12 Things That Are No Longer Worth Your Money in 2026

High-level thesis

• Consumer spending is rising faster than wages; many habitual purchases that once made sense now generate negative financial returns.
• The video identifies 12 categories where convenience, status, or psychology produce recurring, high-cost spending that could be redirected into saving or investing.
• Main theme: run the numbers, compare actual monetary cost versus utility, and shift discretionary recurring costs into savings/investment to compound wealth.

Run the numbers: quantify annual cost, estimate the opportunity cost if invested (example uses an 8% long-run return), and reduce or eliminate recurring discretionary expenses that don’t justify their lost future wealth.

Assets, companies, sectors, and instruments mentioned

• Delivery / gig economy: DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub
• Autos / used car market: Toyota, Honda, Ford; data referenced from Edmunds
• Restaurants / food service: sit‑down restaurants, fast food (McDonald’s, Chipotle, Taco Bell)
• Streaming / media: Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Peacock, Paramount+
• Tech hardware: Apple (iPhone), new-generation phones, laptops, tablets, TVs
• Travel: airlines, hotels, Airbnb, Disney (theme parks)
• BNPL / fintech: Afterpay (and implied Affirm, Klarna)
• Consumer packaged goods / retail brands: Tide, branded OTC meds (Advil), store brands
• Coffee chains: Starbucks
• Subscription boxes (direct-to-consumer subscription business)
• Research/data providers and cited firms: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Federal Reserve Bank, Consumer Reports, The Knot, Emory University, Bankrate, Edmunds, Gordon Hask (subtitle spelling — likely Gordon Haskett), Deoid’s 2025 digital media trends (subtitle spelling — likely Deloitte)

Key numbers, rates, timelines, and examples

General

• Average American household consumer expenditures (2024): $78,233; wages rose 3.8% over the same period.
• Investment assumption used in examples: 8% annual return (common illustrative assumption) over 20–30 years.

Food delivery

• Delivery-app menu prices ≈ 25% higher than in‑store; apps charge restaurants 15–30% commission.
• App prices increased another 8–12% since 2023 (source cited in subtitles).
• Example: $12 restaurant meal → $22 via app (≈83% markup).
• Habit cost example: 2 deliveries/week with $15 premium → ≈ $1,560 extra/year; invested at 8% for 20 years → roughly $7–8k.

New cars

• Average new car price (2026): ≈ $48,000.
• Immediate depreciation ≈ 20% off the lot; 25–30% loss by the end of year 1.
• Average new car monthly payment (late 2025): $738 → ≈ $8,856/year (Edmunds).
• Median price millionaires pay for vehicles: $31,367; common makes: Toyota/Honda/Ford.
• Recommendation: buy 5‑year‑old reliable cars to avoid steep initial depreciation.

Sit‑down restaurants

• Prices up ≈ 35% since 2019 (BLS).
• Casual hamburger $16–$22; full meal quickly $40 per person; dinner for two $100–$140.
• Example: family spending $200/week on dining out → $10,400/year; home-cooked alternative estimated ≈ $600/month → >$3,000/year saved.

Streaming

• Example current prices (subtitles): Netflix ~$15.49, Disney+ $13.99, Hulu $17.99, HBO Max $15.99, Prime Video $8.99, Apple TV+ $9.99, Peacock $7.99, Paramount+ $11.99.
• Subscribing to all major services > $100/month (~$1,200/year).
• Average household subscribes to ~4.5 services → ≈ $60–$75/month.
• Suggested alternative: rotate a single service sequentially → $12–$18/month instead of ~$75.

Fast food

• Prices up ≈ 55% since 2019; menu prices rose ≈10% in 2023 (BLS).
• Example costs: Big Mac meal $12–$15; Chipotle entrée ~$15; Taco Bell $10–$12.
• Habitual fast‑food consumers spend ≈ $3,000–$5,000/year.

Tech upgrades

• New flagship iPhone ≈ $1,200.
• Marginal improvements vs 2–3 year old devices are small for average users.
• Buying newest phones every 2 years ≈ $600/year in depreciation cost.
• Recommendation: buy devices 1–2 generations behind or refurbished (example: iPhone 14 ≈ 50% of iPhone 16 price).

Weddings

• Average wedding cost ≈ $35,000 (The Knot, 2024).
• Emory University research cited: couples spending $50k+ are 46% more likely to divorce than those spending <$10k.
• Caution: avoid financing weddings with credit that impairs savings, retirement, or emergency funds.

Luxury travel

• Airfare up 30–40% since 2019; example roundtrip domestic $250 → $350–$400.
• Week-long vacation for two: $4,000–$6,000; family Disney trip $8,000–$10,000.
• Many take multi‑thousand‑dollar vacations while lacking a $1,000 emergency fund (Bankrate).
• Recommend budget travel alternatives (road trips, Airbnbs, picnics).

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)

• BNPL users spend 10–40% more vs paying upfront.
• Nearly 40% of BNPL users have missed at least one payment (Federal Reserve Bank survey).
• Late fees and interest can convert “no‑interest” offers into expensive debt.

Branded products (CPG and apparel)

• Tide $12–$15 vs store brand $6–$8 for similar performance.
• Switching to store brands can save 25–40% of CPG spend → ≈ $1,500–$2,500/year.
• Designer clothing markup example: plain hoodie $800–$1,200 vs $40–$60 for non‑branded alternatives.

Subscription boxes

• Market size cited: $32 billion.
• Typical box cost $25–$50/month; contents often worth less than the price and cancellation friction keeps churn low.

Premium coffee

• Starbucks pumpkin spice $7–$9; brewed coffee $3–$4.
• Home-brew cost ≈ $0.25–$0.50 per cup.
• Daily $6 coffee → $2,190/year; home coffee ≈ $182.50/year; difference ≈ $2,000/year.
• $2,000/year saved invested at 8% over 30 years ≈ $245,000 projected.

Explicit recommendations, cautions, and behavioral prescriptions

• Run the numbers on recurring habits: calculate annual cost and the long‑term compounding if that money were invested.
• Avoid making convenience or status purchases habitual; restrict them to occasional or special circumstances.
• Practical substitutions and action items:
  • Streaming: subscribe to one service at a time — watch, then cancel and rotate.
  • Cars: target ~5‑year‑old reliable vehicles; avoid financing new cars; pay cash when feasible.
  • Food: cook at home more; reduce fast‑food and restaurant frequency.
  • Tech: buy refurbished or previous‑generation models instead of the newest release.
  • BNPL: avoid for consumables; treat “no interest” plans as likely to increase total spend and risk late fees.
  • Grocery/CPG: switch name brands to store brands for routine items.
  • Subscriptions: cancel unnecessary boxes and recurring small fees; review credit card statements for low-value recurring charges.
  • Coffee: make coffee at home unless you consciously value the out‑of‑home experience more than the long‑term cost.
• Mental framing: ask whether a purchase improves long‑term financial goals or merely satisfies short‑term dopamine. Prioritize building emergency funds and retirement over financed discretionary spending.

Methodology / step-by-step framework (Cost vs Value)

1. Identify a recurring discretionary expense.
2. Quantify annual cost: cost × frequency.
3. Project the opportunity cost by estimating investment growth if the spending were saved (example uses 8% return over multi‑year horizons).
4. Decide whether the utility or experience justifies the lost future wealth; if not, cut or reduce frequency.

Specific behavior-change steps were provided for streaming, cars, tech, BNPL, groceries, and dining/travel (see recommendations above).

Performance and risk metrics referenced

• Depreciation: new cars typically lose 20–30% in year 1.
• Inflation examples: restaurant prices +35% since 2019; fast food +55% since 2019; airfare +30–40% since 2019.
• Spending multipliers: BNPL users spend 10–40% more; delivery-app price markup ≈25% (examples up to 83%); subscription boxes often contain less value than their price.
• Investment assumptions for opportunity-cost examples: 8% annual return over 20–30 years.

Disclosures and cautions found in the subtitles

• No explicit “not financial advice” disclaimer appears in the provided subtitles.
• The video reiterates that some purchases can be justified if they do not impair long‑term financial goals (for example, if you can afford a $35k wedding from savings without impacting retirement or emergency funds).

Bottom line (finance takeaway)

Many contemporary convenience and status purchases are recurring, high‑impact drains on net worth. Simple behavioral changes — reduce frequency, buy used, rotate subscriptions, switch brands, avoid BNPL — and calculating the investment opportunity cost (using an assumed long‑run return such as 8%) can free thousands per year and materially improve long‑term wealth accumulation.

Presenters / sources cited

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• Gordon Hask research advisers (subtitle spelling; likely Gordon Haskett Research Advisors)
• Edmunds
• Deoid’s 2025 digital media trends (subtitle spelling; likely Deloitte)
• The Knot (2024 Real Wedding Study)
• Emory University
• Federal Reserve Bank
• Consumer Reports
• Bankrate
• Travel industry surveys (unnamed)
• Company/platform examples: DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Peacock, Paramount+, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Taco Bell, Tide, Advil, Starbucks, Afterpay (and implied BNPL firms)