What have you managed to give up that has saved you money?

laughing_cow

- Magazines. I used to spend a ton on mags, and read them from cover to cover. Now, I've stopped buying them because I've become bored of them. If you've got lots of money to spend on clothes, they're great - you can see what's available in the shops and get ideas for how to wear them. If however, like me, you've cut down on clothes/accessories/house/cosmetic spending, then there's actually sod all to read!

- I've cut my food spending right down. I still buy good quality food, but I bring in lots of lunches and make my own fruit salad instead of buying it from Pret for breakfast on the way to work.

- When the weather's good, I walk rather than take the tube/bus.

- I've chopped up my credit cards

- Things I used to think I 'needed' regularly but actually don't: flowers, scented candles, taxis, 25 different kinds of body moisturiser :rolleyes:

lynzpower

I also gave up diet coke.

I worked out that on my old lifestyle of about 4 cans a day and a 2 litre bottle at home EVERY DAY, I was spending nigh on a grand a year :eek:

Gave it up- if I drink it now, the headaches dont bear thinking about. So glad I gave that up!

And disappointing hot drinks & crap paninis from snazzy coffee bars. I can make nicer myself, thank you very much- at least I know my hands are clean when Ive made them too

Supervixen

If I give up lunches at work I can save myself about £20 a week. Even the coffees...2 a day at £1.25 a shot costs £500 plus per year...that's just reeediculous but I have a hell of a time giving up.

Magazines are another one for me, I will have to give them up - too expensive. I have a pile of free books I have been sent since I started https://www.relentlessly-positive.com so I will bluddy well read those instead.

And buying songs off t'internet...it's so easy to buy music from iTunes without really noticing...79p a time...oopsie

georgiasmum

I've given up sky, credit cards, clothes shopping on a whim (use my clothes budget now and only buy what I need), popping to the shop for milk and coming home with £10 worth of impulse buys, taking my debit card anywhere - stick to my weekly allotted spending amount! I've given up cinema, and meals out. Credit of any kind.

I have cut my debt from over £30000 to under £10000 and have been through the mill of feeling deprived, depressed and generally p***** off about it at times, I have also felt euphoric at my success. I still have £9676 to go and it will take me about 12 months to clear it comfortably. I'll try to do it sooner if I can but who knows? I'll focus on what I have achieved so far

PS Great thread - will keep coming back here for motivation!!!

sossij

Gave up buying CDs. Even cheap ones from Music Zone.

I ripped my entire collection to my (cheapo) MP3 player, backed them up on CD-Rs and then sold the redundant CDs on eBay to help pay off my debts

nearlyrich

themaccas wrote:

We gave up SKY tv, we didn't cut down just cancelled it altogether and we have freeview - it's free and in fact we don't miss sky at all. We won't be going back to it either whenwe are debt free!

Do you live here too?

We cut down and eventually gave up Sky, we don't watch much TV and Freeview gives enough variety for me and DH, I can recall nights when we had full SKY package when there were 200+ channels of rubbish and nothing to watch

I have recently given up my cleaner, we don't need her anymore now the children have moved out and there isn't too much mess.

I don't smoke or eat much chocolate, I take food out with me most days so I don't buy many lunches unless they are expensable. I still like a glass or too of wine though.:T

Catseyez

What did I give up?

Erm...Diet Coke was probably the main thing. It really made a difference and now when (if ever) I drink it, it just gives me tummy ache. Can't say I miss it at all!

What else...magazines, paperbacks (started borrowing from friends), Starbucks coffees (& cakes!) and paying for things by credit card (now I do this but using a card that gives cashback and that I pay off in full monthly - I'm very disciplined now!). Generally, I still did most other things but a lot less frequently than before (eg, eating out, going to the cinema etc).

Now I'm debt-free I haven't gone back to buying these things so I can honestly say that I have changed my ways for good!

HomeJames_3

Hi great thread:happy:

Ive also given up diet coke its saved me a fortune as im now drinking water and i dont have to buy my prescription for stomache pills its frightening to think what it does to your insides!:eek:

Ive also given up the gym saving me £35 a month and taken to going out on my bike every day and taking the dog for long walks hes loving it!
I dont spend on CC anymore its been 5 months (im a recovering CC addict!)
I dont buy magazines CDs and weve started a book exchange at work so dont buy books anymore either! Ive also become a DVD tart via quidco and not only saving money buy getting free trials but making money too! I also keep all vouchers for money off extra points and offers so that i use them when i shop (unheard of in the past).

livinginhope

The only thing that has been given up in our house is the £3.25 each week on magazines,I now buy 1 a month,other than that there is nothing to give up,we never spent money on things we didn't need ,never drink,don't smoke,boring aren't we :rolleyes:

Maz6

I've given up buying books and now use the library.