Frugality is a lifestyle. Although most people don’t embrace extreme frugality, some are so thoughtless with their finances that they throw away perfectly good stuff after just one use!
While scrolling through the Frugal sub on Reddit, I found a fun question asking the thriftiest Redditors to share the shocking items they’ve seen their friends and family toss out after just one use!
Maybe they didn’t like the item, but they could have at least put it up on Facebook marketplace and gotten some of their money back!
Brand New Natural Gas Furnace
One User was shocked to discover that a company threw away a brand-new natural gas furnace costing thousands of dollars. Apparently, after using it in an advertising campaign, they had no further use for the expensive equipment.
“Someone who worked there rescued it and took it home and sold it to me for $300. So at least it didn’t go to waste,” they added.
White T-Shirts
Although the Redditor didn’t see this in real life, they were appalled while watching an episode of MTV’s Cribs. “I saw an episode of ‘Cribs’ on Mtv for some rapper, and he would throw away white t shirts after wearing them once. They were nice shirts too.”
Even our non-frugal friends would side-eye someone throwing away a perfectly good shirt after just one use.
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Camping Gear
One Redditor was shocked when a fellow participant in a fundraiser ditched all her camping gear after just one night. They had a tent, sleeping bag, and pad from the high-end outdoor retailer REI.
“After the first night, she… left it all and walked away.” I guess she wasn’t into camping, but what a waste of great gear!
Pot Roast
Frugal folks find it shocking when others don’t eat leftovers. “My friend’s in-laws threw away the leftover pot roast, immediately after a meal,” commented one user. “It was about 2 pounds of very tasty roast.”
They added they were even more confused when the family bought shredded BBQ beef at the deli the next day. Talk about wasting food.
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Orchids
“Every time the flower starts to wilt, throw it out and get a new one,” said one user. “I calculated and since he always needed at least 2 at once, it was over $400 in orchids every year,” they added after doing the math of how much money was wasted.
The response shocked some Redditors. “Threw out the plants???” exclaimed one, “I’d go dumpster-diving after those.”
Pots & Pans
Imagine throwing away an entire set of brand-new pots and pans they were gifted with because they weren’t the exact size of the stone burner. Although they only heard the story second hand, one Redditor was appalled by the wastefulness.
“Some people do not deserve gifts,” lamented another.
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A Large Pop
One user was baffled by their friend’s tendency to purchase a large soft drink and throw it away after taking only a few sips. It wasn’t the drink, but the thought behind it left them scratching their head.
“ It was like she couldn’t stand giving the impression of thrift by ordering a smaller soda,” they said of her strange behavior.
Imagine wasting money on stuff you don’t need to avoid the appearance of looking cheap.
Change
Rich kids throw literal money away, apparently.
One user who didn’t even go to school in a “rich” neighborhood was perplexed by the actions of their peers. “It was a status symbol of my fellow high school peers…to throw their change in the trash cans or down the hallway after buying something from the lunch canteen, and only pocket the notes,” they shared.
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Bananas
“My neighbour threw a bunch of bananas in the trash. Like, a whole bunch with just like 1 or two bananas off. I mean… they were perfectly ripe. The whole bunch.” said one confused Redditor.
They shared that this happened only two weeks ago and added, “I’m just so confused. How are people putting good food in the trash in this day and age?”
Sheets
Rich folks don’t have to be frugal. One user was shocked to discover a coworker would throw bed sheets away instead of washing them.
“She casually told us that she only used a set of sheets once. As in every day she’d strip her bed, put brand new sheets on the bed from her cupboard STACKED with them (she showed us a photo), and throw out the old sheets.”
So Many Things
Many Redditors shared the vast array of items they find discarded during community spring cleaning events. They’ve seen people toss out snowblowers, chainsaws, furniture, legos, bikes, appliances, and more.
Frugal users were appalled at how wasteful some folks are, but others use it as an opportunity to score big. They collect the discarded items, and either use them for themselves or sell them for a profit.
Wasteful or Normal?
Were the Redditors right to be baffled at the items people toss out after just a few uses, or is their judgment clouded by their frugal minds? One man’s idea of frugality may be a giant waste of time to another!
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Melanie launched Partners in Fire in 2017 to document her quest for financial independence with a mix of finance, fun, and solving the world’s problems. She’s self educated in personal finance and passionate about fighting systematic problems that prevent others from achieving their own financial goals. She also loves travel, anthropology, gaming and her cats.