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

MoneySeeker1

I don't think it's a bitterness thing - well it isn't to me personally - because I've not lost income due to someone else's savings on paying out income.

It's a comment that I do know there are people who have lost income down to other people saving on spending - and I can sympathise with that - though I've come out about "even" personally I'd think.

Well - I'm trying not to think about just how much has gone on the garden - to ensure I can grow as much food as possible myself and because doing gardening feels like something constructive I can do (rather than shouting and throwing things at the wall with anger and frustration at Lockdown still going on).

helensbiggestfan

I didn't have a problem with the original post either.  

Ok so he's a high earner but if he has realised he can make savings by investing in appliances and gadgets to enable him to do more of the routine jobs himself rather than contracting the work out why not.  I certainly didn't see it as bragging.  

It doesn't matter whether you are a millionaire or a pauper, it's still a good idea to save money where you can and make the money that you do have work hard for you.  

I had a friend who married a farmer. His mother had always cut the grass.  Took her hours.   My friend who worked full time took one look at the amount Of grass she was expected to cut and promptly bought herself a ride on mower.  She reduced the time spent cutting the grass down to 20 mins.  MIL was a bit cross at first thinking  my friend was both lazy and extravagant but when she saw how easy and efficient it was she said "clever girl, I should have invested in one years ago". 😂

I fail to see why so many were upset by the Ops post, this is a money saving website after all.  I Certainly don't feel aggrieved that the Op is richer than me and still wants to save money where he can.  Why shouldn't he. It's probably due to lockdown that he had the opportunity and the time to rethink his spending.   

I am retired and have what I believe is quite a modest income but I can live well because I make my money work hard.  I run my household like I previously ran my business.  I invest in appliances, gadgets and gizmos if they will save me money, make my life easier or save me some time.  Yes I could pay for a gardener, domestic help etc but why, when if by investing in a few gizmos I can maintain my independence and do the jobs myself.  I draw the line anything involving ladder work though.  Don't like heights. 😂

I have made some modest savings during lockdown, mainly on petrol, not eating out, not buying non essentials.  I didn't feel I was being profligate before, in fact I thought I was running a fairly tight ship so I am actually quite surprised at how much I have been able to save.  

helensbiggestfan

Miss Chrissy.....how resourceful of your daughter to set up a second business because she couldn't work at her primary business.  Clever girl.  She'll go far.😁.  

I love to hear stories like that. 

Rosa_Damascena

-taff said:

I have no problem wih what the OP posted. So what if he has a big income? I expect he works for it. And don't forget, no one was going anywhere when lockdown happened for seven weeks which meant no gardener coming to mow the lawn. Not important to me because I have a small lawn, not 3 acres. Important enough for him to sort his lawn cutting out though.

This attacking him because he 'should know better' or 'should be more sensitive' is just nasty minded sour grapes at the life situations everyone finds themselves in.

I haven't saved anything, neither of us are working and we are living on savings. Am I bitter because the OP spent some of his hard eaned money? No.

Me neither - but I can see that it is insensitive.

What I am bothered about is that people have put on weight during the lockdown, because that means they have been eating more than they need to. Whilst that is their own prerogative to dig their own graves with their knives and forks, what gets my goat is that in all likelihood they will have quite possibly made more trips out to the supermarket than was absolutely necessary - all contributing to the additional spread of the virus to everyone else. And for that they have a higher risk of serious complications secondary to COVID, it truly is a FWP.

helensbiggestfan

I forgot my big saving......not going on holiday.  

I have decided that the money I have saved will be spent on the garden, getting rid of the lawn and making it easier for me to maintain in the long term. I do still cut the grass myself but I am findIng that it Is getting harder, it takes me ages and I spend the next day recovering.  I can foresee a time when I won't be able to manage myself.  Currently, It would cost around £25 if I paid someone.

If I invest the money I have saved from the holiday now I will not only make my life easier and save myself a lot of time I will also be saving money in the long run.  Do I feel guilty at depriving someone of an income. I'm afraid I don't.  Does this make me a bad person, well I don't  think it does but maybe some of you will disagree.  

One thing is for sure it will mean one less thing for me to worry about as I get older and even more decrepit. 🤣

MoneySeeker1

I know I've stopped losing weight during Lockdown and just hope I've not added a few pounds back on again (as my weight loss has been so painstakingly slow).

But I think those of us that are in this position can "cut ourselves some slack" because food is one of the few pleasures of life we can still currently access and it has to take the place of a lot of other enjoyment we'd normally get from life - but Lockdown is preventing it at present.

So - whether the reason is they believe in Lockdown and are being affected financially by it on the one hand or those, like myself, who absolutely aren't basically being affected financially by it but are absolutely livid Lockdown is being imposed on us all and do not believe in it - either way we are experiencing frustrations and, if we choose to help cope with it, by treating ourselves to something tasty to eat or a bottle of booze - then so be it. "Whatever gets you through the night" as the song goes.

I know that some of us are struggling to see/work towards a future where things are back to Normal (and we mean "Normal" and not some "new Normal") and it feels like a pointless exercise at present to try and hang onto/get back to "our" figure for a future that may not happen in the event. One has to have faith there WILL be a future (a Normal future) to plan for it.

At the "buying the food in the first place" level - people could be buying it online in the event. I know I'm already boycotting a couple of "my" food shops (as I thought they were....) because of Lockdown restrictions the owner personally wants and, in the process of getting set-up ready to take all my food etc shopping online if it becomes necessary to boycott any more (though, fortunately in the event, I'm in Wales - where things are that bit more "normal" in that respect).

 But - yes some of us are boycotting some shops already and ready to boycott even more if we have to...and I'll blame a bit of the weight gain I think I've probably had on "boycotting local health food shop" - and so went online to buy tahini I wanted from them - and landed up buying a pack of a dozen jars at a time from Amazon instead. I only wanted one jar from the shop I used to use - errrm...so I am probably eating rather more of that for instance than I really want to....and it's not a slimming food...

Pollycat

helensbiggestfan said:

I didn't have a problem with the original post either.  

i didn't have a problem with the original problem either - other than the alleged savings didn't add up.

The OP has since admitted an error in his calculations.

helensbiggestfan

Yes, Pollycat. You are right, it does take time to recoup the outlay on a capital investment, it's not instant profit/savings. He didn't take that into account.  I guess he was just excited at the prospect of future savings.  

littlegreenparrot

Rosa_Damascena said:

-taff said:

I have no problem wih what the OP posted. So what if he has a big income? I expect he works for it. And don't forget, no one was going anywhere when lockdown happened for seven weeks which meant no gardener coming to mow the lawn. Not important to me because I have a small lawn, not 3 acres. Important enough for him to sort his lawn cutting out though.

This attacking him because he 'should know better' or 'should be more sensitive' is just nasty minded sour grapes at the life situations everyone finds themselves in.

I haven't saved anything, neither of us are working and we are living on savings. Am I bitter because the OP spent some of his hard eaned money? No.

Me neither - but I can see that it is insensitive.

What I am bothered about is that people have put on weight during the lockdown, because that means they have been eating more than they need to. Whilst that is their own prerogative to dig their own graves with their knives and forks, what gets my goat is that in all likelihood they will have quite possibly made more trips out to the supermarket than was absolutely necessary - all contributing to the additional spread of the virus to everyone else. And for that they have a higher risk of serious complications secondary to COVID, it truly is a FWP.

I am bothered about these kinds of assumptions. 

When all access to gyms/ swimming pools has been withdrawn, and you go from working in a large premises to bring stuck in your house for weeks on end your activity levels are inevitably lower. 

Not to mention spending the day working alone in the kitchen - whilst dealing with the additional problems, stress and loneliness inherent in that situation. 

If you have managed to weather this storm with no weight gain then good for you. Those of us that haven't have not been digging graves or endangering others, merely trying to find our own way to cope as best we can. 

Newnoel

Lets not forget the wonderful cost savings available at restaurants, especially for NHS employees like my wife, as part of the wonderful Eat out to help out scheme

Went for an Honest Burger with the family last week: 30% NHS discount plus 50% Rishi discount reduced the cost of a burger from £14 to £4.90.

Managed to get a booking at a decent local steakhouse  for next week, £30 steak and chips down to a tenner with the Amex shop small scheme.