel that 'brown' on the day.
I think it has to go.Posted 1 year ago # -
Since I'm so poor, I almost never buy anything that isn't essential, so I can't think of any regrets. I recently purchased a Brother laser printer based on recommendations and reviews. It's great so far. Perhaps it's because I so devoutly read reviews that I have few regrets. I splurged on a $1.00 St. Paddy's bow tie for my son, and it sounds ridiculous but he loves it and he'll wear it on March 17th. I suppose that there were two splurges involved there--buying something I didn't need, and purchasing a silly object--but it was worth it. He'll probably have it for years.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Jude: I have a Brother laser as well. It replaced a long string of color printers that ATE ink and never worked right. The toner is relatively expensive but it seems to last about a year. If I really, really need color I can put the doc on my portable hard drive and take it to the copy shop -- but I've found that I hardly ever do need color.
Posted 1 year ago #
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