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.

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Posted in Financial health on Aug 27, 2007

5 Responses to “ 7 money-related things I regret doing ”

  1. # 1 Tenille Says:

    http://glutenfreefrugal.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-money-regrets.html

  2. # 2 plonkee Says:

    I forgot to claim back a lot of expenses from work. We’re talking probably a couple of hundred quid.

  3. # 3 Staci Carsten Says:

    Good list. I also cashed out a 401k in my 20’s. Dumb.

  4. # 4 Matt Says:

    I went to Vegas when my world was in a rut… hitting rock bottom is an interesting experience that I wouldn’t recommend.

  5. # 5 shawna Says:

    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?


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