What do you overpay for?

I cut cable TV and internet costs by pirating. It so simple and its free!

Let's see this is gonna be a big one
I also do my best to not waste stuff so this is not due to excessive use
Mortgage, Hydro, Water, Natural gas, Property taxes, Groceries, Gasoline
Insurance (both house and car no accidents no claims)
Medication (I deliver medication for a living and see prices on the orders)
Movie theater tickets ($25 for 2 tickets $50 including snacks not been to a theatre since independence day came out due to prices)
taxis, bus fare and bus passes, bank accounts (bank fees and service charges) college and university education.
Basically everything I used to enjoy doing has gone up by an average of 300 % (some higher some lower) and this is just the stuff I can think of off the top of my head. The cost of living used to be affordable and as a result I had money to spend on the economy but they raised the price of everything and since I had to sacrifice luxuries for necessities I have been forced to spend less on the economy and as people in gegeral spent less on the economy they raised prices of necessities even higher.
STOP RAISING PRICES start putting money back in the hands of people who spend it and rich people your rich because yuou selkl the stuff we want to buy give us the money you become heroes and then you get the money back in 6 months cause we spend it on your products again.

I agree with the final 3. Greeting cards and jeans are ridiculously over priced. I would say water just because I remember when water was FREE everywhere you went. For me, water just should not have to be paid for, period.
I agree that cell phone bills are stupid but it seems that I'm the only person I know who really DOES mind paying those bills. Maybe everyone else does have money to waste?? Cable bills are also outrageous for most people I know, but then again, they've been paying these costs for years now, so again, do people mind wasting the money?? I think not.

To John

While I agree with most of your list you also list univeristy and college fees? Our post secondary education is some of the least expensive in the developed world (check out the U.S and the 40K a year tuition at some institutes).

If you go to school for a practical education that will get you a reasonable job (engineering, business, nursing, law, educatiopn, medicine, pharmacy etc) then the tuition is worth it 10X over from future increased earnings. Yes, if you take a political science degree or a humanities it might not be quite as worth it but thats more a case of picking a profitless education instead of the tuition not being reasonable. If you want to learn basketweaving it probably won't pay as a career but please feel free to devote your life to it as long as you can afford the tuition.

Does it seem unreasonable that for around 20-40K of tuition if you pick one of the above careers you will easily make 2-3X the national average for the rest of your life? Did I mention that if you are a decent student at all scholarships will probably pick up 25%-50% of this cost? The individuals in my chosen proffession (which was a 4 year degree) earned an average of 264K last year.

Bottom line, you have to spend money to make money.

P.S. pick the right career and none of the above "cost injustices:" even rank on my scales as a concern.

Some of the costs we can easily avoid. For example, I don't understand why people pay for chequing accounts. I have not paid a dime to the banks for last fifteen years that I have been with President's Choice. With online banking who needs to go to the bank anyway!
Buy the greeting cards at dollar stores. I know they are not as fancy as at other stores but at least it doesn't cost five dollars.
Each morning I see people lined up at Tim Hortons to buy coffee and I smile. At my workplace some of my co- workers religiously go to StarBucks at least three times a day and I smile. Same people never bring lunch from home and end up eating unhealthy foods every day and I don't smile anymore because these same people have health problems and have huge medical bills.

Like another reader mentioned I don't go to a movie theater when I can watch the movies on a big screen TV in the comfort of my own home. We can also save money by purchasing equipements like digital and HD boxes, water heater etc. Be energy wise and do you laundry after nine, change the light bulbs in your house to more energy-efficient bulbs. All these little things collectively can save us a bundle!

Ahhh...Mr. Western Guy...wonder if you picked the WRONG career??
ONE BIG mistake (choosing the wrong career) is all it takes to off-set your life. However, at 18 or 19 you are still too young to be making these huge decisions that will impact you for possibly the rest of your life.
Then, that large paragraph you just wrote is a huge waste of time.
I know from my friends and my experience.
By the way, JUST because you went to a "higher" education does NOT mean you deserve alot more money. (Just my opinion.)

To Lisa

A little jealous are we? At 18 an individual is about as smart as they are going to get. If they haven't figured out their actions have consequences yet than they likely aren't going to do very well in life. Does this situation sound familiar to you and your friends? You can blame it on whatever you like but in the end the fault lies only with yourself for any failures.

Also considering which careers will be rewarding (both job wise and pay wise) is never a "waste of time." Maybe if you had "wasted" a little more time planning for your future you wouldn't be in the troubles it sounds like you are in.

Lastly your right a higher education shouldn't autmatically equal a higher pay. However being able to do a job that requires years of training and special skills should equal more pay than one that can be learned in an afternoon (just my opinion).

Western Guy: So, at 18 an individual is as smart as they are going to get??? (You'd better tell Mr. McGuinty's friend that...who lost his 20 something year old son to partying...and then, all of a sudden, it's illegal for anyone under 24 to drink anything alcoholic and drive.) My point being...if you study this stuff at all, (which I do) a person's brain is NOT fully developed until 24. (Right now...wish I didn't have an education. lol)
Yes, it IS a person's fault if they go to university/college and WASTE their money on an education that they don't use. However, my point is, DON'T promote going to university/college until a person is positive that they WILL use their education. However...you're not sure at 18 because you aren't 24 yet...so now we're back to square one.
Lastly...NO you shouldn't get extra pay for "special skills"...which boils down to University training. I completely disagree. If you are doing a career that requires "special training"...or NOT...you should be doing a career (in anything) that you have a passion for...NOT for the money.
There should be a more level playing field between the rich and the poor.
I believe "Western Guy" we don't think alike at all.

I recently graduated from school, with the typical tonne of debt. I am making less now than before I went to school. Let me reiterate.... I make less working for one of the 5 major Canadian banks, than I did serving tables. How very backwards this society can be. Every where I go young people without the support of their families are struggling to get ahead. Education is not always the definitive factor in getting ahead. All we can do is try, try, & try some more, all the while getting a slap in the face.

I overpay for bottled water, eating out at restaurants (18-20% gratuity), vitamins (shouldn't need this if I ate better and worked out), beer at bars instead of beer at home, residential taxes (home way too big for my needs), gas for my SeaDoo (bought the fastest one and it"s a gas guzzler), the cottage (always something to buy each weekend for upkeep), Travel Flights getting more expensive every year, Casinos, Season tickets to the Hockey Game, my Golf Membership is rising through the roof, Playstation 3 way better than 1 and 2, My SUV (Gas and Winter Tires)......
Alright, I think you get the picture. While I was attempting to add humour to this article, in reality, many of you do in fact enjoy all of these things that I mention. of course, some of you/us can afford this for whatever reason (good job/ smaller family/inheritance....) but when you think about it, it is pretty excessive greed between wants and needs yet we still overpay for these things. Just trying to provoke a discussion.

What about gas costs? We are without a doublt getting gouged big time!!

TK I agree gas prices are high but when you compare gas prices to a litre of pop HELLO you are paying double for a litre of pop then you are on a litre of gas. What would you rather have? When you think about it gas is not that expensive. I did not graduate high school yet I have a great paying job mon-fri 8-5 and I prioritize what is important to me. I don't have debt and have everythign I need vehicle, big screen tv, surround sound, and a son who gets whatever he wants. So sorry people education is not everything.

I'm a Canadian and found a concern in our lives years ago with overpaying for all of the above things mentioned. this was a major reason why we went through the paperwork of naturalizing to the US. many Canadians do not 'like' the US for a number of different reasons but the one thing that this country is good at is free enterprise. I've noticed that the majority things that Canadians overpay for are government run or subsidized in one way shape or form. We have free checkingg accounts here, a gallon of milk costs us under 2.00 and we pay $55.00 a month for unlimited long distance, text and email through cell phone provider. Hense we do not have a land line. These are just a few examples but im convinced this is what happens in a government run socialist society.

We are born to be ripped off by the big companies and the governments at all levels. You will always overpay something somewhere and this is how our system works.

Things are getting more expensive, but then there is always a market for them.
For example, you don't really NEED that $70/month cellphone plan... but it's nice so you pay for it to cruise Facebook during your breaks and as you walk to your car and talk to your buddies whenever.

You won't roll over and die if you refrain from buying that latest $2000 Mac computer.

etc...

Of course there is that argument that you're just supporting the economy. Economics believe that saving is hurtful to it, but..

Now to Lisa and John:

I'll agree that tuition, yet expensive, can be a worthwhile investment if you make good use of it.
Going to a big school can cost $10000+ a year adding living costs and tuition, but you turn around and make 100K/year if you do it right and gets better later on as you work your way up... effectively paying off those expenditures.

But most young adults/teenagers think carelessly and don't choose their future carefully.
Many people just tell themselves that they can be whatever they want and it'll work out with them. Our teachers back in High School all present the world like that to us, as if it were a simple dream like this: Live life -> Go to school and do something you like -> find a job -> you're set

The reality, yes, I'll agree with you that one big mistake that will ruin your life is not choosing the right path at this time. I know lots of people my age who are just studying "what they somewhat like", and "how they like" (as in they aren't making appropriate sacrifices to achieve the most worthwhile investment in their education, such as not going to a good school to get the program they need just because they want to be with their friends, too lazy to bus, etc.) even if it may not be a worthwhile investment in terms of getting them a worthwhile job later on. For example, I personally know someone with an older sibling who took 6 years to get his Bachelor's degree in something that there wasn't a market for and he makes roughly $16/hour now and he's no longer a 'young adult'. Now I'm thinking.. for 6 years of time and all that tuition and living costs now as a huge debt after a student loan... I'm sure I'll want to be better off. And of course there are plenty of people my age thinking they can get just 'any' diploma they like without much research on the market for it.. or whether they can really withstand doing that same thing for the rest of their life, waste a couple thousand dollars and expect to find a job that pays well.. nope doesn't always happen.

To some extent. You're not going to make good use of it either if you hate what you learn, but the point here is unless you're sure you are going to be much better off and you can make good use of those tuition dollars, don't spend them.

"You don't do it just for the money".. now that'll depend on the person.
If you're jobless or have little pocket money to spare and you're prepared to spend years ahead of you fishing out huge bucks for tutition or taking out a loan, then Ide be considering how much I'll be making later on because I don't want to head back to burger flipping.
Now I know people with parents with plenty of money driving a $60000+ Mercedes who just spill cash for their kids to learn something they like even if it's something along the lines of basket weaving and end up making not much more than someone who just came out of High school... then by all means go for it.

Of course not everyone needs 100k a year and a Mercedes... I know someone who lives near me who worked at Mcdonalds for 22 years as a shift manager making a pay only slightly higher than minimum wage but she is doing just fine and gets what she wants. I'm just stressing that yes, tuition is expensive so if you're going to pay for it better make good use of it. I see mistakes being made all the time around me and take the bus every so and then and talk to some people, such as that 50 yr old who would just love to own a car or pay off her credit cards.. the stories you hear are quite interesting.

To "Win," I see what you're saying, and I have to say, on the whole I agree with you. This was all well stated. Also, I like the comment you made about the "50 year old" at the end. I'm not that old yet. However, I really feel for those people who probably were "smart" in their teens and took the (wrong) advice of their high school counsellors, or teachers, or even their parents. These were all people that those "teens" respected 45 years ago. They are now in their 50's (some older, some younger) and having a very hard time in life, really of very little fault of their own. They trusted people who should have known better. (That has taught me that noone is really any "smarter" than the next person.) Anyway, great comment.

Personnally i think we over pay everything .Remember in every line of work we all think we will become rich by making poeple over pay ,its human nature.Its been there since the beginning of time.So if we don't change our ways of thinking we will always have this problem.

If it's not in your budget...you're overpaying! It's as simple, as that!