Scrooge Strategy

Things I hate spending money on

110 comments — written on March 17th, 2006

Happy Friday. Today I thought it’d be fun to put down all the stuff we hate spending money on. Now, I’m perfectly willing to spend lots of money on stuff I love, but not these things (below). Check some of mine out and add your own comments.

Dry cleaning. What kind of damn service cleans things without using water? I still don’t understand how this works. All I understand is that it’s outrageously expensive to clean things, and it just looks like they used a lint roller and a sheet of Bounce to make my sweaters look smooth and smell nice. Also, I hate people who think they have to dry clean things THAT DON’T NEED DRY CLEANING, or dryclean all the time.

Expensive restaurants that leave you completely unsatisfied. These are the foofy places that serve you 1 eggroll (split in 2) and call it an appetizer. That’s a tease, not an appetizer, you jackass manager. Also, there are usually a lot of old people in these kinds of restaurants. Maybe it’s because they can afford to pay 100% for 1/6 of a meal. Give me some Taco Bell, please.

Books that are not good.

Shoes that look like regular shoes but cost $200. I was shopping with 2 friends in San Francisco last weekend (1 guy and 1 girl) and the girl decided to go shoe shopping. My friend and I just sat down, facing a wall and hoping to die. Anyway, it turns out that we were facing a wall of Coach shoes. So when the girl ambled over about 20 minutes later (kill me), I pointed out this pair of shoes to her. “Look at this shoe,” I said, “it looks so trashy! It’s just a regular pair of Keds, and it’s $78.00 just because it’s Coach. I could get the same shoe at Payless for $7.99. Give me a break!!!” Little did I notice the woman sitting directly to my left, about 2 feet away, who was currently getting some shoes brought to her. Which shoes were they? Of course–the trashy ones I had pointed out. Great. And of course my jackass friends knew exactly what I had done, and they forced me to sit there awkwardly for 10 more minutes. I hate them. I would have done the same thing to them, though.

Organic groceries. Whole Foods. All the BS foods that are designed to make you feel better about yourself rather than actually feeding you. STOP WITH THE LOW SELF-ESTEEM AND JUST GET SOME NORMAL CARROTS.

Anything more than $5 for parking. A few years ago, I had an interview with a hedge fund and they told me to come to San Francisco and park in this lot, etc. So I did, and the interview lasted the whole day. At the end of the day, every single company will give you vouchers to cover any expenses you incurred during the interview. (You shouldn’t be losing money interviewing for a company.) Anyway, they were all “Have a nice day!” so I politely asked about a voucher for my parking, which (remember) they had told me to park in. The lady looked completely surprised and said, “Uhh, let me check on that” and disappeared into a back room. About 3 minutes later she came out and said, “Sorry, we don’t do that.” REMEMBER, THIS WAS A MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR HEDGE FUND that couldn’t validate my parking. It turned out to be $27.00. On that fateful day, I vowed that if I accepted the offer, I would negotiate at least $27 into my signing bonus.

The price of food at athletic events. I suppose that since I never go to athletic events, this is a decidedly theoretical argument.

Maintenance on stuff you already spent a lot on. Examples: cameras, washing machines, and I guess dry cleaning.

Food like bananas that ALWAYS seems to go bad when you’re a single person. Now, when I buy groceries, I just start immediately eating them in a race against time. It’s like I’ll be in the car on the way home and I have an apple in my mouth, I’m polishing a pear in one hand, and opening a package of strawberries in the other.

1-hour photo. I hated this enough to write an entire article about it.

Laundromats, which are seriously expensive.

Gym signup fees. If anyone on this site doesn’t negotiate their gym memberships (THEY ARE COMPLETELY NEGOTIABLE), I am going to hit you.

There are so many more!!!!!!!!! But for now, add your own to the comments and let’s get this going.

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110 comments

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  1. 1
    March 17, 2006

    charley

    Good post. While there are many things i hate spending money on, I will limit this list to “things designed to create recurring expenses”. While this is great for companies, it sucks for consumers.

    1. Braun self-cleaning razor – i admit it is a superior razor, but you have to buy new f*ing cleaning cartridges at $7/ea every few months. And don’t worry, the base has a big red light that tells you it’s time to get a new one

    2. Cell phone / blackberry services – these have got to be the most profitable businesses. They charge you a big fee every month, and also include a HUGE early cancellation fee.

    3. Comcast digital cable – another huge monthly expense. They have a monopoly in our area, and love to charge the installation fee, termination fee, deposit, etc. Plus they have really stupid employees and terrible customer service

    4. Gym fees – large monthly expense, large sign up fee, large termination fee. Plus everyone “haggles” when they sign up, and most people at the same gym pay different amounts. How shady is that?

    In short, recurring expenses suck. If you think that $40/month for a gym membership isn’t bad, remember that is really $500/year when you could just run outside or jump rope or something.

  2. 2
    March 17, 2006

    Cara

    FIY…From what I understand regarding the subject, your clothes “get plenty wet” in the dry cleaning process. Who knew?

  3. 3
    March 17, 2006

    Dan Esparza

    OMG. I am officially laughing at work.

    This list rocks. You can add to it:

    1.) The tiny little ‘fees’ that your phone company puts on your phone bill that make it much more than the ‘deal’ they said they would give you. Nice that these aren’t negotiable, and somehow aren’t really ‘taxes’ (although they get lumped in together).

    2.) Bottled water. It’s water. It’s in a bottle. I know it’s conventient. But c’mon. It’s water. It’s in a bottle. How expensive can this be?

    3.) Flowers in February. Are they really that much more expensive that month?

  4. 4
    March 17, 2006

    Hawk

    Things I hate:

    1) Payin for TV. I don’t like TV very much. I certainly don’t watch a lot of it, but I still have to pay 60 dollars a month for the convienience of being able to find out what’s on from my TV, so I know there isn’t anything on I want to watch.

    2) Cell phone data plans. I have a Treo 650 and I’d love to have internet on it. If I had internet on my phone I would use it freaking constantly. I would also have to pay another 50 dollars a month. What the hell? Who’s going to do that? Certainly not people who don’t have expense accounts.

    3) Buying club memberships. Why do I have to pay money to sams club to shop there? Do they recoup all their other costs? They don’t even have costs. That’s the point, they just dump some stuff out on the floor and you buy it.

    4) Health insurance. why do I hate paying for it? Because the big fat manual that came with my coverage exists for the sole purpose of telling me what it wont’ cover (just about everything except being in an accident). I pay a lot of money in order to … have to get pre-approval for everything as well as a fixed co-pay on all medicines, and I don’t have dental or optical… that’s *extra*. Why is dental EXTRA? Everyone needs their teeth taken care of.. they’re part of your body! You don’t have ‘foot insurance’. You only have butt insurance if you’re J-lo…

    5) Trash. Why do I have to pay the city to pick up my trash? (I don’t, but why should I?) I already pay them taxes. That’s what taxes are for.

    6) Laundry, in my own apartment complex. Why don’t they just jack up my rent and give me a washer and dryer of my own and let me pay for the utilities myself?

  5. 5
    March 17, 2006

    Chris

    Man, if you have tips for eating as a single person, I’m all ears. I have the same problem; everything I buy perishes within a week or two. I’ve gotten the hang of freezing my bread, at least, but everything else – sandwich meat, cheese, yogurt, milk – goes bad too quickly before I can eat it. Drives me nuts.

  6. 6
    March 17, 2006

    Katie

    Hawk–
    I also have a treo 650 and with Sprint the data plan is only $10 a month… I can’t say whether theirs is a good or bad service compared to other companies, but FYI…

    1) “partnerships” between companies…ie one company sells another person’s stuff, charges you more, and then NO ONE will give you technical support because they just say it’s the other person’s problem

    2) Shipping fees when shopping online. I could just go buy the damn book down the street and get it TODAY and not have to pay shipping.

    3) Cover charge at the field where my team plays softball. It’s frickin ridiculous to charge people $2 for games they already paid to play in! And we’re guaranteed to buy your overpriced beer and pizza! Just stop.

    4) Bars with bad service. I should not have to pay you to ignore me. People ignore me for free all the time. It makes me feel ugly, too :(

  7. 7
    March 17, 2006

    Jonathan

    LOL at the fruit. That’s totally me. I am always breaking apart those nice little banana bunches because if I buy more than three at a time, I’m screwed.

  8. 8
    March 17, 2006

    SingleMom

    Love the post!

    I hate spending money on bills…all of them. Let’s face it, we’re an advanced society so shouldn’t water and heat be free?

  9. 9
    March 17, 2006

    Jared Goralnick

    Ex-girlfriends. Well I don’t think I regretted it at the time, but in retrospect they really top the list both in terms of price and lack of benefit.

    Next up would be wireless internet. $20 at the airport? $15 at Starbucks? And then it doesn’t work half the time…

    Exorbitant Handling fees. Buy it Now for $5 + $20 shipping and handling…

    Legal documents. Don’t ever lose one of those. It’s expensive and time-consuming to replace.

    Framing. $10 poster, $120 frame…

  10. 10
    March 17, 2006

    R

    I live in San Francisco and rarely use my car. Like once a week since I have to go to the south bay for some work and I cant take public transport (if I could, I would). My insurance is still higher than what it was in the east bay – where I drove like almost everyday in heavy traffic… urgghhhh I hate it.

  11. 11
    March 17, 2006

    dgsinclair

    1. Expensive lunches at chain restaurants. After tax and tip, a lunch at Chevy’s can be like 18 bucks. Not worth it. Maybe it’s the $2.50 they charged me for a glass of sugar water (coke).

    2. Two year cell phone contracts. I try to save money on a new phone by signing up for my new account. Now, they want me to pay it back over two years, but I drop my phone way too much for it to last two years. So for the second year, I have to deal with a broken phone. Not fun.

  12. 12
    March 17, 2006

    Dustin L.

    1. Toll roads – that’s what taxes are for
    2. Plate splitting fees at restaurants
    3. Movie theater concessions
    4. Extended warranties – $20 to warranty a $60 product?!?!
    5. Tips – Tipping has become much too pervasive. Questions on who you should tip and how much can drive the average person nuts. Why don’t employers just pay what the job is worth and stop making their employees dependent on tips?
    6. Home Owners Association fees – I will never live anywhere with an HOA. Why pay people to tell you what you can and can’t do with your house?
  13. 13
    March 17, 2006

    Kiran

    The overpriced and unsatisfying food always has me seething because I know a great burrito place that is $4 for a large. The opportunity cost of not going there is too great to warrant anything else.

    Also I’d have to say taxis. I can’t sit through a ride without watching the meter intently. I can only live with it if I’m taking a girl somewhere.

  14. 14
    March 17, 2006

    Lisa

    1) Paying $1 for a can of soda in a machine when you know you could buy a 12-pack for $3 (on sale) at the store.

    2) Extra phone company fees – we all know they are there and we live with them.

    3) Interest on credit cards – that constant reminder that you shouldn’t have bought it in the first place if you didn’t have the cash.

  15. 15
    March 17, 2006

    Kay

    While I agree with you on all unnecessary expenses, I disagree on the organic products thing. Check out for ‘high pesticide foods’ in google and you’ll know why you have to eat atleast those in organic form.

    check out http://www.foodnews.org/reportcard.php

    &

    http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php

    If you chose to spend your money on high pesticide food, it’s your choice. but please dont think i’s the wisest choice. Nobody eat organic food only because the cause of organic food makes you feel good. It’s mainly because of the pesticide-free thingie and it tastes so much better, than conventional foods.

    Don’t knock it until you havent tried it.

  16. 16
    March 17, 2006

    Ari

    You forgot the worst thing to spend money on: high maintenance girlfriends. Women should like you for you, not your money, and the high maintenance ones are the WORST. They’re not just expensive once or twice, no, they’re a gift that keeps on giving, sending you to the poorhouse. Remember, they should love your charm and wit, not your wallet.

  17. 17
    March 17, 2006

    harvey

    toilet paper and paper towels. why buy when they’re readily available at any public bathroom? HA!

  18. 18
    March 17, 2006

    Devin

    Sure, I love my car… but it falls under the ‘already paid too much for’ category. I hate registration, insurance, maintaince… all the little things that come along with them.

  19. 19
    March 17, 2006

    Anonymous

    Spending money on drinks that aren’t tap water is a waste of money. Period.

  20. 20
    March 17, 2006

    pssst

    ppsst. dont be such a cheap piece of shit. no wonder you claim to save so much loot.

  21. 21
    March 17, 2006

    Kelly

    This is an odd trick, but works great. I hate dry cleaning and I really hate to dry clean stuff that was just done but got a little stain or shmuts on it. So I use a trick my mother taught me.

    Get some cheap Dryel “refill” sheets (Check Amazon). Take one sheet, cut off about a quarter of it becaue you don’t need the whole thing, save the rest for later. Microwave the sheet for a few seconds (I go for about 5 to 10) until it’s warm/steaming a bit. Rub it over the shmuts until it’s all gone.

    You save yourself dry cleaning an entire item for such a little thing. These little sheets work well, even if you don’t microwave handy, on new stains. So you can carry a couple with you in a plastic bag and be saved in a pinch.

  22. 22
    March 17, 2006

    hopster

    TAXES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    We pay hefty taxes and the gov. won’t give us money to prevent a levee break that could destroy most of northern cali.

    HOUSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I have no clue who is paying the money for these houses but someone must be doing it. Is California really THAT cool?

  23. 23
    March 17, 2006

    KMS

    1. Cover charge at bars. (The only time I have ever been okay with it is at Humphrey’s in St. Louis on Wednesdays for penny pitchers…then the $2 cover isn’t too bad.)

    2. Grocery chains and their high-priced items. Shop at Trader Joe’s, the prices there are way more reasonable.

  24. 24
    March 17, 2006

    Ben Casnocha

    Even if you get only one important thing out of a bad book, it probably was one of your better investments.

  25. 25
    March 17, 2006

    James

    1. School pictures- they charged me $19 just to take the picture for the yearbook, and they want $45 for two medium-sized prints! My parents don’t understand that they could just take a good picture at home and take it to Walgreens. Maybe this is why they’re broke.

    2. Movie theatre food and drinks. $3 for water?

    About trash and apartment laundry: if everyone was charged the same amount, there is no motivation to conserve. Garbage costs would go up because the overall amount of trash would be higher. Same for laundry. If washer and drier use was included in rent, people would let their friends use the community washer and it would not be available for those who paid for it. The cost would be higher than if people just paid for what they used.

    Don’t bash organic food. There’s some pretty bad stuff in some of our food supply- a lot of pesticides, fertilizers, and hormones that could cause cancer. rBST in milk is banned in several countries but it’s in most of our milk here. Organic is worth the price!

  26. 26
    March 18, 2006

    Rick

    I love this post and the list – add ‘TiVo’ subscription from my side – I would love a hard disc based cheap recorder but to pay money everymonth? No way!

    But something I disagree with – Hedge fund di the wrong thing in not validating your parking, but if they offer the job and you like it, $27/- should be the last thing on your mind! Good job (and good love) don’t come that often! It would surely be a little money in that context! Well, if they don’t give you job, well – go ahead and send a letter to get that money by all means!!

  27. 27
    March 18, 2006

    Sean Harrison

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  28. 28
    March 18, 2006

    kr8tr

    *haircuts*

  29. 29
    March 18, 2006

    Scott

    Ortho and dental insurance for my kids when I just found out that so called “underprivileged” kids in my state are eligible for ortho.

    Auto insurance when I live in a state where the “underprivileged” don’t have to pay any auto insurance.

    My 401K when others … instead of saving for their retirement … are buying SUVs – and knowing that my taxes will be paying for their retirement someday while I barely have enough left over to eat out.

  30. 30
    March 18, 2006

    Allen

    Prepared Foods: Hate it when grocery stores charge way more just for doing a few minutes of prep work (cutting it adding some seasoning).

    Restaurant Beverages: I hate that they charge so much for a soda that’s 3/4 ice. I also hate that they charge as much for a glass of wine as you can get a whole bottle of it for at a grocery store.

  31. 31
    March 19, 2006

    Molly

    I’m pretty thrifty, but I would never spend money on DVDs, CDs or new books. All this stuff can be bought online or checked out of the library. First, I’ll reserve it at the library: if it’s not at the library, I’ll get it from netflix or buy it at half.com. Or, I’ll just DO WITHOUT!! Crazy, huh?

  32. 32
    March 19, 2006

    Anonymous

    It’s funny how much hatred there is. This post has generated more comments than any other in recent history.

  33. 33
    March 19, 2006

    Whitey

    I have just moved to San Francisco. If you are ever thinking about doing this, shoot yourself first, pay the medical bills, and then stay where you are; you’ll save money that way.

    Recent ‘hate list’ additions:

    I hate HDMI. I spent nearly my monthly car payment on one of those god damn video cables for my TV and home theater system box, only to find out that I’d have to purchase another god damn HDMI for Comcast’s DVD-R, which would *then* require an HDMI splitter, the same cost as another god damn HDMI, because nothing is integrated, everything is separate, and the universe doesn’t care. And actually, convenience would require a third HDMI for the splitter, two inputs and one output. I think I’ll just finger my luxury, return the shit, and donate my money to UNICEF.

    I hate walking on Market St carrying food, with homeless people asking me for money, every single god damn time. I feel like shooting myself, which I should have done in the first place to keep me from moving to San Francisco.

  34. 34
    March 19, 2006

    John

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_cleaning

  35. 35
    March 20, 2006

    Nysidra

    A tip on the bananas:

    Peel the ones you won’t eat before they go bad. Wrap them in aluminum foil. Freeze.

    Now you have banana popsicles.

  36. 36
    March 20, 2006

    dave

    I am a single guy…I also travel tremendously. For the food issue. buy a food Vacuum Sealer. You can prep many meals for the months and vacuum seal them. keep sandwich meats and cheeses from spoling, freeze meals to heat up in a microwave. its all much much healthier too. Frozen foods can be used for up to one year. It paid for itself in two months!! best thing I purchased in years. Skip the organics too… ;)

  37. 37
    March 20, 2006

    Snoop

    Restaurants:
    I am really glad to see so many others also hate paying HUGE sums for unsatisfying restaurant food. Especially, since I am vegetarian we don’t have many choices and then we end up paying for $10 salads and $12 veggie burgers at an average restaurant.

    Wines:
    I am not a big wine drinker but I really don’t see any reason to pay more than $20 dollars for even the best wine. The variations in taste doesn’t justify paying any more, not to mention $100+.

    I had to get that out of my system.

  38. 38
    March 20, 2006

    Jennifer

    BYOB corkage fees. Probiotic vitamins, powders and other miracle food gimicks. DVD/VHS rental fees (cheaper to buy other people’s purges.) Furniture, vaccuum cleaners and plant pots, retail priced.

    Reason to hate organic veggies/fruits/nuts: Pesticide use in places like Thailand is unregulated. People have to soak their produce in anti-pesticidal solutions for hours or else face death. Ironically, the Thais actually have very long life spans and many US natural health gurus model their philosophies after Thai health practices. Also, it seems that many of these organic people are trying to sell you their manufactured superfoods and convenience foods, rather than just raw fresh ingredients, like their longevity models would be eating. Think about it. What types of stores usually dedicate the largest % of floor space to fresh produce? Usually ethnic food stores have the most and much of the time health food stores have the least. Atleast that is the case here and in most of the places I’ve lived or visited.

  39. 39
    March 20, 2006

    Lindsay

    1. Car repairs. If one more needless thing goes wrong with my relatively new vehicle, I’m going to throw myself out the window.

    2. Vet bills. Why can’t pets be invicible? They like to act like they are, unfortunately, that’s just not the case.

    3. Pet licensing. Am I really getting any kind of service by paying this fee? Is anybody else? Not really. It’s just annoying.

    4. Gym memberships. I’m never ever ever joining another gym that makes you sign a contract. EVER. From now on I’m strictly month-to-month, or paying a drop in fee. Or, my personal favorite choice right now, the crappy free gym at work. ;)

    5. Toilet paper. Why? Such a waste. If I knew how to do it properly, I’d totally use my hand like they do in many eastern countries.

    6. Alcohol. I don’t really drink anymore, but when I was in college I remember going out to the club with $150 and coming home with $3 pretty much every weekend. How depressing.

    7. Over-priced sushi. Why does a substantially sized meal of sushi have to be $11 at one place, and $30 at another place? And why is the $30 stuff always so disgusting? That just pisses me off to no end. Don’t mess with my sushi.

    8. Overseas long distance charges. Why pay $1.71 a minute when you could buy a $10 calling card and talk for half an hour? I hate that.

    9. Rental insurance. What are the chances? hehe.

    10. Travel Visa photos. Why are they so expensive? It’s a tiny little crappy photo. I don’t get it. Maybe I got took, I don’t know.

    11. Dog toys. They’re destroyed in 30 seconds anyway, so why bother?

    12. Taxis. I hate paying $7 to get to work just because I’m running late, when I could have paid $2.25 to take the bus and gotten there 5 minutes later. I still do it all the time though. Grr.

    13. Movie theatre snacks & drinks. $9 for a tiny popcorn and a small drink? Seriously.

    14. Inflated shipping costs on eBay. I hate it when people try to be sneaky and make a buck off their shipping fees. I’m not paying $12 to ship a $0.49 cubic zirconium ring. Creeps.

    15. Inflated rent based on location. Our apartment could easily be at least $200 less per month if it were situated in any other area of the greater Vancouver region. Nevermind if we lived in Alberta. Grr.

    I got lots more, but that’s all I got right now. :)

  40. 40
    March 21, 2006

    Hawk

    Hey, I thought of another thing I don’t like to pay for.

    Perceived value.

    Here’s how it works: let’s say I have a Thing. This particular Thing is (for purposes of illustration) an item of clothing, say footwear. I want to sell this FootThing, so I go to list it on eBay. There are two directions to go:

    “Gee I just want to get rid of it and recoup some costs.”

    “If I say this item was worn by some really hot person / through the mud / etc and photograph it in certain ways, I will get way more than it’s actually worth!”

    A lot of stuff I ‘want’ on eBay ends up like this. Something that’s worth maybe 100 dollars going to the highest bidder for like 400 dollars, only because he’s willing to pay for his own amorality.

    It sounds crazy and it’s hard to describe in family-friendly terms, but it extends to other things.

    “If you pay just 40 cents more, you get 2x the amount of fries!” (hint: you don’t need 2x the amount of fries. that’s why you’re fat)

    “If I buy this shirt with a Nike swoosh on it, I pay a lot more than one without a logo!”

    “I’ll buy this name-brand thing even though the store brand one is exactly the same and cheaper!”

    etc.

    People think things have some kind of value and so the price gets inflated.

  41. 41
    March 21, 2006

    GS

    From A Servers point of view:

    Too much ice? If you don’t want so much ice ask for less ice, it’s our job to keep it full anyway, and most people are happier with a colder drink (assuming it’s kept full).

    Confused about tipping? I just deleted about 3 paragraphs of rant, realizing this is not the place. As far as the restaurant paying what our service is worth in hourly wage, a tip is a way of doing that. They don’t want to pay crappy servers the same as good ones, think how bad your service would be if there was no incentive to do better (think tech support), but please communicate with your server, a bad tip without an explanation could be for any reason. Good servers actually want to make you happy.

  42. 42
    March 21, 2006

    Todd

    God, I hate hate HATE banking fees. ATM fees are insulting my intelligence (how’s about a nice $3.00 surcharge for taking out $20?). Worse yet, I just transferred my IRA to Fidelity. In their notice of the outgoing transaction, BofA announced they’re going to charge me a $50 “custodial fee.” They are horribly mistaken.

    I don’t think it’s enough to say, “I hate / I’m mad about this or that” – you have to be willing to take action to change it (or alternatively, change your relationship to it). First, I’m going to call them and give them an earful about where they get off charging me for controlling my own money. Then, regardless of whether they concede, after 10 years at BofA, I’m going to move my personal accounts to another bank this week. If somehow they turn out just as crooked, I’m going to go out and buy a new mattress to hide my money under. :)

  43. 43
    March 21, 2006

    Lindsay

    I thought of another one while I was shopping at Ikea last night:

    A garbage can!

    I’ve needed a new garbage can for a good two years, but I’ve yet to purchase one. I even know exactly what kind I want, I just haven’t been able to justify spending $49.99 on a trash receptacle. I keep holding out on the hope that I’ll get lucky and it’ll go on sale.

  44. 44
    March 21, 2006

    Josh

    I hate spending money on:
    Haircuts: Let’s pay $15 for a good haircut, and $12 for a bad one. Good luck finding a reliable and consistent person.

    ATM fees: Sounds reasonable that I should have to pay a dollar to give you my money, doesn’t it?

    Class books: Usually $90-150 and they come out with a new edition every 3 months. What has changed about Calculus in those three months? Oh yeah, they added a comma on page 302 and added a problem to page 271. THAT’S why my book is now worthless.

    Socks: Should they really be that expensive? It’s a sock. And I like good socks, so I pay the premium for a swatch of cotton shaped like my foot.

    Cable Television. Not only does ESPN tempt me to avoid my studies, it costs WAY too much. It’s worthless.

    Gas: Why is is $2.40 next to my house and $2.19 on the other side of town? And then I love when I get $20 worth on my credit card and they put a hold on it for $80. I shall get my revenge.

  45. 45
    March 21, 2006

    Josh

    I hate spending money on:
    Haircuts: Let’s pay $15 for a good haircut, and $12 for a bad one. Good luck finding a reliable and consistent person.

    ATM fees: Sounds reasonable that I should have to pay a dollar to give you my money, doesn’t it?

    Class books: Usually $90-150 and they come out with a new edition every 3 months. What has changed about Calculus in those three months? Oh yeah, they added a comma on page 302 and added a problem to page 271. THAT’S why my book is now worthless.

    Socks: Should they really be that expensive? It’s a sock. And I like good socks, so I pay the premium for a swatch of cotton shaped like my foot.

    Cable Television. Not only does ESPN tempt me to avoid my studies, it costs WAY too much. It’s worthless.

    Gas: Why is is $2.40 next to my house and $2.19 on the other side of town? And then I love when I get $20 worth on my credit card and they put a hold on it for $80. I shall get my revenge.

  46. 46
    March 21, 2006

    David

    Office lease. Two thousand dollars a month for a stuffy 70sq m office in a mediocre building just so people know we are a “serious business” that actually owns an office. BS

  47. 47
    March 21, 2006

    Josh

    One more…Printer cartridges. Should they really cost $12?

  48. 48
    March 21, 2006

    Dave K

    Josh, buy the refills. They’re a freakin deal @ $11 for 6 refills. Believe me, best way to go if you print a lot

  49. 49
    March 21, 2006

    Punxsutawney Phil

    I used to hate taking my dog to the vet. I took him there for a vaccination and when I come back to pick him up they had clipped his nails (for $15) and checked his stool sample for whatever they check it for (another $20 or so). Then throw in a $30 office visit fee. Two years of never getting out of there under $100 no matter what. Say something and they look at you like you are the world’s worst pet owner. BUT I CAN CLIP HIS NAILS MYSELF!!!! I switched vets.

  50. 50
    March 21, 2006

    Punxsutawney Phil

    Another thing I hate paying extra for: When getting new tires I had a separate charge for valve stems. Come on. They are used with every single tire install. Include it in the stupid price of the stupid tire. Same thing with oil changes. Some places have a posted price which lure you in but that price does not include a shop fee or disposal fee. Really? Don’t you dispose of the oil every time? Yes? Then include it in the price!

    Love the column BTW.

  51. 51
    March 21, 2006

    R D

    Tolls? Why should I subsidize your driving when I don’t drive? Tolls are a more fair way to finance roads, since only the people who actually USE the roads pay the cost.

  52. 52
    March 21, 2006

    Shawn

    Car Insurance!!! You pay so that you won’t have to pay if you get into an accident but it goes UP everytime you do so what are you paying for??

  53. 53
    March 22, 2006

    Laura

    Chemotherapy, radiation and wigs after eating non-organic foods my entire life.

  54. 54
    March 22, 2006

    Darin

    Extra tuition fees – I love these. Campus radio tax, newspaper fee, College of Business fees – they never stop! These annoying fees continually are tacked onto my tuition bill. I don’t listen to the radio, read the campus newspaper and the College of Business fee just started this semester and I haven’t seen a difference in the school – can I stop paying these now?

    Cell phone – a rediculous monthly bill for a simple service. People have become so reliant on them that they are now a need – which costs a pretty penny to have.

    TV/Internet – I am paying upwards of $80 for both of these per month. Everyone feels my pain here.

    Auto insurance – I understand that being under 23 labels me as a high risk driver but I have never got in an accident (knock on wood) and I still pay a substantial amount for my car.

    Gym fees – I’m about to buy my own equipment and use it for the rest of my life instead of paying the small fortune per month.

    - Darin
    http://i3igdmsu.blogspot.com

  55. 55
    March 22, 2006

    Hank Hurst

    Awsome post!

    1) Besides all phone companies I also hate spending money on alchahol at bars and restaurants. Some places are absolutely rediculous in what they charge for a mixed drink. One place charges $5.50 for a jack and coke and the next place charges $8 bucks. This is rediculous. Dont they realize that if I can get drunk with $20 that I will probably go to the atm and take out another $20 to keep drinking.

    2)Water at bars and clubs. I can go to safeway and buy a 24 pack of water for $4.99. Most places will charge you $2.50-$5.00 for ONE BOTTLE.

    3) Gas at rest stops along the interstate. Is it me or does the gas always seem to double once you get on the interestate? I have preyed over that needle a many a day hoping to make it to the nearest exit.

    4)Ink Cartridges. This one really chaps my ass. I just bought a new epson printer that now has 6 seperate ink cartridges for every color. When you run out, you just go buy the one you need. So, you figure Ill just print with the remaining colors. WRONG. The printer stops printing til you replace the missing cartridge. Then to top it all off. The color you roun out of the most, AND probably the easyiest color for the manufacture to make is black. YOU GUESSED IT, its also the most expensive cartridge to purchase at $18.

    5)Cigarettes in vending machines. This is rediculous. $5-7 bucks? come on.

    6)Movie tickets. If im going by myself im usually ok with this but take someone with you for an evening viewing and $18 before your blind date has even taken her coat off so you can see if it was worth it. Dont even get me started with the cost of popcorn and sodas.

    Last but not least….

    7)Pornos. Why are pornos so expensive. $30-60 per movie? I understand that even after you’ve figured out the plot and ending you will probably watch it again…. and again…. and again… but if they were cheaper I would buy more.

    Sorry for the rant and believe me, I could go on.

  56. 56
    March 22, 2006

    Hank Hurst

    I cannot believe I left this one out…. this one goes along with the post about flowers in February…

    I HATE SPENDING MONEY FOR VALENTINES DAY. This is so f**king stupid. Here is my theory: Before valentines day are three other major holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and then New Years. The economy gets an enormous boost because of those three holidays due to sales from food to alchahol to traveling to doctors visits. Now, I bet five 40oz of Old English that someone in the government said, “we’ve got to get people to start spending money again”. Then some bright, overpaid, social economist came up with the idea of valentines day where you are presured to buy your loved one gifts, flowers and candy to show them that you love them. How can you ignore this day? AND, you have to do a have-way decent job or else you in the dog house. Not tomention every year you have to top what you did the year before. Hey, if your not already impressed with the patience I displayed when carving turkey with your disfunctional family, the crap I bought you for chirstmas that you already stopped using and putting up with your annoying girlfriends during new years, then maybe I should move on.

    GOD I HATE VALENTINES DAY

    ok im done :-)

  57. 57
    March 22, 2006

    seamonkey

    Tampons!

  58. 58
    March 22, 2006

    Steve Garfield

    BILLS
    I hate manually paying my monthly water bill. All my other monthly bills are automatically deducted from my checking account.

    REQUIRED VALET PARKING
    I hate having to tip a valet to get my car back when there is no other option for public parking available. It’s not the actual tipping of the valet who provides a service that makes me mad, it’s the fact that I’m forced into paying for parking when I could easily pull my car into the lot myself, but the restaurant creates the requirement that I must use valet parking.

    WINDSHIELD WIPERS
    When getting my annual state required car inspection, I hate having to pay for new wiper blades because the old ones, ‘leave streaks.’

    BEER WITH NO HEAD
    I hate paying for a beer that is delivered without a head on it.

  59. 59
    March 22, 2006

    Anonymous

    I hate complainers. I hate being stingy. I hate hatred.

  60. 60
    March 22, 2006

    twins15

    Books for school? Why should I have to pay $150 for a book I’ll use about 5 times, and then be able to sell it back for $50-$75? That sucks.

  61. 61
    March 23, 2006

    ben bach

    I have to agree with comment 55…

    As Mark Digiovanni once said, you can’t complain and make money at the same time, so why bother complaining?

  62. 62
    March 23, 2006

    Rander

    Interesting site.

    I disagree with you about paying for expensive restaurant, but everything else I agree with.

    I hate paying for anything I can do myself, but the company or service will not let me.

    Paying taxes for all the people who do not take care of themselves ie Medicaid.

    Like eveyone else, cell phone unexplained charged

  63. 63
    March 23, 2006

    Mike

    I suck at ironing. I am also fairly anal about ironing. This means that I will spend 15-20+ minutes ironing a single shirt. I know that is crazy so don’t bother pointing it out.

    I also think that some things are worth more than my money. One of those things is my time. You can’t get time back. You can earn money in a lot of different ways.

    At $2.00 a shirt it is easy for me to justify dry cleaning, especially the part where they iron the shirts.

    I also hate bank fees.

  64. 64
    March 23, 2006

    Jonathan

    I agree with twins15 (post 56) school books absolutely sucks. Lucky for our generation, we have the internet and we can search for the best price.

  65. 65
    March 23, 2006

    Reason

    If you all hate spending money on these things so much, why do you?

    I know a few of these are compulsary, but a lot of this seems to be whining about the cost of the choices you have VOLUNTARILY made.

    Supply and demand works, if you’re paying the prices you’re willing to pay the price.

    Seems to me that a lot of people are really upset at themselves for the choices they have made.

  66. 66
    March 23, 2006

    Dustin L.

    Re: comment #40
    “As far as the restaurant paying what our service is worth in hourly wage, a tip is a way of doing that.”

    If I were in the service industry, I’d much rather my employer determine my worth than random customers. Also, tips don’t create a regulated, steady income stream that can be relied on for budgeting.

    “They don’t want to pay crappy servers the same as good ones”

    What a horrible argument. Why keep “crappy” servers around at all? If they’re doing that bad of a job, coach them, discipline them, or fire them.

    A tip (or gratuity) should not be an automatic expectation. I’m not saying do away with tipping altogether — just compulsory tipping. A tip should say, “Thanks for going above and beyond,” not, “You performed adequately.”

    And don’t get me started on automatic tipping for parties of a certain size. Now we’ve gone from a cultural expectation to an enforced policy. Even the crappiest server gets the enforced tip.

  67. 67
    March 23, 2006

    Laura

    Just a comment to comment #37: Thailand is ranked 65th in the world for life expectancy at birth and the U.S. is ranked 19th. i’m not sure where you got your information, but here’s where i got mine:

    http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu

  68. 68
    March 23, 2006

    Cody

    First of all, social programs paid for by taxes are not a waste. How can one hate those? I hate the fact that the government is wasting tons of my money. They have inefficient policies, pay too much for stuff, and generally throw away billions of dollars a year. I have no problem paying for an 80 year old woman to keep from starving or freezing to death. Anyone who would is a total piece of garbage.

    Also, regarding the organic food thing, I read a study on men who ate large amounts of fruit where the ones who ate organic fruit lived 5 years longer than the ones who didn’t. I know about studies and all, but honestly, how much is an extra 5 years of life to you? Answer that when you are 60. This sounds like a solid investment to me.

    I personally hate paying for car insurance. I also hate paying taxes. The US Government needs to stop wasting all of our hard-earned money. Politicians should be paid on the performance of the economy and how well the people of their country are doing.

  69. 69
    March 24, 2006

    John

    TIVO.. All I want to do is buy a dvr as good as a TIVO but without a monthly fee. Anyone?

  70. 70
    March 24, 2006

    funnyguy

    Sex, why cant prostitutes just enjoy my company?

  71. 71
    March 27, 2006

    Mario

    Actually flowers around Valentines really are that much more expensive. I read this article about it this year. Basically, you have the biggest flower (a very perishable product) giving holiday of the year in the middle of winter. It was a good read.

    I really like nice things. There is a big difference usually in quality between cheap crap and high end items. The key is buying the good things at the right price. I do a lot of my clothes shopping at outlet malls. Sure the close are a season old but they are nice high end high quality items at 50 to 70% off the regular price. I paid $150 for a pair of Allen Edmonds wingtips vs. the $375 retail price recently. My last pair of Allen Edmonds lasted 10 years. Good luck getting a payless shoe to last that long.

    The important thing to me is not price, it’s value and total cost of ownership.

  72. 72
    March 27, 2006

    hypatia

    fyi dustin–

    as a transportation engineering (okay, former transportation engineering student) I can tell you that tolls are less a source of revenue than a form of social engineering intended to modify each individual’s choices. The system doesn’t work as well as it could, though, as politics get involved.

    Also, damage to the road surface goes as the 4.5th power of the weight, so tolls are a way of charging trucks for the damage (increased maintenance costs) they are inflicting. Do you really think it’s fair for area residents (who may not even use the toll road–who knows, maybe they even walk to work) to pay for damage to the road surface caused by interstate freight trucks?

  73. 73
    March 27, 2006

    Mike Ernst

    On my girlfriend’s birthday, we went out for dinner with friends. I brought a cake from the local bakery and asked if the server if we could have it at the table at the end of the meal.

    Even though everyone at the table had an entree plus appetizers plus drinks, they still charged each person a $2.50 ‘cakage’ fee! We paid $25.00 extra for a $12 cake.

  74. 74
    March 28, 2006

    supermom_in_ny

    I have to say this from the start so that you can understand my rant: I have 7 kids.

    I hate:
    1.Paying $150.00 so that my kid can be in Little League, and I still have to buy more equipment, VOLUNTEER at the concession stand and pick 2 other chores to do at 2 other games!
    2. I live in the middle of nowhere and I need a car to get around. I hate that I still have to pay exorbitent gas prices, inflated insurance rates and ridiculously priced car repairs.
    3. I can’t stand when teachers tell their students they are giving them a party to reward them for excellent scores on NY standardized tests and then tell the kids to bring in $7.00 EACH!
    4. I hate paying for TV, when it used to be free!
    5. I hate Cell phone charges tagged on to your bill, that don’t make any sense! Especially when the service is nonexistent in key areas!
    6. I hate paying for trash removal!
    7. I hate paying for my water pump to pump up my own well water!
    8. I hate paying for CostCo, Sam’s or BJ’s to save you money??? Actually, I skipped that payment this year!
    9. I hate paying for gas to run my snowthrower and lawn tractor. Aren’t the oil companies rich enough?
    10. I hate paying finance charges and fees, so I am getting out of debt before this year is over!

    Now back to the regularly scheduled programming…

  75. 75
    March 28, 2006

    Joshua K

    I hate paying for ATM fees. It’s crazy..it’s my money. I try to avoid this at all costs, except for when it would cost me more of my time to avoid the fee.

    I’m ok paying for cable and TV service. I think I get what I pay for.

    I get what I pay for in cable internet too. 6mbit down for $45/mo beats the heck out of the $60/mo I was spending for 128k ISDN.

    My cell phone service is pretty good. I can ALWAYS get my call through, and with the unlimited media net I can always access the internet at high speed.

    My apartment is a luxury apartment that I pay $840 in N. Dallas for. It’s 1200 sqft. That’s about $0.75/sqft… that’s a deal in my area :)

    I’ve got awesome insurance, and am happy to pay for it.

    I’ve got a great car, and am happy to pay for it and it’s upkeep, including gas because it enables me to have the freedom to go wherever I want to go!

    I don’t like paying for bombs and guns that kill people.

    I don’t like paying for government services that contradict my belief system.

  76. 76
    March 28, 2006

    Wen-Wen Lam

    Here’s my top 5:

    5)Crunchy Granola people. For gods sake people, shave, take a shower, brush your hair, SOMETHING!
    4)Medical Bills. Especially the kind where you think its all covered and then you get a $300 dollar bill for a 30 minute visit.
    3)Cheap bosses.
    2)Fat people who complain about being fat but sit on their asses and don’t do a damn thing about it and just eat twinkies and get ever-fatter then make you feel guilty for being skinny.
    1)Ramit Sethi (but only in that hate/love kind of way)

  77. 77
    March 28, 2006

    Mike Ernst

    wen-wen, what do crunchy granola people have to do with how you spend your money?

  78. 78
    March 29, 2006

    Sean Tierney

    VALET PARKING – in phx these parasitic valet companies take over perfectly good parking spaces and then either charge you to park there or make you walk 2mi further to find a space that hasn’t been cannibalized yet. i once saw them take over a public lot in tempe which was either illegal or the city was getting a kickback from the company, in which case I believe citizens should realize some compensation from that transaction.

    ATM SURCHARGES – i mean c’mon- it’s my money. you’re earning interest on it, how hard is it for everyone to just drop these ridiculous “convenience” charges- I find them decidedly inconvenient.

    MS MONEY ACCESS CHARGE – I pay MS $15/mo to connect to my wellsfargo bank account because the time it would take otherwise to enter all my bank transactions into the software would cost me at least that much and i hate to do it. but still, that’s just rape on their part. please- it costs them how much for me to electronically connect once every few days to pull my transactions? pennies if anything.

    INSURANCE – AZ needs to get on the no-fault insurance bandwagon. this is nuts that we bleed out $2k/yr for car insurance and then when someone hits us who doesn’t have insurance, our rates jump and we bleed some more.

    DOCUMENT FILING FEES ON ANY TYPE OF LOAN – your sh*t should be digital now anyways, why must I pay for your incompetence?

    TIPS FOR CRAPPY SERVICE – ’nuff said

    -sean

  79. 79
    March 30, 2006

    Hazzard

    I hate paying for:
    Cable
    Cel phones
    Gas
    Energy

    Oh, heck. I hate paying for everything.

  80. 80
    March 30, 2006

    Lis

    i still believe that basic cable tv should be free, just like the radio is free. by paying for basic cable service, the cable company should remove all advertisements/commercials from the programming.. you’re basically paying them for not having to sit through that crap 10 minutes out of the 30-minute block. the cable company already makes money off of the companies who pay to have their ad aired.. but we’re paying the cable company so we can watch the ads? no wonder time warner cable is such a freakin’ huge powerhouse…

  81. 81
    April 2, 2006

    pricehater

    There is a lot of stuff that I hate that has been mentioned, but screw it, here it goes.

    - Parking garages– if you have anything larger than a pinto, parking is a b**ch.
    - Parking costs in NYC/DC/etc. It sucks. You actually LOOSE money going to work if you’re not careful.
    - Traffic and ass hole drivers.
    - Self-checkout lanes at Giant and Ikea. Horrid. Just horrid.
    - Grocery stores and Wal*mart on Saturdays. Every inbreeding redneck with 10+ beat-up cars in their yard goes to Wal*mart on Saturdays.
    - The laundry room on Sunday. I would rather go naked to work than do my laundry on Sundays. Ever. Even without a tan and fat bulges everywhere.
    - Advertising on TV.. and Tivo that makes me fast-forward through everything.
    - Internet pop-ups and entire Web sites done in a trashy version of Flash.
    - Background sounds and intros on web pages.
    - Radio ads. and lame talk shows. Especially when it involves a whiny sounding girl DJ trying to make jokes. Or, male DJ’s talking about their nightly activities when you know good and well that they weigh 500 pounds, are balding, and pale.
    - Poliking at work.. and people who pick put their phones on speakerphone to dial numbers. Or, people who talk so loudly on the phone that you can hear them down the hall. We don’t care what you are having for dinner, folks.
    - The subway… any of them. People are ass holes. People either stand on the wrong side of the escalator or shove you from the safe door area into the middle of the mosh pit in the middle of the train cars. Public transportation sucks.
    - Waiting for public transportation. Especially if it’s because you stayed late from work for doing something unimportant and missed your train.
    - Crappy roads.
    - Crappy cars on those crappy roads.
    - Overpriced restaurants with a poor excuse for service.
    - Leaving tips. Especially to lousy servers (or, the look on their faces when you leave without leaving a tip).
    - “Friends” that move back to your city and ask to stay indefinitely.. even though they refuse to get a job. That ain’t gonna happen, bums!
    - People waiting for you to take out your wallet and pay for dinner.. when you didn’t offer.
    - The cost of CDs.
    - The cost of coffee.
    - Those new pop-up ads on AIM.
    - Cancelling services- AOL, XM radio, etc. It takes forever and they rarely get it right.

  82. 82
    April 3, 2006

    Maureen

    I don’t mind too much that Wells Fargo is charging me $2.00 to get money out of an account that doesn’t belong to them.

    I however LOATHE bank of America for charging me $2.00 for that same transaction!

    GOOD GOD WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO STOP?

  83. 83
    April 6, 2006

    thrifty

    DVD’s are a waste of time – watch the film in the Cinema once (most films aren’t worth watching twice). Rent it afterwards if it’s really worth a second look.

  84. 84
    April 17, 2006

    cellardoor

    I hate it when people’s perception of value increases w/price — their value function should be something like

    Value = Benefits-Costs
    =Benefits-Price

    I mean, to some degree, it works — you assume that higher price signals value, and that’s true in many cases. But w/credence goods, or the ones that you can’t consume, and immediately say — that food was worth it, for instance. This instead applies to surgery — you may feel better afterwards (or worse), but you have to trust the doctor on whether you would have been even better off or even worse off without it..

    And I guess there’s signalling value to conspicuous consumption, like “I blew $450 on a pair of carefully deconstructed jeans that will literally fall apart in 2 months — I must be mad loaded/really confident in my future ability to make money/about to go bankrupt. Mate with me…now!”

  85. 85
    April 19, 2006

    Brian

    Awesome blog, especially the thing on parking! Also, I completely agree with the last post…
    ” I hate it when people’s perception of value increases w/price — their value function should be something like
    Value = Benefits-Costs
    =Benefits-Price”

    Oh yeah, and coffee is another great waste of money!!

  86. 86
    April 19, 2006

    Catherine

    I HATE, HATE, HATE paying for trash bags! I am literally throwing money away.

  87. 87
    April 21, 2006

    Mike

    1) Car Repairs: I know why it costs money, but I really hate taking my car to a mechanic, spending $600 and getting the same car back that I had about 3 days ago.

    2) Cable TV: I don’t have it, but how can anyone justify paying almost $1,000 per year for television. Are you people nuts?! Don’t get me started on people who pay for radio. I can’t understand people with IQ points that low.

    3) Telephone “fees”: Why does my $17 telephone bill cost me $25? I received a bill, ONCE, for $18 with a total of $37. The taxes and fees were MORE than the bill itself.

    4) Car Insurance: Since it’s mandatory, they can charge ridiculous prices and I have to pay it.

    5) Flying: If I’m going to pay to strip and get felt up, I want it done by a really hot chick not a government employee with sticky fingers.

  88. 88
    June 8, 2006

    Anonymous

    I hate paying for…

    WINDOW CLEANING

    $47.70 a month to splash water around on the windows. My husband and I both work and never even see them clean the windows…God knows if they even do it, or if they just stick the bill on you window and leave

  89. 89
    June 9, 2006

    Dorotha Hagenswold

    Tip boxes on the drive through window or on the cash register that say “for the cook.” It is bad enough that we have to tip everyone in the world, but now people you never see want a tip. Since we have already paid whatever is being charged for a service, why should we tip at all?

  90. 90
    June 21, 2006

    Naz

    I’m from Australia and although I agree with some of these things here all I can say is “I’m gald I don’t live there (in America)”
    *We have no tipping at restaurants (or anywhere for that matter)
    *All restaraunts and bars are required to serve water free of charge
    *No cost for TV – and I have a TV card in my computer so I record whatever I want for free
    *A lot of mobile phone plans don’t have a monthly charge – I only spend about $3 a month for a few SMSes and calls (oh and don’t you guys pay to recieve SMSes?)
    *We have bank accounts that don’t charge you ATM fees no matter which ATM you use (surely you have these)?
    *And what’s with complaining about the laundry? I live in a little two bedroom apartment and we have our own washing machine and don’t even have to pay for water

  91. 91
    June 21, 2006

    Gamerman

    I hate spending money on these things… So I do whatever I can to save.

    Cable TV.. I’m going to cancel this soon because there is no freedom to choose what I want to watch; I rather buy used video games that entertain me more. I’ll buy a dvd once every two or three month, and if I can’t afford it, no matter how new it is, I won’t buy it.

    CDS: I used to be a Music Junkie, and whenever I new artist came out, I would spend like crazy.. well? I was stupid to fall into the trap because I didn’t have enough money to pay for gas or rent.

    So learning from my mistakes I borrow CDS from my friends instead, and burn it into my hard drive, and no I don’t use napster or any music that charges a monthly service fee.

    Cell Phones: They used to cost me a lot when I used them, $1.50 a minute!! every time I use it. Bah! I hate them, the only time I use a cell phone is if it’s emergency use only. The cheapest solution is chatting with friends in online.. It’s free with no hassles.

    I hate spending money on Gas.. So I ride a bike instead and listen to my audio books while I’m riding. Or take a bus which is cheaper.

    –

    I also hate commercial advertisments that tell you to buy! buy! buy!
    I wish I can live in a perfect world where there is no such thing as advertisments or “out with the old and in with the new”… Don’t fall for it.

    See a lot of people like to complain to much on what they spend or where their money is going, and to be honest I’m one of them too.. but instead of complaining so much find some solutions to save you money, because doing nothing about will drive you into debt.

  92. 92
    June 23, 2006

    carl

    Spend the money on good shoes.

    Your feet will thank you when you’re forty plus.

    GOOD shoes, not FASHIONABLE shoes.

  93. 93
    July 14, 2006

    gretchen swanson

    I totally agree with LIS concerning paying for cable TV. Mark my words…In the future, they will be paying us for the priveledge of allowing their crap to take up our time! You are basically paying money to watch a bunch of commercials designed to get you to spend MORE of your money!

    Also on my mind: Why do people spend so much money on cars? I see people that spend as much on their car payments as on a house payment! When you make a car payment you are almost always throwing money out the window. You are going to lose money buying a car…it is a depreciating asset, not something that will appreciate in value over time! The only way I can see someone paying a bunch of money for a car they can barely afford is if they are in a sales position like real estate, where you are actually using the vehicle and it is part of your image and could possibly increase your sales potential. Otherwise, I think you are an idiot if you live in a crappy part of town and pay a bunch of money for a car payment and then complain when someone breaks into your car and steals something. Why not live in the best area you can afford and get a car that is reliable but not the newest/most flashy car on the block? We just moved into a terrific neighborhood, which we love and have never regretted doing. We do have “older” cars ( a 5 year old toyota RAV and a 7 year old Jetta ), but who cares?? There are millionaires on our street who drive around in the worst junkers you could imagine! They don’t have anything to prove to anyone and realize that a car is money out the window every time. Even if you are a young guy trying to impress the ladies, you will impress more of them with a house in a nice area than a house in a questionable area that you are driving your flashy car to. Okay, I’m done!

  94. 94
    August 30, 2006

    Jeff

    Textbooks. Ok lets pay 300 dollars for a class and then another 150 on a required book that you open like 3 times. Then you go to sell it back and there is already a new edition. I have a box full of about 2000 dollars worth of textbooks that I cant t bring myself to throw away but I know I will never open them again.

  95. 95
    December 24, 2006

    Lee

    #41 are you comparing waitressing to communism?

  96. 96
    January 11, 2007

    RiddleRocket

    Serving tables is very good money for me. It is however unstable and for the most part unpredictable.

    How many times have you asked your server for a side of dressing, or whatever, and by the time he/she brings it your bitchy fatass mother-in-law is complaining about how her “diet” doesn’t include bread.

    I only tag on the 18% for parties of assholes or more. Oh, and if your smart you’ll never mess with anybody who handles your food.

  97. 97
    February 24, 2007

    Jer

    Rental deposits that are twice the rent. So you’re taking $1500 of my money interest free for the next 6 months to a year? I HATE that!

  98. 98
    June 26, 2007

    josh

    Food at sporting events is near the top of my list too. A $5 hot dog? Only in America.

  99. 99
    June 26, 2007

    josh

    I also hate spending money on CD’s.

  100. 100
    September 24, 2007

    Randy

    Man, things do get so expensive in this world, and I used to splurge and spend it on a whole lot of crap I don’t need… that was the past though. That’s why I Learned from the teachings of Buddha that material possessions don’t matter in this lifetime… Our big screen TVS, Computers, DVD Collections, Video game collections, and pretty much everything we own will rust into pieces.

    So I learned to take it slow whenever I go out and spend, and I’m wise enough not to spend more than I earn. So I canceled my Cable so that I don’t have to listen to the Advertisements… I buy a DVD, Videogame, or a book once every two or three months so that I have extra cash left over to have vacations.

    I sell most of my DVDS, Video games, and books on Ebay or Pawn Shops because in reality, I can slowly get more later on…I still feel the emotional attachement when I sell these things, but it’s time for me to let go and live life without having so many possessions.

    I’m not trying to compete with my neighbors or anyone else in this world, and if anyone is trying to tell me that my room is too bland, boring, and needs a big screen TV with colorful walls… Kiss my A$$. LOL… I’m saving.

  101. 101
    September 26, 2007

    joe

    So about the organic groceries… You said “normal carrots”. Normal carrots ARE organic carrots because they are grown as they have been since the beggining of carrots thousands of years ago. Its only since the 1920’s that non-organic foods came into play. They decided to spray them with an insane amount of chemicals that are cancer causing, so bugs wouldnt eat some of their profit. So by saying “normal”, organic is normal, its the way nature, or god, or natural design intended them to be. It has been proven, that organic produce (because of lack of chemicals harmful to any human) drastically prove immune strength, and reduces illness and restores ph balance.

  102. 102
    November 9, 2007

    Carito

    -School Pictures
    -DMV tickets ouchh!
    -Pedicures and Manicures!! I love them but too expensive in this country!! Maybe I shouldn’t compare…but I have to

  103. 103
    November 23, 2007

    dreamsareality

    I hate paying $8.50 for a ’super-spud’ at a restaraunt, do you know how many pounds of potatoes I could buy at the grocery! Highway robbery! There oughta be a law!! :D

  104. 104
    February 1, 2008

    MGJ

    1) Credit Card vending machines, a $1.25 coke (20oz) came to a total cost of $7. So I was charged $5.75 just to use the machine?!
    2) ATM machines, you have to pay to get YOUR money.
    3) $3 for bottled water, its not even PURE, most are just filter tap water.
    4)Ebay listing prices+$20 monthly seller’s fee…….even if you havent sold anything that month.
    5)Cable/Internet- They charge $85 for basic cable and high speed internet, not to mention that it is still SLOW (time warner) compared to the rest of the world. But it’s not like you have many choices.
    6)Gas, why is a gallon $3 where I live and $2.70 across town?
    7)Xbox 360 Live account (for my kids): Why is microsoft charging me money? I am afterall using MY internet(time warner), it is not like Microsoft is actually providing a service here. Guess Bill Gates needs more money?

  105. 105
    June 8, 2008

    Amit

    Here is a nominal idea, why don’t people just use online TV’s like with ABC or some of these other major cable networks that are putting stuff online for people to view. I consolidated all of my digital cable and internet to 0 since I am able to use stray wireless signals in my apartment complex to access the Internet. With the conception of Bittorrent, I am able to find most everything I need, including a free version of Quicken for Personal Financing and some of the movies that I wanted to see.

    Some of the shit I do hate paying for – no particular order:

    1. Doctor’s “No Show” fees. Shit happens and sometimes patients aren’t able to make it. Most of these doctors don’t give a damn if their patients like or die, so why the hell should they care if they are going to be in or not. The asshole doctor I go, ironically having my same last name: Patel, didn’t get to me until 2.5 HOURS LATER than my arranged appointment. So what should have been a 3:00 PM appointment, ended up being a 6:00 PM appointment. It wasn’t even as if he had that many patients because I kept a look out for the number of patients coming out of his office.

    2. Exuberant shipping and “handling” charges on online products when obviously there is absolutely no handling involved since the box is torn up and you pray that the contents of the package are in one shape.

    3. EXUBERANT AND OVER-THE-HILL interest rates for my student loans. Thank heavens the interest is in deferment since I am in grad school and having the tuition paid for by my company. In 2 months, I AM COMPLETELY DEBT FREE!!!

    As for groceries, I have to agree with the organic food counter-argument. I agree that getting some of the prepared organic stuff is probably no different than regular prepacked stuff, but the produce is VERY noticeably different.

    As time goes on, my list of shit that I hate to spend money on will eventually increase to probably encompass all the things I spend money on, except money spent on providing for my parents.

  106. 106
    July 9, 2008

    Jae Kim

    Well it’s your lucky day because my parents own a dry cleaners and I know how the dry clean process works!
    I know it seems so expensive for you to get your clothes dry cleaned, but if you knew all the environment fees, cost of PERC, it’s the chemical that is mostly used by dry cleaners and now they are changing to wet cleaning and some other form of chemical cleaning and as the price of gas goes up, so does the PERC, pay for the employees’ labor, takes time to dry clean, not to mention natural gas to run the dry cleaner plant, increase in cost of overhead such as hangers, plastic bag to put over cleaned and press clothes..and so much more.. What I am trying to say is yeah some dry cleaners are more expensive than others but you would be better off dry cleaning your clothes than being the actual owner of a dry cleaners.
    No, you don’t HAVE to dry clean your clothes, just read the label before you decide to dry clean it or not and if you don’t have time to clean your clothes and press them, leaving your clothes at the dry cleaners will save you time and money.

  107. 107
    February 17, 2009

    Dan

    In the coming moths you will see that pay television services will become more and more aggressive in their marketing. The reason for this is that the DTV transition will make “basic cable” obsolete in many markets. An example is that in metro Denver there are 20 broadcast stations that can broadcast 1 HDTV and 2 SDTV channels. In other words there is the potential for 20 HDTV channels and 40 SDTV channels. Since picture quality is better for DTV than analog cable, why pay for what you can get for free? Pay services will be forced to provide more channels and secondary services (like phone and internet) for less money.

  108. 108
    May 2, 2009

    Dry cleaners sydney

    Well, I am a dry cleaner. So feel free to ask me any dry cleaning related questions you have through our online enquiry form.

  109. 109
    July 16, 2009

    FDJustin

    I half agree with the ATM withdraw cost, half disagree. I agree with the ATM owner being allowed to charge you a small fee for using their machine, as they have to pay for the electricity, cost of the machine, and usually a charge to the bank each time. It would be fair for them to make a small profit off this.

    However… Never should your bank be able to charge you for it. This is why it’s a $3 charge instead of a $1.50. (Or around here, $2.50 some especially gougy ATM machines that can’t even tell you how much is left in your account.)

  110. 110
    July 20, 2009

    Robyn

    1. Shampoo, tooth paste, anything personal hygine. Its a waste, but in todays modern world, we need it. Cavemen lived with out, I wish we could and then spend money on more important things. Like schooling and health care.

    2. Clothing. Its expensive as hell.

    3. Yoga classes. SO EXPENSIVE!! 99 A MONTH?! COME ON!!!!!

    4. I hate flat out using my parents money. But they don’t want me getting a job because they want me to study. Uggghhhh. It makes me feel SO guilty!!!!!!!!!

    5. Gas. Ugh.

    6. Expensive things like games and cameras and all that. I don’t get games or anything. I got a camera as a birthday gift.

    7. Magazines.

    8. Phone bill. Texting ugh.

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