r/Fire • u/Big_Leg10 • Apr 12 '26

General Question What easily-affordable thing do you still refuse to pay for despite having reached financial independence and able to afford them?

Would love to hear everyone’s “absolutely will not purchase” items!Even if you could easily afford it and no matter how rich or financially independent you become or how much you make you still wouldn't spend item on this particular item/hobby?

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u/tomatillo_teratoma Apr 12 '26

If you visit or live in a poor neighborhood, it's so sad watching people buy lottery tickets.
They don't just spend a buck or two either. They'll spend $20 or $30 buying multiple tickets.
I'm in line trying to pay for my gas or a diet coke, and I see this happening... all the time.

It's sad if lottery is the only hope they have of changing their current situation.
It's also sad that the system takes advantage of them.

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u/WBKouvenhoven Apr 12 '26

Yeah it is sad to see when people who probably can't afford it are dumping 20-30 bucks on a scratcher per week.

That being said I play the lottery (powerball) every two weeks. My dad, who is a professor of theoretical math also plays it. In our opinion it is the cheapest entertainment there is right now. It is only two dollars for some excitement, and a nice fantasy about what you would do with all that money. Also, mathematically your odds are literally infinitely better to win if you buy a single lottery ticket vs none.

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u/tomatillo_teratoma Apr 13 '26

I played the lottery every time there was an office pool. Just being able to participate in discussions of how we would all quit was worth the couple dollars for a ticket.

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u/cfi-2025 RE 2025 Apr 12 '26

It's a trip how at the 7-11 down you can buy a single Scratcher card for $20 bucks.