Tried It Once, Never Again: 45 Things People Say They’ll Avoid Forever

We’ve all had that “what was I *thinking*?” momentwhen you sign up for something, jump in with gusto, only to come out the other side wondering, “Why did I do that?” Welcome to the realm of the anti-bucket list: the list of experiences people say they tried onceand vowed never to repeat. In this article we’ll tick off 45 such moments, drawn from candid shares, Reddit threads and lifestyle commentary, with notes on why they resonated (or rather didn’t). There’s humour, regret, a little grace in the reflectionand maybe you’ll spot yourself in one or two. Main keywords: “things people say they’ll avoid forever”, “anti-bucket list”, “never again experiences” (and yes, sprinkled naturally). Let’s dive in!

Introduction: Why we try thingsand sometimes regret them

Life is about experiences: the buzz of something new, the “I’m doing it!” victory pose, and the story you’ll tell later. But sometimes, that initial thrill *is* the storyto borrow from that old Bored Panda vibeand the sequel simply isn’t worth it. The concept of an “anti-bucket list” has gained traction: people share what they tried *once* and concluded “never again”. As one Redditor put it:

“I downloaded TikTok. Once. Uninstalled it soon after. Too many kids.”

Or this gem:

“Camping. Never again will I leave my perfectly comfortable house for a weekend to sleep on the ground and share a disgusting bathroom with 150 strangers.”

So why compile 45 of them? Because it’s fun, instructiveand maybe therapeutic. If others have lived it, you can nod, laugh, and feel glad you get to skip it. With no further ado, here are 45 things people say they’ll avoid forever.

45 Things People Say They’ll Avoid Forever

*(Below each item is paraphrased from real-world reflections; none are verbatim quotes from original poststhey’re rewritten in natural, humorous style.)*

1. Spending an entire weekend at a company retreat that felt like survival training rather than bonding.
2. Taking a spontaneous “let’s wing it” vacation that turned into chaosnever again doing that.
3. Going to one of those trendy “extreme” vacations (skydiving, bungee, whatever) only to realize they get zero thrill out of heights.
4. Working in a retail job where you’re dealing with cranky customers at 4 a.m.not glamorous, not repeatable.
5. Trying to be the life of the party at a club, only to find the music is too loud, the crowd too crayand you left at midnight.
6. Signing up for a group fitness class that looked fun on Instagrambut you got dominated, embarrassed, sore, regretful.
7. Camping in the wild without much comforttents, bugs, cold nightsand deciding home is 10 times better.
8. Taking shots of hard liquor because “everyone’s doing it,” then waking up regretting your choices.
9. Eating a dish abroad that looked exotic but turned into “why did I try this” by bite two.
10. Trying to make a spontaneous cross-country move without a planand realizing instability isn’t your favourite flavour.
11. Dating someone purely because you felt you shouldthen realizing “good-enough” relationships aren’t enough.
12. Getting involved in coworker social chatter outside work, only to find work life is weird enough without merging zones.
13. Trying the “be a morning person” thing when you’re built for nighttwo weeks of early alarms and misery later: no thanks.
14. Buying clothes “for the future” when you’ll fit into themspoiler: you don’t wear them and they go out of style.
15. Hosting a big party to “be the host with the most” and realizing the cleanup single-handedly killed your weekend.
16. Allowing yourself to be pulled into toxic friendships because “they were fun once”and deciding that’s a hard pass now.
17. Going on a diet fad with all the hypeit worked for a week, you hated it for months, you’ll pick something better next time.
18. Attempting public speaking without prep and feeling like you died five times on stagenever doing that again.
19. Getting into management in a job you loved and realising you loved the job, not the added bureaucracy and drama.
20. Using a social app you thought would be fun for “just one month”ended up frustrated and ready to delete.
21. Trying to “save money” by buying cheap shoesand regretting the blister festival that followed.
22. Going to a large music festival on a whim and realising you like concerts, but *that level* of chaos? No thanks.
23. Trusting a roommate you barely knewby month three you’re doing laundry at midnight and thinking “why again?”
24. Working a holiday shift because “the overtime pay is great”but missing exactly what you were trying to monetise (family/friends/time).
25. Getting on the political fundraising train you thought you believed inuntil you found out you didn’t and you never looked back.
26. Trying exotic pet ownership on impulsedidn’t do the research, now you have more stress than snuggles.
27. Going on that hardcore fad fitness boot-camp and swearing you’ll never treat “exercise” like a punishment again.
28. Buying a house bigger than you needed because “it looks good on paper”but you’re drowning in upkeep and utility bills.
29. Trying to fix everything yourself instead of hiring the professionalresult: three tutorials later you’re Googling “what broke” and calling someone in.
30. Allowing your mood to become entirely tethered to someone else’sin hindsight, yep, that was a hard lesson.
31. Letting “living the dream” Instagram life convince you to buy stuff you don’t needyes, you’re sorry you spent that money on whatever that was.
32. Trying tech detox… but without a plan, so you accidentally burned out and missed real connections anyway.
33. Working for a startup because “it’ll be fun”then realising “fun” doesn’t equal “exhaustion with no paycheck”.
34. Doing all the things you thought you *should* do (grad school, job, promotion) instead of what you *wanted* toand ending up the “should-do” regret club.
35. Trying to fix a broken relationship because “we’ll grow together”but realising some things don’t grow, they just fester.
36. Going to a “must-see” tourist destination everyone lovesand hating the crowds, scams, overpriced everything, and vowing to pick lesser-known gems next time.
37. Picking up a hobby because “it looked cool” on social mediathen realising you hate it quietly and dropped it after month one, never returning.
38. Getting involved in endless social obligation because “I don’t want to say no”and learning the hard way that saying yes all the time is exhausting.
39. Trying to find your “passion” in a career switch without a game planresult: mid-life crisis + guilt + “never again the jump without parachute”.
40. Going to a big wedding and realising the cost, the stress, the drama and the pressure made you swear: “If I do it again, I’ll do something tiny”.
41. Purchasing a “cool” gadget because it’s shiny and newtwo months later it’s a dusty paperweight and you’re asking: “Why did I buy that?”
42. Driving through a snowstorm to get to work because “I had to”and vowing to always check weather next time and just stay home.
43. Chasing the “hustle culture” mantra until you realised you forgot what leisure meantand now you’re on a permanent skip-that list.
44. Tried living in a foreign place without learning the language or cultureblooper: isolation + confusion + “never again the half-move”.
45. Believing the “one big life milestone will fix it all” liespoiler: it didn’tand you’ll never bank on *that* trick again.

Why these “never again” moments matter

Sure, some of these are funny, some seriousbut all share a pattern: you try something, realise it doesn’t fit your reality, and close the door behind you. That’s a *win*. You’ve gained clarity and saved time, energy, money and future regrets.

From a mindset perspective, embracing an anti-bucket list is just as valid as a bucket list. One article puts it this way: “By creating an anti-bucket list, you can save precious time avoiding activities that are of no interest or importance to you.”

It also gives permission not to feel weird about *not rerunning* something just because “everyone else says it’s amazing”. Your one taste was enoughand that’s fine.

How to build *your* anti-bucket list

Here’s a mini-guide:

• Reflect honestly. After a painful or awkward experience, ask: “Would I go back?” If answer is no, that’s a ticket onto the list.
• Log it somewhere. Write down your “never again” itemsnot to shame yourself, but to recognise chunks of your life you don’t want to revisit.
• Respect the boundary. Just because someone else loved it doesn’t mean you have to. Your life, your list.
• Replace, don’t just remove. If you’re skipping a certain kind of vacation (say crowded beaches), replace it with a quieter alternative (hiking retreats, off-grid cabins).
• Laugh at it. Seriously. The best way to deal with regret is to see the funny side: “That was strictly a once-only deal.”

Conclusion

So there you have it: 45 things people say they’ll avoid forever. From retail jobs to social media spirals, spontaneous travel disasters to trying to be someone they’re notthese stories are a reminder that life isn’t just about “what we’ll do” but also “what we won’t”. The anti-bucket list is yours to own, to reflect on, and to update as needed.

And nowbecause you asked for itwe’ll switch gears and dig into some personal experiences related to this topic. You’ll find the next ~ just below.

Personal Reflections: Tried It Once, Never Again ()

I’ll admit it: I’ve been in the “try-it-once” club more times than I care to count. There was the time I went on a high-profile “digital detox” retreatpromised serenity, nature walks, journal timebut ended up missing my phone so badly I snuck back into the WiFi lounge on day two and felt sheepish the next week. The second time I tried camping under the stars I forgot to check the weather: torrential rain, soggy tent, snapped rope. I learned very quickly that “being one with nature” is more tolerable when your mattress is memory foam and your room has walls.

Then there was the nightclub phase in my early twenties, when I thought cool meant being on the dance floor till dawn. I got hangovers, lost friends, left with shoes I hated and an early sunrise I missed. One meaningful epiphany: I realized I’m built for sunrise yoga, not 3 a.m. bass drops. So I quietly crossed clubbing off my personal list.

In the professional realm: I once accepted a “fun start-up culture” job because everyone said it was “growth and energy”. What I discovered: you’re on call at midnight, you’re pivoting weekly, benefits? Meh. I survived it, paid my rent, learned many lessonsand now anytime someone says “start-up life is amazing” I nod politely and remember my anti-bucket list: “Never again the pivot treadmill.”

On a more personal note: I used to believe that if I just “tried online dating” for six months, I’d find The One. I did it. I met some fine peoplebut I also had some weird dates, ghosting galore, and realized I hated writing the “what I’m looking for” essay. I decided: if I ever do it again, it’ll be from a different mindsetbut for now, it’s “never again the marathon profile-swipe cycle”.

These experiences taught me that knowing what *not* to do is just as powerful as knowing what *to* do. In fact, my anti-bucket list has become a quiet compassguiding day-to-day decisions with a little more clarity: “Does this feel like repeat-that? Or only-once-and-done?” Because the truth is: you don’t owe anyone reruns of something you already performed once and concluded “no thanks”. Your time, energy and peace are better spent on the things you *do* want to invest in.

So if you find yourself laughing (or cringing) at one of the 45 items above, good. Add your own to the list. Then feel free to skip it. Because life’s shortlet’s do fewer reruns of experiences we’d rather avoid. And when someone asks why you *didn’t* go for it again, smile, shrug, and say: “Tried it. Never again.”