# Your top three money wasters.



## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I'm driving staff and kids crazy as I'm on a penury kick right now to get costs down and "underfoot" eliminated or turned into cash ( quite successfully by last weeks bank deposit ). 

I was in the grocery store tonight being penurious.
I bought yogurt in bulk instead of individual packs.
Unsliced cheese and just enough peaches for a couple of days instead of a basket that ends up with half overripe.

So it occurred that others my have their pet peeves over money wasting habits.

For instance I DO buy gas at the full serve out of principle since I think the companies can provide a bit of employment to go along with my gas. So THAT I do not consider wasted pennies or dollars. ( besides with a 102 litre tank I get my labour money's worth and no sore hands  )

But here's my list.

Late fees on games and movies. Even worst late fees on unwatched movies 

Impulse buys - especially kid related - did we really mean to get ALL those Beanie Babies. 

Fishing and boating gear.
I reckon the cost of a pound of fisherman caught pickerel is really about $150 per pound and UP. Going into LeBaron's with money in pocket is reallllllllly risky. 

•••

So top three money wasters in your mind AND a couple of tips on saving some too highly appreciated.
Anyone want to trade books.???


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## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

Opinion. You can never have too much fishing gear.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Not opinion......."fact of life" more like it. My tackle box is just STUFFED. ( start a fishingthread if you want - I'm all for it. )


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## draz (Jun 13, 2005)

#1. Fiancés insatiable and frivolous spending
#2. Travel to europe to visit family
#3. My love affair with european sports cars


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

1- Owning doxies
2- Toys for these doxies
3- Breeding these doxies

As for non-doxie related items, it would be buying certain items of food from Costco that CANNOT be frozen, such as fruit and veggies. I would rather walk 3 minutes over to the Famer's Market each day than to bring home enough lettuce for 40 salads. Purchase small amounts of perishable foods is my motto.


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## simon (Nov 2, 2002)

1 - Canon Digital Camera, caught the lens fever (never enough)
2 - 2 kids in university and away from home
3 - addicted to eBay


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## thejst (Feb 1, 2005)

1] cigarettes


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## Paul O'Keefe (Jun 3, 2005)

Buying drinks at resturants. I'm just talking soda. Usually costs $1.50 - $2 .00 on the bill. I'm sure that resturants make no money from the food they serve only from the sale of beverages. Ordering just water (not bottled water) is the best way to have lunch/supper on the cheap.

This goes for meals at home. Nothing's cheaper than Adam's ale.


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

Hah! If anybody wants to know how to live on nothing, we'll talk. A few of my tips:

Instead of renting movies from the video place rent them for free your local library. Beware that they also charge late fees, so get them back on time and DO NOT PUT THEM INTO THE BOX. Make sure they're scanned by a clerk or you may get burned for lost videos.

Reuse paper from your printer to make printouts of things for your own use. Papers printed on one side you receive in the mail can also be re-used. Envelopes received in the mail can be reused. Put a address sticker over it and writer over it.

Packaging can be reused. Those bubble mailers from your eBay purchases can be used to wrap items very safely. No wrapping should go to waste.

Yesterday I cut my own hair. I admit it took a while before I gave a good haircut. No need to go there if you're scared.

Cook your own food. Food is pretty cheap, but it's amazingly expensive when you buy it cooked.

I wasn't always this cheap. I had a fine jewelry habit that had to be broken. I have many more tips.


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## MACSPECTRUM (Oct 31, 2002)

> Cook your own food. Food is pretty cheap, but it's amazingly expensive when you buy it cooked.


I can attest that is a great money saving and healthy tip.
Lets me spend more money on golf balls.


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## DP004 (Mar 9, 2005)

1-Impulse buys-it applies to adults too and includes all the people receiving their Nano today and tomorrow.
2-Clothes purchased in-season. For example, winter jackets purchased at the end of summer come from previous winter season and can be purchased at 70% off. 
3-Anything hiding on the bottom shelf of the fridge. However hard I try, the food there is always forgotten and and fuzzy green.


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## Paul O'Keefe (Jun 3, 2005)

Great tips MissGulch.

Slow food is good food.


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## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

Ok, I must qualify this list. They are technically "money wasters" but I wouldn't give them up for anything.

1. Fly fishing gear.
2. Computer stuff.
3. Tools and lumber to build things with.


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## Cameo (Aug 3, 2004)

oooh but I dislike cooking. My biggest money waster would have to be fast food. Not good for me either but since I never had to worry about weight I never gave much thought to eating habits. Starting to now though with getting older and wiser and with the cost - adds up fast.


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## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

OK Cameo, I'm only telling you this because I love ya. Even though you are a 'slight' person, the fast food can still affect you by boosting the cholesterol count and plugging the arteries. Overweight is just one of the side effects of fast food. 

There, I've saved another life.


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

Cameo said:


> oooh but I dislike cooking. My biggest money waster would have to be fast food. Not good for me either but since I never had to worry about weight I never gave much thought to eating habits. Starting to now though with getting older and wiser and with the cost - adds up fast.


Buy some deli sliced turkey and a dozen rolls. Slice a tomato. Voila! Instant fast food. You saved yourself about $2.50 on the Subway-like sandwich.

I think the biggest money waster is credit card debt. Pay that off before everything else you owe. Otherwise, you're a hamster on a treadmill never getting anywhere.

If you don't have dental insurance (I admit I don't know the insurance specifics in Canada) go to a dental school for your dental work. Dentists tend to do as much work as the patient will pay for because of financial motivations. Dental *students* receive a good grade for advising you to get only the work you need done. The work is done cheaper at the dental school, and supervised by an attending dentist (the teacher).


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

DVDs. I see a movie or TV show that I liked, so I buy it.

Camera stuff is becoming my biggest money hole, though.


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## Ramboman (Dec 13, 2004)

I would say the worst is impulse items (not food, but all the other stuff) in the grocery store/drug stores. I almost refuse to shop with my teens at Loblaws or Shopper's. It's not they are so bad...it's just that I get caught up in it too.... 

My loves include electronics, sports, spirits and eating....so I spend to much on gadgets, sporting goods (registrations) and drinks......


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## poisonmonkey (Sep 20, 2004)

1) Drinks / Food
2) Other people
3) Where ever my money goes...


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## ErnstNL (Apr 12, 2003)

Electronics/computer stuff and junk food (potato chips mostly).

I mean, how can you NOT pass on a 256MB Cruzer memory key from Dell w/free shipping?
For the low low price of $16.00 +tax.  

Too good to pass up and will make excellent Xmas gifts.

I frequent Red Flag Deals way too much. I am hooked, can't help it.
Runs in the family. My mother buys frozen turkeys when they go on sale. I have 7 in my freezer right now


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## trump (Dec 7, 2004)

1. Clothes (I work at American Eagle, how could I not spend a lot on clothes?)
2. Gas, I have a habit of putting my car through its paces
3. Food, I eat out way too much


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## autopilot (Dec 2, 2004)

My top money waster was eBay but I broke that habit when my credit cards got maxed out.

Still paying them off!


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## ErnstNL (Apr 12, 2003)

Magazine subscriptions.
I am subscribing to Sports illustrated, Popular Science, Outdoor Life, PC World, Canadian Musician, Car and Driver, Geist, Sound and Vision and 2 more for my wife: Home, and Elle Decor  

It's too easy to get carried away when Canadian Family Publishers or PCH gives you the "4 easy payment" option.


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## Jason H (Feb 1, 2004)

MissGulch said:


> Hah! If anybody wants to know how to live on nothing, we'll talk. A few of my tips:
> 
> Instead of renting movies from the video place rent them for free your local library. Beware that they also charge late fees, so get them back on time and DO NOT PUT THEM INTO THE BOX. Make sure they're scanned by a clerk or you may get burned for lost videos.


Goes for cd's too.


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## MasterBlaster (Jan 12, 2003)

.


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## MacAndy (May 17, 2004)

Biggest waste of money? The government. More specifically, this MFP Inquiry that just wasted, COMPLETELY WASTED, $19 million of our hard-earned money. Can someone, anyone, explain how a board of inquiry can SPEND that kind of money in one year?

It's bad enough the lame-ass politicians in Toronto managed to overspend on the original contract - they were no doubt paying $40,000 each for each $400 PC, all of which are now horrendously out-of-date and need to be chucked.

I'd really like to know where all the $19 million went.


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## draz (Jun 13, 2005)

MacAndy said:


> Biggest waste of money? The government. More specifically, this MFP Inquiry that just wasted, COMPLETELY WASTED, $19 million of our hard-earned money. Can someone, anyone, explain how a board of inquiry can SPEND that kind of money in one year?
> 
> It's bad enough the lame-ass politicians in Toronto managed to overspend on the original contract - they were no doubt paying $40,000 each for each $400 PC, all of which are now horrendously out-of-date and need to be chucked.
> 
> I'd really like to know where all the $19 million went.



No you don't!!!


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## MacAndy (May 17, 2004)

Oh I don't do I? Well, as a fine upstanding young member of our society I have always been one to question the government especially when it came to throwing away millions of dollars when I only owed $600-700 on my taxes and I do not feel I need to live in fear for questioning the government, I mean, really, what could they possib........................[click]


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

To Whom it May Concern:
The ehMacLander formerly known as MacAndy shall be unavailable for an extended period of time. He has "chosen" to go to a "re-education facility" in the northern part of Ontario to learn about the civic responsibilities of being a taxpayer.
Respectfully submitted,
Lord Jason Jinglestars
Provincial Exchecquer and Tax collector


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## MacAndy (May 17, 2004)

I'm back. Unexpected power failure. Only, just at my desk. Hmm. Odd. Anyways, as I was saying, anyone who bashes the government on an ongoing basis does not fully comprehend the fiscal doublespeak Meech Lake Accord FLQ just watch me the proof is in the proof this is the proof and that's the proof of the proof what proof do you need... until I fall over backwards foaming at the mouth.


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## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

My 3 big money-wasters:

1) Movies (a culmination of either theatre/drive-in or buying DVDs)
2) Mac stuff
3) Books (usually art/design/graphics-related, magazines, how-to, etc.)


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## maximusbibicus (Feb 25, 2002)

1) Cars

2) Macs

3) Women

But they all make me happy, so i go with it...


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## mr.steevo (Jul 22, 2005)

1. Cable connection (internet/TV)

2. Booze

3. Dinners out


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

- Beer. (Oh that doesn't count...I rent beer and then suddenly...it's gone)

- Gamecube/Gameboy/Mac games that I can't beat.

- Any lottery ticket at anytime in my life.
(I could have wallpapered my house with the losing tickets I've bought)

- My MetroPass. (Because I forgot that I get laid off in the middle of this month)


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## tedj (Sep 9, 2004)

1. Girlfriend. 
2. food/drink- I love to cook, and I love to eat.
3. coffee. Really, it adds up big time.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

tedj said:


> ...3. coffee. Really, it adds up big time.


Oh, Dude, it's amazing...
I was spending about 8.50 a day at the coffee shop, and then I joined the office, unlimited-coffee club for 5 dollars a month.

Let's see, 8.50 times 5 days times 4 weeks = um....

170 dollars.

Compared to;

5 dollars.

Also, at 5 bucks a month, it's so cheap that I don't care if I don't have any coffee, and I've actually decreased my coffee consumption.


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## Applelover (Mar 6, 2005)

1) Wife
2) Girlfriend
3) Mistress


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## Leanne (Aug 6, 2003)

Ooo, I could write a book of stuff for me!

• Impulse buys (number 1); and anything that can be purchased online with a credit card (I have my cc number memorized...very VERY bad!)

• iTunes Music Store. It's soo much easier to just buy an album for 9.99 instead of searching through my stacks of CD's and waiting for it to rip.

• STARBUCKS! My latte's come to $5 dollars even...that's a killer but one will push me right through to 3 o'clock on a sleepy work day (like today).


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## aircooln (Apr 13, 2005)

1) My race car
2) My classic car
3) My compuer toys.


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## Myradon (May 13, 2005)

#1 the family car
#2 Eating out
#3 Bank charges


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

> My 3 big money-wasters:
> 
> 1) Movies (a culmination of either theatre/drive-in or buying DVDs)
> 2) Mac stuff
> 3) Books (usually art/design/graphics-related, magazines, how-to, etc.)


Manny,
Given your profession, I suspect 1 & especially 3 are more of a necessity. I suppose you could use the library....

My waster is buying lunch. I have conquered it, but even a sandwhich is never less than about $5 once tax is added. More often than not lunch is $7-10. That's crazy given that we always have leftovers at home and it takes 10 minutes to make something.

My car is another waster. Earlier in my career I had 2 contracts in a row which each gave me a shiny BMW - so I got over my expensive toy period at other folk's expense. The BMWs were very, very nice, but for getting from A to B they were such wasteful overkill. But still, I buy more car than I need. Add up the loan/lease payments, insurance, gas and maintenance and these things just soak up the cash.

So I got rif of my car through Leasebusters.com and have opted for a simpler, cleaner and much cheaper vehicle. I save about $240 per month.


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## AppleAuthority (May 21, 2005)

BMWs aren't bad at all compared to, IMO, the number one waster of all time--- the sport utility vehicle. Not only are these the biggest gas suckers on our highways (thus less money in our pockets), save the transport trucks, but they are a waste of environmental natural resources, and the so-called "sport", and "utility" they supposedly offer is available in many other types of vehicles.

Take a Cadillac Escalade, for instance. Large size, flashy, big engine, etc. No look at the driver. Does he/she need the large size? Does he/she really haul that much stuff? Does he/she have seven passengers to lug around? Answer those questions to yourself first. Once done, lets look at the flashy part of it. Sure the Caddy is a flashy piece of work, and it attracts a lot of attention, but so does a Porsche Boxster, Mercedes E-Class, or even a smart fortwo. And all are in the same price range (save the smart), suck much less gas, and for the driver, probably have all the space needed. Lastly, the big engine. Sure the Caddy has a huge V8 that can haul a$$, but it also has to haul its body weight. Compared to the vehicles mentioned earlier, does the 0-60 time compare? How about the amount of g's it can haul on a skid pad before it rolls over? And they call these "sport" utility vehicles?

If you disagree with my choice as the Escalade as an example, let's look at a smaller SUV and compare. How about the Ford Explorer? A lot of people own these, and first off, they are known for their off-road ability. But which driver actually goes on the trails with their Explorer? Maybe driving on the unpaved shoulder is considered "off-road".

The "utility" of the Ford Explorer. Well, you are paying for a mid-size SUV, with a fairly sized engine and a fairly sized appetite for gasoline. Sport? Not much, except for off road, which we already talked about. If you need to haul stuff, or people, wouldn't a van be more suited? Less gas consumption, more designed for the purpose, less gas consumption, and a better ride. Not to mention, more "utility". Sport? Get yourself a car. Any car. Most cars can outrun the Explorer in both the twists and the straights. And most of those cars have a four banger under the hood. And all other options are better on gas.

I'm sorry for any die-hard SUV drivers out there, but I just don't buy the idea. Unless you off-road, there is no point in driving an SUV in my opinion. Biggest waste.


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

> BMWs aren't bad at all compared to, IMO, the number one waster of all time--- the sport utility vehicle


Agreed. But the point I was making related to my personal experience. The thread is really about peronal money wasters, rather than those things that waste in gerneral. In my experience cars are incredibly demanding of personal financial resources and it is worth carefully considering the real cost / benefits when purchasing.


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## talonracer (Dec 30, 2003)

Applelover said:


> 1) Wife
> 2) Girlfriend
> 3) Mistress


Bravo!!!


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## AppleAuthority (May 21, 2005)

Pelao said:


> Agreed. But the point I was making related to my personal experience. The thread is really about peronal money wasters, rather than those things that waste in gerneral. In my experience cars are incredibly demanding of personal financial resources and it is worth carefully considering the real cost / benefits when purchasing.


Well I just had to get that off my chest...it's been lingering there for quite a while .


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