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Have you ever bought something you swore you'd use but it ended up collecting dust next to your shake weight in your air fryer? Coated with forever chemicals? We've all been there. And today I'm reacting to a list of the most common things we waste money on. So you can avoid the regret and use your hard earned cash for things that will last. Like our friendship. I cannot find the words to say how I feel. Okay, first of all, this list comes to us from Money Talks News. Not the most trusted source for financial advice. Advice if you've seen this channel, but occasionally they have some solid nuggets you can take away. By the way, solid nuggets. My nickname in high school. Still not sure why. Don't want to know. All right. 14 things we buy and Almost Never Use by Gail F. Cooper. Strong name. I like it. Gail. Online subscriptions. You'll find websites for every hobby and interest. Premium TV services let you stream endless entertainment programming. Genealogy sites help you make a family tree. Alumni size reading. Wow, we went real deep real fast. Gayle. I like this. No Hulu for Gayle. Just genealogy and alumni sites. That tells me your age. Gayle, you're giving it away. Keep a close eye on those monthly bills. Are you still studying Spanish with those online lessons? Are you really reading your hometown newspaper online? Could you get by with the free option? I like this so far. She says stick with the subscriptions you use. Cancel those you don't. And this reminds me of my friends, the Minimalists. They have a great rule that says, hey, if you haven't used it in the last 90 days, you're not gonna use it in the next 90 days. Then just cancel it. Maybe it's 30 days for you. I haven't used a subscription in 30 days and I'm probably not gonna in the next 30 days. Let me go ahead and cancel it and save that 12 bucks a month. That will inevitably hit my account and maybe I subconsciously forget about it. Let's just go ahead and cancel it. It'll take you two minutes. That's my rule. If it takes less than two minutes, do it now. If it takes more than two minutes, wait a year. Never said it was a good rule. It's just a rule. I like it, Gail. Strong start. Next up, extended warranties. You finally decided on a major purchase, but you're not done yet. At the cash register, the clerk again, showing your age. Cash register, a clerk. I would love for there to be a clerk. Instead it's just a raccoon running a kohl's. And they won't take my Kohl's cash. That's a really bad sign. Should you bite? Generally, no. But it depends. Money Talks. News founder Stacy says typically extended warranties cost more than they're worth. I agree with Stacy. So what do they say to do instead? Find out exactly what the warranty does and does not cover. Check to see if your credit card offers warranty protection on purchases made. You lost me. You had me in the first half, Gail, but you lost me on that one. But I do agree that warranties rarely ever pay off. And instead, here's what you do. Just put some money aside to cover or replace that thing in the future or make the repair on it. But don't fall for the extended warranties. There's a reason they're selling them. That's where they're making the majority of their money. The profit margin might be slim on the actual product, but that warranty that you paid 100 bucks for, chances of you using that and actually getting anything out of it? Slim to none. Next up. Oh, Gale, you're getting me with this one. The old filing cabinet. A decluttering goal of mine, this is Gayle speaking, is to give away my two drawer and four door filing cabinets. They're taking up space and technology makes them obsolete. We used to keep files for our utility accounts, taxes, warranties, operating manuals, car repair receipts. The list goes on. This part I'm relating with. I have a lot of this at my house, but now so much of what once was paperwork can be accessed digitally. These big cabinets are just taking up space. Yes, I have a smaller plastic version of this where I keep like, all the things that I think I might need. One day they just collect dust and then 10 years later I go, hmm, turns out I didn't need that. But how do you know until you hang onto it for 10 years to know that you didn't need it? Smart move. But I do agree we need to declutter our lives. If you want to keep a digital file, that's fine. But the physical stuff, you probably aren't going to need it. Take a picture of it if you think you might. And then toss expensive home exercise equipment goes on to say where we live. Live. This is again, Gail speaking. The winters are rainy and often cold. Biking outside, even just getting to the gym can feel impossible. So it might make sense to have the exercise bike as an option. But I've resisted. I've seen relatives buy a treadmill or elliptical machine that ends up as a glorified clothing rack hogging space. So true. If you simply must have a big expensive exercise machine, here's a tip. Buy used. Plenty of other purchasers have trod this path before you and are ready to dump their mistakes for cheap. 100% agree on this one. Expensive exercise equipment. As we all experienced during the pandemic, buying a peloton for way too much and then selling it for way too little. It hurts. It hurts a lot. And as a person who in their mind could work out if they wanted to, but doesn't want their ego to get too big if their muscles get too big, let me tell you, I have fallen for this trap many a time. In fact, I have workout equipment right now that is collecting dust. I got a Stair Stepper if anyone's in the market. I've got one of those like weight benches where people, I guess sit and lay down to then lift things. I think that's what you do. But I have so far not put it to use. So I'm feeling pretty shamed right now, Gale. Pretty shamed. Next up, silly baby care stuff. What could be silly? Let's find out what's silly other than this picture, which I assume is AI. Where's the rest of that baby's body? Is that a foot for a hand? What is happening? Is that a homemade knit bear beanie? So cute. But also alarming, really trying to find out what happened to the rest of that baby. I swear that's a foot, right? Okay. It was funny the first time. Let's remember why we're here. New parents are nervous, making them susceptible to marketing during the early days with an infant. Talk with a veteran mom or dad before you spend money on baby wipes, warmer or fancy shoes for a child who can't yet walk. Yes, Gail, the Venn diagram of where our hearts align. Here it is. Babies don't need shoes. I know you want it for the photo, but they're going to go to waste. They can't walk. What are we doing? They don't need a soul. They have a soul. Experienced parents will tell you which stuff they loved and used in those first days and which never left the box. Here's a better idea. Instead of spending, put every penny you can into your baby's college fund. I'm going to reach out to. I think Gail and I would be good friends because Rachel Cruz, my co host on Smart Money Happy Hour, roasted me for having a QR code for the family at my party for my daughter her one year birthday to give to her college fund. If they so chose, didn't make them, didn't force them, had it as an option. And let me tell you, nobody gave. Unbelievable. But I like this idea a lot. As someone who had a baby recently, let me tell you, baby care gets out of control, and you likely only need the necessities. So don't fall for the extra stuff that might make your life easier, but will just collect and take up space. Next on the list, we've got cookbooks. Okay. Gayle is reading my mail, and I'm not a poet and I didn't know it. She says, I confess I love a gorgeous printed cookbook. Are we the same person? Gail, come out with it. Are you? Me? I used to review them, and the advance copies filled my bookshelves. I even got an instant pot cookbook because I love that. Okay, I. For real, Gail. I bought an instant pot cookbook because I thought I will become an instant pot guru, an expert, if you will never read it. She says, I've opened the cookbook only about twice. It's easier to search IP butter chicken online than to dig it out of the book. Do you use your treasured cookbooks? If not, restrain yourself from collecting more. Oh, IP stands for instant pot. See, I'm not. I'm not hip to all the lingo. That's how little I use my instant pot at home. It scares me. For some reason, I feel like my final destination will be an instant pot explosion in my kitchen. Just the pressure building up in there, and I didn't hit a button, right? And I go, oh, let me see if it's done. George passed. Yeah. What happened? Yeah, instant pot got him. No, it's never happened to anyone in history. He died doing what he hated most, cooking for his family. Well, no one's gonna top that, but that is true. That is true. I own probably six or seven cookbooks against my will, and I have never cracked them open. But they are beautiful. Like, sometimes I'll just look at the pictures. Like kind of what the president does when he's looking at bills. They just give him the photos and goes, you likey me, Signy, but cookbooks are, I believe, beautiful because you don't have to go look at ads on blogs. That's the real reason I buy cookbooks. I'm so sick of the cancer that is advertisements on cookbook blogs. So what I do instead. Now, let me give you a little life hack. I just chat GPT and say, give me the best recipe for this specific thing that I bought using this specific appliance. Done. No ads. You're welcome. Next on the list, we have gym memberships. She says. Confession. I have a gym membership. Thank you for your bravery. Every year when the annual fee is due, I consider canceling. There are reasons to hang on. The gym is close to home. It has easy parking for days where I can't walk there. I bought the membership on Black Friday, so it's pretty cheap. 28 bucks a month for unlimited use for both my husband and me is a good deal. Money wise. Not even close since I rarely use it. I too fell for this. I had a very expensive gym membership. Because here was my thinking, go with me. The more I paid for it, the more I thought I would go use it. That in fact did not pan out. It's just the more guilt I felt for not using it. And so I'm with Gail here. She says if you're looking to cut expenses, especially if you live where the climate is bearable year round, take another look at exercising outdoors for free. I live in Tennessee, and if you know anything about Tennessee, you know that summer starts from May and it ends in November. And so I can't go without working out for that long. You know what? My body would shrivel up like a hermit crab that fell behind the counter that you got from Myrtle Beach. Sound specific? Because it happened. And when we redid that kitchen, I found my hermit crabs. Oh my God. And boy, oh boy. Don't Google that. Gosh, Myrtle beach, man. If you've been to Myrtle beach, you know, Dirty Myrtle, baby. Keep the dream alive, guys. I gotta say, we're like seven for seven here on the list. I'm feeling good about this. Next up, planners and journals. She says, I bought a beautiful planner several years ago. Spiral bound, marbleized cover. I don't even know what that means. Gold lettering and spaces for daily, weekly, monthly planning. Told myself I'd use it. I used it once. It's easier to keep track of my articles on my Google Calendar or in a Microsoft Word document. Finding the planner and a pen, writing things down, remembering to check it daily, is not for everyone in this digital age. I think that is the key word here. I think planners and journals are wonderful tools. I think we need to go back to analog. There's something really powerful about that and studies have proven that. But some of us are not wired for that analog experience. And if it's not sitting there in front of us on a screen, will likely not use it. So I'm with her on this one. If you're a planner person, Use the planner with all your might. And if you know you're not that person, use that self awareness to avoid another wasted purchase. Oh, and by the way, if you are a planner person, you gotta check out the 2026 Ramsey goal planner. It's fantastic. It's beautiful. Our team has dialed this thing in. It's got weekly, monthly calendars, monthly teachings, intentional goal tracking, and. And it's very durable. So you can take it everywhere all year long. I'll drop a link in the description if you want to check it out. All right, next up on the list, single use appliances. And there's a photo of cake pops. Oh, I guess you can buy like a cake pop maker, which is different than a K pop maker, which is what they use to crank out those hit singles over in the East. That's what they're doing. I don't know. It's not in my purview, if you will. I'm not anti K pop. I just can't be pro K pop because I've never experienced K pop and I am unwilling to explore K pop. I rest my case. I'm so happy. I love K pop. The article goes on to say I love appliances and kitchenware. More than once I've been suckered into buying single use appliances that look promising on late night TV infomercials. Again, Gail, we're really giving it away here. Might as well say when I'm reading my Reader's Digest. Here's what I love when I look at the TV Guide to see what's coming up on TV Land tonight. A hot dog toaster. A cotton candy cart. A cake pop maker. An electric crepe pan. Just a few examples. Might be fun for a few minutes. Great conversation starters, not that useful. And she says, and yet my imagination tempts me by coming up with exceptions. Maybe a person could teach French and demonstrate crepe making for the class. Or run a monthly bake sale where cake pops will sell like hotcakes. That was good. The reality? The appliances will probably just gather dust and take up space. Very true. And again, for this one, if you do need it once, see if you can borrow it from someone who does have it. And if you can't borrow it, see if you can buy it used from Facebook Marketplace before you go, spend the money to buy one brand new only to find out you're not gonna use it. And I'm a big single appliance guy. Single use. I have many in my house and people walk in and they go, wow, so many appliances. And I go, aren't you impressed? But have I actually used a Ninja Creami? No. I'm just gonna go buy ice cream like a normal person. I'm not gonna churn the butter like Little House on the Prairie. Moving on to travel accessories. The article says there's no need for fancy passport covers, money belts, packing cubes. If you have a smartphone, you don't need foreign language dictionaries or paper maps. The fewer things you take with you, the easier the trip. Bon voyage. Way to assume where I'm going. Bonjour. This is a good one. I love an accessory more than most people. And I have started to purge. I'm a carry on guy now. Very proud to say that. I say that braggadociously, if you will. Cause I used to be a big checked luggage guy. I was like a boy Scout packing everything under the sun just in case. In case someone in the group didn't have the tide to go pen. But now I just mooch off everyone else, and it's so much more fun that way. And you can usually buy it where you are in case you need it. So just take what you need, nothing more. The key with travel accessories, choose the right tools for the best experience. And it's the same when it comes to banking. The right financial institution can make your whole experience so much better. And that's why I love Fairwinds Credit Union, a sponsor of today's video. They are owned by their members, not by Wall street, which means they're not out here trying to increase shareholder value. And instead of sponsoring Taylor Swift's next tour, they're focusing on helping you win with money. Seriously, that's what they're all about. With over 33,000 free ATMs and 5,000 credit union partners nationwide, you. You're covered just about anywhere you go. So go check them out@fairwinds.org Ramsey or use the link in the description below. Okay, let's get back to Our list of 14 things we buy and almost never use. Next up on the list, we have souvenirs. And what a freaky photo this is. What is this? What am I looking at? Okay, this is giving, like, Jungle Book voodoo vibes. I would not buy this. Wait, is that made of actual coconuts? Cause if so, I take it back. I want one. Who needs a souvenir keychain, refrigerator magnet, or coffee mug? The best souvenirs. Your photos and memories are the cheapest. I do agree. I'm not a sentimental, kitschy guy, so when I travel, I don't Feel the need to, like, buy the keychain or like the thing with your name on it. Now, when I was little, sure. But now that I'm a grown adult, I find that the photos and memories, the experiences, that's where I'd rather spend my money. I don't need more clutter. Just think about it. Think through this question. What am I going to do with this when I get home? Put it in a junk drawer or am I gonna put it on display in my house? Either way, probably not a good idea. I don't want that visible in my house. Next up on the list, over the top, camping equipment, it says, sure, get a tent, sleeping bags, a lantern, maybe a simple camping stove. But one walk through a camping equipment store will show you the many ways campers can be coaxed into buying luxury camping items. You can camp comfortably without the stuff. I'm thankful for our inflatable mattresses, but we don't need a s' mores maker, a Keurig single serve coffee maker, or a cool headlamp for a midnight trek to the bathroom. A flashlight will do just fine. I like this one. I've been camping a few times, which might surprise all of you. I try to pack light, but knowing me, I gotta bring the accoutrements, you know what I mean? And I do find that if you walk into one of these stores, you will be shocked at the accessories they've come up with to make your camping experience quote better. But I feel like that's kind of the opposite of camping. If you need a bunch of accessories, are you really camping or are you glamping a la Tom Haverford? Your call. This is actually a dog couch, but it's super comfortable. Next up, we've got specialized sports equipment. I'm seeing a theme here. People who have hobbies tend to spend too much on their hobbies, buying too much gear for said hobby, the article says. I still remember when my husband came home after he first played broomball. Is that from Harry Potter? Oh, that's Quidditch. They should have called it broomball. That would have been a way better name. It's a winter sport that's kind of like hockey. We lived in Minnesota then, and he loved the outdoor exercise. I love that Gale really humanizes these articles, you know? You know, it's not AI. You can't come up with broomball if you're AI. You gotta be Gayle's husband to come up with broomball. He bought special rubber soled broomball shoes, and it's possible he never wore them. Also love her throwing him under the bus in her articles that she knows he's never gonna read. It's a lesson. Introducing new sports into your life is a great health boost, but you may be able to get along by borrowing or renting specialty items until you turn into a serious contender. I relate to this one because I decided, you know what? I'm going to try out Golf. Call it a midlife crisis. I bought a set of clubs off Facebook marketplace for 50 whole dollars. I have used those clubs one time which makes that purchase smart. I knew I wasn't going to be a serious player and if I ever do become a serious player, I will upgrade clubs over time as I take it more seriously. And I think that is the move with any hobby. Start small. Don't buy a $4,000 guitar if you don't know how to play guitar. Learn on the crappy guitar and work your way up as you continue with it. And lastly on the list we've got frivolous pet purchases. And this is where Gayle comes from. My throat. What are you doing Gayle? Come on. She says. We all know what our pets love most. One or two nutritious meals a day, a treat, a favorite toy or two. And lots of love from their two legged pals. Oh, that's me. I'm the two. I was like two legged pal. This is a dog in a wheelchair. What typically remains unused? Doggy dental hygiene gel, specialty items like microwavable heated bed pads, pets, Halloween costumes and 90% of their toys. Truer words have never been spoken. If most pet items get any attention, it's when they're new and then they're ignored after a sniff or two. Save your money or make a donation to your local pet shelter or rescue organization. Who rescued who, Gail? We'll never know. This is a true one. I think pet owners, and I'm very guilty of this, spend too much on their pets because we love them and we think it'll be cute and we think they'll love the toy and it's okay to budget for pet spending even if it feels frivolous and you want a cute picture and a Halloween costume. Costume. Just know that we're wasting a lot of money on things that will get used maybe once or twice and potentially destroyed by said dog. So tread lightly. Love it. So overall, not a bad list for Money Talks news. In fact, this might be my favorite Money Talks news article I've ever reacted to on this channel. So shout out to Gail for some wonderful and personal writing. I'm a fan, Gale. I'm a fan. Maybe you're on the cusp of a purchase, you're not sure if you should buy it, and that's what I'm here for. I don't want you to waste any money or make any bad financial decisions. So check out this video where I help real people navigate their spending dilemmas and give them clarity on whether to buy or not to buy. Click here to watch it next or use the link in the description. That's it for today. If you enjoyed this video, hit the like button. Hit the subscribe button. It would mean the world. And share this video with everyone you know who has a cake pop maker. Because if they ain't bringing it to work to treat you, they ain't using it. They need this video. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.