# Things you bought that you've never used **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 22, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124 "2021-09-22T16:03:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/21 "2021-09-22T21:08:18Z")
Of course, like others, a lot of books. There’s an unread stack of real books from the last 20 years, and a long list on my Kindle that I bought on a whim, but will probably never read. I also have about 2000 LPs and CDs, and of course there are a few I gave one listen and I just knew that it’s not the music for me, and gave up on it. They are still in my shelves of course, because I never throw away a record. Streaming has made that easier today, now I don’t have to spend € 15 to decide that I don’t like it. I also have some compilation series like “The History Of Country And Western Music”, 20 CDs, and a similar Blues collection, and I’ve never been able to work my way through, it’s just too much work. Though the music is really good. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/22 "2021-09-22T22:28:25Z")
A few years ago, before the final season of Game of Thrones, Target had DVD sets of each season on sale for something like $12 or $15 a pop. I had already gotten the S1 set for Xmas a few years before, and hadn’t even gotten all the way through that, so I should have known better. But I went ahead and snapped up S2 - S6 (they were out of S7). I tried to watch it again, but only made it a couple of episodes into S3. So yeah, most of my GoT DVDs have never been touched. ---
**Author:** ![tuesdayweld](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@tuesdayweld](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tuesdayweld)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/23 "2021-09-22T22:28:48Z")
Size 8 jeans. You can likely guess at the “why”. ---
**Author:** ![Ranch\_Dip](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranch_dip/32/5238_2.png) [@Ranch\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranch_Dip)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/24 "2021-09-22T22:51:59Z")
A complete DVD set of guitar lessons. But there is always time! ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/25 "2021-09-23T00:28:14Z")
Speaking of CDs, when I visited New Orleans a few years ago I bought a few CDs from performers on the street. As soon as I got home I ripped them to my iTunes library. I don’t think I’ve ever actually played them in a CD player. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/26 "2021-09-23T00:34:19Z")
I bought and had installed an outdoor-hard-piped-into-the-natural-gasline generator for my house last year. It comes on once a week for 15 minutes automatically just to keep the juices flowing and prevent it from slowly rusting into a clump. It is very rare that my power actually goes out, but I’m prepared, dammit. Anyway, I’ve really never used it. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/27 "2021-09-23T00:53:56Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Speaking of CDs, when I visited New Orleans a few years ago I bought a few CDs from performers on the street. As soon as I got home I ripped them to my iTunes library. I don’t think I’ve ever actually played them in a CD player. Oh yeah, I have some of those too I bought right from the band in some local pubs, because I liked the night so much, never to play them ever at home. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/28 "2021-09-23T01:17:34Z")
Well not quite never. Quite some time ago I bought a VCR for about $300. The VCR came with a few free movie rentals so I watched a half dozen or so movies. But basically I felt that renting movies was too expensive. What I planned to do was time shifting: recording movies that were being shown on cable at times I was sleeping or working and watch them later. But I basically never did this and finally threw the VCR in the garbage after 10 plus years of non-use. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/29 "2021-09-23T01:43:56Z")
My wife bought me the complete **Addams Family** on DVD. Still in its shrink wrap. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/30 "2021-09-23T01:48:04Z")
A phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range. Tripler Apparently, I bought the last one on the rack that AM. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/31 "2021-09-23T02:23:17Z")
> [@tuesdayweld](#): > > Size 8 jeans. > You can likely guess at the “why”. Because you didn’t want to waste money on a belt? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/32 "2021-09-23T02:46:54Z")
I told my veterinarian pretty much the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thegunismightierthanthepen/32/2981_2.png) [@TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheGunIsMightierThanThePen)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/33 "2021-09-23T03:21:43Z")
Several years back, I bought a DSLR camera from a friend, intending to use it to take high-res pictures during my travels. I then found out it was quite ungainly to lug that heavy device around my neck while I was walking around, and unlike my friend, I had little interest in fiddling with all the options to get the best quality out of the pictures. So aside from a few test pictures I took after I received the camera to verify it was in working order, I’ve never used it since, as the camera on my phone is sufficient for most purposes. In fact, I’m considering giving the camera back to the same friend as a present for his wedding. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/34 "2021-09-23T11:01:24Z")
Essential PH-One mobile phone. Before it arrived I got fed up with Android and bought an iPhone Xs Max (my current phone still), so I’ve never used it. Not long after, the company went under. It’s not just in its _own_ box, it’s in the Amazon shipping box touting the new Jack Ryan series that was about to start. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/35 "2021-09-23T12:01:52Z")
Oh, lord, board games. I’m not even going to list them all here. And now that both of our boys have moved out of the house, a lot of them aren’t going to get played ever. My wife bought me a mandolin sometime back, I still haven’t figured that out, since it doesn’t play like a guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/36 "2021-09-23T12:09:03Z")
Brushing dogs’ teeth really does work, and will save you the bill for teeth cleaning every couple years. But you have to actually do it. I’ve tossed any number of bottles and tubes of the stuff unopened. Just can’t remember to do it. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/37 "2021-09-23T12:25:23Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > > > (But if you didn’t have the chips you would get hungry, of course. That’s the way the mind works.) > > Ha! That’s why I keep a pack of cigarettes stashed away somewhere in the house. If I don’t own cigarettes, I’d want to smoke, or at least that was my reasoning when I was quitting, and it worked for me. Just having them but not smoking them was enough to calm my craving for it. But then again, in that sense, I am “using” them, as their only purpose is to just exist. > > (I quit many years ago and would be perfectly fine now with throwing them out, but at this point, it’s become a trophy) I quit 2 years ago, but the ashtray with 3 butts remains in my garage which was my smoking station. Yeah, trophy or reminder of how far I’ve come. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/38 "2021-09-23T13:12:33Z")
I have a bajillion backlogged digital PC games but so does everyone else I know. At least they don’t take up space. I also have a bunch of unpainted RPG minis (again, so does every other mini painter). Aside from that, I can’t think of too much. My wife has a Kitchen Aid stand mixer still in the box from two years ago. In fact, it’s not just in the retail packaging, I’m pretty sure the shipping box is still sealed. Unlike my digital games backlog, that thing manages to make its presence known. Recently, I uncovered a brand new water dispenser thing from a few years ago as well but that was bought for her office soon before it wasn’t her office any more. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/39 "2021-09-23T13:28:05Z")
Salad spinner. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124/40 "2021-09-23T20:37:26Z")
One of those [multitools](https://thoroughlyreviewed.com/tools/best-multitool/) that’s like a suped up Swiss army knife. If I’m home, I have real tools to fix things. It’s heavy so I’m not going to carry it around all the time. I left it in the car for a while but I forgot it was there so if there was ever a time when I could have used it, that time passed without the multitool getting its moment to shine. I finally threw it in my emergency go bag but if civilization collapses, I doubt having a mediocre set of overweight pliers and a screwdriver too bulky to turn in the available space will be key to my survival. If I have to carry my pack further than to my trunk, it will probably be the first thing I throw out to save weight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-bought-that-youve-never-used/951124.md?page=3)