What did you used to waste money on in the past and now find incredible?

[Fortunefavours1]

I'm trying to cut out unnecessary spending (have cut down massively already) and would really appreciate some inspiration.

My question is, are there things that you used to buy in the past that you wouldn't dream of now? In fact, things that now horrify you when you think of how much you spent over the years?

Mine are:

clothes, shoes

perfumes

crap from eBay cos it was so easy to PayPal and buy

Serving bowls (goodness knows why)

kid's toys

Toiletries. I could go on but will stop there.

What's yours?

Oh yes books too for me and the dc. I still buy books but I buy them second hand on ebay rather than brand new from bookshops.

Magazines, spray tan, hugely expensive ready made salads and other meal deals, wine

Coffee and food at work for me too. Easily £15 a day plus - especially if I had breakfast out. I can’t believe I used to buy a croissant and a flat white several times a week. Lunch at itsu or somewhere and another coffee on the way home! Crazy from a financial and fatness POV.

Owning Horses

Biggest waste of cash ever

Waking Money pits

Coffee/food when out
Vegetables from supermarket
Flowers
Brand new books
Clothes
Car payments as a teenager when DH would drive me everywhere anyway!

Keeping our heating on (low) all day even when we were out all day working.

So do you not buy those things at all now op? Or do you just mean you've cut down?

Food 😭
Kids toys as well, such a waste wish I could take it back
Baby clothes - nice new ones abs way too many
Cigarettes

Newspapers and magazines. Drinking in pubs. When I smoked that cost a lot. When I was married we bought expensive wine, now only cheap wine if I have some. (This sounds like I'm unhealthy!)

Holidays. £1000s for a for a few days in the sun. Bonkers (now my circumstance has reduced significantly). Wish I’d bought a comfy sofa instead

Also nails as brought my own gel kit
Having my eyebrows done as again got the kit to dye at home
Meal deals at work
Cut back on fancy toiletries

Fake nails
Fake tan
Diesel jeans
French connection jumpers
I loved a brand name argh!!! The waste!

I wasted so much money in my youth.

Taxis, meals/coffes/drinks out, and private rent.

My financial ignorance stuns me looking back and I wish I had been more educated. I teach mine all the time now.

Magazines.

Clothes - why I needed so much clothing I'll never know. I also got into buying lots of cheaper clothing whereas now I'd rather spend £100 on one really good pair of jeans

Alcohol- going out in general, I felt the need to be joining in and going out every friday and Saturday when i was younger, even at the time I couldnt wait to get a pizza and go home after 10pm but I still did it. Such a waste

Horses
Horsebox
Horse tack
Horse rugs
Horse trainer
Horse competitions
Horse chiropractor
Horse dentist
Horse masseuse
Horse Willy washer

Cigarettes
Magazines
Daily takeaway coffee.

I buy very little now. If I need something I write it down in my diary & try and wait 30 days. If I still want it I buy it.

I've been using YNAB for a few months. It's really fantastic. There is a fee but it's more than paid for itself. I am ending the year debt free after paying off my credit card today, and already have provisions towards many of my big bills coming up in the next six months. As well as money put aside for a holiday. I just never used my money this way before - it's fantastic

Magazines and books; now use the library and 99p deals on kindle or charity shops

Early adoption of tech gadgets. Now I wait and see what's going to work then save up and buy second hand.

Weed.

I was not sensible in my 20s

High end cosmetics.

Don't wear make up at all now and despair at how much I wasted.

Taxis - everywhere - even fir journeys that would take less than 20 minutes on foot. And I never even gave public transport a second thought.

I was incredibly spoiled and lazy and I often lament on all that wasted money when I think how much I could have saved.

@NoProblem123

'Horse willy washer' I snorted out loud at that.

I used to spent 10 quid a time on cream I put on my arse to make it burn, in the name of getting rid of cellulite. I should have just spent £2 on a tube of deep heat and accepted my arse in all its orange peel glory.

Gambling and drugs. Shot sure if this is supposed to be light hearted but isn’t for me and just wouldn’t want to calculate the figure considering how big is. Makes me sick

Coffee, nails every fortnight, hair every 6 weeks, and a new outfit everytime I went out!

I used to casually drop anywhere between £100-£250 per month on ASOS back in 2007-8. I was well paid and had minimal outgoings. Its funny because it was just crap clothes and it baffles me when I think about it now!

Definitely don't do that anymore 😄😄