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

Tablets are 39p for 16.

Dose is just half a tablet so now each ailment costs pennies rather than pounds.

Takeaways - can’t actually remember the last time we had one. Find the M&S boxes for two just as good and about a third of the price.

takeaway coffee - someone in my office was spending £400 a month on them - what a waste. I just don’t bother

same with sandwiches - make my own

and we never go to the pub now (to be fair that’s cos we have young kids). Same with eating out - we can mostly cook better at home and don’t have to worry about taxis or babysitters

I also find it doesn’t work with Crunchy Nut!

Yes magazines are crazy money so am trying to cut back. Clothes re wear stuff. Cinema we do bargain thursdays as cheaper. Aldi and Lidl are pricey now.

What’s on offer dictates my shopping now. I don’t go with a list.

I cut my own hair and no longer dye it. Buy my clothes second hand. Buy my shoes second hand.

Readly (the app). If you share it, it’s amazing value

Sainsbury's stuff.
Shop at Lidl now and fruit and veg shop (quality of fruit is sooo much better).
When I go into Sainsbury's for the odd thing I get a million of those offer tickets!

Oh and Now Tv has been cancelled. Couldn't stand the adverts if I didn't have the Boost thing.

I know - it was £7 quid when I looked! I don't like any other oil though 😩

I have coffee out less and buy far fewer clothes but actually because I can’t bear having things in the house that aren’t needed.
Ive not had to buy olive oil for ages bu after reading all the posts here i am now dreading running out!!

Bananas prices are one of the things they track on GOV.uk and one of the measures of RPI.
They are probably a lot cheaper than they should be!

www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/banana-prices

I've turned 40, given up on dating and now WFH permanently. So I've been able to cut right down on hairdressing! 6-weekly highlights is now a one a year dry cut! And I no longer bother with botox either.

Other things I no longer bother with:

• takeaways - salty, overpriced boxes of disappointment
• eating out - was never a priority anyway
• clothes - 99% of the time I just wear jumpers, t shirts, leggings, tracksuit bottoms and PJs. I have plenty and will only replace as they get stained/torn/worn out.
• I used to have a monthly massage. I now keep it to a treat when on annual leave.
• lottery
• online dating subscriptions
• magazines
• scented candles/diffusers etc etc
• branded toiletries.
• expensive skincare. My skin looks no different just using CeraVe.
• TV licence
• taxis. Rude drivers, takes ages and overpriced. I begrudge the money so make alternative arrangements.
• contributing to collections at work. (Except occasionally)

I won't be replacing the car when it dies. Just can't justify the initial outlay or the running costs. I live in a city which has made driving a car de facto illegal. And frankly I'm a homebird anyway.

The only thing I WON'T scrimp on is vet care and special food for my elderly cat. (Long past the point of insurance being economical). And threading. I won't have a hairy face no matter what!

Organic food
Olive oil

Holiday cottages. We’ve taken up camping.

How is it that 6 years ago we could afford flights, a villa with a pool and a rental car in France? The airtent at Yelloh! Feels like extravagance now.

Olive oil

Branded ketchup and wheat biscuits

Hair appointments. It’s nearly £200 where I live to get a half head of highlights and cut with the least experienced hairdresser. Now I only go once a year.

Lamb

Thought of another one….if we do have a rare takeaway, we don’t get the steamed rice for £4. We do a microwave supermarket packet one for 65p.

I bought some fabric reusable ones on Amazon.

I only use fabric conditioner for wool items. Not for standard laundry.

I have also entirely given up on finding sandals and accepted my feet only suit boots and trainers.

• I've reduced my charity donations - I gave 10% at one point though so I don't feel bad
• health supplements - most are a scam anyway

That's just horrendous! I stopped buying it when it went to £1.70. Tomato was the only one I liked anyway.

Supermarket have stopped stocking as many own brands of soup I've found and what they do stock, most have meat.
Guess it's back to making your own.

If you are a member of a library, you can access magazines for free using the Libby app.

We do the same with uncooked loose rice. Been doing it since the early 1980s so nothing new for us.

Haircuts.

Technically it was lockdown that stopped me getting them...and prompted me to learn how to cut my own hair. Lots of YouTube tutorials and I was surprised at just how easy it is to get a good result yourself.

Since everything opened back up I just can't bring myself to start paying £35 every couple of months when I can do it perfectly well myself.

I know what you mean. 2018/9 seems like a lifetime ago now.

Prices generally seem arpund 50%-75% more expensive than 5 years ago. I bet there's very very people on here who's wages have gone up anywhere near that.

Could you see if there is a mobile hairdresser in your area ? I pay a quarter of that for full colour, cut and finish .