Time-shares

En español | The time-share industry, known for its seductive marketing practices, plays on people’s fantasies of owning property in popular vacation areas and being able to travel the world by simply swapping time-shares. In reality, many time-share owners find that ever-increasing maintenance fees turn their fantasies into financial nightmares. Swapping — let alone ever selling — their time-shares is next to impossible.

Andre Jenny/Alamy

First-Generation Technology

Consumer electronics and other technology tend to both improve in quality and drop in price after the bugs in the first-generation are worked out and market demand increases. If you camp out to be first in line to buy the latest gadget, you’ve probably learned this lesson the hard way.

‘As Seen on TV’ Products

From kitchen knives that claim to cut through steel bars, to electronic belts promising to remove body fat overnight, many products sold only on TV fall short of their sales pitches. Miracle products offered at an unbelievably low price or even for free usually come with high shipping and handling costs. And if a product fails to perform as promised, getting your money back requires, many times, a true miracle.

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Extended Warranties

So-called added protection plans commonly offered on consumer electronics and appliances are almost always a great deal — for the party selling them. Remember, most products come with a manufacturer’s warranty to protect against defects and provide some level of consumer protection without having to pay extra.

Trendy Fashions

Get-Rich-Quick Schemes

Whether it’s an expensive audio course you saw advertised on late night TV for getting rich by buying real estate, or just plunking down a couple of bucks a week for lottery tickets, the odds are severely stacked against you when it comes to making your fortune in a way that seems too easy to be true. Watch out for collectible items, too; they rarely increase — or even retain — their value over time.

Gym Memberships/Exercise Equipment

If you buy them and actually use them, great. An estimated 60 percent or more of gym memberships go unused after an initial visit or two. A sign posted recently at a local thrift store where I shop — a veritable graveyard of donated exercise equipment — reads We Are No Longer Accepting Donations of Used Exercise Equipment (Even If Never Used).

Pet Toys and Novelties

My wife will never learn that our cats will sleep anywhere and everywhere other than the elaborate kitty condos. And if kids are notorious for losing interest in new toys the same day you buy them, pets are even worse. Fido didn’t pick that new chew toy you bought; that’s why he chews on your slippers.