It’s easy to get swept up in the shopping hype. Many products claim they’re convenient & they might even tell you they’ll save money. But once you’ve spent the money, the reality kicks in that you’ve bought something that’s not worth it. Here are ten smart buys that only cause dumb problems. Which one’s burned you the most?
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Tankless water heaters in retrofits
Lots of homeowners think tankless will give them endless hot showers & energy savings. But what they don’t tell you is that the gas line isn’t big enough in older houses, so you’re paying a plumber a small fortune to upgrade. It’s even worse in winter. The water comes in colder & your unit struggles to keep up. Maintenance? Good luck.
Robot lawn mowers for small yards
Companies pitch robot lawn mowers as a Roomba for your grass, and who doesn’t want that? But there’s a catch. Before it even works, you’ll need to lay boundary wires all over your yard, and if you ever aerate or dig things up, you’ll slice those wires. Even slopes throw it off. You’ll still end up raking leaves before it can even do its job, so it’s just not worth it.
All-in-one travel plug adapter
All-in-one travel plug adapters look smart in the shop. They’re bricks that work everywhere. But the “everywhere” part is questionable because many don’t even have a proper grounding, so larger devices won’t work. The USB ports also only share a tiny power supply. That slows down charging if you plug in more than one thing.
Wi-Fi smart locks with bridges
A lock that opens with your phone sounds great. That is, until the batteries start draining every couple of weeks, and then you have to deal with the Wi-Fi bridge. It goes down every time your router hiccups. You’ll have no remote access until it reconnects. Is it really worth it?
Meal-kit subscriptions with intro pricing
When the first box arrives from a meal-kit subscription, most people are happy to get a meal for $2. Then the promos end. Soon enough, you’re spending more than on takeout, and you also have an avalanche of gel packs & cardboard to throw away. Good luck canceling before the automatic charges next week.
Electric wine openers
Electric wine openers look slick on a bar cart. But it doesn’t take long for most people to realize that they’re a pain, as they usually require batteries or charging just to do one job. Their motors also drag & the corks break. It seems like a lot of effort for something that a five-dollar manual corkscrew could do instead.
Vacuum storage bags for clothes & bedding
In theory, you shove bulky bedding into vacuum storage bags & suck out the air to save yourself some closet space. The reality is different. Anything inside the bags usually gets wrinkled, and the bag usually reinflates halfway. You also have to make sure you dry things perfectly. Why? Because you’ll get mildew smells sealed inside. And let’s not get started on leaky valves.
Drawer organizers with adjustable dividers
That’s not all for organization. You might think getting drawer organizers is a good idea, yet these rarely stay neat, as the plastic tracks bend & dividers pop loose. The bigger utensils never fit where you want them. After a few months, most drawers go back to the same cluttered mess they were before. But now they have extra plastic pieces rattling around.
Weighted blankets for better sleep
People get weighted blankets in the hopes of better rest. Yet the truth is that they’re heavy & hot, not to mention awkward. Washing one is its own project. You’ll either have to pay at a laundromat or risk burning out your home machine, while the comfort of having a blanket doesn’t last long. The beads will shift around and leave lumps.
Bamboo cutting boards
The eco-friendly pitch of bamboo cutting boards sure sounds good. Unfortunately, bamboo boards cause more issues than they help, as the glued strips start splitting when they stay wet. They also ruin knives quickly & you’ll have to sharpen them constantly. Once the surface grooves, the food sticks in there, and unlike solid wood, you can’t sand or restore it properly.
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