MSNBC's top 9 ways Americans waste money

[Dattebayo]

Coffee is fairly cheap. $20-30 on a coffee pot. You can get a massive thing of Folger's for like 10 bucks that will last a couple weeks, at least. Do you really need it? No. But it helps lots of people wake up in the morning.

Then by definition coffee is a complete waste period. And the reason a can of Folgers lasts so long is because it's goddamn awful!

[PoorManQ45]

A $30 coffee pot and huge container of Folgers does not a good cup of coffee make.

This is where the coffee forums come in! Our house has settled on Yuban. It's pretty good stuff with a bit of kick to it.

[ADDirishboy]

I agree that it's a waste. I was just saying it's not as big of a waste as smoking was. Sorry if that didn't come through.

I only ever really drink water. Sometimes with a little bit of gatorade in it for the electrolytes. I drink alcohol only occasionally. Besides from being a complete waste, it's terrible for you. Just like cigs.

[Watermelonwarrior]

Brand name and store brand are almost never the same, and if someone thinks that buying sh*tty food, generic prescriptions and K-mart clothing is the same as brand name stuff, they need to die in a fire.
Eating lunch out is cheaper in many respects compared to making your own. It may not be healthy, but can you make a double cheeseburger at home for $1?

Prescription medicine has the highest mark up out of anything!

http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-biggest-price-markups.php

You might pay only a $1 for that cheeseburger but diabetes and medical complications will cost way more and is bound to happen if all you do is eat junk food. Seriously have respect for your body. Watch what you eat!

[Dattebayo]

I understand. You have no facts to backup your practices. It wouldn't make sense to try to argue to support them.

Is it just your job to turn regular subjects of discussion into a fu*king annoyance?

[Dattebayo]

You might pay only a $1 for that cheeseburger but diabetes and medical complications will cost way more and is bound to happen if all you do is eat junk food. Seriously have respect for your body. Watch what you eat!

Who said you have to eat it all the time? SO because I saved on one day's food, I am gonna get diabetes? And I wasted the money that I am saving on cheaper food? LOL Gimme a break.

[Encryptshun]

Someone who actually watches MSNBC should check out the advertisements they run. I wonder how many of them are for bottled water, energy drinks, premium coffee-house coffee, gas, brand name goods or lunch restaurants.

[Watermelonwarrior]

Who said you have to eat it all the time? SO because I saved on one day's food, I am gonna get diabetes? And I wasted the money that I am saving on cheaper food? LOL Gimme a break.

Did i say you eat it all the time? Dude you got some mad attitude problem..

Im just saying people think that they cant afford to make their own food. Yes its cheaper to eat out but you pay for it in one way or another..

[Dattebayo]

Also, I know some of you take what insurance companies tell you about generic prescriptions and believe it is fact that they are considered the same, but many of them work only in a similar manner and don't fully help as well as a brand name can. It's not like it's a secret or anything.

[nevertheless]

dang! the Energy drinks are takin my moneyz!

[ADDirishboy]

Also, I know some of you take what insurance companies tell you about generic prescriptions and believe it is fact that they are considered the same, but many of them work only in a similar manner and don't fully help as well as a brand name can. It's not like it's a secret or anything.

Go talk to a nurse or doctor about how much prescription drug companies rape people. I will definitely agree that not every generic brand does the same thing, but there are a lot that do for a fraction of the price.

[Dattebayo]

Did i say you eat it all the time? Dude you got some mad attitude problem..

Im just saying people think that they cant afford to make their own food. Yes its cheaper to eat out but you pay for it in one way or another..

You assumed it in your post, obviously. Why else would you bring up things like diabetes and other medical complications? The OP was about "eating out for lunch instead of brown bagging it".

[Bubba1]

A $30 coffee pot and huge container of Folgers does not a good cup of coffee make.

This is where the coffee forums come in! Our house has settled on Yuban. It's pretty good stuff with a bit of kick to it.

Dave, brewing coffee yourself costs about a dime per cup, The cost of the $30 coffee pot is amortized over several hundred cups.

As far as tobacco cigarettes. they are essentially an expensive, stinky, cancer causing nicotine delivery system. There are no health benefits to them at all.

As far as oil, each car manufacturers publishes its recommended oil change intervals. Many cars come from the factory with old fashioned dino oil, so I'm not sure what you're point is. Changing the oil more frequently than the manufacturer recommends will not do any harm, but it won't provide any measureable benefits either. That's the issue. It's your choice to spend the extra money where its not necessary..

On the topic of brand name vs store brand, the article was actually referring to groceries, not drugs. They cited a blind taste test for 21 foods where consumers could not tell the difference. But Generic drugs is a good topic too.

[Dattebayo]

Go talk to a nurse or doctor about how much prescription drug companies rape people. I will definitely agree that not every generic brand does the same thing, but there are a lot that do for a fraction of the price.

Okay, but compromise and "wasting money" are not the same thing. Maybe I'm just too technical, but the good stuff is not the same and buying it is an investment into something better, not a waste or whatever.

[AppleBonker]

Coffee is fairly cheap. $20-30 on a coffee pot. You can get a massive thing of Folger's for like 10 bucks that will last a couple weeks, at least. Do you really need it? No. But it helps lots of people wake up in the morning.

Then by definition coffee is a complete waste period. And the reason a can of Folgers lasts so long is because it's goddamn awful!

I think Dave's point was that it should be an all or nothing deal. If cigarettes (as a drug) are always a waste of money, then all drugs are always a waste of money.

A $30 coffee pot and huge container of Folgers does not a good cup of coffee make.

This is where the coffee forums come in! Our house has settled on Yuban. It's pretty good stuff with a bit of kick to it.

All store bought coffee is pretty much dookie. Just saying.

[AppleBonker]

Dave, brewing coffee yourself costs about a dime per cup, The cost of the $30 coffee pot is amortized over several hundred cups.

And my point is that the $2.25 large coffee at my local coffee place tastes way better than anything you can make with a $30 coffee pot and store-bought coffee. I mean, if all you are interested in is the caffeine, you can probably get pills cheaper. But if you're interested in taste at all, a $30 pot just doesn't cut it for some people. I'll gladly admit I've turned into a coffee snob, and that it is cheaper to brew coffee at home. But, I don't really wake up early enough in the morning to brew my own coffee and clean the equipment and make it to work on time.

[ADDirishboy]

Okay, but compromise and "wasting money" are not the same thing. Maybe I'm just too technical, but the good stuff is not the same and buying it is an investment into something better, not a waste or whatever.

Better investment how? Just because a big time prescription drug company says their product is better and does more, does not mean that it actually is better. There are certain drugs that you have to buy from big name companies, either because they are the only ones who make a drug for that specific ailment, or because their product is legitimately better than off brand drugs.

BUT, just like big oil companies, the only thing those large drug companies want is money. They control many aspects of the market to benefit themselves. So, not every "brand name" drug is better than it's cheaper generic brother. So yes, it as a waste to buy name brand drugs in a lot of cases, since there is probably a drug out there that does the exact same thing for a fifth of the price.

[ADDirishboy]

I think Dave's point was that it should be an all or nothing deal. If cigarettes (as a drug) are always a waste of money, then all drugs are always a waste of money.

I will agree that all drugs are a waste, save for antibiotics and other drugs for illness. Weed and everything else is a GIANT waste, just like alcohol, tobacco, etc.

[Watermelonwarrior]

Did i say you eat it all the time? Dude you got some mad attitude problem..

Im just saying people think that they cant afford to make their own food. Yes its cheaper to eat out but you pay for it in one way or another..

You assumed it in your post, obviously. Why else would you bring up things like diabetes and other medical complications? The OP was about "eating out for lunch instead of brown bagging it".

Well actually just today one of my brothers good friend who is a nurse came in and was telling us all these stories just from the last few weeks at working in the hospital and its pretty nasty. Most of the problems all have to do with them not taking care of themselves and having bad eating habits. Doctors think that in the next 30 years 1 in ever 3 people will have diabetes...

Plus I feel nasty eating out. The only thing I eat out is fancy meals with the rents(god bless them) or deli sandwiches.

[ADDirishboy]

Well actually just today one of my brothers good friend who is a nurse came in and was telling us all these stories just from the last few weeks at working in the hospital and its pretty nasty. Most of the problems all have to do with them not taking care of themselves and having bad eating habits. Doctors think that in the next 30 years 1 in ever 3 people will have diabetes...

His point was that it's not a big deal if you eat out every once in a while. It's fine in moderation, but if you eat a big mac everyday, you're gonna get fat.

[Bubba1]

Dave, brewing coffee yourself costs about a dime per cup, The cost of the $30 coffee pot is amortized over several hundred cups.

And my point is that the $2.25 large coffee at my local coffee place tastes way better than anything you can make with a $30 coffee pot and store-bought coffee. I mean, if all you are interested in is the caffeine, you can probably get pills cheaper. But if you're interested in taste at all, a $30 pot just doesn't cut it for some people. I'll gladly admit I've turned into a coffee snob, and that it is cheaper to brew coffee at home. But, I don't really wake up early enough in the morning to brew my own coffee and clean the equipment and make it to work on time.

I dunno, I've been drinking a wonderful Costa Rican blend lately, that beats the stuff bought by the cup. I load it up the night before, so the first person down turns on the coffee maker. Great smell.

The point of the article was that PREMIUM coffee (ie Starbucks) was wasteful, not a basic cup of coffee from places like WaWa or 7-11.

[Dattebayo]

Dave, brewing coffee yourself costs about a dime per cup, The cost of the $30 coffee pot is amortized over several hundred cups.

lol, that was someone else about the coffee pot. But I understand now that this is a wasted dime, just as a cigarette is a wasted 30 cents or so. I was just showing how the article was biased is all.

As far as tobacco cigarettes. they are essentially an expensive, stinky, cancer causing nicotine delivery system. There are no health benefits to them at all.

Coffee, in general, stains your teeth, makes your breath smell bad and is a caffeine delivery system. There are no health benefits from it.

As far as oil, each car manufacturers publishes its recommended oil change intervals. Many cars come from the factory with old fashioned dino oil, so I'm not sure what you're point is. Changing the oil more frequently than the manufacturer recommends will not do any harm, but it won't provide any measureable benefits either. That's the issue. It's your choice to spend the extra money where its not necessary..

You cannot say "it won't provide any measurable benefits" because nobody traces a single driver in his habits and how the car runs every day for years...
I have plenty of reason to believe what I do, and it's not based on some made-up idea. But apparently I'm just dumb and that's it.

On the topic of brand name vs store brand, the article was actually referring to groceries, not drugs. They cited a blind taste test for 21 foods where consumers could not tell the difference. But Generic drugs is a good topic too.

Oh, my bad. But when you cook for yourself, using name brand products has a huge taste difference. I also don't think that 21 nondescript "foods" is good enough to make that kind of claim.

[Encryptshun]

I prefer coffee at Dunkin' Donuts to anything Starbucks sells.

Also, this thread is making me hungry. I want a Big Mac.

Also x2, name brand products more frequently have coupons than store brands. As such, name brand item + coupon is less than equivalent store brand item. Cherry-picking is essential when shopping.

[AppleBonker]

I dunno, I've been drinking a wonderful Costa Rican blend lately, that beats the stuff bought by the cup. I load it up the night before, so the first person down turns on the coffee maker. Great smell.

The point of the article was that PREMIUM coffee (ie Starbucks) was wasteful, not a basic cup of coffee from places like WaWa or 7-11.

And I hear what your saying. But I don't particularly like any grocery store coffee. I don't care what the blend is. I strongly prefer fresh beans that are freshly ground immediately before brewing the coffee. And I don't necessarily think Starbucks is "premium". It's expensive, sure, but it's not really all that good. And once again, I'll will be open and say I'm a huge coffee snob. But, unfortunately, once you experience high quality, it's hard to go back to the lesser options.

[Encryptshun]

Not to belabor the point Adam, but in many cases the whole-bean coffee you get at a specialty supermarket (like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's) is fresher than what you get at a Starbucks, and uses the exact same packaging methods (only differing in the size of the bag).

*and before someone issues the intarweb throwdown, I work for the 3rd largest coffee roaster in the world

[AppleBonker]

Quite possible. But it's unlikely that it's fresher than a local shop that buys raw beans and roasts them in-store. And those are the places I try to find cups of coffee from if I am going to buy some that is brewed. It's also where I tend to buy my whole beans from.

[Dattebayo]

His point was that it's not a big deal if you eat out every once in a while. It's fine in moderation, but if you eat a big mac everyday, you're gonna get fat.

That's just common sense, right? I guess not, because I was warned off somehow... and told it's a waste! It reminds me of the people who think everything causes cancer... And by default, Otto.

[ADDirishboy]

That's just common sense, right?

Yes. As much as I hate eating fast food, sometime's it just ends up being super convenient. And like you said, I can't make a double cheeseburger for a buck.

Now does that mean I'm saying it's cheaper to eat at McDonald's every day? No. But once in a while is perfectly fine, and won't have any adverse effects on your health. Again, It's all good in proportion.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

I sort of agree with Dave here.

If you get down to it, almost everything you buy cam be considered a "waste," save necessities like basic food and water.

But you have to draw the line somewhere. We don't live in a third world country here. Where people draw that line though is what causes the argument.

[marlin29311]

This looks like a really s*** slickdeals thread...