Cheapism / DALL-E 3
It can be a financially dangerous endeavor to stroll into a grocery store or department store without a firm and budget-conscious list. The markups on various products are truly getting insane. But as much as we love saving money, there are some things that aren't even worth buying when they're on sale.
A recent Reddit thread had folks share various products they wouldn’t even buy with a 99% markdown. Now that’s saying something. Here are 10 items that aren't worth your money.
Look, we're always going to support anyone who has meticulously tinkered around with their ongoing budget to save as much money as possible. However, single ply toilet paper ain't it. Not only can it end up causing a world of discomfort, but it's inefficient and wasteful. Some of the single ply toilet paper that's out there might as well be notebook paper hiding behind a different name. So, when your finances can bear the brunt of a few extra bucks for the soft multi ply toilet paper, it really pays off to just commit to it.
Of the many mystifying, if not outright troubling trends that have emerged over the years, Starbucks' decision to introduce a new coffee drink called Oleato — which fuses together coffee and Partanna Extra Virgin Olive Oil — is just plain wild. Not only does the drink itself cause ire from Starbucks customers, but some Oleato sufferers have also complained that the drink has given them bowel problems. Unless you're feeling particularly adventurous or have an obsession with all things olive oil, it's probably best to steer clear of the Oleato —even if it's sold at a discounted price.
Oh boy, did NFTs catch on like wildfire for a while. Just in case you missed the NFT movement, NFTs are tokens used to represent ownership over various items like art, collectibles, and even real estate. The weirdest thing about an NFT, though, is that the ownership is carried out digitally. That means you're not actually buying a physical home, just a nice picture of one.
There are folks who continue to purchase NFTs in an effort to support artists’ various endeavors. However, unless you're someone with enough money to just throw at things, you probably aren't too sold on the whole idea of purchasing NFTs. Even with a big 99% markdown.
There was a time when people flocked to stores to buy the Beats by Dre headphones. The headphones seemed like more of an attempt at acquiring a status symbol over anything else. In 2008, when the headphones first came out, they were marketed as a premium product and priced at a whopping $300.
Outside of the aggressively high price point, people issued complaints about the headphones having too heavy of a bass and “lacking detail in frequencies,” which translated to a less balanced listening experience for consumers. Suffice to say, customers would have to see a huge markdown to consider the Beats by Dre headphones to be remotely close to a sound investment.
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The 2024 Jeep Wagoneer made a splash on the automobile scene, with a cost that ranged from $93,945 to $116,190. If that seems like a lot for a Jeep, it’s because it is. Not only is the pricing aggressive right off the bat, but models of the Jeep Wagoneer from prior years received all kinds of blowback for terrible inconveniences — like flat-out breaking down at no more than 15,000 miles.
Related: Cars That Everyone Hated
Yes, you read that right. There have been — and always will be — plenty of New Age-inspired products that prey on consumers with superstitious tendencies, or plain old desperate magical thinking. We're all for keeping things as positive as you can when life chucks curveballs your way, but Gwyneth Paltrow going so far as to try to sell consumers on frequency stickers that cost $60 for a 10-pack was insanity. The bold claim was that the pricey stickers could help someone align their internal frequency to such an extent that life itself would start going their way. It would be nice if stickers could do that, but we're not there yet.
Being able to track your personal health status in real-time — and remain accessible to texts and email notifications at all times — isn't for everyone. There are people in this busy world that actually make the conscious effort to detach themselves from their phones. What's more is that plenty of smartwatches that come with all the fancy bells and whistles are also quite pricey. You might say that it's reason enough to skip out on purchasing a smartwatch, based on the fact that smartphones already include so many of the features that you would "enjoy" from a smartwatch.
Look, you already paid anywhere upwards of $80 for that new game in the first place. Then you stack on all the micro transactions that don't even enhance your gaming experience? That’s a solid no thank you. Plenty of online gamers have openly vocalized their bottomless sense of rage for how far downhill Call of Duty as a result of microtransactions. Sometimes the most effective games are best left alone.
A LinkedIn Premium subscription will run you $29.99. Look: Desperate, career-seeking times can call for desperate measures. However, many job seekers get fooled into buying the pricey monthly subscription solely because they want to see who is looking at their profile, and if there could be a lead there. Sometimes, the people checking your LinkedIn profile have nothing to do with your career field, nor an interest in helping you land a new job.
Our advice? Wait until you get one of LinkedIn's free trial offers in your inbox. Otherwise, you can accomplish plenty on your own without putting money back in LinkedIn's pocket to help you "build your network."
A timeshare is a real estate initiative that offers people the opportunity to buy into partial ownership of a property at a resort or popular vacation destination. Many people have been sold on timeshares because they’re aggressively marketed as luxurious real estate properties that more than earn their value back. What a steal, no? And yet, one commonly held belief is that timeshares are a total scam.
The average cost for a timeshare runs anywhere between $16,000 to $25,000, while luxury timeshares cost anywhere between $100,000 to $250,000. You’ll also have to worry about things like annual fees, property taxes, and the fact that timeshare contracts can run on until the end of time itself. Even with a huge markdown, you’re better off opting for a hotel.