To ask how much money you have saved since lockdown?

[Cheapprimarkbra]

... Compared to same 12 days of the previous month (23rd - 3rd)? Not including the usual bills, subscriptions/direct debits and mortgage/rent, have you noticed a massive change your outgoings?

I am a self employed freelancer (as is DP) and we both rent, so definitely not an enviable position.
Between 22nd Feb and 3rd March, I just worked out that I alone spent roughly £384 on train tickets, clothes, coffees, online orders, meals out and takeaways. This same 12 days I have spent £78 (just food, essential office supplies and a cheeky lottery ticket), so that means my savings total up to about £306 in TWELVE days! I feel almost ashamed at how easily I would throw money away, and will definitely reflect on this whenever I go to buy something that I don't necessarily need in future.

It will be interesting to hear other peoples' savings stories!

£850 childcare fees
£50 kids extra curricular activities (ballet, swimming, toddler music class)
£120 petrol
£60 haircuts for us all due this month
£100 night away for my birthday

Working from home on our normal wages so we're hoping to make a dent in our debts over the next few months.

Those with good salaries who are living month to month will be worst affected if they’ve been furloughed . Those who perhaps didn’t have a lot to begin with and are still working or are furloughed but have a salary less than 2500 have a better chance of being ok .
Whatever happens it will be a steep learning curve for many .

We have a garden and have been very grateful for that this past fortnight, but I definitely intend to take advantage of the opportunity to go elsewhere once this has ended. And to go out to eat! Because we'll enjoy it but also to help businesses get back on their feet.

Gym fees - £14.99
Cleaner - £37.50
Petrol per week - £20

What I've saved I've more or less spent on food though, bulk buying cat food or meat packs online because I'm struggling to get it in the shops. Christ I paid £20 for a website to deliver me pasta this week.

Petrol cost has gone down massively as I am hardly going out.

Nothing has changed here. We both have to work. DD is home from Uni but she lives at home anyway. I'm only in the office 1/2 the time so marginally less fuel, contemplating cycling as it is only 6 miles or so (never done it before as would entail short stretch of a far too busy A4 in rush hour and then crossing it to turn off)
Marginally more on food but that's because there are no offers, but only been shopping once every 10 days in the supermarket as I use a local corner shop & butchers for majority of fresh stuff anyway. I'd lots in anyway, as I tend to stockpile items I buy lots of eg dog food when on offer - have about 8 bags as they were 1/3 off.

(we aren't social people and don't go out, we take sandwiches never buy coffee out , no cinema, takeaways etc)

I have donated to the foodbank.

Uni age dd is saving a fortune now she is at home as we are now feeding her and covering bills and laundry costs etc.
Her uni is online for next term and there are no accommodation fees for.next term so she will be saving most of her £3.3k maintenance loan next term.

We’ve saved massively on fuel but spent more on food and I’ve developed an online shopping habit through sheer boredom so probably spending more than usual tbh.

2× £10 this month as football is cancelled.
Approx £60 on other fitness type classes.
£60 on kids bus fares to school over the last 2 weeks
No coffees /take aways/cafe visits
Less on petrol although I filled my car yesterday as I am still driving to work some days.

We are spending more on food, water, heating etc though.

Not that much, our food bills have gone up because we are having to use the small local supermarkets and buying what's left really which is usually the expensive things and I've noticed the prices creeping up. I have just changed my energy supplier to get the bills down as we've got the heating on more, cancelled my Amazon Prime. I have been trying to cancel NOW TV sports as they aren't airing sports however, still taking the money for it; they've also disabled the "cancel' function on my account so it is proving difficult to cancel! Someone mentioned fuel which I hadn't thought about so that's also been a saving. Thankfully we have savings that we are living on as we now have no income coming in at all now.

I'm not sure I'm furloughed so earning less. I'm not spending much on petrol so £25 a week saved there . No hair / nails appointments no clothes no eating out etc but spending more on gas/ electric food / drink so I think it will even out .

Those of us who are a bit better off this month - donating to food banks is really important. But also spare a thought for local animal rescues. The majority of their funding is ill come from fundraising events and adoptions all of which have been stopped.

Our local cat rescue is fast running out of food and still incurring vets bills and taking in sick and injured strays.

I have been doing extra hours so we are better off because of that mainly but also:

• no nursery fees (£400)
• no petrol
• no coffees from cafes etc (but did buy a coffee machine...)
• husbands car was written off in feb in the snow so we aren’t paying for that or insurance

We also have a bit more saved than usual as we were going on a big holiday in May but I am conscious we are lucky and things could change so overall we are still buying the same shopping etc really (meal planning is key!!!)

I walk/cycle almost everywhere and I also have an annual bus pass (which I haven't been using so I suppose that counts as money wasted rather than saved!) I hadn't yet paid for DD's athletics or swimming which was starting in February which is a saving. I save about 10 euros a week on not having a cappuccino and croissant on the way to work/coffee after lunch/aperitif with colleagues.

Also I am very lucky that I still get paid but I am partly paid in luncheon vouchers which I don't get unless I clock in so eating at home has cost me more (don't normally pay for lunches out).

Loads for us. DH’s job was an easy move online, so income won’t change. At least 2k saved on cancelled Easter ski holiday for 5. No spending on petrol since we’re not leaving the house. I’m not buying new clothes for any of us because what’s the point? No haircuts or other grooming things obviously. No eating out. Children’s activities are cancelled. No hosting weekend BBQs. Trying to cut down on alcohol as we’re getting less exercise, so that’s another savings. No weekend family outings to the zoo or the pool or anything. What is there to spend money on besides food, house bills, and charity contributions?

At the moment I’m just thinking it’s a good time to build up our emergency fund/kids education fund and pay off debt. 😬 We may also need to help out family members whose jobs aren’t so secure. After that’s done, if there is still surplus then we’ll put it towards a big family holiday in 18 months when this all blows over. 🤷‍♀️

£28 vs £18 in nonessential outgoings. I've saved a tenner.

Not sure really
After school care was already paid for - no one has suggested a refund but I assume there won’t be any next half term - that’s about £200
No canteen food for DS - about £8 per week but food at home will offset that
No activities for DS - horse riding and climbing - £20 PE
No swimming for DS2 - £7 per week
No gym for me - £30 per month
No petrol costs for DP - £50 per week
We made our own lunches anyway so no change there

But choice of food in shops is poor so end up buying premium olive oil, posh fruit as no basics left, oat cakes and gluten free bagels as no basic bread. Have had first fruit and veg delivery from local greengrocer, good quality not sure if as good value as basic cabbages apples etc was mostly getting before.

Sky sports subscription is on hold (£30ish a month); DH has applied for refund of season ticket (around £1100), no going out for meals (we don't go out that often but it was my birthday in March so we would have ordinarily gone out for that so that probably saved somewhere in the region of £80), my train fares (£35 a week).

And petrol, I usually spend around £30 a month but I've not used the car for nearly two weeks so have saved at least £15 so far and it will become more (and we have two cars so have saved petrol in the other one too).

On the debit side - nothing much. £12 a month Zwift subscription is about the only extra.

I managed to persuade DH that it makes more sense to wear a hoodie than have the heating on more.

Oh I forgot - swimming lessons for me and DS on hold too, which is about £80 a month.

"I think there will be lots of positives that come out of this awful situation: people will live more pared-back lifestyles; broader appreciation of the things that really matter in life (rather than possessions); better consideration of their environmental impact on a day-to-day basis; that working from home will become much the norm for many than was previously accepted."

Ha! Once I'm allowed to, I'll be going out and shopping even MORE than before.

The more I read this thread the more I realise what we're actually saving.
Haircuts due for all of us around £100
Dog walker around £50 a month
Gym membership around £60 a month

and gluten free bagels as no basic bread

I don't think i'd ever be that desperate that i'd resort to gluten free bagels and I'm coeliac

Also - we probably won’t get our summer holiday the year, so that’s around £10k we’ll save.

I expect a lot of people to be leading more pared back lifestyles than they did previously, but it won't necessarily be through choice.