@nardo218:

dude, totally. i live 45 minutes north of the city and the one time i actually made the effort to take the train into town, the f*cker never showed up. i always end up driving but park on the street. screw those jerks charging $20 to park in a lot next to a club where drunks can puke all over your car!

so i guess that is what i can't stand paying for - parking...and car insurance.

(Besides, with one side charging $2 and the other side charging $2, it adds up quick!)

It's always seemed a little odd to me that it costs me $1400 a year to insure my $15,000 pickup truck but $600 a year to insure my $200,000 townhouse.

@Groovymarlin: But isn't a 100 calorie pack of normal, non-diet cookies just 2 cookies or six normal, non-diet crackers? You must go through a ton of ziploc bags.

@Teapotfox: Sorry, didn't mean to come across as glib! I think I'd meant it to be an "in general" comment, and I understand the lack of transit. Been there, lived through that!

And I agree with you about the health insurance. If I didn't work for someone that provided it, I would be S.O.L. (especially since I saw that one of my seizure meds is well over $250 without insurance)

Already said:

Cable + Internet

Ticketmaster convenience fees

My newest: Water at a restaurant. At many restaurants in NYC they will charge you for water unless you specifically ask for tap water. Sometimes $8-10 per bottle.

Also, TV shows that I missed but already paid for. Even with the DVR there are still a few that I don't catch and aren't being rebroadcast but I already paid $100 for cable yet they want more money to see it again.

I'll pay $100 for a haircut and color (it's such a good accessory I can scrimp on clothing), but it hurts me to spend money on parking. Or spaghetti. Or expensive meals that I'll poop out the next day. I loved living in San Francisco because one could get a gourmet meal for the cost of a drink at a foo-foo restaurant. Why am I back in Minnesoa? *sigh*

Expensive "designer" coffee shop coffee, like Starbucks. I can make coffee at home for fractions of their prices.

If these costs weren't accounted for via the relatively small 'handling' charge, how would they be? By raising the price of the books or inflating the shipping amount, naturally... making us appear overpriced and/or dishonest. I don't get the objection to a (reasonable) handling fee.

That said, I definitely hate paying for auto insurance. I don't enjoy paying for health insurance, either, but at least I can, because I work for an employer who offers it. Back when I didn't, I hated paying the obscene out-of-pocket costs of for-profit medicine here in the US much, much more. Universal health care cannot arrive rapidly enough.

2) Porn: It's all over the internet. I don't understand how pay sites stay in business.

Of course the grocery order at work always includes them by the case, and I just laugh. I eat them...sometimes...but I laugh.

Anyway, what I hate paying for is haircuts. To get my hair done by the chick who I like and trust is like a $70 deal. Thing is, I know it's worth it - there are few things more noticeable about a person than their hair, and when mine looks good I know that I'm more confident in general and feel like that confidence definitely helps me professionally. So while I wish I could scrooge out on the haircuts, I know I can't. I compromised recently by growing my hair out longer. I used to wear it really short, which I loved, but it needed trimming every four weeks. Now I can go 2-3 months between trims without getting too hideous. I sacrificed the super-low-maintenance and super-cute short haircut, spend a little more time with the blow dryer now, but save money over the course of a year and still look good enough to feel good about leaving the house in the morning. ;-)

@protest

I did just use 1-800-Flowers and they screwed me royally. I guess I thought it would be easier to order online not thinking that maybe florists in town have their own websites! I am boycotting 1-800-Flowers from now on! Thanks for the tip!

@Jabes: and @theblackdog: I live in San Francisco. When I lived in St. Louis, the transit system was for the birds, and the monthly pass cost $60.
(If I lived outside of SF, I'd be dependent upon BART, which can run about $8 - $9 per day. So I'm quite grateful to live where I do - even if the cost of living is insane)

Since I have epilepsy, I kind of depend on transit, because I'd rather not risk killing people because I had a seizure while driving! (Damn conscience!)

I NEVER buy new books or CDs. I find a lot of music on hypem.com or at the library or through friends. I check books and audiobooks out from the library. I never go to the movies but add things to my netflix.

Prescription drugs. When other countries get the same for a fraction of the cost.
The cost is unjustifiable, especially when insurance will rarely cover it. You pay twice.

So I don't buy them anymore. I don't even make them. I give gifts without greeting cards and I tell people they got a slightly better gift in lieu of a dumb card. Then I write "From Jim" with a magic marker on the side of the wrapping paper.

Unfortunately, I do buy wrapping paper, but only the really cheap stuff. My friends & family are quite likely to receive birthday gifts with snowmen and Santas on red & green wrapping paper. Hey, you're just going to throw that away, too. Be happy I bothered to wrap it at all. ;-)

I'm thinking I might give that up, though, and just start "wrapping" gifts in the bag the store gave me at checkout. A bit of tape and we're done! WooHoo!

I hate it when I'm driving around, and I stop at the convenience store for a drink. Get to the counter (no cash, of course), and the minimum purchase amount is $5 for debit/credit. Now I have to find $3.50 worth of crap I don't need.

And to the guys bitching about birth control, I've been successfully subscribing to the PSP* method for 5 years.

*pull/spray/pray, not playstation portable, although I'd guess the latter is probably even more effective.

As far as birth control, condoms are free and available if you know where to go and don't live in some ultra conservative backwater.

I don't mind paying taxes (but I'd like to get something for it) or for delivery fees (get it your damn self if you don't want to pay) or tip (ex service industry worker).

Shipping is fine, but "Handling?!" What do they do, take better care of it because you paid $2.50?!

"Convenience fees!!!" If it's a convenience fee, where can I buy tickets where it's inconvenient?! I get SF Giants tickets all the time from Giants Dugouts, Stub Hub, etc. They all charge a convenience fee - EVEN THE STADIUM!

@Elvisisdead: You don't have to wash everything together.

@somuch: That's disgusting. I can see it once they get to be a year and have human-like poo, but before that! You have to scrape all of the poo out of the diaper before you can wash it. Then, you have a piece of cloth (or several) that is covered in fecal matter swishing around in the same washer that you use for everything else. Unless they make a washer with an autoclave featue, you're then just putting contaminated items back on your kid and then have a poo'd up washer. Not to mention the extra use of water and electricty to do a load of diapers 4-5 times per week.

I hate paying for kid-marketed foods. My daughter is eating solid foods, so she can eat what we eat. The only thing she really gets that we don't eat is juice and whole milk.

Also hate paying for land-line phone service if it's not necessary.

I hate it when my wife buys a name brand product at the grocery store when a generic product is placed right next to it for 50% less.

@scarletvirtue: Wow, where do you live that your monthly pass is only $45? I was nodding and agreeing with Ancient Society's post about the horrors of the Chicago Transit system. I'm looking for a new apartment within walking distance of downtown just so I won't be held hostage to their funding issues and service cuts. I'm aware that what I save in transit costs may be eaten up in higher rent, but I'm so sick of paying for televison that I'm getting rid of cable, so it should balance out!

@nardo218: It's the worst thing about being female! I ended trying LunaPads - not because I'm a hippie-dippy tree hugger, either! (Anything is better than spending over $100+ every year)

And I've got the same situation with prescription meds. I knew it was bad when my allergist recommended that I get my Zyrtec from a Canadian pharmacy.

ITA with the person who said that if men had babies, birth control pills would be free.

The whole ordeal of getting into Philadelphia from where I live is a financial nightmare. The gas to drive on a stop-and-go road. The parking garages. The charge to get into the club, the first you drink you have to buy to look approachable, the drinks you have to buy for the girl you're trying to woo.

SEPTA, Philly's public transportation, is atrocious. $7.50 in/out of the city and it doesn't go everywhere you need. Also, the trains stop at 11:40 so you can't use them for any nightlife excursion. And it never fails that when I'm leaving of the city, I always find myself waiting in scummy hot Market East for 45 minutes to an hour. And I paid for this?

@unholycinna:

instead order through a privately owned shop near the recipient, they usually have very reasonable shipping rates less than $8. i'll never go back to 1-800 flowers.

@glitterati:

That reminds me, I went to an event where there was a minimal charge per person and they added 15% "service charge" and 20% gratuity.

Nervy!

@Consumerist Moderator - ACAMBRAS: That's what eslaydog does. :)

Medications because I'm bipolar and on a host of them just to function, they're so overpriced, and I pay $115 a month for health insurance that doesn't cover my mental health or my medications. Actually, I despise paying for health insurance when it doesn't help me with anything I really use.

@Narockstar: No shit- I was in one today that wanted four-fifty for an iceberg wedge, which are still four for sixty cents at the Safeway next door.

Ditto on the "garlic bread" made with a stale hotdog bun. Cheap bastards.

feminine products- it's gotta be done, but i probably blow about $60-$70 a year on it and it annoys me (in multiple ways) every time..

To those complaining about having to pay for car insurance, I have an idea: stop driving and use mass transit!

I use transit and have no problem with spending that $45 a month for my pass. I don't have to worry about paying for gas, insurance, maintenance or car payments.

It's just a thought. :-D

Cards, especially birthday cards for children. Why pay $2-$4 for something that is going to pass in front of their eyes once, have the check/cash extracted, and then go in the garbage?

When I do buy cards I always buy blank ones because the 'greetings' in all the other ones are universally stupid. Do all Americans have the emotional sophistication of a 14-year-old? You would think so by looking at the typical rack of cards.

20% Tip Included

My husband and all the males in his family have never paid for a haircut. His dad grew up on a farm and they cut their own hair. So now we own clippers and I'm being taught how to do it for him to save us some money.

And then other guys I know spend $30 a month on haircuts. How can they stand it?

Actually, girly things are where I have problems spending money. If a pair of shoes is over $50 then I don't need them. I only buy clothes on sale because they're just too insanely expensive. And spend money on makeup? I'll just keep ordering from Eyes Lip Face for $1 a product.

@eslaydog:

The post asked what people hate to spend money on, and Steel_Pelican answered. No need to abuse another commenter just because you disagree with his/her point of view.

Auto Repairs. Car Maintenance. Insurance. Parking.

With car payments, gas, insurance, maintenance, parking, and licensing, cars can be the biggest money sink in life. When you add in unexpected repairs, it drives me nuts. Cars should last a minimum of 10 years and 250k miles without needed any major (>$100) repair. Maintenance should be included for 10 years and 250k miles.

I will almost never eat out. The markup is too high, it consumes way too much time, and my wife likes my cooking better.

Easy solution: Only order things you can cut in half (or thirds or quarters) and take the leftovers home for future meals.

I easily get 3 meals out of a restaurant steak.

Oh the $5 parking fee on weekdays at the DC Metro. That's more that my roundtrip fare to ride! Sure takes the fun out of going to a "free" museum.

i hate atm fees, insurance, and tip jars at places like dunkin donuts

Auto repair. Because they're always trying to empty your wallet.

CTA Transit Fares

$2 one-way isn't bad, but then you factor in the massive amounts of "slow zones", construction, wait time (esp. in the dead of winter or having to wait 30 mins.+ only to see 2-3 trains/buses on top of each other), lack of any coherent schedule (the CTA took down the schedules on the Red Line simply b/c they could NOT follow them), and then having to hear them bitch and moan EVERY YEAR about how they are "underfunded" and threatening "Doomsday" cuts....and yet, their executives get paid six-figure salaries and they can spend millions building new prettier stations while running their trains and buses into the ground.

Movies.

I live near several good size universities and they have free films all the time that are open to the public (I've started putting together a weekly list to share). Art films, foreign films, blockbusters, classics, even movies that haven't even been released yet. I also get DVDs from the library and take advantage of advance screenings passes. There are even codes to get free rentals from those $1 movie boxes.

I also volunteer at local film festivals to see the movies for free. I probably average 200 films a year (no, I don't have a life, thank you very much).

I hate hate hate paying for my past mistakes.

@Steel_Pelican: Why dont you just move your dumbass somewhere else if the taxes and paid internet access bother you so much?

Oh, and when I do eat in restaurants, I hate paying for drinks. I don't like soda anyway, and I can't stand to pay $3.00 for a little bottle of imported water, and the tap water usually tastes dirty/overchlorinated. Sometimes I don't drink anything at all with my food.

Oh, and like everyone else I think ticket surcharges are a tool of Satan. I've actually almost stopped going to music shows, in large part because of the stupid Ticketmaster fees (although turning 30 probably also had something to do with it).

Auto insurance. Can anyone name any other privately-supplied product that a government forces you to buy?

I also hate how much I pay for my cable modem service.

Also the old standard, gas.

@marsneedsrabbits: I also hate the delivery charge with a passion.

Cable/Internet- 100+? that's insane
ATM fees- It does not cost $2-3 to cover their costs.

I also hate spending money on taxes.

I'd love to be able to give away what I do for a living for "the good of mankind." Funny thing is, I also like to pay my own bills and eat. Go figure.

On the other hand, I rarely use the library to borrow DVDs because it's more of an impulse thing. Now that they have those $1 DVD rental machines at McDonalds and grocery stores it's not that expensive to rent a DVD. Definitely much cheaper than going to the theater, which I never do unless it's free (sometimes my mom gets free tickets from work).

It's a pet peeve of mine that my boyfriend always has to have soda with his meals, whether it's at home or a restaurant. The funny thing is that for me it's not so much about the extra expense but that I think it's unhealthy. I'm perfectly content to stick with plain old water (filtered, not bottled). Even when I go to a restaurant where iced tea is included with the meal, I'll stick with water. I know it's probably inconsequential, but I prefer to do without the extra calories.

It's really less to do than about cost, more to do with eliminating one big huge pain point in life-- dealing with mechanics. The less I see of them (and doctors, and lawyers), the less complicated things seem to be.

Dang, y'all need to find better places to get your hair cut. I just got mine cut on Sunday for $6. I'm a woman and it wasn't just a straight line trim across the bottom either. It's an actual style.

Bottled water definitely has to be up there. I already pay taxes which go into water sanitation, I might as well drink what I already bought.

Those convenience fees are utter b.s. especially with things like Fandango for movie tickets. Um, I'm the one using the ink and paper bub!

And $35 for a haircut for curly hair? I wish. It costs me $200+ for cut and color and I only ever get a trim. Ripoff city.

I absolutely hate having to pay $12.95 in delivery charges after spending $50 on flowers. What the heck is that about?

I thought of something else I hate paying for: single use batteries. Give me lithium ion or other rechargeables any day! Your camera might be cheaper in the short term, but I have saved so much money by not buying AA for my camera. I bought the camera four years ago for $450, and I've spent maybe $30 on some spare Li+. Totally worth it.

Bottled water is high on my list. I also hate purchasing things I already own, so my car trunk has so much stuff in it to avoid that snafu.

When I live by myself, I deny myself all sorts of creature comforts b/c I don't need it. No TV, no 'net at home, no take out, no paper towels, etc. But that all gets thrown out the window when I live with others who aren't quite as stringent as me :-(

2. cell phone/service

3. riaa music

Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge, Federal Regulatory Fee, etc. It should be included in the price of the plan. Don't tell me Plan A costs $40 if it really costs $45. What happened to truth in advertising?

I hate spending money on my car. I won't pay for a haircut. Bottled water and the like I don't buy, but that's more for convenience and environmental reasons than frugality.

Ugh, yes, convience fees for tickets! And whatever else sort of fee they add on every other time I go to a concert. It doesn't cost them a thing - everything's computerized!! Granted I don't know anything about the ticket business but I wonder why there's even any use for things like Ticketmaster. Why don't concert spots just hire a website programmer person and sell the tickets themselves?

Haircuts. I mean, seriously, $35 to lop off some hair?

I have very curly hair, so all they do is part it down the middle and chop it off all one length, so I wised up pretty quick and now I make my husband do it.

It boils my blood to spend $1000 dollars per year on garbage! Then there is the cost of the diaper pail, liners, wipes...ugh!

I switched to cloth diapers for my second and third kids. I figure I saved $2500 per kid.

@leftistcoast: HA! In my house that's called "the list of everything Al's bought this month"!

+ Gift wrap. I try to use things such as magazine pages, or other alternative means of wrapping. If I have to, I'll buy the most generic looking "gift wrap" at the dollar store and use that for everything.

+ SOME books. I am a heavy library user for most hardcover fiction and non-fiction, however, I want to own things like graphic novels and photography books. I do save money on these by never paying full prices, instead using those weekly Borders coupons, the discounts on amazon.com, or grubbing around on half.com.

+ Multi-issue comics, as in 6-part stories, etc. Although it's a bitch to wait sometimes, I usually do and buy the collected graphic novel that comes out after all the issues have been published. There's several advantages to this: no ads (Marvel, DC, Dark Horse do have ads in individual comic issues), and I can read the story all at once instead of waiting six weeks (or more) between issues. It's usually cheaper as well. Right now I really want to start buying the 10-issue series of "Omega the Unknown" that Jonathan Lentham is writing.... but I'll be a frugal geek and wait.

I don't mind soft drinks at restaurants because you expect to have to pay for them if you go out to eat, and 99% of the places I go to give free refills so you get your money's worth. If your opposed to soft drinks at restaurants order water with your meal.

Bottled water isn't an issue because I buy generic and it usually works out to 10 to 20 cents a bottle. You can buy a case of water for 3-4$ and it will last a couple months.

What I don't like paying for is soft drinks out of vending machines, they are so EXPENSIVE, which is where my stash of bottled water comes in. Its much better to pay 10 to 20 cents for something to drink than 1.25 and up, not to mention water is much better for you than soda, even if you drink diet like me. All my life I see poor college students and working people who are struggling constantly with money, sticking money into the vending machine, and its the same people, if you bought 1 soda for 1.25 a day and then cut that out the savings can really add up and then you would have more money. If you must drink soda, buy packages of it at stores and bring it with you, its still cheaper. Another trend during college was that you would constantly find money lying around the cafeteria and in the vending machines, so people would stick 2$ in the machine to get a soda, and then leave the .75 in the coin return, you wonder why these people never had any money!

Books are a close second. Why buy new books when they're free at the library. Plus, there is that romantic air of reading a well worn book that you can see so many others enjoyed before you.

Stamps. About once every 4 months I will need to mail something that I just can't do any other way (parking ticket, rent when I'm out of town, etc.). You can't just buy one, you have to buy like 20 of the things. Invariably I will lose the rest so when I need them again, I have to buy a new packet.

own* garden. Clearly, I need some more.

Pot. I hate to buy it from a drug dealer when I should just be able to cultivate it in my on garden, legally.
Did I say that out loud?

Taxes. Our screwed up American tax collection system notwithstanding, I'd rather they burn the money than spend it on some of the shit they spend it on. It pisses me off to no end.

additional fees on cable/telephone bill

TAXES !

MP3s.

Excuse me for a moment, there's a knock at the door...

I refuse to buy expensive gift wrap. Sorry, fund raising kiddos! I see no point in purchasing expensive paper that will end up in the trash. It's bad enough that I have to wrap it.

I hate, hate, hate paying for the miscellaneous office supplies you occasionally need around the house - paper clips, rubber bands, post its, etc.

I don't understand why people spend money on garbage bags. Plastic grocery store bags, which come free with any purchase, work just fine.