What have you stopped buying?

[Rockthecasbah1]

Just like the title says. What have you stopped buying because it's become too expensive?
I'll go first.

Takeaways
Hair appointments
Lamb

Waitrose full size apples range from 30p each to 68.8p each. Waitrose bananas range from 17.9p each to 32.5p each.

In Waitrose loose bananas are £1.10/kg (approx 20p each) and loose apples are £1.95/kg (approx 36p each).

Bananas are cheaper than apples.

'@DuckOffAWatersBack · Today 11:13
@Startingagainandagain, that's amazing that you handmake beauty and cleaning products! Made a simple cleaning spray years ago but not tried making soap etc. Out of interest do you have a recipe or any online that I could check out? Am getting very itchy skin lately partly due to soaps/bubble baths (but maybe also due to vegetable oils in crisps as they can be inflammatory)'

I started about a few months ago and did a bit of research online first (YouTube videos and vegan/vegetarian blogs/websites) and followed some of the simplest recipes they were giving.

I got some basic ingredients mostly from The https://www.thesoapery.co.uk or just the supermarket:

• Castile soap. I use it as the basis for most of the stuff I made
• shea butter
• essential oils (lavender, rosemary, frankincense)
• sweet almond oil
• coconut oil (supermarket)
• baking soda (supermarket)
• white vinegar (supermarket)
• aloe vera gel
• olive oil (already had that at home)
• honey (already had that at home)
• rose petals (from my garden).

You can make pretty much anything with combining the above in various ways.

The opposite really. I stopped buying processed food as although it's cheap it's really bad for us.

Black bananas become banana muffins in our house. Nothing gets wasted

@StripedPiggy I do wonder who on earth is still buying bloody Heinz and bloody Kellogg's. Sure someone must be because the shops wouldn't stock it otherwise, but I can't get my head around paying so much for really quite unexciting food.

@DuckOffAWatersBack

I’m starting to replace cleaning products with home made eco versions.
Nancy Birtwhistle’s recipes are dynamite!
They’re mostly made with citric acid, percarbonate and bicarbonate of soda and rubbing alcohol.
She also advocates overnight soaking and 20 degree machine washes.

Takeaways
Meals out
Everything is own brand.

Not stopped buying anything, but a few things listed here I have never bought in 40 years, ie joints of meat, takeaways, fabric softener, whole chickens, fizzy drinks...probably other stuff.

But I spend a fortune on cheese, coffee, bottled water, M&S food. Life is too short not to buy the things we like, but there are loads of things we're not fussed about, so we don't buy 'em.
And holidays are sacred - I'd live off gruel, if I had to, in order to still have holidays.

NO MORE:
Holidays - UK or abroad.
Meals in restaurants or takeaways.
New clothes or shoes.
Consumer durables, particularly tech products.
Takeaway coffees (I occasionally treat myself to a coffee ☕️ in a proper cup in a coffee shop).
Shower gels, handwash in pumps etc - use a bar of soap instead.
Buy less meat and fish in general.
Bottles of water or any items in excessive plastic packaging.

All of the above are about saving money and doing my bit to save the planet.

Beef.
Salmon.
Branded cereal went a couple of years ago.

Panty liners . Non winged thin sanitary towels are just as good and a fraction of the price of liners

Why not whole chickens, out of interest?

@BeaRF75
Agreed holidays give you something to look forward to

petrol
unnecessary insurances
window cleaner
trips to cafes
takeaway coffee
sky tv
organic chicken
branded biscuits
pizza hut
nutella
branded toiletries
clothes

Now that I think about it, most things in the supermarket make me think twice. And I get no pleasure at all from “leisure shopping” now. I am fortunate to be able to afford things if I needed to, but I just hate spending at these prices.

Fizzy drinks. Saving £40-50/month at least.

How many fizzy drinks were you buying and why??

Sudocreme. I can afford it but I just can't justify it.

Was looking to book a few nights caravan park holiday over half term but I'm not spending £800 for 3 nights in a caravan.

I see people in supermarkets with their trolley piled high and I wonder what on earth they've got in there.

I buy rice, potato, veg, salad, fruit, eggs, meat, fish, tea, coffee, milk, cheese and nuts.

Condiments when they need replacing and also loo roll, toothpaste, washing powder, shampoo and conditioner.

That's it really.

I think once you get past a certain age, you lose interest in buying more stuff. You’ve probably bought “investments” like good work/hobby/ household equipment, a car that won’t let you down and furniture that’s going to last. You’ve bought enough clothes that suit you and can disregard transient fashion.
At that point you can recognize bad value and quality at the supermarket too. Things like cake mixes, meal kits (and takeaways), overpriced brands and ready grated cheese are a joke to people who have decades of experience cooking for the family.
But it takes time and a certain financial stability IMO.

I used to look on my parents’ motley selection of towels with scorn when I was in my 20s and still setting myself up with matchy-matchy sets. Now I see they were perfectly serviceable, so why buy more?

Takeaways. They are so expensive now and just not worth the money.

My DH tried to persuade me to pay £40 for a couple of artisan type pizzas to be delivered the other day 😂. Madness.

Waitrose loose bananas are indeed £1.10/kg. But they only have massive ones loose, so instead of their online statement of "approx 20p per banana" it is nearly twice than as they don't let you buy half a massive banana if you only want a smaller one The smaller ones are only available in packs of 5-6, which although they look cheaper aren't actually cheaper for us as we would struggle to get through them all before they are past eating. Only so much banana bread we can manage. Our local Tesco, M&S and Lidl do not have loose bananas so again we have to commit to a large pack. Greengrocer has loose bananas, but more expensive than Waitrose.

Waitrose apples are 6 for £1. These are billed as "small" but often aren't. Plus they are nicer varieties and tend to have smaller (often more edible) cores, so often about the same amount of flesh as a massive-looking pink lady with a huge core. Greengrocer has lovely apples - price varies depending on what they have in, but I buy when under 12p an apple. Apples keep well, so I am happy to buy more than I immediately need.

It's not about the headline price shops wave at you. It's only a bargain if you can store it or use it immediately. Fortunately we are not terribly hard up so can stock up when there is a good price. Much harder for those living more hand to mouth who have to buy small quantities at the much higher rate.

Not stopped completely, but massively cut back on takeaways. I moved a little further out of the city centre, deliveroo taxed me a little bit more for delivery, and it incentivized me to get a bit more easy processed food to go with various forms of potato & tinned veg/beans when I've not gotten proper food to eat

Takeaways is the obvious one. We used to get one every payday weekend. As nice as it was, saving £120 each month is nicer. My waistline has also thanked me.

Kindle books, takeaway coffees and takeaway sandwiches. I don't buy meat ad much. I now tend to use meat as a flavouring rather than the centre point of a meal.

I’ve just given Tescos own brand Aperol a go at £7 a bottle rather than the real one for £17. It’s the same - I can’t tell the difference. Will definitely continue that one!