What do you waste money on?

[Rollerskaterabbit]

This year I'm trying to identify what I waste money on and try and stop it!

For me the biggest wasters are shop bought coffees and pre packaged foods!

[lljkk]

See I don't think we "waste" money on anything. But we do have lots of luxuries:
meat at most meals, whatever clubs DC want to join (10% of our income after rent), we run 2 cars in spite of low mileage on both, DH has a sport hobby, and take-away food.

Seems to me like other people blow large amounts on clothing, hair cuts or fashion items like handbags.

[trice]

I buy clothes I have little intention of actually wearing from the charity shop because they are a "bargin" .
I buy coffee when I am out with friends.
I buy books on my kindle when I could go to the library.
I buy pokemon cards for dcs who then give them away to their friends.
I buy fancy tomatoes at waitrose if I don't watch myself.

I am quite frugal by nature but slip up when I am bored.

[Rollerskaterabbit]

Me too with the tomatoes. Need to stop getting the fancy ones attached to the vine.

[souperb]

Diet coke :(

I don't keep it in the house (deliberately), if I'm out and about I find myself buying a small bottle here and a can there.

Years ago I replaced smoking with crisps and then crisps with diet coke. Currently trying to replace diet coke with something better, but failing miserably. Tragically it was much easier to quit smoking...

[TheBigBumTheory]

Charity shop 'bargains', usually books, clothes which I could manage without.

[secretsofsanta]

I need to start taking a flask out with me as iften feel the need for a caffine fix aka costa.

Sandwiches when out. Drinks. Brunch at work. Wine.

Mcdonalds. Tbf We are pretty frugal.

[BackforGood]

I don't think I do - like lljkk I guess there are things we spend money on that others might consider luxuries, but I don't consider them a waste as we've considered it, and decided they 'add something' to our lives, and therefore are affordable, if that makes sense?

[ArtemisatBrauron]

clothes, shoes, eating out, drinks out after work with DH... mainly clothes/shoes, I have lots that I have never worn

[ArtemisatBrauron]

oh dear god and Charity shop stuff - I am banned from them now so it is a thing of the past but seriously, I used to blow a fortune in there!

[littleredsquirrel]

Lots and lots of books for the DCs when we could use the library more.

Books are my big weakness.

[Mrswellyboot]

I have got better. I used to waste money on Primark clothes and they didn't last and magazines.

I don't tend to buy clothes that I get sick of quickly so now I buy cream, navy, white.

I am fairly good with food shopping and I don't see coffees out as a waste because I don't smoke or waste money and you need treats I think.

I waste a lot on socks because all mine and the baby socks have gone to the black hol sock land and I can never find a matching pair

[ChippingInWadesIn]

I am with lljkk and backforgood - I don't 'waste' money, but I do 'spend' money. For example I buy coffee out, a lot. I enjoy the coffee, I enjoy the experience - I think that's £2.50 is well spent for me. Yes, if I was struggling to pay the bills it would have to go, but I'm not, so why wouldn't I do something I enjoy just because it's 'optional' and why would you/I consider it 'wasted'?

See - books how is spending money on 'books' a waste of money?

[ArtemisatBrauron]

I waste money on (some) clothes/shoes because I end up not wearing them enough to justify the expense... I think on balance I probably do waste money on drinks out because it is so expensive to do this now and I am not sure it is enjoyable enough to justify the money.

OTOH I don't waste money on books despite huge pile of still-to-be-read ones in the corner because I read as my main hobby, love it, and they will all be read and enjoyed one day

[Madratlady]

We drink far too much coke when it would be cheaper and healthier to stop, ditto junk food.

Take aways, often one a week although less now I'm on maternity leave.

DH smokes.

I knit and sew and occasionally buy yarn or fabric I don't need or have a plan for because it's pretty.

Our biggest expense is probably having a lot of pets but we are happy to pay whatever we need to look after them better so to us this isn't a waste but my family often question why we'd take rats or a hamster to the vets and spend lots on treatment rather than putting them to sleep. We would never put an animal to sleep when it could be made better and carry on living a good quality of life though.

[notso]

Stupid credits for stupid IPad games I get temporarily addicted to not loads of money less than £5 a month but it's still wasted money.

I buy clothes for the DC that for whatever reason I need to take back then forget to take them back. They languish in a bag in my wardrobe until I either Ebay them for a fraction of the cost or give them to charity.

We also buy a lot of coffees and other food out. I don't really see it as a massive waste of money because we all enjoy it. However we are a family of 6 so it is easily £20 or even £30 just for a drink and a cake. Sometimes when I am wondering why we can't afford xyz I regret buying quite so many coffees. DH and I have agreed to limit it to once a month to see if it makes a massive difference in our finances.

[Millie2013]

Good wine
Food when out and about
Horse habit

I used to waste money on magazines, but now I buy one a month and I used to buy shoes that were pretty, but sooo uncomfy bad I've stopped doing that too!

[Creamycoolerwithcream]

Definetely coffees for me. I've starting ordering larger and posher ones that are about £2.80 a time and at the weekend often have a creamy cooler from Costa which is about £3.30.

[CheckpointCharlie]

Oh YY to books! Going to the pub too. We could stay at home and drink a beer for less than half the price!

[TSSDNCOP]

Shellac. Hooked at the moment and its costing me £25 a pop.

[JeanSeberg]

This reminds me of one of my favourite quotes (by George Best):

I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered

[Knottingley]

Eating out in rubbish places just for something to do or because we're too lazy/disorganised to cook.

I don't see a really good meal out with good company, celebrating a special occasion as a waste at all but it's Saturday night, we've had a busy day everyone's hungry and no-one's thought about dinner, lets go to the Harvester/Pizza Hut/Chip Shop. That kind of thing has to stop.

Two months ago I stopped buying crisps, cakes or chocolate biscuits for the DCs lunch boxes - they have home-made cake instead. It's early days and I thought I was doing it to improve their diets but I really cannot believe how much less I'm spending in the Supermarket.

[bbcessex]

TSSDNCOP... I was paying fortnightly for Shellac too - then last year I bought myself the curing lamp from Amazon - approx. £14, plus the 'shellac-type' brand, Blue Sky, base coat, top coat and colour - the three for around £16. I've bought a couple of different colours for around £6 each, they last for ages.

Flippin brilliant. Exactly like the salon.

Can do my own nails as and when I want, and do my toes too - only used to have that for holidays, as £25 for toes too seemed like an extravagance!

Huge saving!

[confusedofengland]

I spend too much money on reduced price (end of date) food. It does all get eaten, but we already have 2 freezers with enough meals to last at least 6 weeks, so don't really need it atm.

We also have a weakness for chip shop chips & lunches/coffees out - lovely, but not good when DH is not working. That said, he should start working again next week, so we'll have the money but not the opportunity, rather than vice versa

[Fluffycloudland77]

Emergency food for dh when we are out, he won't eat breakfast so come 11 he's starving & has to have a maccie d's.

I don't pay for it mind

Stupid mobile phone, £7.70. Can't wait to switch to ovivo.

[cantthinkofagoodone]

Definitely food and drinks when out and daily chocolate is bad for both my waistline and purse. I know when I stop eating chocolate money stays in my purse for ages!