What things have you dropped due to COL?

[Woodstocks]

What food items or other household bits have you stopped buying due to COL?

We used to love garlic bread with pasta, onion bhajis with a curry, nachos with a Chili etc. but have now stopped these side bits as too expensive. What about you- what has fallen by the wayside and do you miss it?

Alcohol.

I haven't actually stopped anything. I just don't have any extra money that I used to have.

We've massively cut down on the amount of meat we buy. Missed it at first but got used to it.

Takeaway coffees. We've gone from daily Costas during the daily commute to swapping to Greggs. Then as the price of that's gone up we've cut from five days a week to one or two and then in January we gave up completely.

Bought a nice filter coffee pot and do that instead. Still feels decadent but a fraction of the price.

No longer getting costas from the petrol station every time we go out in the car or from the local shop as we were spending sometimes up to &50 a week just on that between us.

I gave up tobacco six weeks ago but didn't do that for financial reasons although that's a massive plus and the money I don't spend on coffee and tobacco I now put inside cash plastic wallets in a little cash folder that has sections for car bills birthdays Christmas and any spare cash goes in the safe so I can build my emergency cash stash back up after depleting it on dog vet bill and a massive car bill last year

Nothing. I don't buy alcohol, costas or takeaways anyway. Not because i can't afford it but because i try to eat good quality food and not drink. So i'm still buying good quality food. if the price goes up i'd work more hours to pay for it rather than eat crap food.

I haven't stopped buying any food bits, but I have had to stop going to Pilates. I used to go to a class for people with disabilities and I really miss it but it got too expensive

@Peekaboobo hahahhahaha

Asda Smart price garlic bread is only about 37p and it's really nice. Treat yourself!!

Holidays, going away that kind of thing

I've given up paying my bills.

I used to go out every so often for breakfast at a local cafe by a lovely lake, would cycle and sit outside in the summer. It was a lovely treat. I've also stopped driving to lots of beauty spots I used to go to as I can't justify the petrol now. I feel so sad that these little things have had to be stopped.

I don’t get my nails done anymore (do them myself with a uv lamp from Amazon)
We used to use an ironing service (both work long hours- was a godsend) but can’t justify the expense now
No more takeaways
Soup, poached eggs on toast, beans on toast at least one night a week
Haven’t had a meal out in 6 months.

2 good salaries coming into our household.

Taking the kids out for food. It's a painful way to spend £60+. Much rather spend it on entry to something.

I no longer go to the hairdresser - I cut my own and have grown out all my colour. The prices are crazy where I live.

I am much more careful with food shopping and eat less meat and fish.

I don't buy many new clothes - only in sales or second hand.

I buy most householf stuff second hand - not soft furnishings but lamps, bedside tables etc.

Much of this I did anyway but the first 2 only since COL crisis and the other 2 more than I used to.

Foreign holidays
Alcohol
Gym membership
popping to the shop
won’t renew prime when it’s due

Oh yes and we eat out a lot less and rarely get takeaways - when we do eat out we have found more reasonably priced places.

We identified groceries as the area where we could save the most. I avoid Waitrose and do a weekly Tesco click and collect to avoid spontaneous purchases. I’ve stopped fresh berries and cut down in meat. I pack my lunch. I started paying attention to who has the cheapest petrol. We bought a tent and stopped booking holiday cottages.

I’ve found myself padding meals out with cheap garlic bread and poppodams and a cheap bottle of own brand pop so the kids get the feel of a treat meal without the expense of a takeaway.
lucky enough to live very close to 2 national parks and some other AONB so just go on free days out to beautiful places rather then entry fees to attraction
Got pretty good at dressing kids beautifully from Vinted.
less meat and pretty tight food shops
also started cutting and colouring my own hair.
cost of living has coincided with us buying a bigger house and having a lot of renovations. We are really on our knees financially but hopefully it won’t be forever and will be worth it in the end

We are also planning on wild camping in the summer to get the kids away

Nothing really, we are retired and fairly low maintenance, we go to our favourite pub about once a week, and go to the rugby club every second week for lunch and drinks during the season. But that is about the height of it.

We lived through many recessions on the bones of our arse and once a month we used to get £10 worth of starters from the Indian or Chinese and I would do the main course, never as successfully but it certainly helped.

I don't get my nails done any more of my eyebrows and eyelashes. I used to have them tinted. I also don't have highlights so my hair is its natural colour. My fences blew down a year ago. It doesn't impact anyone else or back onto a neighbours garden but it feels less secure and I don't like it but I have had to just leave them down. I don't buy new clothes.
I do still pay someone to cut the grass though. I do everything else but I just can't bring myself to do that. (Single parent with full time job plus part time business.) it's £12 and he does it once a fortnight in the summer.
I would also like to get the oven professionally cleaned but can't and this is the first year I won't be taking my children on holiday.

No takeaways
Last time we had a meal out was nine months ago.
Never bought takeaway coffee anyway.
Gave up exercise classes.
If we have meat, it has to last for several meals.
Trying to downsize house with no success at all. Disappointing.

I don’t drink alcohol.
Given up 99p Kindle books.
No clothes shopping.

Nothing yet but I probably should 😂