
6. Luxury Computers
For many gamers, a high-end gaming personal computer (PC) is the ultimate status symbol. It can run the most cutting-edge games with smooth graphics and give competitive gamers an edge over the competition. One Redditor expressed embarrassment at an over-the-top PC splurge lamenting, “I bought an Alienware PC. $5500 of glorious gaming power that, in hindsight, was not that glorious. Pro tip: Build your own PC.” Others confirmed the mistake with /u/equippedchart49, saying, “Ouch… Yeah. You could build the same thing for less than half that. Might not be as pretty on the outside, but it’s the performance that counts!”
Of course, many lamented the silly, overly expensive computer purchases they themselves had made in the past. However, computer store workers also shared embarrassing tales of clueless parents overspending on children’s computers. User /u/anjinotter shared, “Dad: “Aiden here’s about to graduate second grade, so we are looking to build him a gaming computer.” Me: “Ok, what is your budget for the system?” Kid: Shrugs Dad: “We are thinking around 4.” Me: “$400 is a little tight, but we can see what kind of system we can do for that.” Dad: “No, no, $4,000.” Quite the second-grade graduation!