Back in the early to mid-90s
I had a penchant for part-works magazines. Back in the days when you actually got a magazine, rather than a bit of free tat with a glorified pamphlet.

The greatest waste of cash was about 60 issues of one called Pro-File, a DIY skills one that was of no use to me whatsoever. These went for about £1.50 a magazine and I could've got the same content in some big book from a publisher's outlet store for about a tenner. I had 5 full folders of them in the understairs cupboard for almost 20 years before I gave them away.

There was also the Treasures of the Earth which included a free pebble of something or other - gypsum, quartz, magnetite etc. I think I spent more time walking home from the shop than I have actually reading the damn things. This magazine has just been recently re-released at many quids per issue.

I must've spent nigh on a grand on all the various magazines, the majority of which I never finished.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 12:34, 11 replies)

I've got ....
The Great Artists published by Cavendish. I don't refer to it too often but I don't think it was a waste of money.
( Ramsay Tupper, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 13:04, closed)

I tell a lie
I do have "The Art of Painting and Drawing" which I used to look at quite a lot. But space constraints means I can't keep it on the shelf and is now under the stairs.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 13:15, closed)

120 issues of Warplane
and around 80 issues of Classical Collection. My CDs are still in my cabinet in the living room. I've listened to 1 of them - and that was only 1 movement. Meh.
(Reverend Fister "a disciplined fuckwit", Tue 5 Oct 2010, 13:58, closed)

Ditto
Opera with Cd's, Alternative therapies and Arts and crafts
None of which are complete as the newsagent sometimes forgot to order them in and wouldnt get back copies. Probably near £400 on the damn things
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 14:39, closed)

As a child I bought Bugs magazine
Must have cost me a fortune to build a crappy plastic glow in the dark spider.
( Peej, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 14:44, closed)

Head back to the eighties
I started collecting a part work about various military outfits like the SAS and the US Marines and all of their campaigns and tactics...don't know why but it seemed like a cool thing for a young lad to collect at the time.

Got as far as the Commandos I think before it went out of print.....
( number5 has been fighting tramps and losing., Tue 5 Oct 2010, 16:19, closed)

I have a complete set of Robert Carrier's Kitchen (several billion issues)
that my mum collected for a long time.

This is far from useless though as it contains around 2000 recipes and basically tells you how to do anything in the kitchen.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 16:25, closed)

Yeah, but do you use them ?
Sandettie's DIY partworks weren't useless either but they are a waste of money if you don't use them.
( Ramsay Tupper, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 17:03, closed)

I was a TOTE buyer too
(I've just mentioned this in a post above.)

I bought it, back when it first came out. It has given me a desire to go out and discover a new mineral; mainly so I can call it something like Pileoshite or Kibördkat.
(The Incredible Sulk Finally remembered his password on, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 18:28, closed)

I hear there's one about horses...

( idonthaveafunnynickname Drink-Aware? Sure. I'm aware I want another drink., Tue 5 Oct 2010, 18:29, closed)

Thank fuck for that
after all they are best of all the animals!
( number5 has been fighting tramps and losing., Tue 5 Oct 2010, 18:31, closed)