People Share Their Most Expensive Mistakes

Author image for Eric Lund
Eric Lund
Oct 21, 2021 5:00 PM EDT

Our actions can have big consequences down the line. Whether that's trusting the wrong person in the wrong moment, neglecting a pressing issue, or literally just tripping over a famous person's dog, our foibles can lead to disastrous financial results. All we can really do is try our best, be attentive and not listen to dumb financial advice.

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  • 01
    Font - webbedlizardbits · 3d When I started working in an operating theatre, I knelt down under a surgical microscope, promptly forgot my surroundings and then got up quickly and ungracefully. My back hit one of the handles, causing $10,000 worth of damage to a $500,000 piece of equipment. I was three weeks into my new job.
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  • 02
    Font - Stephenburnett98 - 4d Freshman year of college I thought my final exam was at 11:30. It was at 9:30. The exam was 40% of my grade, so I failed. I lost my scholarship, and had to pay to retake the class.
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  • 03
    Font - Firebolt164 - 4d Not doing more research into hiring a roofing contractor. Paid $13k for the sh tiest job ever. Flashing messed up, rotten sheathing not replaced, nails blown clear through the singles, reusing shingles when they started running low, water running behind my siding, no flashing around my chimney, it was a s!.: show. They didn't even cleanup, they left the old roof and nails strewn across my backyard and lawn. I pushed and pushed and next thing I know, he's disappeared and I
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  • 04
    Font - smallcoldbrew · 4d Taking out a $5,000 loan to help my Mom with her very very past due bills. Long story short, she ends up missing bills again and not learning her lesson.
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  • 05
    Font - DismalChance · 3d 2 Got promoted to being a warehouse manager many years ago. Didn't receive any training really because the person I was replacing was promoted to another position and they were trying to learn how to do that job while they were supposed to be teaching how to do my new job. At some point, we started to run low on a few key products that were more in demand, so I asked the guy who was supposed to be training me how much I should have in stock, then based my order on that.
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  • 06
    Font - Well, it got to the point where all of these back orders had started coming in, and we were heading into a slow point in the season. Boss eventually starts asking why all these items aren't put away in stock etc/why don't I have any room and that leads to him looking more closely at what was order and what is still on order. Turns our I had ordered about 1.4 million dollars over what I should have... Didn't get fired. Got "demoted" out of the warehouse though and put back to installations
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  • 07
    Font - XeStarstryder - 4d Using the web browser on a flip phone in the early 2000s. My parents almost killed me
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  • 08
    Font - Forcekin6532 3d My father died in 2007 and left me and my sister $115k each. I used it to buy a new house. I was 25 at the time. Didn't know sh about the process to buy a home. So needless to say I bought something I couldn't afford. Then the market crashed in 2008. I lost the house and my inheritance. I was more upset about blowing my fathers savings than losing the house. Lesson learned.
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  • 09
    Font - UndergroundASMR - 4d Agreeing to not having the septic tank inspected before closing on our home. It was pumped recently so it must be fine, right? Turns out it was actually in bad shape and needed to be fully replaced. Over $20,000
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  • 10
    Font - - TheOnlyCurmudgeon - 3d 2 Not caring for my teeth when young 2.1k Reply Share Report Save alonelygrapefruit - 3d This is a huge one. Last year I had to spend $13,000 on a major procedure to restore most of my top teeth. My bottom teeth need about $50,000 worth of surgeries, implants, etc. And I just can't afford it at all. That's more than I make in a whole year! Insurance covers maybe 1000 dollars total but that is such a laughably small amount compared to the whole thing.
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  • 11
    Font - guttermeal - 3d O S When I was 7, I went into an AAA office with my dad because I wanted to see what it was like inside. I brought my dora coin purse with me, and inside I had $5 in ones. I didn't understand what they were saying during the meeting, so I just folded my allowance over and over to pass the time. After what seemed like HOURS, I got bored and decided to drop them on the floor and tell my dad I found them lying there. I guess I expected him to be like "Wow, that's amazing ! Yo
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  • 12
    Hair - valboots · 3d Losing my USB that had 50 Bitcoin on it. It was a prize for getting 2nd in a guitar hero contest hosted by the university I was attending.
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  • 13
    Font - luckeegurrrl5683 - 4d I lent an ex $5,000. Never saw him or the money again!
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  • 14
    Font - oldstraits · 3d Rushed into buying a car. Bought a salvaged vehicle that looked like it was in great shape. It drove fine, and it was exactly what I needed at the time. About a month in some frame damage was discovered that made it hard to steer, and there were NO F KING AIRBAGS! I tried to turn around and sell it once I found out, but I couldn't in good conscience sell an unsafe vehicle to anyone. So I pay $7K to install new airbags and have a few other things done. Once the car was safe
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  • 15
    Head - IndieDiscovery 3d Unemployed in NYC for 3 months paying $4,000/month in rent.
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  • 16
    Font - galfightor · 3d I bought a boat for almost no money and now I'm broke
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  • 17
    Font - DaNobodyFromNowhere 3d Toss up between my last marriage and the time I ran my boss's $3.5 million yacht aground on a submerged sandbar on the Intracoastal Waterway south of Charleston, SC.
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  • 18
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  • 19
    Cheezburger Image 9642630144
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  • 20
    Human body - BL_Reptile - 3d Forgot to turn in FASFA on time and lost out on $5,000 worth of grants.. had to end up taking loans out. Tough lesson but it taught me to pay attention to deadlines.
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  • 21
    Smile - mertwotwotwo · 4d Bought my first home (by myself) in April, 2008. I might as well have thrown all my money in the garbage.
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  • 22
    Font - Toothbras · 4d Got a DUI. Had to take a class to get my license back. Girl in the class needed a ride home, started flirting and asked her out. Fast forward 15 years and we are now married with two kids, worth every cent.
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  • 23
    Font - the-soaring-moa - 3d Started smoking
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  • 24
    Font - lazarus870 · 3d I didn't know how to use my direct investing feature on my bank. I was looking to invest a few thousand dollars in Apple stock back in 2015. The 24/7 guy who answered the broker line could've placed the trade for me but said I'd pay less fees if I did it myself online. I said no that's fine, I don't know how to use the website, please place the trade. He said he'd have to charge a small commission. I said that's fine! But he kept saying no no you'll pay too much and encour
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  • 25
    Font - sonia72quebec · 4d I bought an old overpriced Ford Bronco. That thing hated me with passion. Each time I would try to drive it, it didn't want too or worked for 10 minutes and then pretended to die. I think he had something against Women because all the Men who tried said it worked like a charm. Sold it for half I paid for. I hope it's rusting in a field somewhere.
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