1. Burning Up Money
The closest you can come to truly just setting your money on fire is likely cigarettes, given the combustible sticks’ incredibly high cost. Redditor /u/c4ndybar elaborated on this, saying, “Cigarettes. I spent about $24k on cigs between the ages of 16 and 26. Most of the things people are listing are not a total waste (Partying, alcohol, cars, eating out). But cigarettes really are a COMPLETE waste of money and then some. Redditor /u/Magic-Pool confirmed, saying, “Cigarettes. I reckon I spent over 25 grand on tobacco products over a 19 year period. That’s a conservative estimate from a time when they were cheaper.”
More Redditors chimed in, sharing stories of the expense in their areas, with /u/Zhabba_Zeeba saying, “As a former smoker, cigarettes. They were expensive when I smoked, and when I asked my brother (who still smokes), he said he was paying almost $10 a pack! Holy smokes!”/U/janga7 pointed out that some regions face even steeper prices per pack, declaring in response to /u/Zhabba_Zeeba, “That’s nothing. In Australia, they go for $30+.” The discussion was full of price comparisons and lifetime totals that ran in the many thousands of dollars spent on cigarettes over a lifetime of smoking.
More Sources:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/8ymxg7/what_is_the_most_outrageous_waste_of_money_you/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/7bdgem/what_do_people_waste_money_on_that_amazes_you/