These Pandemic Purchases Lifehacker Readers Regret Most
Earlier this week, I asked Lifehacker readers to share pandemic purchases that made sense at the time but are now filling them with shopper’s remorse. These purchases ranged from the predictable (such as too many sheet masks ) to the slightly disruptive (such as a cat or dog).
I understand. We’ve all experimented with different coping mechanisms during the pandemic, leading to all sorts of misguided purchases that now haunt us: inline skates, paint, an above-ground heated pool…these purchases felt right when we were trapped in the depths of 2020. , but never found a place for itself in our post-quarantine life.
At the same time, many readers shared in the comments what purchases caused by the pandemic they did not regret. For many, the pandemic has brought a few positives in the form of a new hobby, skill, or exercise regimen. As for the rest of us, we bought things in 2020 that we can’t bear in 2022. Here’s an account of the things (or animals, sigh) that Lifehacker readers regret buying during the pandemic.
Investment in fitness
Perhaps the most common theme for quarantine life changes that haven’t caught on: switching to a new exercise regimen. Often, additional fitness equipment is worth it, even if its primary purpose is to jump-start a new habit. At the same time, fitness equipment has a unique ability to haunt us as soon as we decide (intentionally or not) to stop using it.
Two readers shared their opinion on the money spent on cycling:
“I bought a bike rack for my bike during the pandemic when it became clear that I would have cold months without gym access. I can’t say I regret it – I’ve used it pretty reliably, but I’m also terribly sick of cycling around my apartment. When we returned to work from home for about six weeks after the holidays this year during the Omicron surge, I practically couldn’t bring myself to use it. Can’t say I regret it as it was a small purchase and it really helped me out during the cold season of 2020-21. I just have very little motivation to use it again.” — Virgo Hit
Burley Bee Bike Trailer. Bought for family bike rides. Which we did in that first summer of the pandemic about a dozen times. But now no kids fit and we haven’t ridden as a family since that summer. $300 for trailer used one season. I know it’s good to resell them, but it’s a shame we didn’t buy them a few years early and use them for more than one summer.” — 238KEscape
Or take this comment from PrettyGirlMyers , who purchased and then repurposed a rowing machine: “Here’s a rowing machine I bought from Amazon, used literally twice for its intended purpose, then used as a slide by my nieces, and now sits in my family room taken apart to pieces, because we persuaded one of our friends to take her and we are waiting for him to take her.”
Similarly, an AtomicSnowman reader shares that they “burned a few more pairs of sneakers than usual.” Same thing, Atomic Snowman. Same.
Mass purchases are directly linked to the pandemic
Remember how we all wiped products with Lysol? Many commentators have chimed in to point out that panic and uncertainty have led to more bulk buying. As we learned more about the virus, some purchases (like hundreds of sheet masks ) or buying behaviors (like hoarding toilet paper) seemed… unnecessary in retrospect.
ReaderDave from Dallas says they have “400 masks sitting on a shelf in the corner of my driveway… there was no way to know that the mask situation would definitely turn out the way it did, but I’m sorry about that.” a piece. Glad I didn’t get a billion Peloton dollars!”
On the subject of sheet masks, sybann comments: “And here I thought I was responsible and didn’t buy things that would end up as trash (because they can be washed). And I still have 40 virgin masks.”
“We definitely have canned food that I bought in a panic in 2020, and now we need to eat it before the expiration date, although I would not normally buy it (for example, canned vegetables). I also bought way too many sheet masks (some of them were necessary, but I definitely went a little overboard with how many I bought).” –she has a way
That doesn’t mean you don’t have to wear a mask anymore, but sheet masks aren’t the same. Here’s how to get free N95 masks .
Not very first class property and amenities
Too many sheet masks is not such a big regret. Some Lifehacker readers have increased their purchases slightly during the pandemic. Like, say, a standard tank pool:
“Knowing that public pools will be closed all summer, we purchased a giant 10-foot tank, a high-capacity glass filter/pump, and built a technology platform around it. Only about 10 thousand dollars. After a year it started to rust quite badly… and sure enough, we’ve used it a dozen times over the past few years. Yes, it’s very nice to swim with beer and tunes on the weekend, but it attracts swarms of wasps and hornets, and my wife has allergies and got stung twice, had to go to the hospital once. Now we also have three young red-shouldered hawks that use the pool as a springboard for their flight training, and the deck is literally covered in hawk shit and pieces of the carcasses of those they catch and eat. So basically I spend 15 minutes a day collecting leaves and sticks as there is a cedar elm grove growing all around us. On Saturday I went for a swim, then took a nap in a hammock. So not completely useless, but not worth the cost.” — Chairman Kaga
“We bought a nice camper that needed a refurbishment. We planned to turn it into a separate office. As a result, we moved, and there is not enough space for a camper in the new place. In fact, it was just a temporary suck, a money hole, and we can’t even resell it.” — Dextorius
WFH gear
On the other hand, some of us feel it would be worth investing in better amenities. I know it took me a whole year before I accepted the reality of WFH and shelled out money for a normal chair.
Reader acemanex shared his regret for choosing “the cheapest stand-up desk frame with handle on Amazon”. They explain, “I thought I would save money and remodel my old desk with this frame. Well, the lowest height was too high for me and made it very uncomfortable for me. Within one year, the gears were ground so that one side slipped and could no longer be lifted. What’s the warranty year? Well, the company turned out to be the kind that flies at night, so all I have left is scrap metal and the chore of refurbishing my desk along with rewiring to my battle station. I know it’s a lesson in that I got what I paid for, but I feel like I didn’t even get that.”
Ruin on technology, music and hobbies
Several readers expressed regret over the length of their quarantine hobbies:
“I bought an Oculus in 2020, which I used a lot for three months and haven’t touched since.” — McGribes
“My electric sewing machine. Turns out I don’t like electric sewing!” – FishCopernicus V2
“I kept the guitar that looks at me sadly from around the corner, but someday I will learn to practice.” — Keith
“However, the piano was a huge mistake. Basically, it’s just another place for a cat to sleep. – Brimmy
Dog. Woof.
It’s cruel, but it has to be said: lockdown has inspired some people to get pets when they really shouldn’t have. Think it’s better than having a pandemic baby that you regret?
“A dog. My wife didn’t cope well with the upheaval in our lives. My youngest son still claims he can’t do anything because he didn’t finish kindergarten. When she said she wanted a dog, I opposed it. Now we have a mixture of husky and lab that sheds so much hair that I don’t even spend time downstairs or in the yard anymore All upholstered furniture is covered in dog hair We have insect problems from their food Only one child would be reluctant to take him for a walk I lost half of my house because she bought that damn dog.” – Canyoncliffs shifts the demand curve to the right
It wasn’t all buyer’s remorse
On the other hand, many Lifehacker readers say they have “not a single regret” about their pandemic-driven purchases.
“In terms of hobbies or activities during the pandemic, I don’t really regret buying an adjustable dumbbell set. I haven’t used them in the last couple of months, but I have actually used them regularly for the better part of the last 2.5 years. I also stocked up on comfortable at-home clothes (like basketball shorts) that I still use regularly, even if the reason I bought them was in the very spring of 2020 (wanted not to go to the laundry too often).” –she has a way
“Bought a Honda S2000 in August 2020 which went up in price by about 45%. I don’t regret anything. – Graze
“I bought an Ankarsrum mixer, which I don’t regret at all .” — Atomic Snowman
“Other pandemic purchases that I love, like the surround sound AV receiver and speakers I finally installed, and the leaf blower in my backpack.” — 238KEscape
“ I have zero regrets. A year before the pandemic, I began to return to playing the guitar after taking a break during my children’s very demanding infancy and adolescence. Working from home has given me much more time to immerse myself in my new life. In January 21, I added a guitar to my collection. I bought a 1 year old Mexican Telecaster that had hardly been used for $550, I think it cost $650 new at the time. A year and a half later and heavy inflation, new ones are now $850 and I guess used prices are high too. I play it all the time, so I don’t regret anything.” – pantercougar
And finally, a victory for the punching bag of all the stationary bike haters, coming from reader PrettyGirlMyers : “I bought my husband a Peloton for his birthday (during the pandemic, but I guess it’s not a real pandemic purchase) and he is obsessed with it .”