We Americans are a funny lot. In another era, we valued thrift and fiscal conservatism. But no longer. These days we're all living La Vida Loca in the consumer economy.

Yep. We love to spend. And although there are some ominous signs on the horizon that the party may be coming to a close, the party ain't over yet. In the spirit of fun, AOL has a new feature celebrating the vices that represent the best ways to part with your hard-earned dollars. I couldn't help but agree with many of them. I opine on some additional money-wasters below:

Bottled Water
It's water. And last year we spent more on it than on iPods and movie tickets. This Fast Company piece says it all. Thirty years ago, the article says, bottled water was a blip on the business screen in this country. But tastes change, apparently. Last year, Americans spent some $15 billion on bottled water, from Poland Spring to upscale Fiji Water. The Coca-Cola Co.'s (NYSE: KO) Dasani and PepsiCo's (NYSE: PEP) Aquafina, the top-two bottled waters in the country, are admittedly just purified - and nicely-packaged tap water!

Cable - You're paying how much for cable each month? And you're getting....2,000 channels of crap, plus maybe some decent sports now and then. The cable companies promise something for everyone, but you still have to wade through somebody else's definition of entertainment to find your own. There's no bigger waste of time or money. You might be amazed at how much entertainment you can rent cheaply on DVDs, or even download from the internets. Try going to your favorite sports bar for the ESPN offerings you feel you can't miss, and enjoy them with like-minded buddies. Even more un-American? Try getting rid of your cable and availing yourself of all that sudden free time.

New Cars
Yeah, yeah we all love that new car smell, but that's about all you're getting when you plunk down your cash for a brand new vehicle. According to Edmunds.com, the average new care loses 12.2% of its value in the first year. Some cars depreciate even faster. A one or two-year-old vehicle can cost thousands less and still offer low mileage and reliability. It'll look good, too. And nobody ever needs to know you didn't buy it new off the lot. Now breath deep: Smell that? It's the scent of a good deal.

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Seven great ways to waste your money originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.