Listeners:
Top listeners:
play_arrow
Atom Radio
play_arrow
Best of Brakfast Episode 174 Yana Bolder
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Looking back, we’ve all spent money on things that seemed like a brilliant idea at the time.
Some purchases lasted years.
Others barely made it home before we realised we’d made a terrible mistake.
Gen X has lived through enough trends, gadgets and fads to know that not every purchase stands the test of time.
Some were expensive lessons.
Others are simply funny memories.
Here are a few things many of us probably wasted money on over the years.
Exercise Equipment
It always starts with good intentions.
“This is the year I’m getting fit.”
A treadmill arrives.
Or an exercise bike.
Or a rowing machine.
Fast forward six months and it’s become the world’s most expensive clothes horse.
Eventually it ends up on an online marketplace with the words:
“Hardly used.”
Which, technically, is true.
CDs You Bought For One Song
Gen X remembers paying full price for an album because one track was constantly on the radio.
You got home.
Played the hit single.
Then discovered the other eleven songs weren’t quite as memorable.
Streaming has solved that problem.
But it also took away the excitement of bringing home a brand-new CD.
The Latest Mobile Phone
Remember when every new phone promised to change your life?
Polyphonic ringtones.
Colour screens.
Tiny cameras that produced photos the size of a postage stamp.
We upgraded constantly.
Only to realise six months later another “must-have” model had arrived.
Fashion Trends
We’ve all looked at old photos and wondered:
“What was I thinking?”
Shell suits.
Oversized shoulder pads.
Acid wash jeans.
Tiny sunglasses.
Massive trainers.
The fashion industry has always been very good at convincing us something is essential.
Until it isn’t.
Kitchen Gadgets
The bread maker.
The smoothie machine.
The ice cream maker.
The gadget that sliced bananas into perfect circles.
Many of them were used enthusiastically…
Once.
Then quietly retired to the back of a cupboard where they remain today.
DVDs We Never Opened
There was a period when buying DVDs felt almost compulsory.
Special editions.
Collector’s editions.
Box sets.
Some are probably still wrapped in their original plastic.
Streaming eventually arrived and suddenly entire collections became decorative shelving.
Magazine Free Gifts
The free gift always looked amazing.
A watch.
A torch.
A set of headphones.
A mystery gadget worth “£39.99.”
The magazine cost £6.99 instead of £2.50.
The free gift usually stopped working before you’d finished reading the magazine.
Lottery Scratch Cards
“They’re only a couple of pounds.”
That’s what we all said.
Every now and then somebody won something.
Most of us won another scratch card.
Which somehow felt both exciting and disappointing at exactly the same time.
Collectables That Were Supposed To Be Investments
Remember when people said:
“Keep this in the box. It’ll be worth a fortune one day.”
Sometimes they were right.
Most of the time…
Not so much.
Beanie Babies.
Collector’s plates.
Limited edition ornaments.
Commemorative coins.
They’re wonderful memories.
Retirement plans?
Less so.
Extended Warranties
We’ve all stood at a checkout listening to someone explain why our £18 toaster absolutely needed five years of additional protection.
Sometimes they were worthwhile.
Usually the toaster outlived the paperwork.
But Were They Really A Waste?
Maybe not.
That exercise bike came with good intentions.
That concert T-shirt reminds you of an amazing night.
That stack of CDs introduced you to music you’ll always love.
Even the fashion disasters make for great stories years later.
Sometimes what looks like wasted money becomes part of your life’s soundtrack.
We All Have One Purchase We’d Love Back
Ask any Gen Xer what they regret buying and you’ll probably hear a different answer every time.
But you’ll also hear plenty of laughter.
Because most of us have learned that bad purchases are simply part of life.
Some teach us valuable lessons.
Some become family jokes.
And some stay hidden in the loft just in case they somehow become fashionable again.
After all…
You never know when acid wash jeans might make another comeback.
Ann Widdecombe was attacked on Wednesday afternoon, nearly twenty-four hours before she was found dead, police believe. Devon and Cornwall Police think the attack happened at around twelve-thirty. Officers were called to the former MP's home at eleven-forty on Thursday, where she was discovered with serious injuries. Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said the death is suspicious but there is no wider public risk. The TV presenter Dermot Murnaghan has […]
