to cancel my gym and everything else to save money?

[SheelaNeGig]

I'm a bit pissed off. We aren't extravagent. We each go out maybe once a month. I buy clothes in supermarkets and then only when I need them. The DDs don't do much. We get a one week holiday in an aunts caravan once a year plus my week off also once a year (my week is cheap and necessary).

And yet I am utterly skint. Everything seems to have hone up.

So first on my list is cancel the gym and stop buying wine mid week.

How else can I reduce spending?

I earn more but seem to spend more. Bills are equally split. No childcare costs. I think I've got used to being comfortable and not thinking about it.
I could bump up my hours at work but not keen (see above point about being lazy).

£35 is not a lot For a Gym , it's just over a £1 a day, as long as you use it . ( you say you go 3 times a week )
As said ^ up thread it's probably keeping you sane .
Cut out the buying a sandwich and take a packed lunch
Cut out the wine in the week ( difficult , we are doing that too )
Save loose change , or a specified coin ( I save £2 coins ) it's surprising how quickly you get a nice little stash .
Magazine subscriptions ? Can they be stopped .
Aldi and Lidl are an eye opener ! I can't get everything there , but things like biscuits , jam , yoghurt are good there and much cheaper than Tesco .
Meal planning and making lists ( and sticking to it ) are the way forward .

I bought a set of weights and a step from Tesco's for less than £35, and that's what I use [in addition to cycling, swimming]. Running is free, as others have said.
I would suggest you try www.moneysavers.com. There is loads of advice there on setting up a budget, menu planning, saving money on utilities etc.

£2 coins go into my 'holiday to Fiji fund' by the time I am 97 I'll have enough.

Lists are good. I must write a list.

I'd say supermarket clothes are a false economy as they're often not that cheap compared to "good brands" in the sale and are often shoddily made.

How much is a jumper/cardi at tesco? 20 quid? 3 winters ago I bought a designer cashmere jumper for 50 (down from 250) and it's still going strong. I've bought duo boots for 40 in their outlet. Start getting ruthless about buying quality at knock-down prices.

I'm militant about not wasting water or electricity. I got the chimney swept last week and we have a shed full of wood. Not as convenient as whacking up the thermostat, but given the 500 catch-up bill last week, needs must.

Tbh a gym membership can pay for itself in your sanity, childcare (?) And during a "poor" stage before I used to use their showers/hairdryer which meant I barely used the hot water at home.

I have read that it's cheaper to drag your washing to the laundrette to dry, but that's a real pita.

Wtf? I did not put that link to d-uo there... Do what mn are clearly doing - pepper your posts with advertising and get paid for it! ;)

Take a notebook around with you for a week and write down EVERYTHING you buy, it's very revealing!

Meal planning, definitely. Leftovers/home made sandwiches and soups to work for lunches.

When DH was made redundant last year I cancelled gym and started running (again)

Did couch to 5K to start with and kept going.

No telly other than Freeview, v rarely go out (no babysitter ), no fancy food, youth hostel holidays. You are not alone. In two weeks DD will be 1 - no more formula!

Buy and sell a lot on eBay.

Definitely stop the treats. I have found doing my grocery shopping online to be a help. I was forever picking up a top or nail polish, or magazines when I went shopping. It's scary how quickly they add up over the month. Take your own lunch to work.

You can make savings in supermarkets with 2 for 1, BOGOF, buy 2 get 3rd free but only if they are on items that you get through quickly and that you know you will use. Especially good for non perishable foods and toiletries, and essentials like loo roll and laundry detergents.

Personally I'd keep the gym membership, it's important to keep physically active and doing exercise you enjoy is a good thing.

You sound completely bored OP. Don't really know why you've posted. You're not skint if you're saving two pound coins.

Thats helpful LookBehindYou. Thanks.

I have cut costs recently by:
Changing all insurances to the cheapest provider...saved me £50 per month.
Shop at aldi and asda.
Meal plan.
Sell unwanted stuff on e bay
Made 2 Ppi claims for old credit cards...very easy, just one phone call.

Dont cancel your gym membership...sounds like you need an outlet somewhere and if you are using it three times a week it doesnt even work out at £3/visit

Have you stuff you can sell on ebay - you will be surprised what people will buy - one mans trash is another mans treasure and all that.

Like I mentioned up thread. Been 'comfortable' and not noticed until reacently. Just need to cut back generally. Will be looking at billd, insurances etc. And a general tightening of the belts. Things like Lidl and lists are the way to go while I work out where I'm wasting money. The gym looked the obvious one to cull to start with but I do think it is good for me.

If I was to cut back the gym would be the last thing to go!! I figure if I wasnt at the gym I would be down the high street clothes shopping so in the respect I pay £38/month to save money :)

We cancelled gym, mid week wine, Sky, and pretty much everything else. Still cash strapped.

I agree with oohlaalaa. If I wasn't at the gym 3 times a week I would be at home eating anything and everything I could find in the cupboards and the fridge - so it would be a false economy to cancel my gym membership.

Is there a cheaper gym though? DH & I only pay £45pm for both of us and a further £15 for DS.

We cut out the wine mid week a long time ago - and am seriously thinking of cutting it out at weekends too - it has risen in price that much. We cancelled the Sky subsription a few years ago too - got fed up of watching repeats. Mumsnetting is better!

You could take a look at some of the money saving threads on moneysavingexpert.com. They have lots of good advice. They go on about meal planning a lot although you have to be organised for that.
I agree that you need to write everything down before deciding where you want to cut back.
The gym, Sky, Internet and mobile contracts all eat money.