What's the dumbest purchase you've ever made?

[cowboydoc]

Re: What\'s the dumbest purchase you\'ve ever made?

We have two of these timeshares and I think it's the best investment we've ever made. However ours are in prime ski locations. We use them every year or a family member does. We use them for family get togethers as well. We've traded for condos on the coast, disney, etc. We've gotten our money back from them probably a hundred fold.

 

[Golfgar4]

Re: What\'s the dumbest purchase you\'ve ever made?

Richard,

I agree with you 100%! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

We have 1 and we just about bought a second one. We decided to wait on that.

But we didn't buy our first one to use it there. We bought it at a golf resort near Green Bay (no, it's not at YooperDaves!). We've owned it since '89 and have only been there two different times.

We bought into it so that we could use the time to trade for other locations. And boy, have we! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif We've used our time every year and have traveled all over the country. We always stay at top of the line resorts for a fraction of the cost it would have been to stay even at a hotel. Plus, we always have kitchen and laundry room availablity right in the condo, not to mention the various services the resort may offer.

We've also been able to help out my in-laws with a trip they've always wanted to go on, and my wife's sister and her family so they could go to Disney World.

I would agree that time shares are not for everyone, especially if you don't use them in an appropriate manner. Yes, we do have the annual maintenance fee to pay. But even when that cost is factored in, we're still ahead of what it would have cost us without the time share.

And we like the idea that when we finally decide to quit traveling, we can let our kids have it.

We've been very pleased and will probably buy another one after I retire so we can travel even more. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[OkeeDon]

Re: What\'s the dumbest purchase you\'ve ever made?

I haven't responded to this thread yet, not because I've never made a dumb purchase, but because none of the ones have achieved the level of "dumbest". I've made some dumb stock market decisions, but some good ones, too, and on balance, I'm ahead. That's just part of the market. I've bought a lot of things I really didn't need, but I also got enjoyment from many of them. I've purchased many things it turned out I didn't use, but they were all the correct decision at the time of purchase -- circumstances changed and made them "dumb".

The most recent example: while doing a lot of drywall work on a remodeling project, and looking forward to doing a lot of my own work on my new house and barn, I bought a Porter Cable electric drywall sander on EBay for around $280 -- much less than new. I've done a small amount of drywall work in the past, and knew I hated to sand the mud, and I'm getting too old to use muscle power when electric power is available. It was unused by me, because I also discovered I'm just not very good at taping and mudding the joints, so I hired a drywall crew to finish the job. I also needed to get the ceiling recoated with a knockdown (to hide all the patches where walls had been removed), which I had always planned to farm out to a contractor. When I got an estimate, they offered to finish the walls for a very small add-on price.

But, even that turned out to be not so dumb -- they used it, lowered the price a bit more because it made their job easier, and credited me with a fair price for the sander, and took it with them. I actually made a small profit (about $20 /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif).

The bottom line is that I'm not sure whether I'm the world's smartest purchaser, the world's luckiest buyer, or the world's best rationalizer. I suspect it may be the latter.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Re: What\'s the dumbest purchase you\'ve ever made?

What suprises me about this thread is that nobody said the dumbest purchase they ever made was an "engagement ring." I figured by now someone would have said THAT. Personally, I'm going on year #19 with no regrets, but I got to figure that others might not be so lucky.

 

[jpr62902]

Re: What\'s the dumbest purchase you\'ve ever made?

Gotta be that 1978 280Z rust bucket for $400.00. Had ambishunz of fixin er up and instant chick magnet! The thing sat on the patio for 6 months then I sold it for $275. I had to depend on my sparkling personality thereafter as my chick magnet. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif God, those were lonely times.

 

[Golfgar4]

Re: What\'s the dumbest purchase you\'ve ever made?

<font color="blue"> (a engagement ring. )

(Junkman)

</font>
Bob,

Oops! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Junkman said that very thing back on the first page.

Maybe you should see about getting your money back from Evelyn Woods! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[chucko]

Re: What\'s the dumbest purchase you\'ve ever made?

Ever have a boat? how about an airboat?

 

[Junkman]

Re: What\'s the dumbest purchase you\'ve ever made?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> (a engagement ring. )

(Junkman)

</font>
Bob,

Oops! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Junkman said that very thing back on the first page.

Maybe you should see about getting your money back from Evelyn Woods! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>

I guess that it is time that I clarify that comment. The reason that it was the dumbest thing that I ever purchased is that I never needed it. My wife has the engagement ring that had belonged to my mother and preferred it to a new one. You see, some times, some things aren't what they seem to be on the surface. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Buying a ring when I already had one, was the dumb part, not our getting engaged. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[28RedHorses]

Re: What\'s the dumbest purchase you\'ve ever made?

Oh that was Great!!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I was crying I was laughing so hard!

28Red /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Kelvin]

Re: What\'s the dumbest purchase you\'ve ever made?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Buying a ring when I already had one, was the dumb part, not our getting engaged.)</font>

Did your wife accidently read your first post, and now you have to make amends? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif