#111: 4 Things No Longer Worth My Money in 2026

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Hey all, it’s MMV.

I just started my new job and my salary is now $43,855 lower than it was last week.

I think any normal person would freak out, but I knew what I was getting myself into. It also helps that I’ve set my financial situation to be resilient, even when taking a $44K pay cut.

With my $138,024 salary, I was contributing 5% to my retirement account and maxing out my HSA. After taxes and federal retirement system deduction, I was spending nearly all the money from my paychecks so that my wife and I could live comfortably.

Now that my salary is $94,169 (I think?), I’m going to have to tap into my savings for a short period of time and it should become $117,711 in a few months thanks to a federal law enforcement benefit of earning 25% for expected overtime. I can explain that in a future post.

Regardless, this has me thinking more about how valuable my money is because I’m going to have a lot less of it. I’m sure many of you have thought about how valuable your money has become now that our dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to.

This post is to share 3 things that are no longer worth my money in 2026.

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🏆 Gold jumps above $5,500 as weak dollar is 'supercharging' rally
Holy smokes.. dollar weakness (or signs of it) is fueling this gold rally.

📦 Amazon axes 16,000 jobs as it pushes AI and efficiency
Amazon literally laid off 14,000 people (mainly in corporate jobs) in October.

🏦 Fed holds interest rates steady for first time since July
I wonder if the criminal investigation had anything to do with the decision to pause as a F-U to Trump (because that’s what he wants).

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I’m starting the list with a hot take.

I went to a highly ranked state school and got my MBA at a T20 program so I’m not saying this without experience in higher education. Overall, I just wouldn’t want to pay a large sum of money AND forgo income for those years I’m in school. The only exception is if it’s a requirement for a career like law or medicine.

If I could go back in time, would I pay $55,000 a year to go to MBA school?

Personally, no. Thankfully, I had the G.I. Bill from my military service so I didn’t pay out of pocket for my MBA program. You don’t NEED an MBA to be successful - a lot of my friends are doing way better than my classmates without getting an MBA degree.

My wife and I discussed whether we’ll send our kids to college. We both have very different careers and had very different college experiences.

Here’s what we agreed to:

If they want a college experience (if that’s still a thing), then sure, I’m okay spending some money for them to do that because it’s a great experience.

I just think the future utility of higher education will be very limited when my unborn children are old enough because even now, I question it.

Fast food is just too expensive.

It’s also really bad for you.

If a fast food costs $15 now, I much rather spend my money at Chili’s to get a better meal. By the way, I’m a HUGE Chili’s and Applebee’s fan.

It’s gotten so bad in the fast food space that fast food chains are now trying to attract eaters with “affordable” value menus (after getting rid of them) to attract budget-conscious customers with inflation and rising prices.

This is basically a race to the bottom and it’s well-deserved because during 2020-2024, fast food prices have gotten ridiculous.

If you know luxury brands, you must know how much luxury goods have gone up since 2020.

Chanel is NOTORIOUS for upping its prices. Since 2023, Chanel increased its price of retail items at least 4 times.

The Chanel bag looks nice, but it’s not $12,000 nice.. just get a nice Coach bag for $500 and invest the rest.

Another brand, Cartier, did a similar move and you can see how ridiculous the price hikes are.

I have a Cartier Santos watch which retailed for $7,750 in 2024 when I got it as a wedding gift from my in-laws. It retails for $8,650 now.

Luxury items were always a splurge. It’s always something you didn’t need but bought because it felt good. Now, the prices have climbed so high that the momentary happiness just isn’t worth it anymore.

If I got offered a Rolex from my AD (also, the Rolex waiting game is nonsense), I would immediately sell it in the gray market to profit. I would rather make a few grand than to actually own the watch.

The average price of new cars in the U.S. recently hit a record high of $50,326 for December 2025, according to Kelley Blue Book data.

I’m very happy with my $4,500 Honda because:

A new car brings a lot more stress into my life with a monthly payment and the constant urge to keep it clean.

I was close to buying another car, but I decided against it because I knew it was an unnecessary purchase.

A 2026 Toyota Camry would be a great choice for me, but it’s not $30,000 better than my current car.

My car gets me from A to B just like a new Camry.

The price of new vehicles and the interest rates don’t make buying a new car right now appealing to me.

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