6 really dumb ways Americans waste money

[StormRichards]

Are you guilty of any of following?

1. Overspending on Education
2. Purchasing Expensive Diapers
3. Buying Unnecessary Baby Stuff
4. Betting on Lottery Tickets
5. Failing to Shop for Bargains
6. Insisting on Lavish Weddings

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/spendingandborrowing/6-really-dumb-ways-americans-waste-money/ar-AAkTaW1?li=BBnb7Kz

[clatoden99]

Drinking alcohol

Partying

Hanging Around

“Vacations”

Lying on the beach

Doing Drugs

…

Most things people do seem like a waste of time and money for me.

Unless it does not help me to make more money or keep me alive, it’s a waste of money.

Unless it does not help me in any way, it’s a waste of time.

[Mjenn]

I am guilty of the diapers one. Both my kids were in diapers until they were about 3. Much nicer without them now, and I guess cheaper, but I have friends that do the 'no diaper' method with their kids and I guess expensive diapers are a luxury I'm OK with.

The rest I'm good with. I got a big scholarship and carry no student debt for my undergrad. I carry a small amount of debt for a Masters I took later that has almost no interest and pay off easily each month and doubled my salary -- so well worth the investment.

I find bargains could be dangerous too. There are many times I think about buying something 'just because it is on sale' and realize I would have never bought that thing if it wasn't on sale, so it isn't actually saving me anything even if it is a great bargain.

But as per Clatadon's list -- biggest thing I 'blow' my money on is vacations - and I think they are worth every penny.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I'll play too;

“I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted.” W.C. Fields quote.

Pretty much sums up ways I wasted my money.

[phantom]

I guess according to the article I wasted money on my baby because I bought a diaper pail. It wasn't even just the $40 waste like the article suggested, but closer to $70. What an idiot I was to waste such a large sum money when as a stressed-out, sleep-deprived new mother, caring for my baby alone during the day, I should have clearly been putting diapers in old shopping bags then carrying them down a flight of stairs and putting shoes on to take them out the garage where they wouldn't stick up the house, all while carrying around an infant. /sarcasm

I'm not saying there aren't ways that Americans waste money, especially when it comes to babies. But, I would put the $1000+ baby swings that move in 20 different patterns and play 40 different songs on that list well before a diaper pail. Even then, if you've tried everything else and the fancy swing is the only thing that will get your baby to stop screaming and go to sleep, I'd hesitate to call that a waste. New parents certainly get tricked into buying a lot of stuff they don't need, but the first few months of my daughter's life was one of the most stressful times of my life, and if you can spend some money to alleviate some stress, I think it's money well spent. Sometimes you pay for the luxury of an item that makes life easier, and sometimes you pay for the luxury of time saved by not hunting for a way to save a few bucks.

[disneysteve]

Unless it does not help me to make more money or keep me alive, it’s a waste of money.

That's a pretty sad way to look at life in my opinion.

I do not think something has to make me more money or keep me alive to be worth spending on. There's nothing wrong with spending money on something that makes me or someone else happy or entertains me or teaches me something new, for example.

[msomnipotent]

The last time I was really aggressive about hunting for a bargain turned into a monumental waste of time and energy. After all the shopping around I did, Best Buy "beat" the lowest price by a PENNY. One CENT! I like getting a bargain, but the most effort I will put into it is searching online now. I will look at comparison charts, and if it is something like towels I can wait for the white sales, etc, but that is about it. Time is money, too.

I'm with phantom regarding baby items. I was older and had RA when we had our child. You can bet we "wasted" money on making it convenient for me. I even had a mini fridge and induction hot plate in her closet so I didn't have to go downstairs for a bottle and wait to warm it. I got the induction plate for free from surveys, though. Whoever thought of the jungle baby swing that swings different ways deserves a special place in heaven. I would pay $150 again and again for it!

[Sagalamora]

Unless it does not help me to make more money or keep me alive, it’s a waste of money.

You make money to make more money? Sounds a bit like a crazy circle to me. Personally I try to make as much as I can to get my life as pleasant as it can be. And by the way, money helps but not always can keep you alive, ask Steve Jobs...

[cypher1]

Easily for me, wasting food is # 1. I either forget to cook something, or decide to go out to eat, vs using before an expiration date.

[Captain Save]

if by expensive diapers you mean Pampers.. then I'm guilty .. but I'll do it again .. Pampers is worth the money .. I've tried cheap diapers .. you end up spending more money and having to deal with leaks

Pampers swaddlers

overspending on education is a big thing... I can't stand it ..

[phantom]

if by expensive diapers you mean Pampers.. then I'm guilty .. but I'll do it again .. Pampers is worth the money .. I've tried cheap diapers .. you end up spending more money and having to deal with leaks

Pampers swaddlers

The article doesn't criticize the cost per diaper so much as the delay in potty training. But, I agree that diapers that fit right and work are worth paying extra for, and that happened to be Pampers at our house too.

[~bs]

Nowadays with the spiraling cost of education, I think this is a big money waster.

Unless you're pretty smart and know what you plan to do, it makes more sense to pay for instate tuition at a public college than private out of state. When I went to school, it only cost me $3k/year. At that time, private out of state universities were already 30k/year. Would I gain enough by going to a school that costs 10x more to justify the additional cost? Possibly, but unlikely IMO. Also not included in the calculation of out of state schooling is cost is room and board, additional transportation expenses, and interest on student loans.

[FLA]

hanging around doing whatever is free so I don't get why that;s on the list unless it's just because you should be working all the time, which I don't agree with

I managed to avoid the top 6. I did go to a private college but I got a financial aid/scholarship deal that made it the same cost as a state school.

I am really surprised/glad that pets weren't on the list

[jjandjab]

My parents "overspent" on my education by some estimates - private 4 year college, but they could afford it and it was my Dad's gift to his kids (he never went to college and did very well - ah, the irony that he literally made us go!). But as a physician now, it sure worked out fine. Not sure what road we will take with our kids as we can also afford it, but there is definitely a value proposition...

And the second list made me laugh - As we get our third snowstorm in a week, I could use a vacation to the beach with an alcholic drink in hand! For sure!

[SavingMum]

I'm not really guilty of much on that list

I managed to get started on my degree in the August 2012 - one month before they changed the prices here in the UK, so my whole degree was meant to cost £4-6k instead of the £15-18k it is now. (This is for Open University, which I did - I think the brick and mortar ones are 9k a yr, minimun 3 yrs...)

As I was 17, I got some young student grants which pretty much covered 75% of the cost each year, plus some other money which I'm not even sure where it came from - all in all, I got my entire degree for about £500. Not a bad deal, eh?

Diapers - I used to use the cheapest ones, until hubby came home with a different type once and I noticed the difference in leaks, so now we use those. They're only marginally more expensive, though. And I'm not starting potty training yet, he's not even 8 months

I'll admit to wasting money on chocolate, though I do limit it. If you can call that wasting money