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!

I'm saving quite a lot! For the past couple of weeks:

£60 commuting costs
£120 lunches, coffees etc
£80 massages
£140 pub
£300 meals out
£100 ad hoc trips to the shop
£220 online purchases
£40 gambling
Also normally withdraw £50 cash a week which I haven't been doing.
And I'd have other costs which haven't been in the last couple of weeks like having my hair done £150, sports channel subscriptions £50, so I'm spending about £3k a month less. Food shopping has gone up massively though, so call it about £2.5k to offset extra spending.

I was flown abroad without knowing it was locked down, it was after we left home for the airport. I had to self isolate for 14 days when I got back because I am a carer and I have lost about £750 in pay and Sleep in payments. Not much hope of getting that back.

At this stage, it's starting to get into savings territory. Still spending a fortune on food and some extra things to entertain DD.

But she's not going on Scout camp, hockey camp or sailing camp over the Easter holidays now.
There have been no casual handouts of money, which I have realised is where I had been haemorrhaging it!!
We are not going to visit family over Easter, so no extra wine and treats to bring to them. Or costs of coffee and cake out with other family members while in the vicinity. And no Easter eggs for DNs as we won't see them. (We'll get them a treat again when we do, and I have already sent them all some lego and sweets since this started).

And I haven't bought any new clothes for spring - not that I buy a lot, but I usually pick up a couple of things.

And I haven't spent any money on courses for myself - I had planned a sailing course, a child safeguarding course, and a powerboating course this spring/summer, which are all now on hold.

3k. No childminder, no taxis, no commuting costs, no lunches, no clubs, no taxis, no wine (single parent and don’t drink alone).

If it weren’t for the fact it’s socially awful I’d be pleased.

Loads!

I reckon £300 on eating out/drinks as a family, we normally eat out on a Sunday and go to the local pub for a couple of drinks once a week after an activity we do.

£50 on my nails, £60 on my lash extensions and £20 on waxing.

£60 a month on breakfast after school clubs.

Husband about £20 on pre packed meal deals from supermarket..

I normally would spend £100 a month on clothes...

Probably another hundred each on a night out.

Family gym membership suspended £70, swim lessons cancelled at £30. It's a fortune! No wonder I think we can't afford to move. Very ashamed. Very wasteful.

He is still working as normal, I'm off on full pay, we are very lucky and I might just clear my overdraft with all of these savings.

£900 a month saves, shocking!

Between us it must be £1500 in last month

Not saved as constantly buying food !!!!

Spent more on food, less on petrol, socialised the same amount I normally would out of lockdown so pretty much the same costwise!

Well I put 100 a way last month when we got paid I Also paid 40 mot 70 tyre 20 fixing a tyre then 50 on a school trip had I been working and having everything as usual I wouldn't have been able to save and do that so I effectively saved 280 pound plus 50 quid towards ground rent

I've been furloughed, so I am taking home less at the moment. But there's no travel costs. The only thing we are spending money on is food and bills. We've saved about £500 since lockdown.

About £5k, mostly due to our cancelled Easter holiday.

I’m spending more than I normally would on groceries (Ocado) but am saving elsewhere.

We had to buy a bigger freezer as rural and isolated for 12 weeks to to DH and DS having compromised immun systems. Home resources for the kids, clothes for the eldest who has no hand me downs. Extra sensory toys for disabled child play, laptops, tables, computers all going all day....jeez I could go on!!

None. Spending loads more on food. Dd3 had ufsm do need eating loads and prices seem to have risen. Also lost my income as self employed and earned less in previous years so won't even be on 80%

Saved on petrol, shopping trips, random online purchases and monthly takeaway. Will have used more in heat and electric though as home all day and hate being cold.

Food wise, I think our bill has gone down a little as far cheaper to have lunch at home than canteen costs of high school.

About £30 a week as we aren't having coffee out, lunch out, cinema and only had a take out once. But think my electricity has gone up so pointless saving :/

Broadly on the subject of covid and finances, for those who do have surplus income at the moment, and are looking to shore up their financial position, what are you doing? I feel like we should be saving as much as possible, as nobody knows what the job market will hold now, but it's kind of dispiriting because cash returns are so crap. I was making (fairly modest) mortgage overpayments as we really wanted to be mortgage free earlier.. feels counterintuitive to keep doing this but also to stop! Tactically it's tough to know what's for the best.

I'm putting my savings in a easy access savings account. Crap interest rate, but I may need it to live on if I'm made redundant. I'm furloughed at the moment but if the furlough scheme ends and my employer hasn't recovered I could be out of a job.

Right call for you then imho. We've done the same. Not furloughed, and our jobs should be there for the next few months at least, but after that who knows? We'd just got to the six months living expenses saved stage before this all started and had planned to look more at things like stocks and shares around now... maybe not!