I came across an article on Yahoo! Finance the other day regarding expensive items. What makes this list a little different than most is that these are items that have drastic markups, but consumers still purchase them. If you are focused on saving money, these items are a great place to start!

Here is the list with my comments added:

Movie Theater Popcorn

The article estimates the markup to be about 1,275%! This is an expense that I always steer clear of – actually you will rarely (less than once per year) catch me at a movie theater in the first place! However, on those rare occasions that my wife drags me into one, we never purchase candy, soda, or popcorn!

Greeting Cards

Honestly, there are a lot of organizations out there that will give you a pack or two of greeting cards as part of their guilt trip plea for donations. That is what we use for the most part!

With the popularity of email, texts, and e-cards, we should see the demise of these expensive cards. Although, a physical card is a wonderful memento of a lovely sentiment or experience, so this demise may not come for a while.

But then again, if you have an intimate relationship with the recipient, just make the card yourself (I’ve been told that this is actually more special)!

College Textbooks

These will sell for upwards of $250 for some subjects and then sell for less than $20 only 3 months later! When I was a college student, I rarely ever purchased new textbooks.

Be sure to read 7 Ways to Save Money on College Textbooks to find out how to avoid these costs!

Bottled Water

This is something that costs pennies per gallon at home, but can go for more than $10 per gallon in a bottle!

We purchased a $30 filter (with a coupon, I’m sure) and attached it to our faucet!

Much of our bottled water comes from municipal water supplies (faucet water), and may or may not undergo additional testing and filtering before being shipped to stores!

I love the author’s comment on this one – “…’Evian’ is simply ‘naïve’ spelled backwards”.

Printer Ink

The costs of printers have dropped dramatically over the last 10 years; unfortunately, the cost of ink has not.

Ink and toner is where the manufacturers make most of their profit. You can usually find local vendors (even Drugstores in some places) who will refill your ink cartridges for you at a fraction of the cost of a replacement.

Also, be sure to read, “how to cut your printing costs” to learn another very easy tip!

Brand-Name Fashions

I have never understood the allure of so-called “designer” clothes (aren’t all clothes “designed”?), and I probably never will. Many of the times it will be the same fabric and cuts as the cheaper brands, but at an inflated price.

Here is an interesting quote from the article, “… brand-name clothes are often marked up by 500 to 1000%”. Please think twice before you jump on the next fashion bandwagon and pay on outrageous price for clothing and accessories! Sometimes these items are made of better material then their cheaper counterparts. In that case, it would be better to find a Tilly’s promo code, and save big on a quality item.

What other items with inflated prices can you think of?

Do you ever spend money on these items? If so, how do you justify the costs?

photo credit: yjh

