11 People Who Spent a Fortune and Instantly Regretted It

We all splurge on silly things now and then — a gadget we never use, clothes that stay in the closet, or that kitchen tool we swore would change our lives. But some people take questionable spending to a whole new level. From outrageous purchases to truly baffling investments, these stories prove that having money doesn’t always come with good sense.

• I wanted my proposal to be perfect: an elegant restaurant, romantic music, and a stunning diamond ring. I knelt down and said, “Will you marry me?” She looked disgusted. “Of course not!” she yelled.
  The entire restaurant froze. “Why?” I asked, my voice shaking. She scoffed. “I’m not marrying a man who proposes with a fake diamond ring!” The guests gasped.
  I was furious. How could she insult me like that? But when I went back to the jeweler to demand answers, my stomach dropped. She was right—the ring was a worthless fake, and I had been scammed out of thousands.

• When I was a recent graduate, I was scammed by an insurance company. I was just so happy to be hired by anyone that I was duped into thinking I could make money by selling people insurance they didn’t want or need.
  I paid $350 for a textbook for an exam to become certified. Although I passed the exam, I realized within a week that the company was a scam, complete with a ridiculous script that, if we went off it, we would get in trouble, and cold calling.
  Worst. Mistake. Ever. © Unknown author / Reddit

• When I was eighteen, I had just received my debit card when I got a call saying I’d won a free Seiko watch. They would need my debit card number for shipping. Gave it to them and got cleaned out for about $150. Luckily, the bank gave me the money back. © —Christ— / Reddit

• A guy I worked with had a long-distance relationship with this girl he’d yet to meet in person. Then, suddenly, she told him she could fly out and meet him in a month. At the time, he lived in the basement of his folks’ place—not something he had disclosed earlier in their chats. In a panic, he got a new apartment.
  Then he went to one of those furniture rental places and rented an entire apartment’s worth of furniture: a couch, tables, a dining set, a bedroom suite, a TV, etc. The whole apartment was filled with rental furniture, which, if you don’t know, gets expensive really quickly. So after all this, the girl finally showed up. They went to his apartment, and that’s when she told him that they should break up.
  She didn’t want to do it over text and without meeting him at least once. She thought it wouldn’t be fair to him. She stayed one night and got on the plane the next day. Apparently, her stop in our city was just an extended layover as she was heading to Europe to tour with friends.
  She slept in the rental bed, and he slept on the rental couch. The next day, he drove her to the airport in his rental car. I don’t know how many thousands he dropped for that one breakup date, but man... what a waste. © aussydog / Reddit

• I bought a vintage typewriter on eBay that was advertised as having belonged to a 19th-century author. It cost me $1,200, and I thought it would make a quirky, unique conversation piece. The seller even included an elaborate backstory about how the typewriter had once been owned by another famous writer, which made it seem like a special find.
  When it arrived, the typewriter turned out to be broken—not even functional. Worse still, it became obvious it wasn’t as old or valuable as the seller had claimed.
  Now, the only thing haunting me is the realization that I could’ve spent that $1,200 on an actual vacation.

• In times of need, I had to sell a very expensive camera (around $900) that I’d bought with my very first salary and that was really dear to me. I was young, and some guy responded to my offer via email, telling me he was interested but was on a business trip. He said it would be nice of me to send it to some place in Africa, and assured me he’d pay for any extra costs.
  Not only did he never pay me for anything, but I also ended up paying a hundred dollars for the shipping. Lesson learned, but I’m still sad to this day when I think about it. © SkyhuntL / Reddit

• I moved recently and needed to update my driver’s license. The site I was on asked for a credit card number before anything, which should’ve been a red flag, but I was still waking up and not alert enough, I guess. Turns out I signed up for some subscription to a driver’s guide/magazine, something or other, without realizing it.
  Thankfully, my credit card company quickly texted me almost immediately after basically saying, “hey stupid, this is probably a scam, do you want to dispute?” And fixed it right up. © Chaos_Keychain / Reddit

• I decided to fulfill a childhood dream and install a single-lane bowling alley in my basement for $50,000. It sounded like the perfect way to host parties and keep myself entertained. But after the novelty wore off, I realized no one wanted to bowl more than a game or two.
  Now I just have an incredibly noisy, space-hogging reminder of my poor impulse control. I could’ve gone on 20 amazing vacations with that money instead of sitting alone in my basement, throwing gutter balls.

• My boyfriend planned a romantic weekend at a luxury hotel. Everything felt perfect—until checkout. His card got declined, and he turned red with embarrassment. I smiled and paid for our stay.
  As we were leaving, the receptionist discreetly pulled me aside and said, “Be careful, I’ve seen this guy do the same thing with other women. He comes here, his card gets declined, and they end up paying for everything. You’re being scammed!”
  I chose not to believe her. We were still early in our relationship, and I trusted him completely—I had no reason not to. But over time, he started pulling similar tricks more often. I noticed he was making me pay for shopping trips and other expenses. The final straw came when he tried to steal my money by pressuring me to invest in a shady scheme.
  I broke up with him. Yet the memory of that hotel stay still haunts me because it was the beginning of it all, and I wish I had listened to that girl.

• I bought pheromone cologne in high school for like 100 dollars because it was said to cause a chemical reaction that makes women attracted to you. It smelled awful and I never spoke to a chick while wearing it. I later found out the pheromones were taken from some type of animal urine. I was spraying pee on me and was confused why chicks weren’t into me. © Ab10ff / Reddit

• I wasted my money on a “free trial” of a muscle-building supplement. I was in my first year of college and decided I wanted to get in better shape but didn’t know where to start. I clicked an ad saying it could help build muscle fast, got my free bottle in the mail, and started seeing a bunch of weird charges on my card. They didn’t charge for that first bottle, but they charged a subscription fee.
  I immediately called the bank to have my card blocked, but by that time, I was out something like $100 that I couldn’t afford as a student. I kept getting spam calls too and had to tell the rep very firmly that I wanted to be unsubscribed. © Hoguera / Reddit

Instead of spending money, saving it can be a much better tactic in the long term. If you’d like to get some tips on how to do it, read our 10 Secret Tips That Can Help You Save Big Money article.