what luxuries have you cut
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Oh, OK. That's not what they told me. I shall look into doing this too then. Thanks.
Didn't replace car after it died and went to the big scrapyard in the sky.
No magazines, OH still loves his magazines so have bought him subscriptions for his birthday/christmas presents.
Bought 80% of my clothes over past 2 years off ebay.
Cooking from scratch and greatly reduced eating out - twice since December, before that it would have been twice a week.
No spontaneous days out -before we would think nothing of hopping on the train and going to York for the day with a nice lunch etc.
Can't remember last time I went to the pictures.
Had a weekend in London last summer - stayed in a much cheaper hotel than would have done previously, had bagels in room for breakfast, used 2 for 1 vouchers and pre-theatre dining deals.
Staying away from shops and trying to differentiate between "wants" and "needs".
BUT I don't seem to have any more money in bank than before I started - has it just been swallowed up by general rises in costs of fuel, food etc?
I have set myself a savings target by the end of the year so will have to see how things go.
Reading that back it sounds as if we are real penny pinchers but actually life is good.
Buying a monthly bus pass - has really saved money. Its cheaper over all on a per day return or even a weekly ticket. It also means I'm not taking out money - then needing to get change in the mornings spending on things i dont really need! Really helped!
Adding peas/beans etc to meals.. can now make a meal for two with one chicken breast rather than two by adding chick peas, kidney beans and other veg to bulk up curries/caseroles and other dishes we make.
I love a quick coffee when I'm out - so instead of going to costa/nero/starbucks for coffee - go to pret a manager and have their filter coffee for 99p! Bargain!
Changing Gym... Have gone from a 'nice' gym (£40per month) with pool jazcuzzi etc.. to 'The Gym' which is about £15 a month - no frills, but actually now I have got used to it I dont really miss the pool and other frills too much...
I have found this to be surprisingly true! The grated cheese is cheaper than the ungrated .... check the weights though. Love this site/forum, better than anything on the television!
- Ready meals & takeaways - I've always loved cooking from scratch but now I have more time I do it almost every meal. Takeaways reduced from weekly to about once every 3 months. I plan meals for the week at the weekends & organise my food shopping around it, that way also helping my diet!
- We still eat out, although not as often, & savings vouchers usually pay for this or we use cheap offers & Tesco points.
- I gave up smoking 6 years ago - that alone saves around £3,000 per annum (when you add on tax & NI you've paid on the money spent)
- I now cut my hubby & kids hair myself & colour my own, & have moved from pricey hairdresser for myself to a little old lady who charges me a fiver - saving over £300 p.a.
- Sadly our fuel consumption has gone up massively as both our jobs have moved to 45 miles away & 25 miles away when we used to both be able to cycle to our local work! We do swap cars so hubby takes my diesel car on days I don't work & I try to get away without driving on those days.
- Kids now have to have 2 packed lunches per week instead of school dinners (they love the school dinners
). I could cut this down more but am resisting at the moment - saves me about £2.50 every day they have a packed lunch.
- I spend more time shopping & shop around more than I used to.
- Determined to get my 2 allotments back up to full production this year, I got too far behind last year. Plan ahead & grow from seed wherever possible.
- Trying to cut down wine to just 2 bottles per week between us, likely to save us at least £30 per week (yes we do like our wine!)
- Cut out totally my expensive Gym/swimming pool membership, I do miss this terribly but hope the allotments will help make up for it!
- Try to cycle the 3 miles to town rather than drive or bus when the weather is good.
- Magazines - won a subscription last year to my favourite magazine & am going to use Tesco points to renew this time (unless I can manage to win again!). All other impulse buys have gone, just need to try to get hubby to cut back on all the magazines he buys now - he has started to buy some from the market when they're a month or 2 out of date now for 3 for £1.50 instead of normal cover price.
- Pub - just don't go any more.
- The cleaner - I used to have a cleaner every Thursday! now I don't work full time I do my own cleaning. That was a real luxury gone forever!
- Car washes - wash my own now!
- Holidays - we used to go abroad every summer & ski-ing every winter, for the last 4 years it's been a campsite in Brittany every summer & somewhere in the UK spring (usually visiting family) - easily £7,000 a year saving.
That seems like a lot to give up & I suppose they are the luxuries rather than the real hard stuff. But the fun I've had with the children, & some of our 'shoestring' days out we've come up with have more than made up for the luxuries I've lost, & after all your children are only young once & you can't have that time back again!Thanks for all the other ideas!
....takeaways - used to be every Friday, now once every couple of months if we're feeling flush
....cooking from scratch - was doing this anyway for lasagne, sheperds pie, chilli etc. but have expanded repetoire to include scones, flapjacks and others.
....magazines - we used to get 2-3 per month totalling £7-£10, now we hardly ever buy them
....going out to pub / club to listen to bands. severely restricted!
...clothes - we were already frugal with clothes budget. Now are down to £200 per yr for 3 of us, although DS does buy own when working. We ask for vouchers for birthdays etc.
....CDs/DVDs - we used to buy a couple per month, now only when given vouchers/cash for Christmas & Birthdays.
....Books - cancelled Book of the Month type thing. now use library or gift vouchers. Also, have been selling off some of our surplus to requirements books.
....going to the pictures - can't remember the last time we went. now use a postal film firm and special offers between our mobile provider and local dvd store
....Hairdressers - my last visit, Nov 2010, cost over £100 for cut and colour!!!!! We now have home trims it I'm now grey as a badger!
....shopping - through trial and error have replaced premium brands with own brands but only if the taste is worth the savings made by dropping brand e.g. UGHhhhh to A$bo's own brand lasagne sheets. we follow the bargains.
And finally, don't pay full price for anything!!!!!
Now I have a headache......:rotfl:
2018 CCC #11 £38.40/£250
Mortgage-free since 2013
Debt-free since Nov 2017
yep it def is true
EF- £110/COLOR]/£1000
I'm planning on growing herbs and greens when I move into a house with a garden in a few months.
Don't get the bus unless I have to.
Swapped magazines for blogs, I could easily spend £20 a month on magazines and papers.
There are a few things I haven't cut out, I've cut back though. I'm a sod for clothes and cosmetics but buy less frequently and only when I can truly afford to, I buy a few really good quality items that I really want and are on sale rather than bucket loads of cheap shoes and lipsticks! I also spend less money on socialising, less boozy nights out I won't remember and more time going to shows, comedy nights and things I can experience and remember.