Overpaying for Extended Warranties

I get stuck on the warranty pitch every time—shiny pamphlets, bored salesperson, maybe a stale granola bar in my bag. “Peace of mind!” they say, but I’m just wondering if my calculator’s broken and what “exclusions apply” even means.

Not Understanding Warranty Coverage

I signed up for something called “comprehensive protection,” but apparently “bumper-to-bumper” skips the audio system, brake pads, and, for some reason, windshield wipers. Found that out during a rainstorm when my left wiper flew off.
Nobody’s ever explained “wear and tear” to me. The covered parts list reads like a textbook appendix I never opened.

Here’s what I thought vs. what I got:

Oh, and the “cancellation provisions.” Everyone swears you can get a refund, but then it’s “prorated” and “admin fees,” and suddenly my brain’s just white noise while the printer jams again. Why do those printers always jam?

Meanwhile, my friend ditched her warranty and bought a yoga mat. She says it’s less stressful. I don’t do yoga, but now I’m scrolling mats on Amazon during hold music.

Forgetting About Car Buyers’ Changing Habits

Nobody’s checking their phone for deals and loan rates more than car buyers right now, but they’re also just… not test driving like they used to. My cousin literally bought her last car without driving it—just did a virtual tour and called it good. No one’s waiting for those “year-end blowout” sales anymore, which, I guess, means my uncle’s trick of showing up late on rainy Tuesdays is officially ancient history.

Shifting Preferences Between New and Used Cars

People flip-flop on new vs used cars so fast it’s almost suspicious—one day it’s “I’m buying new, I deserve it,” and then, bam, a $47 bump in the monthly payment and suddenly they’re talking themselves into a 2018 crossover with a weird smell and a sticky cupholder. Used SUVs are back in style, I guess? Not because anyone’s thrilled about the gas mileage (nobody is), but apparently as long as the payment slides in under whatever people are already shelling out for WiFi and those overpriced oat milk lattes, it’s fine. Or at least, they say it’s fine. Who knows.

Dealerships—oh man, they’re going hard on the balloon thing lately, like, every other used car has a balloon tied to it. I’m not sure if that’s supposed to make me feel festive or just more aware of how desperate they are to move these things. And people, for some reason, skip the inspection part? Maybe they watched a couple of TikToks about “what to look for” and decided they’re basically mechanics now. That’s a whole situation waiting to blow up, considering how some of these so-called “new” models tank in value faster than my avocados go brown. And don’t get me started on the folks obsessed with the absolute latest model—the way they act, you’d think last year’s version is going to burst into flames if you drive it past a dealership. Actually, if that happened to my blender, I’d probably be less annoyed about it.