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?

I am finding as no offers on food plus shop around, food is more expensive plus can't always get what I want and avoiding shops due to high risk category.
However saving a fortune on petrol, trips out, Costa coffee's and son's after school clubs plus mindless crap I buy without thinking. Also having to be mindful about food as we can't go out so still saving money there as not throwing things out after over buying or deciding to eat out or ready meal.

This is so my family to!

Never seem to manage my money and now is no different. I should be saving in theory but am spending so much more on food than usual and am down £500 a month because my partner has no work and hence isn’t contributing. I really wanted to use this time to pay off my credit card though, so really need to look into where I am going wrong! Am still on full pay and am not doing anything other than buying food!

Still have to pay school fees altho not going , this really annoys me given lots of nursery’s are not charging atm. Shopping costs have increased as partner and child at home all the time scoffing !!
Apart from the extra curricular activities the outgoing are much the same .. as i a keyworker I don’t feel there are any ‘up sides’ to this whole thing :(

And I forgot to mention my partner not worked since mid March as self employed so I am paying the rent / bills ..

How is everyone eating more? I am massively obese (nothing to be proud of) and find both myself and son(normal size but normally VERY active 7 year old doing sports clubs every night) are eating a lot less as we are less active at home, I am not going out and randomly buying and eating crap and saving a fortune on packed lunch and after school snacks, we are eating probably twice a day and sometimes just a snack instead of a main meal on an evening as can't be bothered/,too drained/ not hungry enough and son not asking for "a pudding or anything for afters " as not needing calories (I have yet to see a difference on scales though... doesn't stop me leaping on in optimism every morning though )

OJZJ - I don't think people are eating more but are having all their meals at home where as they would normally be out Mon. to Fri. Also they are spending more on more expensive food brands as the own brands aren't available. They are spending more on alcohol though as a rule so that adds up.

OJZJ...you don’t leap onto scales, you gently toe by toe step on, hoping that the gentler you are, the less it will register...

@OJZJ easy access to a kitchen full of food. I Don’t eat between meals because I’m in the office and don’t take snacks with me. I’m running around after work taking DCs to clubs.
Now it’s mid morning toast, couple of biscuits for afternoon tea, end of day hot cross bun and on and on.

Plus the DCs are at home all the time so I’ve got more tempting snacks in than I would normally.

Luckily i do get a works pension plus my state so my income hasnt gone down,but im shopping more at M&S because i feel more comfy there than supermarkets and i have to walk into city to get there,its a decent walk.But im not going out,i belong to a dining group so go out socially quite a bit so im saving on that.I paid extra off my credit card and the debit balance off my power bill,so yes im still probably better off.But i live alone i m very social so when normality returns ill still be going out and sitting my friends dog,whom i miss so much,dont want exotic hols anyway,cant afford them,just normal social life and i will buy clothes and have manicure and have a facial again ,anyway my beautician is a friend i need to support her when she starts up again.Ive always dyed my own hair,anyway,so thats not a problem, so glad friends worrying about their roots.lol

DH has put on weight, he is eating stuff like cheese and ham toasties and fruit crumbles which are in the freezer instead of his usual healthy packed lunch, and this seems to be on top of normal meals I am sure a lot of people are going to emerge out of this a bit or a lot heavier though.

The exact opposite is happening here. I usually shop at Lidl and get own brand/cheapest/healthiest stuff and make things from scratch at home like pasta sauce and banana pancakes etc. But with all the shortages I've ended up buying Heinz and ready sauces and pre-made pancakes and everyone much prefers the new stuff and doesn't want to go back.

My food bill has gone up and everything is full of sugar and salt!

Costing us more too as all the cheaper options we usually get are out as we are a family of 7 and shipping for in-laws too really helping. And worst 2 youngest need new shoes or their feet will get ruined if we have to wait another 2-3 months as they’re too small now yet growing children’s shoes are not a necessity. lucky we got some hand me downs from the big one for clothes tho. But shoes is slightly more important as it can cause serious issues for the rest of the life and such guess work buying online and more expensive too.

I've spent a lot more on shopping than normal as a result of shopping local and getting top ups delivered by the corner shop.

I've only driven 100 miles in over 3 weeks (and most of that has been 4 emergency vet visits) so saving a lot there. I'm also not impulse buying, eating out and all of the silly purchases like bottles of water have gone.

I miss the swimming pool and having coffee with friends but nothing else.

Yes, mainly in Costa

We are saving money on kids activities and family day out. Quite an eye opener just how much we actually spend!

Like others our food costs have increased. Mainly because we can't get any of the supermarket own ranges or any of the deals /reduces yellow sticker options we usually buy.

Shopping bill has gone up significantly. Everyone at home all day and no offers. It’s a bit naughty that the supermarkets have also raised prices and are profiteering out of a situation when most people’s incomes have gone down.

I buy everything on offer and stock up on each item when it is on offer. I can’t do this anymore, Tesco limits orders to 80 items a shop and one order per week (I am in the vulnerable category and so can get a delivery) but there is no allowance for how many you are buying for. I have 4 teenage boys and 80 items when individual fruit and yoghurts are all counted as one, you soon reach the 80 limit. I realise they don’t want hording but they can see from my shopping history the usual quantities I buy and they should make an allowance for larger families.

My shopping bill has at least doubled.

Saving an absolute fortune! Doing main shop online, DDIL does the rest. Between buying what I see when out myself, taxi's a few times a week, take aways with friends etc., can't believe how much I waste! Hope I can keep this up afterwards. Also means I have spare cash to help out family who've had money cuts. Play online scrabble with two of my sons and got a lot closer to family. Shame it's all down to something so awful. Lessons to be learned.....

I don’t waste money, so I’m not saving significant amounts by cutting back on Costabucks, buying lunch every day, getting my nails done, drinks after work, deliveoo etc etc because I don’t spend money on those things anyway.

I am, however, spending more on groceries because I would usually go to lots of different supermarkets each week in order to cherry-pick special offers. That isn’t doable or sensible at the moment so I am just going to one supermarket and out of necessity buying many more full-price things and premium brands than I normally would.

My lotions and potions is where I am saving a bit more. I make most of my own anyway and have done for s couple of years. Cheaper and natural which is far better for you.

I have given waxing my face and eyebrows a go at home. I shan't be paying for that to be done again when I can do it myself for a fraction of the price.

Only thing I won't do is my hair. I have long hair in good condition so it not getting its 9 weekly trim isn't going to hurt for a while.

It's my colour which is more difficult cos of the roots. I don't do it myself so using various hairstyles to cover up the rootline.

Google has the answers to the majority of things and the majority of needed things you can buy online as long as it doesnt involve the online supermarket

I'm doing my own facials though not as relaxing as when you do them yourself.

Looks like I'm going to have my holiday money spare too as due to go in June and I cant see that happening

Said exactly the same thing SUNSHINANDDAFFODILS. Been trying own brands and have been pleasantly surprised and am saving money.

@syskywalker If you dc need shoes, then buy them. I’d class them as essentials. Use an online guide to measure your kids feet, and then order online. alternatively, look in supermarkets with clothing ranges.

I’m spending much more on food at home, but obviously eating out less. We haven’t had to compromise on much, but I’ve eaten meat on occasion, where I would normally make something different for myself. I’m finding that food has become something of an obsession for us all, mostly because it’s a known routine which helps us feel an element of normality.

"I don’t waste money, so I’m not saving significant amounts by cutting back on Costabucks, buying lunch every day, getting my nails done, drinks after work, deliveoo etc etc because I don’t spend money on those things anyway."

I don't think going to the pub or cafe with friends is wasting money!

We have saved a bit because there's no need to put fuel in the cars , kids odd school expenses don't exist anymore, can't just pop to shop for random crap , but I wouldn't say we have massively saved anything . I do miss eating out 😭