Post Your Financial Fails

[Fishindude77]

Lost $600k on a large construction project we were doing due to a layout mistake which required a bunch of rework.
That was a stressful couple months getting things corrected, all out of pocket, with a whizzed off client due to schedule delay. Does that count?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I should have invested for retirement sooner than 2005. We started in 2005 seriously when DH got his first job. Before then we invested in RE, which wasn't a mistake but instead we bought our first condo instead of using it in the stock market. I'm not sure which did better, I think RE because we rode the bubble up. But we probably should have still tried hard to save into a Roth IRA which was only $2k/year at the time.

[ua_guy]

egad! I had forgotten I purchased 6 quarts of oil and a filter for a future oil change for my truck, because they were on sale. Well, I ended up selling the truck before I used it, and had forgotten I even had the stuff sitting on the shelf in the garage. I've been trying to sell it on craigslist for $20 or best offer (full synthetic, stuff wasn't cheap!). Really I just don't want it to go to waste.

[Nutria]

I should have invested for retirement sooner than 2005. We started in 2005 seriously when DH got his first job. Before then we invested in RE, which wasn't a mistake but instead we bought our first condo instead of using it in the stock market. I'm not sure which did better, I think RE because we rode the bubble up. But we probably should have still tried hard to save into a Roth IRA which was only $2k/year at the time.

Don't fret. When my son was taking DOD-mandated personal finance classes, I had to remind him that (most especially for young people) there's more to life than retirement.

[Singuy]

Took a 40k loss on some Chinese stocks. Took a 90k loss on a house we bought in 2007 and sold in 2013.

[james.hendrickson]

My fail: constant overspending.

[scfr]

This morning I did a pantry clean-out, organization, and inventory. Due to a combination of factors (buying more shelf-stable food due to the pandemic, never implementing a good system for using the far-from-ideal pantry setup in our rental, laziness / not pushing this up the priority list, general stress of the last year-and-a-half, and as much as I hate to admit it just getting older) there were foods I had to toss (UGH) ... 1/3 of a kitchen-size garbage can full. Foods that must be used up right away are now in a little tote on the kitchen counter. And I now have a month-by-month "use up" list through the end of the year. This will help me not only avoid wasting food waste, it will be part of the "eat down what we have and don't buy more" process before the move to our new house in the winter.

So now I'm off to make some pasta sauce and granola using items in the "use it now" tote.

[kork13]

This morning I did a pantry clean-out, organization, and inventory. Due to a combination of factors (buying more shelf-stable food due to the pandemic, never implementing a good system for using the far-from-ideal pantry setup in our rental, laziness / not pushing this up the priority list, general stress of the last year-and-a-half, and as much as I hate to admit it just getting older) there were foods I had to toss (UGH) ... 1/3 of a kitchen-size garbage can full. Foods that must be used up right away are now in a little tote on the kitchen counter. And I now have a month-by-month "use up" list through the end of the year. This will help me not only avoid wasting food waste, it will be part of the "eat down what we have and don't buy more" process before the move to our new house in the winter.

So now I'm off to make some pasta sauce and granola using items in the "use it now" tote.

Ugh, I've done that way too often... What kills me is when I let produce go bad.... such a waste of great food...

FWIW, many (most) shelf-stable foods are just that -- very stable while sitting on the shelf, especially if unopened. While everything is required to have some sort of date to indicate freshness, words mean things. "Expires" dates are just that -- likely goes bad beyond that date. "Use by" is similar, but has some flex in it (give it a 'sniff test'). "Best by" dates only indicate that freshness/quality is not guaranteed after the given date, but the food item is still perfectly safe to eat (might just be slightly stale). Most shelf-stable foods will have this a 'best by' date, so while a box of 2 year old pasta might be past it's date, it's still fine to use. Those aren't hard and fast rules, but that's typically how many/most companies do their labeling.

That said, having a system in place to help you use older stuff is definitely a good way forward. Putting it in your "use now" box might even inspire some creative cooking ideas, combining a variety of those items to use up. To help us with that, we use some of those can-rotator-things that rolls the old cans to the front & keeps new stuff in the back. We do the same thing with other stuff in the pantry/fridge -- when we go shopping, new purchases mostly go to the back to encourage use of the older stuff up front.

[Petunia 100]

My fail: constant overspending.

On something in particular, or on everything? Might be worth examining the details and try to determine the cause.

[kork13]

Ok, this was an attempt at a win that has ended up biting me in the butt.

The toilet in our bathroom was dripping slightly from the bolts that secure the tank to the bowl. Looks like the O-rings have degraded, and turns out it wasn't installed properly (only had the O-ring inside, not outside the tank). So I think, easy fix! Go grab a new set of bolts & O-rings & such, out with the old, in with the new for all of $10.

Go to test it out, and woof.... Now it leaks from literally every other hole, seal, and hose in the (very simple!) toilet. Clearly this thing didn't want to be touched. So now I'm duly chagrined and we'll need to schedule a plumber to come out (after we get home from visiting family this next week for Thanksgiving). My $10 fix will likely become a $200+ fix.

I have alot of respect for folks that go into the trades, because I'm (clearly) not skilled in that manner. So my rule of thumb is simple: "If trying to fix it myself will result in fire, explosion, electrocution, flooding, or otherwise destroy the house.... Call an expert." I am now officially out of my depth, and I will throw money at the problem. Lol

[ua_guy]

Ok, this was an attempt at a win that has ended up biting me in the butt.

The toilet in our bathroom was dripping slightly from the bolts that secure the tank to the bowl. Looks like the O-rings have degraded, and turns out it wasn't installed properly (only had the O-ring inside, not outside the tank). So I think, easy fix! Go grab a new set of bolts & O-rings & such, out with the old, in with the new for all of $10.

Go to test it out, and woof.... Now it leaks from literally every other hole, seal, and hose in the (very simple!) toilet. Clearly this thing didn't want to be touched. So now I'm duly chagrined and we'll need to schedule a plumber to come out (after we get home from visiting family this next week for Thanksgiving). My $10 fix will likely become a $200+ fix.

I have alot of respect for folks that go into the trades, because I'm (clearly) not skilled in that manner. So my rule of thumb is simple: "If trying to fix it myself will result in fire, explosion, electrocution, flooding, or otherwise destroy the house.... Call an expert." I am now officially out of my depth, and I will throw money at the problem. Lol

Might be cheaper to just buy a whole new toilet and flexible line to the wall. Two bolts to the floor, new wax ring, and done.

[kork13]

Might be cheaper to just buy a whole new toilet and flexible line to the wall. Two bolts to the floor, new wax ring, and done.

I doubt it, that seems like an extreme step for old seals. But we've got a pretty reasonable plumber we've used before & trust, so we'll likely go with whatever he suggests. And my $200 figure is totally a pessimistic WAG -- the seals aren't expensive at all. I just know his time & effort is more costly than mine.

[james.hendrickson]

Here is another financial fail: getting divorced...twice. Dumb and expensive both times.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Might be cheaper to just buy a whole new toilet and flexible line to the wall. Two bolts to the floor, new wax ring, and done.

I agree with ua guy. I was a plumber for 10 years. A new toilet might cost $150 - $200 and any person who is a little adept can install it. I can do it in my sleep.

[QuarterMillionMan]

BTW hiring a plumber will cost $200 for the house call alone. I would go with a new toilet and DIY.