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AOL recently conducted a survey of their readers to see what some of the top money wasters in our lives are. What resulted was a list of 43 items, voted on by AOL readers themselves. Some of them are clearly money wasters, but others I think people are just being silly. At any rate, let’s take a look at the top 10 (according to AOL readers) and see what you guys think.

# 1 – Paper Towels

I agree these are money wasters, but I’ll admit that I use them. In my defense, I buy the ones that use recycled paper AND one roll will last me a month or more because I don’t use them all the time. However, as one of the AOL readers points out, most things you can use a paper towel for you can use a dish cloth or some other reusable cloth instead. The problem for me is that, for example, when I clean my mirrors paper towels don’t streak, and I don’t have to worry about lent or fuzz either.

So yes, paper towels are a little bit of a money waster, but I prefer them to dish cloths for certain things. I’m also not keen on the idea of wiping my mouth with a dish cloth that’s fermented a ton of germs from use on drying dishes. Just the thought makes me gag. I’ll stick to paper towels for that, too!

# 2 – Tanning Salons

I’m on board with this one. First of all, whoever came up with the idea of sticking a human body in a giant microwave was an idiot. No offense to those of you out there tanning, but really, you’re just speeding up the aging process and you’re increasing your risk of skin cancer. Imagine the price tag that goes along with the treatment for skin cancer.

# 3 – Government-Funded Space Exploration

I don’t agree with this at all. I think space exploration is important, perhaps because of my own moral beliefs. I don’t think we’re the only sentient beings in this galaxy and as such, I think it’s important to keep pushing the envelope to discover new worlds. I also believe that at some point we’re going to consume all of our natural resources and outgrow this planet. Obviously this isn’t going to happen tomorrow or anything, but it’s a good idea to understand what’s out there so that we have options when that time comes. But, let’s not get into a philosophical debate about the universe and the meaning of life.

Yes, I agree that the government should be funneling money into certain projects more than others. We need an alternative energy source, we should be researching a cure for cancer and AIDS, but I think there are better ways to achieve these goals rather than cutting the space program.

# 4 – Movie Rentals

According to readers you can check your local library or simply wait until it gets to the library or comes on TV. I can see the logic behind this, but in reality, renting a movie is cheaper than going to the movies. It cost me $10 to go see “4 Christmases” the other day – funny movie, by the way. And with all the competition between Blockbuster and Netflix, you can rent movies for pennies these days.

# 5 – Disposable Razors

Yes, these are a big waste of money and they usually don’t do a very good job. Electric shavers are a better value all the way around. But, does this really deserve to be in the top 10? I can think of other things that are a bigger waste of money.

# 6 – Pet Clothing

Ok, there’s a reason dogs bite people! For the love of Pete…stop putting clothes on your animals! And stop spending the money for it! There’s just no need. Feel free to disagree here, but I have three cats and there’s no way I’d try putting clothes on any of them! If Fido really needs a sweater this holiday season, make it. You’ll save money.

# 7 – Convenience Stores

The reader that suggested this referred to convenience stores as ‘vampires’ because they suck so much money out of you daily. Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I haven’t purchased daily items from a convenience store in I don’t know how long. It’s like anything else you pay extra for, you’re paying for the convenience, not the product. So, the solution here is to just stop going. Go to a grocery store and buy in bulk.

# 8 – Nail Salons

Yes, these waste money. I’ll be the first to admit it. But, this is something I won’t give up because it allows me to relax and de-stress. It takes me to my happy place. I’m not big on manicures, but let me tell you, get a pedicure and see if it isn’t the most addicting thing out there. And I’d like to know why people are paying $60 every couple of weeks for these services. I pay $20 – including tip (they do a great job) – every two weeks. For me, $40 a month to remain sane seems like a pretty good deal.

# 9 – Eating Out for Lunch

I’m not sure how AOL determined the order of these, but I think this should be a little closer to the top of the list. Frankly, eating out is what gets a lot of people. It’s not so much the eating out, but it’s the eating out, buying groceries, letting them spoil, and then buying more that costs people an arm and a leg. If you’re spending $400 a month to eat out, why spend an additional $200-300 to put groceries you won’t eat in the fridge? But, health-wise it’s better to brown bag it.

# 10 – Not Turning Off Lights

This one is true, and I’ll add to it that keeping appliances plugged in goes hand-in-hand with this. When you leave one room, it will save energy and money to turn off the lights as you go. However, many people don’t. Office buildings are even worse. Many leave lights on all night and run the AC when there is no one there. But, working in banking, I can tell you that most places leave lights on for security reasons. First of all, it’s a deterrent for would-be thieves, but secondly, if someone is bold enough to break in, the lights give us a better picture on the cameras. Otherwise, I definitely think this is a big one in terms of wasting money.

Well, as I said, some of these are pretty obvious money wasters, but some of them certainly shouldn’t be in the top 10. What are your thoughts? Keep in mind that these came from AOL readers, so what does this say about the average person’s understanding of personal finance? You can check out the rest of the AOL list here.