We’ve all been there. Something new and shiny catches your eye. That familiar sense of excitement trickles in. And you pull out your wallet and hand your plastic over. In honour of embracing (and learning from) our past mistakes, the Slice Squad is sharing some of the wildest and silliest things we’ve doled out serious coin on. Read on to see some of our biggest frivolous spending regrets.
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Mia S.
1 / 10
#OhBaby
'When my daughter was born, I couldn't resist buying beautiful (and shamefully expensive) clothing for her that literally moments after dressing her in would end up covered in stains. And a moment later she'd grow out of it! She's a toddler now, and I wouldn't dream of dressing her in anything she couldn't roll around in at the park, but man those newborn baby photos of her were cute.' - Mia S., digital strategist, HGTV Canada and Food Network Canada
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Tracey M.
2 / 10
#FrivolousForFashion
'My frivolous spending is so regular thanks to online shopping that I'm having a hard time picking out one stupid purchase. There are just so, so many. One bad habit I have is spending on clothing for vacations that I know I'll never wear again because they're just too crazy for Toronto.That snakeskin jumpsuit? Possibly donated to Goodwill.That latex metallic gold swimsuit with a V-neck that could rival JLo's green Versace dress at the 2000 Grammys? Buried in my closet somewhere. Did I get some fire Instagram photos? Absolutely.' - Tracey M., producer, Slice
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Unsplash
3 / 10
#EmotionalSpending
'I used severance money after losing my job to buy a plane ticket from Toronto to Ottawa to see my boyfriend for the weekend. At the time, I owned a car and could have easily driven, but instead, I paid $100 to park at the airport just take a 1-hour flight. I was sad, lonely and wanted to spend my way into feeling better. Emotional spending at it's finest.' - Jenny P., digital strategist, Slice and History
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Lydia H.
4 / 10
#SoleSearching
'I have a terrible habit of buying what I refer to as "dinner shoes". You know the kind. The ones you can barely handle limping from your Uber to your table in, looking like Bambi learning to walk. A few hundred dollars and they barely leave my closet as I reach for my sensible boots.' - Lydia H., producer, Food Network Canada
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Dragana K.
5 / 10
#AmbitionVsAptitude
'I love spending time outdoors, and doing adventure sports (skiing, rock climbing, etc.). The downside is that this often comes with high equipment costs (even for rentals). While I’ve surfed in other places, and fell in love with it, I over-ambitiously bought myself a surfboard in a local surf shop (you may be surprised to hear that Toronto has a surf scene). Unfortunately, the board was (and still is) just far too advanced for my skill level for the local Great Lakes surfing conditions, which are often at their best in the dead of winter (think: icicles on your face). The purchase was a Modern Blackbird 6’8. So far I've taken it out once (in the summer). Still, the surf won. Smarter purchase: more buoyant, hybrid paddle boards that can handle flat water as well as waves. These are definitely seeing a lot more traction from me.' -
Dragana K., assistant editor, Slice, History, and Shaw Connect
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Unsplash
6 / 10
#ExperienceOverThings
'It was about four years ago. I'd made plans to go to the UK with a friend and had booked everything. Then I got laid off. Instead of cancelling everything (because travel insurance), I went on the trip, adding three days in Paris. Could I have used the money better? Sure but I have no regrets.' - Renee SW, digital manager, Lifestyle Digital
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Unsplash
7 / 10
#BadBusiness
'I had done a little writing for a business show and thought I was starting to get a pretty good sense of the stock market. I saw that a then-popular stock was falling. I thought it just couldn't continue to drop... So I invested. Let history show that this was not a great idea.' - Frank P., producer, HGTV Canada
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Jen F.
8 / 10
#OfLifeAndLemons
'In 2005, I bought my first car. A burgundy '91 VW Jetta. With a crank sunroof. I loved that thing. But, it was a money pit. The engine blew less than two months after I got it, the brakes hardly worked and it would overheat and not turn on. I only had it for a year before I traded it in for a new car. RIP Jetta.' - Jen F., editor, HGTV Canada
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Chloe T.
9 / 10
#MoneyOnMediums
'As a Pisces, I'm just not so into the material thing. But my skeptical friends tend to call me out for my semi-regular visits to psychics (and psychic fairs) and my frequent spending on energy crystals. After being diagnosed with a spiritual infection (like an STI in your chakra you get from a lover), I paid some random $100 to cleanse me (the ritual included a purple candle that needed to be burned down and some crystals). Has it worked? Hard to say.' - Chloe T., editor, Slice
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Unsplash
10 / 10
#CDinvestment
'The dumbest thing I’ve spent my money on was $400 worth of CDs almost JUST before MP3 players took off.' - Alexa K., manager, social, lifestyle.
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