25 Things You Should Never Buy and What to Buy Instead

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With inflation hitting its highest level in decades, a dollar doesn’t stretch as far as it used to. Because of this, many American consumers are now careful how they spend their money. People can maximize their budget by cutting out unnecessary purchases or spending smarter on major buys.

Consumers must make their own choices about what to cut, though it’s not always easy to know what. But there are, however, a handful of common products that most people agree are often superfluous or way overpriced. Other products to avoid may be those that cause long-term damage to the environment.

To determine the things you should never buy, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed expert recommendations from sources like Consumer Reports and Eat This, Not That about products and services that are unnecessary, environmentally harmful, or generally not a good investment.

Many of the items you should probably never buy fit into several different categories — some are major purchases that will typically end up being a bad investment. Beware of any high-dollar items that quickly lose value or financial services that only serve to benefit the company offering them, rather than boosting your wealth.

Others are kitchen gadgets with limited use. These items are good for exactly one purpose that likely will not get much use in the kitchen or elsewhere, and whose purpose can easily be handled by something else you probably already have. These are the 35 pantry essentials you should never be without.

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