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I saved £10k / annum during lockdown. What are your best saving lessons?

Newnoel
Posts: 378 Forumite

I came across this article from the Guardeeeun:
It got me thinking about how my family's own spending habits changed during lockdown, and what we will do differently from now on.
Obviously working from home more will make a huge different to travel costs and overpriced coffees and lunches in London, but there are a few other things we have changed in our household:
1) Cut out the twice a week dog walker - saving £20 / week, and it forces me to get out more often
2) Bought a breadmaker (c£200) to make lovely fresh bread daily - saving up to £10 / week
3) Cut the cleaners down from twice to once per week - saving £25 / week
4) We used to easily spend £100 / week on takeouts and, meals out - now we cook at home or use an offer like Gousto or Cook to have a variety of restaurant quality meals at home. No baby sitters to pay either. Saving easily £200 / month
5) We have a very large, but flat garden that costs about £200 / month to get someone in to cut from Feb to Oct. Bought an automower (cost about £2k) that cuts the grass automatically every morning and mulches the cutting. The lawn is immaculate, and it will be largely paid off in the first year (Note: I originally wrote "first month" - my mistake)
Total savings there are in excess of £6k a year, or more than £10k from my pre-tax salary.
Has anyone else had a similar experience?
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Comments
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You are not factoring in the cost of your purchases versus the 'savings' they make on a monthly or a yearly basis. Your mower will pay for itself in ten months time thus giving you a saving in April next year [May if you bought it in March]. Your breadmaker will pay for itself in twenty weeks time, giving you a saving of however many months it will be to the end of the year from when you bought it.Your math is a bit iffy.You've fallen into the trap of believing that a big or little purchase is a one off deal that instantly saves you money. It doesn't. First you need to recoup the capital you made by buying it in the first place.You've saved money so far on takeaways. What has your food bill jumped to?Non me fac calcitrare tuum culi14
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Also, most of the things you've cut back on are quite frivolous, or at least things that only well off people do anyway. I imagine most of the things you were paying for, were because you are cash rich and time poor. At the moment, you may have more time on your hands but that will change at some point so I doubt all of these changes will last.We saved some money on fuel (not much from commuting, but from visiting friends/family/days out etc), but most savings have come from not indulging in frivolous spending. ie, no impulse purchases in the supermarket, as I am not going into them, ordering online instead, not having days out, not buying a sandwich for lunch when I'm being lazy. I don't expect those things to last once we really start to get back to normal.February wins: Theatre tickets12
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I agree with -taff on everything.If you used to pay £200 per month for someone to cut your grass and have spent £2k on a mower, how will it be largely paid off in the first month?Re doing things differently from now on:will you still do without your dog walker when you go back to work?if you had cleaners in twice a week and have cut down to once a week, are you or your partner doing additional cleaning because you are at home and have more time? Or have you found that once per week is sufficient?will you have time to cook at home when you go back to work?
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Newnoel said:5) We have a very large, but flat garden that costs about £200 / month to get someone in to cut from Feb to Oct. Bought an automower (cost about £2k) that cuts the grass automatically every morning and mulches the cutting. The lawn is immaculate, and it will be largely paid off in the first monthNonsense. You're saving £200/month so it will take at least 10 months to recoup the £2000spent on the mower.Perhaps you meant it would be largely paid off in the first year?3
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euronorris said:Also, most of the things you've cut back on are quite frivolous, or at least things that only well off people do anyway. I imagine most of the things you were paying for, were because you are cash rich and time poor. At the moment, you may have more time on your hands but that will change at some point so I doubt all of these changes will last.No man is worth crawling on this earth.
So much to read, so little time.8 -
£200per month on grass cutting, what size lawn area do you have, you would have been better off fencing it and renting it out to a local farmer or similar to graze sheep on.Around here is it £10 to £15 fortnightly cut for about 4 - 6 months of the year, I think you are being ripped off in the first place.Breast Cancer Now 100 miles October 2022 100 / 100miles
D- Day 80km June 2024 80/80km (10.06.24 all done)
Diabetic UK 1 million steps July 2024 to complete by end Sept 2024. 1,001,066/ 1,000,000 (20.09.24 all done)Sun, Sea1 -
I gravelled my yard. Just checked that gousto website and I can get a weeks shop at A1D! For less than four dinners!4
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It’s a windup isn’t it? £200 for a bread maker and £2000 for a lawn mower? As my mother would have said, wants his bumps feeling.I did save money, no eating out, no theatre, no concerts, no cleaners and no gym. But some of those savings went on groceries as I had deliveries from places that were way more expensive than Aldi or Lidl.7
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Income is approx 200 for me, and 20 for the wife. We also have a number of Buy to Lets in her name, yielding another £25k or so in income House value approx £2m, with mortgage of 720Going on what he says above in another thread from Dec 19 the guy doesn't really need to cut back much and is quite cash-rich considering the current climate“You’re only here for a short visit.
Don’t hurry, don't worry and be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”Walter Hagen
Jar £440.31/£667.95 and Bank £389.67/£667.953 -
The only saving I've made is the holiday I couldn't go on. And I'm planning to blow that on a new phone.
All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.
Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.3
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