what did you used to buy that you now realise is a waste of money?

[overdrawn]

I’m trying to sort out a credit card debt and reduce my spending so wanted to ask what are things you used to spend money on that you’ve realised aren’t worth it?

For some reason, I used to buy the expensive Brabantia bin bags (I have no idea why!) and a few months ago realised it was a complete waste of money and now buy regular black bin bags.

I also bought a home gel nails kit and do my own manicures / pedicures (I did lots of research and bought a good brand, and follow all the advice) They look just as good (if not better) than what I was getting in an average salon and the cost per manicure is much less.

McDonald's uses Miele washers and they get hammered - 15+ loads a day of often really gross and greasy cloths and mops. And the washers cope very well!

Coffee pods. The machine started to leak water all over my worktops so I chucked it out and bought a one-cup plunger thingy from Tesco for six quid and just buy their own-brand filter coffee for three quid a bag, or even Lyons from Home Bargains for 79p. Damn all difference really, as long as it's strong.

ours was seriously i'll with a gastric infection and the bill was well over £2000. just not worth the risk of no insurance

Christmas cards. Hardly sent any for years now and receive very few, thank goodness.

I now only send one to my mother as I don't usually see her on Christmas Day. Nobody else, although we used to send a lot as DH has a large extended family. He was surprised at my decision to stop the chore of writing and sending to all of his family and insisted that he would do it instead. He never has, so they don't get done and I couldn't give a shit.

Christmas cards will die out I'd imagine with the price of stamps - a quid each for second class?

I would argue that Farrow and Ball paint is worth the money. I’ve done up a few properties and decorators love it. Charlie Bigham’s are also with it in IMO, for 9 quid it’s a nice dinner for two with no faff, no wandering round the supermarket buying different things.

But agree with fabric softener, branded cleaning and laundry stuff. Can’t imagine why you’d buy branded bin liners??

Again, if you’re hair is coloured, I think expensive shampoo and conditioner makes a real difference. I only use Living Proof and Kerastace and can see the benefits.

Buying lunch and coffees when I was office based
Beauty treatments like facials and getting waxed.
Horses and all that goes with them.
Expensive handbags
Electrolysis - i got a home laser

My decorator prefers it, he doesn't charge more because he quotes before he knows what paint I'm going to buy.

Hard disagree on the PP with toothpaste.

Mine is £10 and the difference is noticeable already. In every way.

DH and the kids get big standard Colgate, I get the £10 one.

@Trixiefirecracker , I have kitchen paper but a roll lasts me years. I use rags or newspaper for spills etc. Newspaper is good because it can go in the compost bin but KP can't. Rags are made from old clothes beyond being fit for recycling but kitchen towels and tea towels are cloth ones that get washed and reused.
I never make chips but maybe you could still use KP for that.

@Ceci03 i use Mylee! I watched a lot of videos and the first few sets took ages! But I’m much faster now. If you do your own just make sure not to get polish on skin as you might develop an allergy (I run around my cuticles with a brush before curing!) I really enjoy doing them now and often get compliments on them so I think they’re just as good as what I was paying for in an average salon! (I’m not taking about doing anything super fancy like extensions etc!)

I disagree with the 'cheap shoes' thing.

I walk with a limp that causes the shoe to drag and it distroys shoes really fast. I would keep all these beautiful but distroyed expensive shoes I bought until my wardrobe over flowed. I just threw out hundreds and hundred of pounds in unsalavable fancy shoes/boots away.

Switching to cheapy primark shoes that suprisingly last well (6 months - 1 year dispite being dragged along) that cost less than £10, do the job fine and can be ditched without any attachment or guilt over wasted money is a world of difference.

I would say if you use monthly disposable products like tampon then try switching to Period Pants. Cheaper overall, better for the enviroment, easier, more comfortable and honestly they don't leak like people worry they might.

Why do you find it depressing?! I think it’s useful in a COL crisis to think about things we don’t need that we might spend money on without thinking about 🤷‍♀️ I’m finding it really interesting!

Brow lamination £50 a pop
I bought a kit and it’s amazing! I paid about £43 pounds and there are 6 applications !! I even do my own brow shape and tint now as well ! ( my daughter now gets me to do her brow shape and tint and complained I’m too good at it 🤣🤣) like why u so good at that as well as hair !!
im a hairdresser so do my own colour currently growing out a Bob so no need for cut atm !

I agree. I also always tell the vet the dog is not insured before we get to price...

I cut and colour my own hair, saving about £600 per year. No one noticed the difference. If your hair is all one length and not above shoulder level, you can use one of these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354966866456?chn=ps&var=624249576366&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1HHZHjKQ3S6mBaxkYJsmCAQ89&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=624249576366_354966866456&targetid=1647205089240&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1006565&poi=&campaignid=17206177401&mkgroupid=136851690655&rlsatarget=pla-1647205089240&abcId=9300866&merchantid=137733551&gclid=CjwKCAjwo9unBhBTEiwAipC11whits2ZPRHgG8rLWzNLZdckL4ieZQTzC99zESS_IUfin36kWKJCkxoCRW8QAvD_BwE

I also gave up perfume and expensive make-up. I like face serums, but you can get some really good ones on Amazon at a fraction of the cost of the big names.

For 10 years after refitting our kitchen, I bought Amtico floor cleaner. No more. It's Flash from now on.

Out of interest, what would you do if faced with a £10k + vet bill for necessary surgery etc?

Expensive foundation , now I buy serum foundation from Avon and have had many compliments, even my niece who has always bought Mac or Bobbi brown is buying g Avon and loves it

Eating out for convenience is the biggest one. We avoid eating out for lunches when in the office or on a daytrip where the food on sale is going to be pre-packaged sandwiches/reheated food and instead pack our own which has been made exactly how we like it. Same with food for journeys like short haul flights. It saves so much money as lunch for 4 in many of these places is about £30; saved hundreds from daytrips in the summer holidays alone. And rarely buy take away coffees as we have our own wonderful machine

We do eat out for enjoyment at restaurants

Now we're on Dog3, it's the first time we've had any serious vet bills, but if we were to insure now so much would be excluded that insurance would be pointless, so I agree that I always have the conversation about that before price is discussed. The premiums for a nearly 10yo bitch are eye-watering (about £800-1k pa). Also rather than subject her to barrages of radical treatment, I would probably PTS. Realistically, the breed rarely go past 11 or 12.

And I get around not having third-party and accident cover by being a member of Dog's Trust, which is £12.50pa for seniors, and £25 for anyone else. HTH someone.

Magazines, once I realised that were about 75% advertisements.

Amazon prime - so that cuts down on ordering random crap now too as the p&p is megabucks

@overdrawn Faced with a £10k vet bill, I would almost certainly put to sleep. But I live in the country. Most people that I know would too, and most vets would agree, but then we wouldn't use a vet who is part of a big veterinary conglomerate run by a private equity firm.

I used to be terrible for buying bags, I still have a real thing about them and almost get palpitations when I go into TKMax, we have a big one and they arrange the bags by colour and it calls me like a siren song. Anyway, I had a massive clear out which hopefully benefited the local branch of the PDSA. I cleared out masses of clothes too, shoes, jewellery, house bits, books, DVDs. I used to go shopping when I was feeling really down and would definitely get a seratonin hit from buying stuff, followed by a crash when I got it home and it didn't make me happy. I try hard to address any negative feelings by doing enjoyable things rather than getting more "stuff" which is only a short term fix.