Mumsnet Talk

The excellent frugality thread yesterday made me ponder the biggest 'money pits' which suck up our hard-earned.

I looked in my own wardrobe. At least 3 'party' type dresses probably worth £80 each but the most I will fetch on ebay for the lot is about £20. FAIL

I also looked at my dresser. Topped with lots of rather pretty potions and creams. I've got no way of proving they didn't work. Presumably I'd look even older without them (?!). But total value of all toiletries, particularly 'anti-aging' stuff, in my house is probably £200 and is it worth it? I suspect not and I'd look better if I just got fresh air and exercise more often...

Today was passed on motorway by a gleaming 4x4 with a personalised numberplate. Why?? Why spend money on that when you could have a less glamorous car with a normal numberplate and more, er, other things you like like a nice holiday?

I think the other major money pit in our lives is probably DIY/Home improvements (particularly when done by workmen/builders: it's like 'open your wallet and repeat after me: help yourself). I spent a fortune 'improving' 2 houses in London when I was married. I left each shortly afterwards, my ex got the last one after 18 months in it and it's now a complete bachelor pit complete with falling-down curtains :D I distinctly remember spending a fortune fitting cherry-wood cupboards in the kitchen of one place which clearly did not improve value of house. FAIL

More suggestions welcome.

Kids

Oh and I forgot 'sale bargains' which you buy cos they are a BARGAIN - and never ever wear. Then if you're 'frugal' you sell as BNWT on ebay for 10% of the sale price. Oh dear

Yes blackberry good point.
I try not to think of the cost of the little dears, it makes me a bit dizzy

Oops... Kids chattels and wares I meant! Not the kids themselves!

Toys toys toys

LOL but the effect is the same anyway. Kids are the source of the demand for chattels god bless em

I think I will never buy lego again, I just gave a massive black bag of it away on freecycle to a local artist who was making a big model of The Shard out of it. What a great use of my hundreds of ££ (well, at least it was For Art)

"FAIL" label is a bit harsh. You have to try things out to figure out if they are for you are not. Mistakes are just a necessary step along the way to success. And you can't take money with you, so may as well try different ways of spending it to make you happy.

I shipped my mother's fancy china back from USA after her death; mostly pointless expense. I am never going to be the kind of person to host dinner parties on posh china. I am eyeing it up trying to figure out if I could Ebay it back to the USA.

Spa days.

Ring tones

pre packed sandwiches.
takaway pizzas
pub soft drinks

Food at work! If i just got off my lazy arse in the morning and made my own lunch I reckon i'd save about 25 quid a week.

Shoes! I have shoes for every occasions and prob only wear most of them a few times and one pair almost every day (well they are comfy)

Bottled water. Tap water is free and clean.

Not being able to do things for yourself - loads of specialists around these days in everything, but often things you can teach and do yourself. Two examples are DIY - loads of jobs around the house are doable if you have basic knowledge - things like simple plumbing ect. And the other day I saw an advert for a days course to teach beginners knitting - £100! I taught myself using a book and the internet, it was easy.

I'm sure there are lots more examples.

Bottled water.

Manicures. Just paint your own nails.

Anything by Hot Wheels. I've been stung a few times with two boys but never again.

Cake shops. I do love a tea and cake stop and our recent holiday seemed to conaist of walks with a cake shop tour stop, by god they can be pricey!

Stop having fun, all fun and eat dust

Branded medicines e.g. nurofen/anadin/calpol when you can get a generic version for a lot less with identical active ingredients.

FruitSalad do people really charge for knitting lessons???

(looks into it as potential career once university system collapses)

"Investment dressing".

You spend £120 on a silk blouse or £200 on a pair of tailored trousers, spend a fortune having them drycleaned practically every time you wear them, and then one day not long afterwards, you spill some balsamic vinegar down them and they're ruined.

Any kind of branded leather good - why would you pay £800 for a bag? Or £300 for a wallet? Or £100 for a passport cover (which, by the way, has to be removed at passport control in most countries)?

Scented candles. Burn two £20s instead, and see how you feel.

Status symbols - swanky cars, prestige watches, designer handbags, sunglasses, polo shirts made in China with a man playing polo on the left breast. Spending thousands to look insecure, kerching.

I try not to do this (as we can't afford to) but as a country it's got to be food waste

investment furniture

"oh we'll have this for YEARS it'ld go in whatever house we move to and last"
3 years later its totally impractical due to having kids and we're selling £500 pieces for £15 at car boot sales!

I have to laugh at the people who paint the bottoms of their cheap high heels red so thay look like Laboutins! Really? Have you no self esteem whatsoever??

I'd say stop buying a load of crap you don't need, but if you do need it buy quality. My sister in law is on her 3rd pram (DD is 11 months old) and has bought a bath chair as DD is trying to stand in the bath - but she's still trying to stand and it's leaving bruises on her soft precious baby skin can't you just have a bath with her?

We're up shit creek finance-wise and have to make do with what we've got. We're in the middle of moving house and DS has been having an absolute ball playing with the big packing boxes and helping Mummy pack by pulling out what she's just put in and running off with his loot squealing in delight! He loves tupperware, wooden spoons and my silicone cake moulds!!

I've never understood people who need to buy the best and biggest things all the time for their status, but I don't judge them by it. I do judge them for waving it under my nose when they know we'd never afford XYZ in a million years, that's just mean!!

yep Lacking I would include my 'statement' glass coffee table bought for hundreds in late 20s to the 'investment furniture' list. So practical for toddlers?! Ended up broken I think and on a skip...

vamosbebe when you look at the amount of personal debt in the country you realise a lot of them CAN'T actually afford what they are buying. That's the truly scary bit...

TV licence... don't really understand why anyone bothers with this any more now we have iplayer etc!

I work in CeX and the amount of people who buy something, and then come and trade it back in weeks later (for about half the price they paid) because they have bills to pay is shocking and really sad

I've mentioned this before, but landline/broadband/TV packages.

My BiL pays something ridiculous like £200 per month (there are film, sport channels, HD, extra fast broadband) - £2,400 p.a.

I have a satellite dish and decoder box, £100 (and no further charges for free to view sat channels) and I use my phone for the internet (£30 pm) - £460 this year, £360 next year.

Fabric conditioner, you don't need it.

Expensive toiletries. They DON't work. The beauty industry makes a fortune by exploiting our insecurities.

Fabric conditioner,branded bleach,painkillers,toothpaste etc.or if you must have branded get it in poundies or B and M.
Air freshener - open the windows,drop of essential oil on radiators.

Brands of cleaner like flash etc.

Astonish is in the poundshops and is cruelty free and biodegradeable.

Failing that vinegar and bicarb of soda can be used for cleaning.

BertieBotts just make sure you don't take advantage of the iplayer function that lets you watch live tv - you most definitely DO need a tv license if you are watching a programme as it is being broadcast.

Starbucks, Costa, Neros... need I go on. There weren't any of these when I was growing up, but now they are on every street corner.
I used to work somewhere that had four costa coffee stands.

Exactly, was just about to say coffee. And I'm currently sitting in a Carluccio's with an empty latte glass in front of me

I guess we've become conditioned to see this sort of thing as little 'treats' to punctuate the day....then you add it up and realise that your daily coffee equates to £40+ a month. Nice though it is, you don't really need it.

I used to buy coffee out all the time now I do it once a week and see it as a treat. I just get my coffee and don't get tempted by biscuits, cakes, etc. They all add up.

I also go to an independent cafe run by a local family. I don't like giving my money to the big chains, if I can help it.

Make pack lunches or take left overs
A boots meal deal( other stores are available) is no longer a bargain.
Buy own brand - mostly the same as branded stuff
Get a capped mobile phone deal - got one for Dd that's £7.50 per month and she can't spend any more on it.
Agree give up takeaway coffee- rip off

I agree Cremola, and Boots ready made sandwiches are rank!

A tip if you have a fancy coffee habit - nescafe 'cafe menu' sachets from the supermarket, works out about 20p each and they are often on offer so cheaper. They do Mocha, Vanilla latte, Caramel latte, Irish coffee, and I think they are very similar to Costa.

I'm pretty good on most of the things listed here, but I do have a yankee candle habit.

It's gotta be going out with dc without taking own bottles of pop, and realising park charges £1 each
(£1.50 for fresh cappuccino is worth it obv)

The pound shop do douwe egberts filter coffee, the green and red packs. You could get loads of coffees for your flask for that.

The instant cappuchinos etc are nothing like proper coffee! They're okay but taste very different IMO. I'd rather just cut down.

I got a dinky cafetiere for work (cost about £10), and so I can make excellent coffee at my desk, where one bag of ground coffee for £4 or so makes about 20 mugs! And the kitchen or office get to smell of lovely coffee.

I'm hoping the dcs never get into the habit of soft drinks and continue to just take bottles of water with them - a 7up or whatever can cost up to £3 at the cinema or similar.

Designer clothes for children has to be the most enormous waste ever. Expensive not-quite-designer clothes would be a waste if I bought them but someone needs to so they end up in my local charity shops!

I actually got a mini cafetiere in pound land of all places and keep my coffee in the freezer compartment of the office fridge so no one nicks it-
Me ? Tight? Lol
You can even get cafetiere mugs I think.

Coffee to go - take a flask. Actually coffee shops in general as the coffee I make at home is perfect (to me anyway) and I can make a much nicer cake at home.

Newspapers. All the news and gossip you would ever need can be found online for free.

Magazines. Give them up, you will save loads and feel far, far happier.

Smoking. I have no idea how anyone can afford to smoke anymore

Agree magazines ate the devil
If you are trying to save money.

Takeaways

Hand cream and body lotion. I use olive oil, or any kitchen type oil - whatever you cook with. 1 or 2 drops for hands and about a tea spoon for legs and arms if very dry.

posh looroll.
bog standard recycled stuff for us.

Buying bottled water when out.

Take a refillable water bottle with you - free!!

Microwave meals

Designer handbags but i love them

erm, thats all I can think of so far

How did we ever get sucked into coffee shops anyway? You line up, wait ages to be served, there's never enough seating and they charge extortionate amounts for a coffee you could do at home for pennies, and the noise!

I'm as guilty as the next person for going every day when I worked next to one too.

Cinemas, they cost a lot more than they are worth. Why spend £8 a head (plus the same again for the "snacks") to sit in an overheated room and watch a film while being irritated by the snack munching public, then invariably miss the important plot point because someone needs the toilet due to drinking a bucket of fizzy pop.
I tend to wait 6 months then buy the DVD cheap, make my own popcorn, and if someone needs the toilet we can just pause the film.

Ice cream van that comes at tea time every night. Get some for the freezer and let the kids have one of them instead.

Tumble drier when it's lovely outside.

Tesco when there's an aldi nearby.

Branded clothes. DS wants converse, H&M do almost identical ones £20 cheaper.

Magazines - don't buy, apart from a subscription one my mum got me for Christmas.

Gym membership - get outdoors, it's free.

Cinema food/ drink - take your own.

Head full of highlights..posh shampoo..facials..

bottled water
ready made drinks when you can make your own squash and take it with you.

Readymade food when people cant afford it.

childrens tat (just think the amount of money wasted on crap toys)
hot stone massage and actually any treatment excluding nails & waxing.

Its got to be cheap tat that never lasts - from argos etc utter rubbish you end up buying twice.

This obsession with buying 'new' when you can have 2nd hand for half the price. Cant see how anyone can justify prams over £400!

Face creams over £10 WTF?

I find that living somewhere with no shops or coffee shops helps enormously.But magazines and newspapers are a big waste of money.My cousin's MIL gets Horse and Hound,which she passes on to my cousin,who passes it on to me,and I pass them on to my mum after that.

Very true, Mirage. I've worked in an office on a high street where I was out shopping every lunchtime. I then worked on an industrial estate where there was no where to spend money. After a couple of months I could see the difference with my bank balance

I must be such a skinflint - whenever I read these threads on how to save money - it's all stuff I don't buy because they're such a waste of money!

Labels. I almost despise labels and people who think they are better quality than high street clothes. maybe hand made Alexander McQueen is better, but most are just emperor's new clothes IM unhumble O.

Don't see the point in wasting money on

- cinema (though we do go cause DD likes it, I'd rather stay home with no other people!)

- "nice clothes", yes I've spent £80 on a dress and worn it twice, though I consider that too expensive for jeans that I'll wear 2 days a week for 3 years...

- smoking (never done it, don't really understand it)

- regular takeaways (have one as a treat about twice a year!)

- buying sandwiches/lunch for work, I always make my own

- bottled water

- posh handbags

- fake nails

On the other hand, there are things that I spend a lot of money on and other people might thing are extravagant...

Allpastyears you are so right about £80 dresses. Someone links on here to a pair of Levi's (or whatever) at £80 and I think 'no way would I spend that on jeans' but, come Christmas works do, I think nothing of spending it on a dress...utter madness! I an absolutely not doing that this year.

Don't agree with magazines - there is nothing better than sitting in bed with a magazine - laptops just aren't the same

Surely the obvious is smoking. You're paying a lot of money to die sooner

Sky TV, stick with freesat.

when i was a child (im now 36) i used to think we were poor cos we never had a new car but every 6 years or so we would get a new second hand one. my father worked 6 days a week and saved hard so he could pay cash.
what i now realise is all the kids at school who looked down at us were only driving around in big swanky new cars cos their parents had bank loans on them.
when my dd was born i bought everything i could second hand. it cost a fraction of what it would do new and it was all in immaculate condition. i now try to tell my friend to do the same but most think im mad!!!!

I think that a few 'nice' clothes are great things to have in the wardrobe; make me feel like a glam women even though I'm a bit of a slobby mum.

I've got a few nice dresses cut price from factory shops. I hardly ever buy clothes full price.

I do hate cars as status symbols or anything that is obviously a status symbol. Having said that i'm a sucker for bling although I can't generally afford reeal precious stones so I tend to go for cheap and tacky chearful bling instead!

Starbucks, Costa, Neros... need I go on. There weren't any of these when I was growing up, but now they are on every street corner.

Yes, milky coffee in a paper cup. Also equivalent to a couple of stone a year in calories. Just say no.

Bottled spring water - I will allow bottled mineral water which has to meet higher standards than tap, but still spring...

Hair straighteners and associated potions.

Not the hair straighteners! Some mornings they're the only thing that makes me look presentable!

No, hair straighteners. What's wrong with waves or curls? Hair that has been straightened and left to hang all straggly looks shit. All the heat destroys the condition, all the products ruin the natural protective oils and don't quite mitigate the heat damage.

Women/girls of Britain - embrace your natural head hair! It's beautiful!

<gavel>

Cosmetics - I spend a fortune on anti ageing stuff from Boots No7. I have got great skin but I suspect that its actually genetic as my 78 year old Mother has too and she does not buy the expensive stuff. So when the next pot runs out I am trading down to a cheaper moisturiser.

Hair straignteners - ruin the hair and result in expenditure on fancy shampoohs.

I do however believe a Tumble Drier is a virtual necessity in this climate and get very good use out of both my fridge freezers!

"No, hair straighteners. What's wrong with waves or curls? "

I've wanted straight hair since I was about 3. When hair straighteners were invented it was like a dream come true.

And now that I'm, er, old(!) I find wavy hair (which on me looks like a bad hair day) makes me look even older, like a 55 year old that is past caring. Straighter hair (not poker-straight) is a huge improvement, trust me.

Most 'time saving' kitchen appliances, choppers, mixers, grills, juicers... If you factor in the time it takes to wash the bloody things up it takes twice as long as doing the same job by hand. They only ever end up gathering dust at the back of the cupboard anyway.

Pre packed salad and vegetables, massively over priced.

Sorry though, I can't agree re hair straighteners, these are essential imo, I would look like side show bob without them!

Tsk. It's cheaper and quicker and better for your hair to wear it up if Sideshow Bobism is an issue. Then the very occasional straightening/blow dry will not harm it.

Status handbags seem a crazy hobby imo
Give me a £10-£50 one anyday
Ditto staus jewellery - give me costume jewellery that you don't have to worry about losing or insuring!

Size 10 dresses, when I'm size 14.

The Internet!
I spend AGES on it (mn, fb, twitter etc), racking up time and power for absolutely nothing (this post is a case in point!).
Why don't I invite a rl friend over instead?????

buying books brand new when there is the option on Amazon to buy them second hand, usually at a fraction of the price. I buy lots of books (its my only vice!) and must have saved a fortune buying second hand - its even cheaper to do this than getting them on my Kindle.

If you have a kindle, sign up for a service like e reader IQ which will send you an email every day with free books to download. Some of the books I've downloaded have been selling for £7 24 hrs later

ooh my old thread is still going!!

My biggest massive waste of money recently has been takeaway sushi. Which my boys demand vociferously on a Friday night cos their (rich) dad gets it for them all the time!

35 EFFING QUID FOR A FEW LITTLE TRAYS OF NOTHING.

9 year old ds1 hoovered up 3 of them before I could stop him. I was hungry and had to fill up with crackers. Wtf???

Designer anything
Regular takeaways
Ditto regular coffee from Starbucks etc
Expensive face creams
Loads of different magazines or papers when they all say the same thing
New books - charity shop for me
Speedy boarding/reserved seats on airlines (last essential if you have young kids but adults can happily sit apart for a couple of hours surely
Personalised number plates - unless they are VERY funny
Pandora braclets - why would you want the same thing as everyone else and pay through the nose for it.

Shoes that yo can hardly walk in but look nice. Expensive cooking ingredients for a recipe, that you only need two drops off. at £100 for beginners knitting. Join a knitting chat group if you want to learn or look up youtube or buy a knitting magazine. I've always wanted a Kitchenaid. They look so nice. But I know I'd hardly ever use it.

That's why I buy my party dresses from ebay - I let someone else do the "sale bargain" thing.

Oh I forgot - Warhammer figures - as an early teen DS went on & on about them and used LOTS of pocket money to buy them as they are very pricey for not much.
Played with some of them a few times and others never even got painted before he became bored with them. Probably the most money we ever spent on toys which never really got played with. I know that some of your kids will have them & love them but certainly an expensive waste of money in our house. Cheap plastic figures from Woolies or Poundstretcher provided more far happy hours.

TV licence... don't really understand why anyone bothers with this any more now we have iplayer etc!

Erm, because Iplayer is from the BBC and still needs to be paid for out of the licence fee

Agree on coffee from Starbucks etc, designer handbags and personalised number plates, they always look stupid, don't see the point

Special fragranced water for ironing. Someone I know uses it all the time and it must cost a fortune. It fills the chamber up only three times and then you have to buy another bottle. Complete waste of money IMO.

Hmm, yes, from my post above:

"cinema (though we do go cause DD likes it, I'd rather stay home with no other people!)"

And guess what we did today, and who prompted it. Then she pesters me for humungously expensive popcorn . I gave in because she had a friend along, so I bought some between the three of them. But that's not enough, she wants drinks as well. Refused that, refused to let her buy drinks with her own money (would be about a month's pocket money I expect) and was almost regretting the whole thing. Yes I'm a curmudgeon and would rather have stayed home.

newspapers/magazines
alcohol
cigarettes
labelled clothing
brand new cars
and i hate to say it but pets -they cost so much money. i couldn't be without mine now i have them but if i dont think i would choose to have them now if i didn't have them already.

and junk food. specifically crisps for me.

TV license. Not required to pay it if you just watch online as long as it isnt live.
Party dresses. Buy mine on Ebay.
Cigarettes.
New cars
Pre made sandwiches, just why ?
People who buy bottles of pop all the time. Just bring your own !
Heating - layer up.

My hair isn't wavy or curly, it's coarse and kinky. It looks like complete SHIT without straighteners.

Lots of cushions. They're nothing but a nuisance. I got some made to match some new bedroom curtains. I wish I'd not bothered.

@ nuisance cushions. I bet they look lovely though!

coffees. take away and sit in coffees with a snack .. you could buy your lunch or dinner sometimes for the amount it comes to. ive stopped and hopefully will save....

Meals out. I rarely eat out anywhere these days and think that was worth the money.
We paid £65 for a family meal out this week and it was poor to average. Pizzas etc. last night dh and I had a night in without the kids I cooked salmon, roast potatoes in rosemary, green beans in fresh mint and made a lemon and dill sauce and it was fantastic.
Eating out is now a rip off.

See I think meals out are worth spending money on, but I don't take children, and I do use Tesco club card vouchers.

Mostly things from Cath Kidston, yes they look pretty but it's a tea towell ffs. Likewise Emma Bridgwater ceramics. Will it make my life better? No. I have to remind myself of this often.

With you redadmiral - Tinternet.

I should be making sweet love to dh instead - there is a lot of pointed 'going to bed now' activity happening while I post on here and listen to Psy on the headphones.

Hair dye (salon or home) - your natural colour suits you the best, and you don't have to keep paying for highlights.

And yes to the dress thing. I try and think about cost per wear now instead. Just bought a cashmere jumper that I expect to keep me warm for years until dc destroy it for £60 and a dress for a friend's wedding for £35.

I have a pet hate at the moment about branding... The amount that some big companies spend on their brand is shocking, it adds nothing to the product it si just to get you to buy it. If I see a big flashy advert I now dont buy the product!

kiwigirl thanks ! just signed up to the eboook thing.
Agree with all about teh coffee shop and nought sanfdwiches. My colleaguse send a fortune on them, whil I have a much healthier lunches I bring in - takes no longer to make at home than I would queue for anyway

Baby Things (we are due in march)
It is so shocking how expensive this stuff is! A friend just had a baby and bought a brand new bugaboo- at £800. With an extra 125 for the car seat, which she insists on using instead of the stuff that came with the wheels. So she spent 800 quid on wheels.
I have a lot of second hand stuff (moses basket and stand, highchair, baby swing and baby bjorn carrier- retail £285, I spent £50) I am getting fed up with people turning their noses up at me. Its clean and works- why would I buy a new one? and most of it is blue, and obviously my baby girl will grow up with a complex cos her baby swing is blue!!
And I spend waaay too much on takeaways. That is the one thing I really need to stop.

Face cream -just use E45 wilko version and a sun block mixed in
Kitchen roll- how did your granny manage without?
Facials-put your own cream on (see face cream)
Magazines- paying for adverts? Why?
Expensive makeup-I use boots naturals £2 for a mascara
Books- library has loads and you can request
Fabric conditioner
New clothes-charity shops have great quality for 10% of the price
Cut flowers-they are dead, buy a plant

Could go on

Interest on loans. Save up and buy it when you can afford it.