What little things have you been priced out of?

Millie2008_2

Another one who has cut down on buying magazines (friend regularly offloads mags onto me that she has been given to her, so I don't feel like I'm missing out though!) I do miss buying craft/jewellery making magazines though, but can't justify £4-£5.

I get my hair done less frequently now (every 8ish weeks, compared to every 4 weeks) and do my own roots at home in between

I can't remember the last time I went clothes shopping

and I often used to go out "for a drive" with no particular destination in mind. I wouldn't do this now due to rising petrol costs

tea_lover

I do miss just going for a drive. I got lost the other day and that was the nearest I've been to just pootling round in the car for ages. Good job I got lost in a very scenic area as I won't be able to afford to go anywhere else for a while!

onlyroz

I've been making my own sarnies for a few years now, and I've never bought a newspaper, and don't have any magazine subscriptions. However, we have made a conscious effort to eat out less and order fewer takeaways. E.g. we used to get a Dominos in each week and have a chinese/currey every few weeks. We rarely do that now, and instead make our own pizza or curry.

onlyroz

fluffnutter wrote: »

To everyone who's given up small luxuries, has it actually made much difference to your level of wealth/debt? Has giving up these treats enabled you to pay off a debt? To feel that you're less precarious in general?

If so, then that's great. But my suspicion is that it doesn't really make much difference. People continue to spend on the larger things - holidays, clothes, eating out, mortgage, car etc. but cut out the little treats, e.g. a cup of coffee on the way to work, a magazine once a week.

Yes, I think it does make a difference. That's what the shops want you to think - "oh, why not spend £3 on a sandwich and another £3 on a fancy coffee". But if you do that every day then it's £30 a week and over £100 a month. If you can afford to waste that amount of money on snacks and lunch then all to the good, but over the course of a year that's the equivalent of a week's holiday in a nice cottage by the coast.

rdchick

euronorris wrote: »

Oh yeah, I haven't had my hair coloured by a hairdresser in over 3 years. Just too expensive! I don't even buy the home dye kits here, as they are almost €18!!! So, instead, when I am visiting the UK I buy a few of them at 5 quid each in Asda instead, and bring them home with me. Also get my hair cut about once every 3-4 months, instead of every 6 weeks.

I rarely buy an English magazine now. I can't justify €5-6 every week! So, it's usually a treat about once a month, sometimes less.

Generally speaking, I get less food treats. Used to just pick one up whenever I felt like it, but can't justify it anymore. Now it's always 'mmmm, can I really afford that. Is there anything at home already you can have instead? Yes. Well, you're having that then.' lol

OH hasn't been to hairdressers since I moved here. I cut his hair now. That wasn't really financial though, he just hates having to make small talk at hairdressers, so he asked me to do it instead! He's very brave. The first time, I accidentally cut his sideburns off! :eek::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Wow is it really that pricey in Holland?! Boyfriend is Dutch and have thought about moving back over to Eindhoven with him but I know things like houses are pricey but I heard you get better wages?

I need to get my Dutch up to scratch before seriously contemplating it! xxx

koalamummy

I have stopped buying magazines mostly because they bore me now. The same articles seem to get rehashed time and time again and move from magazine to magazine. I paid to read it when I was 15 so why on earth would I want to pay twice as much to read it again at 25, and then almost three times as much to read it yet again when I am 35? :rotfl: Magazines simply do not contain the level of in depth journalism that necessitates reading the content so many times in order to grasp the concept

We don't go on holiday as much as we used to due to the complication of school holidays and annual leave clashes but we do still go on at least 1 holiday every year.

I never bought coffee from Costa/Starbucks, or any of the others as I find it distinctly unpalatable but always have bottled water in the fridge at home to take out in my bag. Costco's own brand water is I think about 20p a bottle so not too bad

We own our own home without a mortgage, have no debt, have our garage shelved and use it as a storeroom for bulk bought special offers, drive fuel efficient cars, as well as a whole host of other things that should save us money.

We by no means struggle, and do have a good lifestyle, but I am finding that it is taking more effort to maintain this standard than it used to and I am a bit worried about the future. Our cut backs so far have been more a matter of personal choice than an attempt to economise...but I am not sure how much longer we have left until we have to start cutting things out every month so that we can afford the essentials.

euronorris

rdchick wrote: »

Wow is it really that pricey in Holland?! Boyfriend is Dutch and have thought about moving back over to Eindhoven with him but I know things like houses are pricey but I heard you get better wages?

I need to get my Dutch up to scratch before seriously contemplating it! xxx

Some things are, and some things aren't. Swings and roundabouts. But, getting my haircut is €37, plus a small tip, so €40.

I don't know about the wages being higher, per se. When I moved here, my salary was on a par with what I was earning in the UK (when exchange rate is considered), but the cost of living is higher. If you have a mortgage, it'll be fairly cheap (as the government will give you the tax back on your mortgage payments). But if you're renting privately (social housing was never an option for me), then it's very expensive. Dependant on location of course. But our rent, for a very small one bedroom place, is €925pm!!!

It's not just the rent that's more expensive, you have to factor in health insurance too. For decent cover, you're looking at around €130pm, plus an excess of at least €260 (set by law). And certain things aren't covered by insurers - contraceptive pill for one. Used to be, but they changed the law, so now insurance companies won't cover it. Though they will cover you for other forms of contraception (such as IUD, implant, etc).

There are benefits though: - employers have to pay your commuting costs (up to a certain limit). So what I spend on public transport is reimbursed. If you have a car, you get a mileage allowance (think it's 17 cents per mile).

You also get holiday allowance. This is 8% of your salary, paid out once a year in May. Effectively, another month's salary.

And council tax tends to be a lot lower. It was just over €350 for 2012. Yes, the whole of 2012! It's less if you are a 1 person household.

Oh, and (I don't know how much you expect to earn, so this is a guess) you would most likely be taxed at the standard rate - 42%. Earn over 75k (I think! It's around that) and the tax rate jumps up to 52%. Hearing someone say on the UK news last night that the 50% tax, that has just been dropped, was the highest rate in europe made me laugh out loud. It's actually higher here in NL, and Sweden is very high! In fact, most European countries have higher taxes.

Anyway, there are pros and cons. Dutch is desirable, but certainly not essential. I have come across very few people who don't speak fluent English, and even then I've always gotten by with a combination of English and Dutch. But, I would recommend it learning the language. Makes things a LOT easier on you, and will really help you to integrate, settle and feel at home.

xxx

shegirl

Big_Hairy_Spider wrote: »

Of all the cutbacks I've made, trading in the ex for a slightly older model has saved me a fortune.

The ex going is saving me money too!Less takeaways,no beer and cider for him,or presents -it's nice!:D

Haven't really been priced out of anything but don't buy magazines,sandwiches or things I don't actually need anymore,but that's more due to saving for a move,decorating (because I just can't handle a house not being decorated to suit my tastes for longer than 5 minutes:o),new furniture for mine and ds bedrooms because I don't want to keep what I shared with the ex and ds,with his delightful autism,thinks a new house should mean a new bed I am planning a lovely room for him though!

So,not spending much at the mo apart from the essentials for ds wellbeing and care,food,birthday presents and clothes and shoes all the time as he won't stop bloomin growing!!

It will all be worth it though when we have our new house the way we want it -no input from,or muting it down for someone else- and I've made a few hundred from bits I've sold recently,will make more money on selling our existing furniture when we're about to move,so will recoupe some (quite a bit by the looks of it) of the money saved and then spent and then I can go fill my new wardrobe:D (been putting off buying new clothes for ages,despite loving clothes so much,with christmas,moving,and the ex!)

shegirl

Must say I've been looking for bargains more though,all my plants this year have been stupidly cheap -going to have a fabulous MSE garden,spent around £15 in total on over 200 plants thanks to deals and clubcard rewards rather than just picking up whatever I fancied,means I've got more variety too.Got some fab bargains on my new bed,bedding and furniture.

Quite proud of what we've managed with bargains actually!

Cut back on cosmetics too with going for an asian BB cream through ebay -moisturiser,primer,concealer and foundation in one for less than £6,I pay more than double that for foundation alone!

Hmm maybe I've cut back more than I thought...

Sandhy

I used to buy a lottery ticket each week, then it was two draws a week, then all the other lottery games crept in...
I gave it all up as I never won anything anyway.
2 draws a week is £104 (I think if it's £1 each)
With £104 saved that's a good way to paying towards the annual TV licence or for car tax disk.