Was it easier for you to save money BEFORE or AFTER the advent of home internet?

MSE_Laura_F

For those of us who remember life before widely accessible home internet... was it easier for you to save money before or after you got internet access?

Has online shopping become a big temptation? Or is it balanced out by online banking, apps and other tools that help you save? 

What are your thoughts about saving money back in the day, versus saving money in the internet age?

Stubod

......made no difference to us...it's a mind thing, you are either a saver or a spender...??

wmb194

Makes no difference, it's just that pre-internet we spent more time walking up and down various high streets and used mail order instead.

SarahB16

As has been said it’s your mindset, you are either a saver or a spender.  I am a saver and always have been and many years ago (c. 25 years ago) would record what I had saved each month in a notebook with an amount I saw as my budget to save that month.  Then a few years later would aim to overpay on my offset mortgage each month. 

Now with the benefit of home internet it has enabled me to more easily and more quickly compare prices, e.g. gas and electricity, insurance products, etc with the many price comparison websites.  White goods are a prime example of where you can easily compare prices and read reviews online and know when you are getting value for money.    

I prefer to do my clothes shopping online as it saves me time and money and I can more easily purchase a bargain.  I was never the kind of person to physically shop, for example, in the Boxing Day sales however nowadays I can easily purchase clothes online that have been reduced if I wished to.

Surely the biggest purchase that anybody will make in their life is their home and who now doesn’t look on Rightmove when looking for a home and from using Rightmove and seeing previous sold prices nearby at a click you can ensure you are not overpaying.    

If you are a saver you will always find a way to save and if you are a spender then you will always spend but for me personally, somebody who works full time, it means I can do most of my shopping in the evenings and have my weekends free to do something which does not include shopping.  

jaypers

I think the biggest difference is that it’s easier now to ditch and switch for the best rates.

Same for shopping……you can get the best deals. 

Steve182

I had no money left to save (or invest) back in those days before internet.

Internet has certainly made investing interesting for me, I get involved in stock picking so it's more of a hobby if you like. I doubt I would save/allocate as much as I do now if there was no interest there

sevenhills

I recently had no broadband and no mobile data. When I got data on my mobile I was buying online quite soon after.
Nothing major, I also bought some premium bonds. Some things are difficult to buy without internet.

lozzy1965

As others have said, saving is a mindset, so the act of being a saver or a spender possibly won't have changed much, bar those who have managed to 'train' themselves to save (or in some cases, as one gets hopefully more wealthy, train oneself to spend).  Having said that the ease of spending or saving may have pushed some to further extremes.  The ability to make the most of one's savings is undoubtedly easier though.  With sites such as this one making it even easier with its various account comparisons.  To open out the question to 'investing' though, I have most definitely found it much easier and far cheaper to invest and find knowledge and advice about investing.

Online shopping has not become a big temptation for me.  I see a correlation there with the 'saving' mindset - not wishing to 'waste' money.  My mantra has always been to try to only buy things that I either actually need, will actually use or will actually give me pleasure.  On line banking is wonderful, as is online shopping but I don't use any banking apps nor other tools that help me save. 

Back in the day vs now it is just so much easier now.

london21

The internet has made it easier to conduct research and invest quicker.

madlyn

I'm a saver and my ex was a spender, and the internet meant that he could get himself into debt without moving from the sofa.

pafpcg

london21 said:

The internet has made it easier to conduct research and invest quicker.

In addition, internet access has allowed me to have much more precise control over my accounts so funds are in accounts earning interest rather than sitting idle.  Overall, the internet has made little difference in the balance between spending and saving.

But I'd rank the introduction of Faster Payments as just as revolutionary.  I remember the days of BACS-only transfers when  funds in transit were idle for two working days - with Faster Payments I can shuffle funds around near-instantaneously making it easier to exploit opportunities.