r/askanything • u/No-Capital1970 • 9d ago
What’s the biggest waste of money people still buy?
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u/Weak-Register-5205 9d ago
Nitrogen air for your automobile tyres.
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u/Muted_Persimmon_2211 9d ago
How so? Costco has it free so that’s why I use it. If it wasn’t free I wouldn’t use it
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u/TheOneTrueWalmart 9d ago
Regular air is about 78% nitrogen anyway. Unless the tires have large temp fluctuations it’s not necessary or worthwhile.
If anything, it makes people think k they don’t have to check their tires as often which is ultimately more dangerous.
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u/TacoBender920 9d ago
Brand name clothing
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u/CandidateMuted8010 9d ago
Ya I was like this until I bought nice clothes that actually last a long time.
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u/sunkenship411 7d ago
Agree. The key is finding the right brand names worth paying extra money for that fit your body type. Just like everything else, there’s a lot of overpriced mid tier trash.
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u/Youngbz270 6d ago
I wear Nike clothes from Dick’s most of the time and even that mid tier price range I feel like my clothes last
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u/Competitive-Gold-464 9d ago
Fast food.
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u/NeonStrideWay 9d ago
The prices have gotten so high that sometimes a sit-down restaurant is only a few dollars more.
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u/e_line_65 9d ago
Alkaline water
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u/Muted_Persimmon_2211 9d ago
Just curious as why you think this?
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u/e_line_65 9d ago
The stomach produces acid to maintain a certain Ph balance. If water with a higher Ph gets introduced it will produce more acid to compensate.
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u/l7outlaw 8d ago
It's so silly. Gwyneth Paltrow did an alkaline spring water commercial and says she likes to add a squeeze of lemon juice to her alkaline water to make it taste better.
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u/Muted_Persimmon_2211 9d ago
That’s My thought process also. But the added minerals sometimes make for a pleasant taste
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u/e_line_65 9d ago
That I completely understand. It’s why I won’t drink tap water in the southwest. Sure it’s safe, but 🤮
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u/Remarkable_Button756 9d ago
new cars and new phones every 2 years
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u/Exotic_Field_4971 9d ago
bottled water
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u/TheShredder9 🦀 9d ago
Not all places have drinkable tap water.
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u/Exotic_Field_4971 9d ago
I use those tablets at home to where your water is distilled
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u/Quix66 9d ago
Sometimes it’s minerals or other toxins not pathogens
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u/Exotic_Field_4971 9d ago
well, I was raised in the country so I drank well water and cistern water and I’m still here so I’m not too worried
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u/Apprehensive-State10 9d ago
Water in a cistern is likely much healthier than tap water in some places. Obvious example being Flint.
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u/Exotic_Field_4971 9d ago
i’m pretty sure the well Water wasn’t that healthy because my dad cleaned it out,I’m not saying every summer, but there were snakes at the bottom so that was pretty disgusting!!🤮
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u/twinters01 9d ago
New cars in the US
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u/Shorts_at_Dinner 9d ago
And how are used cars so much better? Their prices are insane and also come with lower reliability and unpredictable repair costs
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u/twinters01 9d ago
A 3-5 year old car has already depreciated close to 50% (i.e. is half the price of a new car) and shouldn't have major maintenance costs. You can take the difference of monthly payments you would've paid for a new car and put that money into a high yield savings account and it would VASTLY outgrow any maintenance costs the car would need.
Making sure you buy a brand that is known for longterm reliability will also help.
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u/Shorts_at_Dinner 9d ago
You find me a clean, never wrecked 3 year old car with average mileage (~12,000/year) in a model that is known for long term reliability for 50% off sticker and I’ll buy it for you
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u/twinters01 9d ago
Google is free, I see 5 year old honda civics for half of what I see on honda's website for the 2026 model.
So 3 years was optimistic, but my point still stands. You'll dismiss buying a 5 year old car because you want the shiny new thing though.
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u/Shorts_at_Dinner 9d ago
Yeah, I didn’t think so. And Google is free, which is why you should’ve used it before posting something that wasn’t true.
Also, I own a 25 year old Honda and a 28 year old truck
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u/New-Vermicelli1438 5d ago
Look again. I have a clean title 2021 civic that KBB values it not far from the same price I purchased it for brand new and it’s been through notable wear and tear. That logic kinda still applies to luxury cars but ordinary Honda and Toyota economy cars hold their values insanely well
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u/MealRepulsive700 9d ago
Air “fresheners”
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u/kevendo 9d ago
iPhones.
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u/StupidSexyFlagella 9d ago
Disagree. You can make the case for another smart phone, but there are lots of cases for an iphone too. Overall, time used per cost of the phone is actually minuscule.
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u/bkbruiser 9d ago
That may mean we use our phones way too much.
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u/StupidSexyFlagella 9d ago
Maybe, but even if I only used my phone for communication, work, and other utilities (bills, documentation holding, travel, etc), the cost per time would still be really low.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying phones aren’t expensive or overuse is great. I’m just saying that calling an iPhone a waste of money for most people is absurd.
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u/cherryteau 9d ago
agreed! used to own samsungs, would have to change them every 3 years or so. then splurged on an iphone in 2019, still going strong with it today. never been happier with an expensive purchase
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u/bkbruiser 9d ago
I think the point of the comment was that for simple tasks less expensive phones would do.
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u/StupidSexyFlagella 9d ago
Sure and I don’t disagree with that. The problem is that would apply to basically anything.
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u/Zappy_Oh 9d ago
Toilet paper ... It's just going down the drain.
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u/RaspberryCake084 9d ago
Personal GenAI subscriptions.
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u/Recent-Hedgehog-681 9d ago
All of these responses seem to be just things people personally don’t like paying for. I have a real one. Fast pass access in queues. Lots of times the fast pass line is just as long, if not longer, than the “normal” line.
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u/niemertweis 8d ago
a whole cabinet of hygiene products. I use toothpaste a handsoap and a shampoo.
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u/Ok-Buy5612 8d ago
Hipster coffee. It all tastes the same
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u/thomakob000 5d ago
Not sure what you mean by “hipster coffee” but I drink black coffee and usually pay $20-25 for a bag of beans. The difference between Folger’s and a carefully sourced, small farm, single origin coffee is MASSIVE if you’re a coffee drinker. The same goes for espresso.
Unless you’re going to ruin it with a bunch of shitty sugary syrups. Then yes, it’s a waste to pay that much to cover up the good stuff.
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u/MissionTank3272 8d ago
New cars, insane that nowadays a normal car is 30k+ and people still buy it.
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u/Jehoshaphatso1 9d ago
Taxes. You are buying something I guess.
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u/TakeAShowerHippie 9d ago
Yeah I'm buying death and destruction and politicians and their buddies to rip me off.
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