If you are financially comfortable, have you started cutting back on non-essentials?

[LabraDabraDoo]

I realise that we are very fortunate to have the financial headroom to choose to cut back and at the moment we spend quite a bit on non-essentials. We did a budget last night to look at likely price increases (especially fuel) and it looks like, while our jobs are secure ( although our investments are in the doldrums) we will be cutting back on quite a few non-essentials. Anyone else also making this choice yet?

Our list includes:
Back to buying decent quality supermarket meat and reining in trips to the farm shop.
I’m not buying clothes this Spring, I have enough to clothe a hundred middle aged women. We aren’t heating unused rooms in the house. Horse riding lessons are being suspended ( kids didn’t seem too bothered so that’s an easy £200 saved). We’ve cancelled our plan to refloor downstairs (wooden floors, so that’s a big saving). I planned to raise the children to a cottage in Norfolk for a couple of weeks in summer and we’ve arranged a house swap with a friend instead. We are not going out to eat for the foreseeable, and outings will be free swimming at the gym, dog walks etc. All other home improvement plans and big spends ( I considered renewing my car) are on hold. There are some things I hope we don’t have to cut, like cancelling holidays, music lessons and our lovely cleaner. We are still saving money into pensions and investments.

Anyone else making cutbacks? Do you think it’s going to start having an impact on people who provide non-essential services or are they still enjoying a post-Covid boom?

Anyone with a heated swimming pool is probably feeling a little nervous right now-I've considered solar panels but am more interested in a company called Ripple-the idea is you buy into a wind farm and then get credits off yr energy bill. If you move house you can take the scheme with you (unlike solar power.) The brutal reality is that next winter is going to be incredibly tough for everyone-I plan to help out elderly parents if they need it.

@tentative3 "don't hoard money"...as in save? Why not?? Saving is essential if you have a mortgage etc...

@ddshocker I think you meant to @ someone else, I never said anything about hoarding money.

I really think if you are privileged to have spare money, and you genuinely believe that benefits should be as inadequate as they are in order to encourage people into work, you are morally obligated to create that work with your excess money

Did I miss the poster who said benefits should be inadequate in order to encourage people to work?

@Alwaystheplusone

This post is so bloody tin-eared. People are frightened about not being able to feed their kids and heat their homes and the OP is talking about cutting back on riding lessons and making use of ‘free’ swimming at the gym?! Give your head a wobble ffs.

Well there are plenty of other threads you can go on if you don’t like it OP is very clear from the opening what the subject of the thread is and it’s not aimed at people who are struggling already

@tentative3 my apologies!!

I have been alot better at reducing food waste and using up leftovers. Also turned the heating down. Plus selling things rather than just charity shopping them. I have cut back on swimming lessons and will take the dcs myself for a bit (one has dyspraxia and after close to 100 lessons - literally- still cannot swim a single stoke unaided. ) I am just more conscious overall of what I spend. No longer frittering away etc.

@Alwaystheplusone

This post is so bloody tin-eared. People are frightened about not being able to feed their kids and heat their homes and the OP is talking about cutting back on riding lessons and making use of ‘free’ swimming at the gym?! Give your head a wobble ffs.

Please stop with the 'head wobble' crap. This is a legitimate discussion that directly or indirectly affects the poorest of us as well. If there is less spend on local services and businesses more families will be pushed into poverty. And its important to discuss the unintended impact of (as some would have it) 'middle-class' cost-cutting on those that need support. Its not always obvious.

Dictating what can legitimately be discussed in public forums given the current censorship crisis seems pretty ironic and 'tin-eared' to me.

Yes we are trying to. Fewer days out with the kids, definitely fewer takeaways/ lunches out. I would normally be buying bits of clothing here and there but am keeping clothes buying to absolutely essential this year. Our heating hasn’t been on today yet and not missed it so far.

We are financially ok not well off but comfortable but are concerned about the impact of rising costs. We both work and I have just reduced my hours for the summer for family reasons but will increase later in the year when ds3 starts funded pre school nursery.

At the moment we have gone through all our direct debits and cancelled unneeded ones. I have changed my credit card to a 0 percent balance transfer one to clear the balance with no interest. I have started meal planning much better and had a serious discussion with the older kids about reducing food waste and reducing electric and gas use (not leaving our front door open would help a lot). I have been making a point of not heating unused rooms and will be showering the kids more than baths now. We will be cutting down on buying new clothes unless necessary for the kids. Not using the tumble dryer unless necessary and dh has gone back to the office full time as he can walk there and use there electric and gas. Him working full time from home made a big increase to our electric and gas bill. We are cutting back on using our car and making the kids walk to and from school far more. It’s not far so we did it anyway but just doing it more. Stopping our little local shop trips that cost £20 here and there plus making a list of free activities for the kids and us. We will be reducing our take away not that we have them much plus potentially cancelling ds private swimming lessons. The lady that runs them admin is so bad we are unable to pay her despite asking repeatedly to do so. I won’t end up in debt because of that.

Cutting out trips to the farm shop … and shopping in supermarkets instead?

Excellent! Your local farm shop is probably a small independent family owned business that has clung on and just survived the last two years through the pandemic and will not survive now if customers would rather buy cheap crap quality food in supermarkets

Every man for themselves huh?

Bit surprised at all these people who have been heating unused rooms until now!

Apart from the cost, what about the wasted carbon emissions?

My DC are away at Uni and their bedrooms are only heated when they are home - the rest of the time radiators are off and doors kept shut.

Not as many take-aways or convenience foods, not buying as much stuff or replacing things until they are really falling apart. Scaling back on home improvement plans although some cannot be put off. Not driving as much. Not as many outings. Libraries and free books instead of book shops. Budget make up. Dying my own hair. Rechecking I am on the best deals. The biggest thing for me is not putting on the heating during the day, using a heated throw instead. God knows how people on lower incomes are supposed to cope, it is just awful.

I did this last year. Cut my medical insurance, home insurance and satellite package. Have put various home stuff on hold for the moment although that's partly because I can't find anyone to do it anyway. I live too far out for things like JustEat. I am fully cognisant of, and grateful, that nothing has really bitten deeper for me yet.

We have the heating in low in 2 unused rooms, it avoids damp. But we have very old house and have to work at keeping up air flow to keep damp at bay. Having said that, the heating is only ever set low anyway.

@Shouldbeworkingnotreadingtalk

Put your hard hat on OP, someone will be along shortly to slate you for having to cancel riding lessons, and not making so many trips to the farm shop .....

But yes, we are not on the breadline, but aren't at the level of having investments either (except our home) ... but even we are cutting back., less eating out, no cinema, no coffees out, fake always not take always, not using tumble dryer. ... yesterday I even worked out the cost of the drive to the supermarket for only two items and it was £4 for the round trip, so I didn't go! ((I can afford the £4, but it's one example of cutting back)

I spent £17 on a farm shop chicken last week, and whilst it was lovely, £80 a month just on chicken is a bit crazy, snd we def. Can't stretch to that now ... ... (we aren't likely to go veggie anytime soon either) ... now this is extreme - and not everyone's cup of tea, but I've just ordered baby table chicks (meat chickens, not egg layers) and I'm going to rear my own free range birds in the back garden - cost to rear £5 each. .....am potting up seeds whilst browsing Mumsnet too for my own salads this spring too ...

I’m sorry to make an example of you, it’s not really fair, but this really IS playing at being poor. By all means do it, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t, but please recognise this is merely a pleasant way of spending your time and joining in the ‘fun’, and in no way anything but a bit of fun. And for pity’s sake don’t even broach it as any kind of solution for anyone who really is struggling. Or even mention it to ordinary people!

There is nothing remotely wrong with planting salad and raising table chickens - I’ve done both, but I never pretended it was an even halfway viable way of dealing with a cost of living crisis. It’s just a hobby.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the Commander Vimes Boots Theory of Economics (where expensive boots last better so require fewer replacements and thus poor people spend more money on boots and still have wet feet). Well there is also the Nanny Ogg Mud Theory of privilege. Getting muddy when you can go home and get in hot bath and clean clothes is fun. Getting muddy when all you have to look forward to is spending the night in cold wet mud is no fucking fun at all.

Saving a couple of hundred quid on beauty treatments, high end meat or horse riding lessons and deciding whether to spend the savings on a reduced summer wardrobe or a second holiday is merely prioritising one non-essential over another. It’s not, in any way, cutting back. And meanwhile, the poor stable hand, nail tech and farmer have to go home and figure out how to live on even less money, because they are having to prioritise one essential over another and are in mud up to their knees already.

I’m not saying this to shame anyone, but I do think you need to understand your privilege, and also how you can actually help. Keep the cleaner, and the hairdresser and support the farm shop. Spend the money - spread it to people who will be in the shit without it. Stand by the people who supported your lifestyle and whose labour you profited from in good times. Use your privilege to share the hot baths, not just the mud. Please.

And cancel the table chicks. You cannot raise them for a fiver. It won’t be cheaper than the farmer, so you might as well support them and save yourself being the comedy target. Unless you really are doing it for a laugh. No judgement - I did it for my own amusement.

We're ok and I'm starting to think of ways to cut costs, you just don't know what's around the corner and I'd like to add more to savings. Things we're doing is:
cutting down take aways from 4 x month to 2
meal planning
I bought an airfryer so I'd use the oven less
Not using the tumble dryer unless absolutely necessary

The problem with us all doing this is it's only going to make any recession worse - the more people's spending contracts the worse it gets, it's a negative cycle. We should actually be spending MORE.

@Pyri

I understand the point of this thread but think it’s a little tone deaf to talk about cutting back on horse riding lessons etc!

I don't agree that it's tone deaf - the title clearly states it's talking about people who are financially comfortable, so your comment is a bit unnecessary/irrelevant. Or do you only think people of a certain demographic can discuss money/lifestyles on mumsnet?

OP, I would say we are comfortable, but not loaded and we've started cutting back in the following ways:

Putting 50% of our planned renovations on hold
Organic veg box fortnightly instead of weekly
Cancelled subscriptions such as Naked Wines and Field & Flower
Cancelled Ocado smart pass and do bulk of shopping in Lidl
Cancelled my monthly gel nails & reflexology
Stopped driving when we can take the bus/walk (we are in London so great public transport)
Health club membership on hold, and using a pay as you go swimming pool instead
More vegetarian meals
Heating thermostat turned right down
Tumble dryer only for underwear and socks
Entertaining at home rather than going out

I'm sure we will have to cut back in other ways, hopefully our jobs are secure, but one never knows. The last things to go would be our cleaner and the kids activities. I know we are in a good position compared to some people, but as the situation in Ukraine has shown, life can suddenly change overnight.

Heating on for an hour a day and driving more slowly are the main cutbacks. Most of the cutbacks in the OP will have a knock effect on others. I'd rather reduce fuel usage and help keep other businesses open until we really can't afford it anymore.

@ddshocker no worries at all!

We are comfortable but I've started preparing for it...

• we have put off moving house, it was an unnecessary and extravagant move but it can wait a year to see what happens
• i've waved goodbye to Waitrose and hello to Lidl/Aldi
• I am cooking the dog's food as it saves £15-20 a week
• Reducing nail appointments to once every 4 weeks instead of 2-3
• Hair cut once a year
• TRYING to reduce eating out but we eat out about 6 meals a week, so i want to get it to 1

I'm somewhat frugal so no need to cut back on anything.

Like others I have hugely reduced the times we have water and heating on. Have cut out lunch. Largely stopped doing car trips unless essential. Although I'm a single parent I think we should be OK as I made the decision to switch from part time to full time from the end of this month although I'm in my sixties, but still don't earn a fortune and the flipping council tax arrived today - I'll be working a month just to pay council tax!

Gone back to colouring my hair myself with box dyes. Never bother with nails etc anyway. Will let the NT membership lapse when it comes up for renewal. Cancelled my TV licence as we rarely watch TV anyway and never live. Cancelled my newspaper sub.

Things I could cut out but would be reluctant to: My DS and I go to a local cafe once a week. We really enjoy it and we see that as part of keeping the cafe up and running in the local community. I also pay the mobile phones for my DC at university. We all have cheap SIM only deals on old phones though.

My biggest spends are on my pets food and vets. That is non-negotiable.

@WutheredOut

Cutting out trips to the farm shop … and shopping in supermarkets instead?

Excellent! Your local farm shop is probably a small independent family owned business that has clung on and just survived the last two years through the pandemic and will not survive now if customers would rather buy cheap crap quality food in supermarkets

Every man for themselves huh?

When push comes to shove it is every man for themselves though isn't it? The repercussions will be huge, for everyone.

The problem is that it's not that much of a choice. It's not about choosing small businesses over big. The increase in prices is coming from big business: energy companies, fuel companies, etc. where there is no alternative. I have to pay an extra £200 a month or whatever to those companies because I can't get energy or petrol anywhere else.

And it's not tone deaf. Everywhere I see people falling over themselves here to point out how fortunate they are when they write threads like this and I think most people are aware that for many people it's going to be a genuinely frightening time. But this is still my life, and I can be a bit sad about the things we will have to stop doing without it meaning I don't appreciate what other people are going through. This isn't the pain Olympics. Someone is always worse off, but that doesn't mean we have to plaster on a smile and pretend we don't care about our own lifestyles changing.