7 money-related things I regret doing
1. Took out a loan to buy a brand-new car. I bought it with the idea that it would be reliable, and it turned out to be a lemon. (I think it needed 3 clutches in 4 years, and 2 brake jobs?) Plus, it instantly depreciated. I was very happy to sell that thing.
2. Got a check from a 401(k) when I left a job, and used it to buy…I have no idea what.
3. Used credit cards to buy things I couldn’t afford, didn’t need, and don’t remember, and carried a balance on the cards.
4. Paid 2 months late on my mortgage once. This cost me years later in the interest rate I was able to receive on a mortgage, even though this was the only exception EVER to my otherwise good credit.
5. Paid someone else’s bills for them, when I should have let them experience the consequences of their own actions instead.
6. Borrowed money from a relative to pay off debt. The way to get out of debt is to work at it, not to borrow more money.
7. Leased a brand-new van (we won’t even go there) and failed to get gap insurance on it. When it burned to a crisp less than 2 years later, we still owed money.
What are your money-related regrets? If you post about them, let me know and I’ll link to them here.
Updated: Here are the lists from Gluten Free Frugal, One Girl’s Quest, and One Snarky Chica.




August 27th, 2007 at 7:03 am
http://glutenfreefrugal.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-money-regrets.html
August 27th, 2007 at 11:28 am
I forgot to claim back a lot of expenses from work. We’re talking probably a couple of hundred quid.
August 27th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Good list. I also cashed out a 401k in my 20′s. Dumb.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:52 am
I went to Vegas when my world was in a rut… hitting rock bottom is an interesting experience that I wouldn’t recommend.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Great post! I did one of my own too at http://onegirlsquest.blogspot.com/2007/08/7-money-related-things-i-regret-doing.html
Aren’t we glad we got smarter with our money now?