Lock down has made me realise I've been wasting money for years. Anyone else?

[sunshineanddaffodils]

As supermarkets have been short of my usual premium versions of food I've bought the cheaper alternative and found they are just as nice/better.
Also recently dyed my own hair and actually prefer the outcome! This obviously saves me loads.
DH and I usually go out to eat one evening every couple of weeks. Instead we're having a nice meal and wine at home so not really missing that at all.
Anyone else?

We’re probably spending about £1500 less per month even allowing for the massive increase in food bill (two DC home from uni). I don’t think it’s made me realise I was wasting money before, more the opposite it’s made me realise how much I miss my old life and how much I’m going to appreciate things if they ever get back to normal.

Yes it’s not going out to meet friends for lunch/coffee at cafes where I seem to be saving particularly. Not buying silly things that I don’t really need either. If I looked on internet shopping sites I would probably spend but I’m not looking lol.

Yes. This resonates with us.
No Take-Aways. No Restaurants. No Hair Salon. No Beauticians. No Nail Bars. We’re “quids in”!

Same,op not buying takeaway coffees every day or snacks on the go. Usually top up petrol every two weeks. Now haven't topped up since early march, no haircut this time round. I paid for a city permit just before this which I am annoyed about as I haven't been able to use it and it has already expired, plus paid up bus pass until june. Not that those could have been planned for but it is about £250 for nothing. Can't think of much else that I have saved on.

Enchantmentz Could you get some money back from your bus pass?

Nope. I'm another one of the ones who have always shopped smart, and now am having to buy stuff I wouldn't normally which is more expensive.

I do t feel like I’m saving money.

Shopping is more expensive as no choice and no bargains.

I’m just saving on petrol, kids school bus and childcare.

I’ve made a concerted effort to cook pretty much everything from scratch for nearly a year, so it isn’t that which is making a difference for me.

I’ve realised that buying bags of lettuce leaves is maybe five times more expensive than buying two two-packs of little gem, romaine type lettuces. They’ve lasted us maybe three weeks. I’d normally buy two bags of lettuce leaves each week. I’ve now bought a packet of seeds!

But the main thing for us that is making a difference is zero waste. I am meal planning like crazy. Nothing is wasted, down to about 50ml of cream in the bottom of the pot.

The compost heap is thanking me too. We’re eating quite a lot of veg, so the peeling are being piled onto the heap, along with shredded cardboard boxes when we’ve had a delivery.

Definitely agree we've never been food planners but we've been forced into the habit we used to think nothing of picking up for a chip shop or a KFC during the week eating out at the weekend picking breckfast up Costa coffee etc truthfully I'm not missing it and we're learning it's not taking much effort.
I've enough money this month left over to pay my car insurance out right rather than dipping into saves.
Really enjoying seeing no spend days on my revolt account too.

Agh @LaurieFairyCake that must be tough. We don’t eat much meat as DD is veggie and Aldi is an absolute delight if you cook from scratch and aren’t bothered about brands.

@MayFayner Same!!! I'm going out for dinner at least once a week after all this has finished 🍷

I pissed some money up against the wall, but by God did I have a good time doing it!

Yes it has made me value the spending we did on theatre and meals out. Worth every penny. You only live once. Crouched at home in front of the tv with supermarket food is no substitute

I'm on maternity leave at the moment, before lockdown going to the high street and to the supermarket was part of my everyday routine and I'd end up spending (and wasting) a fortune.

We are now getting meat delivered from a butchers and veg delivered from a grocers and signed up to the milkman. That all in all is costing under £100 a week, whereas I used to spend £30 a day in Tesco sometimes.

We are living a lot simpler and I don't think we will personally go back to shopping the way we did.

Not having to pay nursery fees for DS1 has been a nice break, even though we got the funded hours as he's over 3 - gives me an idea of what my bank balance will be like once he starts school in October.

We used to get a takeaway 3/4 times a week because it was so easy, we haven't had one since March 16th.

Obviously we aren't going out and about spending a fiver on soft play entry, tenner on drinks and food and then more money in the ice cream shop.

It's the first time since I've been on mat leave that I've had money left over at the end of the month.

My only big expense is my PT. I'm still paying her, we've become friends and I'd hate her to be at a disadvantage but will probably only do so until June when the self employed help kicks in. She's offered to do zoom sessions but being at home with both DS's while DH works from home just won't be a good idea and I'd never be able to concentrate for an hour without interruption.

You're not the only one. Today I realised Lidl chocolate tasted better than Cadburys! Much cheaper too...

Nope. Already don't spend very much.

Cut our own hair.

Don't have takeaways.

Hair dye out of a box.

Don't have coffee out.

Never go to cinema/swimming/anything that costs money.

Never wasted food anyway.

If anything, there are less bargains as food has gone up.

It's made me realise how much more others had/have.

DP has saved £250 in petrol in a month. We’re saving most of it and buying nice meat from the butchers for week nights instead of just weekends.

Been to a supermarket once (dh, not me) in 3 weeks. Admittedly, we’re now running out of basics, but it just makes me realise that actually, we don’t need to go shopping so often and we’re probably wasting a bloody fortune by going once a week. I’ve been scouring the pantry and the freezer and we’re coming up with really nice meals!

My credit card is at £140 compared to £500+ it usually is. I'm only going to the supermarket once a week with a midweek top up for milk and bread only from the village store. DH usually did the main shop so that was on his card. What on earth was I spending money on before?!

I don’t see not spending on pleasure as “saving”. I see it as losing out on lovely experiences.

I'm spending much, much more on food.

Offset by no petrol, etc.

We like 'good' food, but I've always been a careful shopper - e.g. luxury ice cream but only the flavours which are on offer; nice Pizzas but only when on 2 for 1 deal; posh granola on 3 for 2 offer, etc.

Those offers have disappeared completely, my last Ocado shop I saved precisely £1 on special offers and paid £6.99 for delivery which used to be free.

And we are doing a once a week takeaway to support our local Indian, whereas previously would have been once a month.

Not sure we are spending less overall.

I don’t see not spending on pleasure as “saving”. I see it as losing out on lovely experiences.

But at least you can save to do these things again once lockdown is lifted. Those of us who didn't spend the money before, will go back to not spending it afterwards. And missing out on lovely experiences.

I don’t see not spending on pleasure as “saving”. I see it as losing out on lovely experiences.

Some of mine was. Most of it would have been spent on commuting though so I definitely don't feel like I'm losing out on something nice there.

I have realised how much I spend on office clothes! I haven't bought any clothes since the start of March now and I've saved quite a bit, plus the commute and lunch savings of £35-40 a day. We don't go out much anyway so we haven't saved there.

Just seems odd gleefully listing all the things you don’t spend money on. If you can’t afford it that’s that of course but if you can and choose not to spend on pleasurable things at all I think that’s rather sad and not something to pat yourself on the back for.