Smartly investing in yourself is one of the most rewarding things you can do for a happy, balanced life. Whether it's simply making a purchase that improves your quality of life or making a move that will set you up for future success, everybody has options to invest in themselves the right way.
Unfortunately, not every investment in oneself winds up being positive. People from all walks of life have fallen victim to decisions and purchases that did not make their lives better – quite the opposite, in fact! Today, we'll be looking at those specific bad investments.
1. Apple Smart Watch
Many people fall victim to Apple's picture-perfect marketing machine and have recently bought an Apple Watch. Maybe they wanted to own the new hip piece of technology – or maybe some people wanted to simply get into shape and be healthier. One particular user lamented the fact that she bought an Apple Watch in the first place: “I didn’t use my Fitbit, why would I use a bulkier, more expensive watch? I ended up selling it and taking a financial hit,” she said.
2. Laser Hair Removal
When it works, laser hair removal is amazing. When it doesn't work, it seems like money thrown down the drain. Just ask this person, who went through the entire process and ended up nowhere: “Laser hair removal was painful, extremely expensive, and didn’t work.”
That's the farthest thing from a ringing endorsement that we've read in a long time.
3. Any Kitchen Gadget
The right kitchen tool or appliance can be one of the most effective ways to streamline your cooking process. The wrong one, however, can easily serve as an overly expensive paperweight on your countertop. “I’ve yet to find a kitchen gadget that I’ll actually use,” one person confessed. “Air fryer, instant pot, anything that is supposedly made to make cooking easier just ends up collecting dust.”
4. Designer Handbag
We get it. Much like a new Apple product, having an expensive handbag or purse goes a long way in keeping up with the Joneses. But as this user revealed, sometimes it's just not worth it: As much as I want to be one of those girls that carries around a nice bag and looks chic as hell, it ain't me,” she said. “I end up worrying too much about them getting dirty or stolen.”
5. Master's Degree
The inclusion of a postgraduate degree on this list hurts to see, but the reality is that sometimes the monetary investment it requires doesn't end up making it worth it once a person attains it. “My $120k in loans (started at 90k but interest is awful) makes me want to cry. I really enjoyed my education, but I don’t use it,” one glumly reported. While earning your master's degree may be a worthwhile investment for some people, the truth is that for many people it turns out to be irrelevant to their future.
6. Peloton Bike & Subscription
Raise your hand if you have a friend or relative who currently has a Peloton bike collecting dust in their garage or spare bedroom!
While we're sure their intentions are good, we don't understand why people would give up on their fitness goals – especially after making such a large monetary investment in the process. “Literally have had no energy to use it but I’m hoping that will change very soon,” one ex-Peloton user revealed.
7. Lavish Wedding
The allure of an over-the-top, lavish wedding is tantalizing. However, the reality is that it's prohibitively expensive – and many people have admitted that they are planning smaller, more intimate weddings just to save some money. “I just can’t believe how expensive everything is for one day,” one future groom said. While a huge wedding may seem like a one-off expense that is an investment in your marriage's future, many people don't share that sentiment anymore.
8. Excessive Makeup & Beauty Products
It's easy to get sucked into marketing hype and social media buzz. Many people admitted to buying an exorbitant amount of makeup and beauty products – a habit they now regret fully. “I used to be so obsessed with buying everything that people rave about,” one woman shared. “I have a huge dresser full of brand new beauty items.”
We're crossing our fingers that she at least can re-sell some of those unused items!
9. Tanning
Who doesn't like to look like they've just spend the last week at the beach? We recommend that everybody heed the words of a 26-year old woman who regretted constantly tanning as a teenager. Yeah I looked good, and didn’t get sunburnt at the beach, but I def increased my risk for skin cancer and now I’m spending a ton of money on things to get rid of wrinkles,” she said. Tanning may seem like a no-brainer short-term investment, but the downside is readily apparent once you started looking long-term!
10. Hiring a Life Coach
Here's a dirty little secret: absolutely anyone can wake up one day and call themselves a life coach. One particular person found this out the hard way, saying their coach had “no real certifications or training that I knew of. That became really toxic in the 4 months that I did it.” We're sure that was a tough pill to swallow, and it's unfortunate that the relationship ended up being so toxic.
This thread inspired this post.
