Our 20s were weird. Not in a bad way necessarily, just…weird. We bought a lot of things to fit in with the crowd. However, not all of our purchases aged all that well, and we spoke to some Millennials to get their thoughts. Here are twelve things every millennial regrets buying in their 20s. How many of these do you wish you’d skipped?
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Luxury travel
The trip seemed incredible. The infinity pool & drone footage were worth it…right? Unfortunately, most Millennials are still paying off that Bali yoga retreat or the “spontaneous” trip to Tulum well into their 30s. It felt normal because everyone was posting the same type of vacation. But looking back feels different. They could’ve bought a car for that price.
Self-help journals
Many Millennials told themselves they were gonna write in their journals every morning. But that didn’t happen. You probably filled in one gratitude page & skipped a few days. Then, you felt guilty every time you saw the journal on your nightstand. Most of those hardcover ones with the thick paper & gold corners are just décor now. Pretty, but unused décor.
Niche kitchen gadgets from infomercials
The fact is, nobody needs a hot dog toaster. Or a “taco shell shaper.” But when that late-night infomercial comes on, it seems like you have no other choice but to buy it. It’s going to change your entire cooking experience. And then, it doesn’t. These niche gadgets end up wedged behind the blender & you forget they exist until your next move. They’re not exactly cheap, either.
A GoPro for a lifestyle they didn’t actually live
You went to REI once & maybe did a hike. Suddenly, you decided that you needed to document your extreme life by buying a GoPro. You told yourself you’d film everything. Biking, kayaking, the whole lot, but that never happened. You just have two hours of shaky footage from 2014, and you have no idea what to do with it. It was an expensive mistake.
Dating app “boosts” and paid features
Someone said upgrading would give better matches or faster swipes. They may have even claimed you’d get more visibility. So they paid for it once, and then again. Then maybe one more time just to “see.” Yet this didn’t work & potential matches still ghosted them. Honestly, the free version was the same. It just came with less shame.
Overhyped clean beauty products
Most clean beauty products claim they’re non-toxic and that they’ll make your skin glow. This generation bought bottles with ingredients they couldn’t even pronounce, just because it was trendy. But whatever was in that $48 moisturizer makes their faces itchy. Or worse, it makes it weirdly oily & dry at the same time.
Cheap office furniture
The ad said “minimalist desk,” & the package said “assembly required.” But the reality was wobbly legs and particleboard that split near the screws. There’s also the chair that creaked every time you moved. However, it was in stock during the remote-working craze of 2020 & that was all that mattered to Millennials. They’ll swear they’d replace it. They never did.
New or luxury cars
Getting your first ‘real’ job feels so great. That’s why so many Millennials signed for a shiny new car with leather seats & touchscreens. But the monthly payments are high. The insurance is even higher. That good feeling lasted for about a month, and most would’ve been better off with a used Toyota. Seriously.
Premium Snapchat filters & Bitmoji merch
This was the golden age of digital identity. People would drop real money to give their Bitmoji ripped jeans & a burrito to hold. They’d also pay for a Snapchat geofilter for their birthday party. Yet these ended up being a flash-in-the-pan trend. Many Millennials wish they’d spent this cash on something else. Even if it wasn’t a lot.
IKEA stuff to decorate their apartment
Millennials walked into IKEA to buy a lamp. But they walked out with three carts & zero sense of upper body strength. It all looked nice until the first time they moved. That was when they realized the dresser fell apart and the bookcase doesn’t look all that secure. Every millennial has at least one IKEA regret. They may not admit it, though.
Overpriced music festival tickets
Spending $400 on a ticket for Coachella or Firefly was the norm for this generation. However, then it was another $250 on a tent & outfit, more for food & parking. They couldn’t see the stage half the time. And their feet hurt at the end. Sure, it was a nice experience…in theory. The reality was very different. Was it worth it?
Online courses
One look at the landing page made it seem like you’d be fluent in Python in four weeks. Perhaps you could start your own six-figure coaching business in three. However, most Millennials simply paid & then logged in twice. They still get emails about their ‘progress’ a month later. But it’s just a polite way of saying they wasted $197. Ouch.
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