A 12-year-old in France recently got arrested after stealing her neighbor’s checks and using them to buy candy — $3,300 worth of candy, that is. And while we’re relatively certain she won’t be adding “master criminal” to her resume, the Case of the Thief With the Sweet Tooth did make us think about money — namely, the good and bad purchases we all make with our paychecks.
(Photo Credit: Moyan Brenn/Flickr)
We asked our Facebook friends to tell us the stupidest thing they’ve ever spent their money on. And while we’re relatively certain that none of them stole checks to make their purchases, we were pretty impressed with the wide range of silly buys on offer, including:
“A pet psychic.”
“A Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun. I shot my eye out. Fudge.”
“A pair of 5-inch leather detailed platform boots (and yes, I still have them).”
“My first eBay purchase. The bidding started at $0.99, and I paid around $75. It was for a pair of Tinkerbell wine glasses. They weren’t crystal, just plain glass with a gold Tink on them. I might have even paid more than $75. I wanted them so badly!”
“Facebook games.”
“The pair of Spanx that I already knew were too small. Think sausage. Or small bowel obstruction.”
“A very used and perpetually broken down 1980 Firebird. Pressure would constantly build up in the brake system and I would find myself doing unintentional burnouts at stop lights. Sorry, Burt Reynolds.”
“The two armchairs in our basement, purchased unseen and un-sat-in for $500 each. They’re horribly uncomfortable for humans of all sizes. I hate looking at them.”
And finally, some good advice:
“Anything I bought because others were buying and said I should, rather than because it was something I wanted or actually had a use for.”
By that measure, we’re guessing a lot of candy (as long as it was legally purchased) would actually be an OK investment. What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever spent your money on?
Additional reporting by Alida Moore.
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