“I filed my own taxes incorrectly for three years.
“Not contributing the max amount into my 401k.
I worked at that company for 27 years and couldve retired long ago.”
u/parrothead_69
2.
“Being a tobacco user.
I started at 18 and am almost 45 now.
“I have lived the rest of my life very responsibly, living within my means.
I’ve invested the max in my 401k.
I buy used vehicles and pay them off as soon as possible.
The wasted money comes from something I know is bad for my health in the long term.
I have to admit, I have little control over it, although I keep trying.
So, any of you younger folks here, take it from me.
u/BigSarge79
3.
“Loaning money to friends.
Or anything of financial value, for that matter.
That saying about loaning people money is true.
That has happened to me every single time.
I will never loan money or things of monetary value ever again.”
u/Busy_Ad2627
4.
“Letting my dental insurance lapse.
u/AurelianoTampa
5.
Those coins are worth over a million dollars today.”
u/Discokruse
6.
“My first trip to college.
I racked up $56k in debt, and I dropped out.
The cost of campus housing was more than the tuition, and the program was garbage.
The school later lost its accreditation and went out of business.
Students with federal loans had their balances discharged, but mine were private.
u/dackdeegan
7. u/Due-Criticism9
8.
“Selling a house for $368k, which is now worth $800k!
I could have built an ADU and retired early!”
u/Shiggy1833
9. u/TwentyCharacters2022
10.
“My big sister called me in 2006 and said, ‘Wanna buy a condo?’
That was the worst decision of my life.
Not just financial, as the collateral damage was also severe.
I experienced depression, which assisted with the loss of a job and loss of relationships.
u/OolongGeer
11.
“I filed my own taxes incorrectly for three years.
Didnt have it on hand (duh), so that hurt.”
u/FloridaMan32225
12.
“I was 22 and really financially dumb.
I had $70,000 in student loans.
At the time, no federal loan relief options were available to me.
u/thenascarguy
13.
“Buying a timeshare in a foreign country without fully understanding the language or legal system.
Lost more money than I care to admit.”
u/spicygirlexotic
14. u/Dr_Dankenstein5G
15.
“I got talked into selling skincare and makeup products in the early 2000s.
Ugh, they made it sound like it would fly off the shelf.
I still cry badly about this 20 years later.”
u/Appropriate_Day_8721
16.
“In 1991, my then-wife and I were looking for houses.
We found one that was 2,000 square feet and lakefront.
The house needed repair and was a repo with lots of water issues.
I am a carpenter; in 1991, I was still an apprentice.
We bid $65,000, which was the only bid they received.
She worried that we couldn’t afford it.
I think I was making about $13 an hour at the time.
Fixed up, the house would have brought $200k back then and probably $500k today.
It wasn’t that bad; structurally, it was sound.
And we both loved to fish.
It’s easily the one that got away from me.”
u/redrdr1
17. u/View_Competitive
18.
“Not selling my stocks right when COVID’s impact on the market started reversing.
u/khousek
19. u/DaringDo95
20. u/lucylastix
21.
“Chasing the meme stock hype at the peak of the GME/AMC craze.
I lost about $7,000, which isn’t the biggest issue.
It was just raw, unrestrained ignorance.
I still get mad at myself when I think about it.”
u/titsmuhgeee
22.
“I bought a used car that turned out to be a money pit.
Turns out he lied.
I spent more on repairs than I paid for the car.”
u/AylmerDad78
23.
“Taking out a loan to pay my husband’s debts.
He’s now an ex while my ass still has to pay.”
u/No_Cauliflower1329
24.
“I was in my early 20s and moving across the country.
I really hope the gas station attendant really needed it so that it at least benefitted someone.”
“Much later in life, I made a bet with someone about the outcome of a book.
I lost the bet and transferred one Bitcoin to a stranger online.
This was when the price of Bitcoin was in the $6,000 range.
Both setbacks felt like huge deals at the time.
But neither was as big an investment as my latest car or the house I’m buying.
u/EricHerboso
25.
I started investing when I was 32. u/blckrainbow
26.
“Not moving on to a higher paying job and taking that leap of faith.
My current job has downsized so much just to operate within a subpar budget.
They haven’t given out cost of living increases in years, and now I am quickly approaching retirement.
u/Far-Ad-8833
27.
“Turning down a $40k scholarship because my mom wouldnt let me visit the college.
It was my dream school.
I transferred there with a $4k scholarship they offered.
If I had taken their initial offer, I wouldve only had maybe $10k of student debt.
Now Im $55k deep.”
u/AstrudsSecretLover
28.
“Being overly conservative and not buying a ‘forever’ home back in 2019.
Also, living close to a good hospital is so underrated.
u/5midnight
29.And: “I’ve just generally been too reckless with money in my life.
I am currently working on it, though, and I am doing better.”
u/divinechick79
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
