I am so guilty of this like many of you.  Yesterday, I totally wasted a whole dollar on a small package of Peanut M&M's from the candy machine.  I thought that was a very high price to pay, but I was hungry.  Then I got curious as to what I was paying for.  Don't ask me why.  The A.D.D. was in high gear, so I counted the M&M's in the bag.  Anyway, there were 21 in there.  That's 4.8 cents each!  That's not inflation.  That's highway robbery.  Or, just plain stupidity. 

Then, this morning, I received this helpful info from one of my radio buddies in Houston about some MORE money wasters. 

DON'T WASTE ANYMORE MONEY ON...

Plastic surgery: Everyone knows you're old. Paying good money to look weird and old isn't helping anything. Plastic surgery is butchery. It doesn't make you look better, it makes you look like someone cut your face open, pulled the slaps, and stitched it all back together. Your skin might look smoother, but leather suitcases are also smooth. Not to mention that plastic surgery is expensive like real surgery, only there are not any healthy benefits.

Movie candy: It's not bad enough that movie candy comes in packages so large that it would take a normal sized human being 4 movie screenings to finish it, but it is wildly overpriced. Also, you're an adult. Do you really need candy to watch a movie?  And don't use the candy machine either.  (Thanks, Marc.  it's too late.)

Expensive male haircuts: Perhaps the greatest swindle ever perpetuated upon the fairer sex has been that a woman's haircut should cost at least 5 times what men pay. For women, that battle is lost. But men, there's still hope. It's called a barber shop, and it's just fine. Let's not mess up a good thing, OK?  And for the boys?  A good buzz cut will work just fine in the summer months. 

See?  My son Sean is just fine with it.

The gym: Here's a money saving tip: if you're chubby, go jog. It's free.

And look at this candid photo my daughter Janelle took at the gym. Do I look happy?

Casinos: You ever heard the expression "the house always wins?" Well it does. Oh, one more thing: YOU ARE NOT THE HOUSE.

First class plane tickets: If your boss buys your ticket, I guess it's worth it. If not, you're paying 600 bucks for a hot towel and a curtain. The first class section is just the "hey look at me, I spent more money than you on the same flight" section. Save money, sit with the rabble and eat the pretzels.

High-end cocktails: Fancy cocktails, bottle service, and top shelf liquor in the finest bars, have less to do with quality than vanity. That's why we're a lot cooler than you, cause we're out here on the wine and beer program.

Hotel minibar: If you buy a full price bottle at a liquor store and think, "this would be better if it was smaller and more expensive" the mini bar is just right for you.

SUVs: You don't need a car that big. You. Just. Don't. Why? Because if you really needed a car that big, you'd have a pickup truck. Once upon a time, it might have been the "cool" thing to drive around in a neutered tank, but is showing off how much credit you have really "cool" anymore?

$200 athletic shoes: Air Jordans used to be cool, but let's face facts. In 2011, Michael Jordan is a 48-year-old underwear salesman. Stop paying 200 bucks for sneakers. They won't help you fly, no matter how much you clap.

Designer clothes for babies: The reason you don't buy a baby a 75 dollar shirt is the same reason you don't but one for a college kid. They don't care either way, and will likely throw up on it. But, if you really just gotta have those, check into a clothes reseller.  Kids grow quick, and outgrow the nice stuff, so take a look and see.

Amtrak: Planes are expensive, but fast. Buses are cheap, but slow. Trains are expensive and slow. Got it? 

Expensive jeans: Blue jeans became classic because they were the dependable, affordable pants of the working man. Here's a tip, if you paid enough for your jeans that you are reluctant to wipe pizza grease on them, then they aren't jeans. That's what jeans are for.

MACMAN FOOTNOTE:  As for the peanut M&M's purchase yesterday, they were gone in less than 3 minutes.  Money waster transformed into woney waister.