Who doesn't love a good splurge here and there? You know, that treat-yourself mentality. Though I have recently learned in this Reddit thread that sometimes, certain "luxuries" may not always be worth it. People shared the fancy purchases that they've come to realize may or may not have been worth opening up their wallets for.
If you've been thinking about making a luxury shopping spree, maybe read through this first. Here's what they said:
1.
"An old house. I love history, so I was thrilled to buy a house built before 1901. (In my area, there was a fire in 1901, so the city lists homes where the original info was lost.) What the hell was I thinking? It started falling apart within a year of moving in. We ended up selling after a few years, and made a profit, because the upkeep was just too much."
2.
"A horse doesn't eat hay — a horse eats money."
—Crittsy
"A family friend who is a farmer inherited two horses, who, as he put it, 'Eat money and shit work.'"
—lookwithoutseeing
3.
"I don't know how common this actually is, but don’t build a koi pond unless you like to pay someone regularly or do a lot of maintenance."
4.
"Getting a purebred dog or cat. I had purebreds of both, and it always ended in tragedy. My mutts and rescued cats have outlived them. They have fewer vet bills."
—Imaginary-Ogre
5.
"Jacuzzis. The maintenance those things require is underestimated."
6.
"No matter how hard I try to explain, my wife cannot comprehend how it's cheaper to rent a motorhome — or even better, just rent a nice cabin — than it is to own a motorhome."
—Next_Emphasis_9424
7.
"I have never met someone who was happy with their boat purchase."
8.
"Owning a house. Yeah, you’re not only paying rent, but every repair and maintenance fee is coming directly out of your pocket. I'm not saying that renting is better, but maintaining a house — especially a large one — is a full-time job."
9.
"A more 'affordable' luxury is an ice maker... It requires horrible maintenance to keep it decently clean."
—HowdyImACrimeNerd
10.
"Granite countertops. They're totally unsuitable for their purpose. They literally get stained by water, so don't let the sink splash without wiping it off. It can't take any heat at all, so any pot or pan has to sit on top of something else. It'll scratch easily. The real luxury would be the stuff they use in school chemistry labs — you could have a bonfire on it, put it out with a hose, and be good as new when it's dry."
11.
"Anything chrome or with a shiny finish — chrome faucets, glass railings, chrome door handles, and large windows. If you’re a homeowner and don’t have money for a cleaner, you’d better NOT have these around."
—Decathlon5891
12.
"I installed a fountain in my yard. It's flat and wide, with stones around it — nothing too outrageous. The birds and squirrels love it, but because they're wild animals, they shit all over it, and the nasty water circulates through the pump. The fountain and installation cost me more than $2K because I had an electrician do it properly and bury the electrical out to the patio, but the maintenance is constant and disgusting, and I hate it now."
13.
"An unnecessarily large yard. We used to live in a house with an absolutely tiny yard. We didn't really have room for our kids to run around. We ended up moving out to the country and got a few acres of land. Plenty of room for the kids to play and even have some pets (dogs, goats, etc.). It's great for those reasons, but the amount of yard work I have to do is wild. You'd think a large riding mower and a zero-turn would be enough, but that's not the issue. It's the weed eating. It takes forever and is back-breaking work."
—Realsan
14.
"A vegetable garden. Don't get me wrong, it is really nice to grow your own food, but if you don't tend it at least every other day for an hour or so, the weeds grow out of control. If you don't harvest the food consistently, it quickly goes bad. You have to plan for an excess of different vegetables. Year 1, I got like 20 zucchinis, which was manageable; the next year, I got 50+ and couldn't eat enough or harvest enough. They just kept growing, and I couldn't give them away fast enough. It seems simple, but it is such a commitment if you decide to go with a few large raised beds."
16.
"Being an audiophile. You’re constantly spending a fortune on gold-plated cables and other rubbish that marketers try to foist onto you… And yet, as you get older, your hearing just keeps getting worse."
17.
"Exotic cars and race cars. They're extremely specialized, with exquisite engineering details, and this type of engineering comes with significant maintenance requirements. Deferred maintenance on these things is quickly punished because it often results in a chain of failures on exceedingly expensive components that all depend on each other working perfectly to achieve their design life. Two common sayings regarding them are: 'If you can't afford a new (insert exotic car brand), you definitely can't afford used. And if you can't afford two (insert exotic car brand), you can't afford one."
—Boostedbird23
18.
"Expensive watches like a Rolex. It costs $500–$1,000 every 2 years for servicing."
19.
"We were house-hunting a few years ago, and a pool was a hard no for us."
—Bunny_Butt16
"I could fill that thing with $5 bills, and it would STILL be cheaper than keeping water in it."
—Prudent-Poetry-2718
20.
"Roombas are for people without pets."
—drifters74
21.
And lastly, "Do kids count? By far the most expensive decision I've ever made."
All right folks, what's a luxury in your mind that just isn't worth it? Let us know in the comments! Or, if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can fill out the form below!
Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
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