AIBU to not understand how people are saving money during this pandemic?

[squishedblueberry]

I know commuting costs have cut and buying lunch and dinner out etc but we seem to be spending more and more.
I appreciate we are lucky to be able to do this before anyone jumps on me but am baffled as to how people are saying they are so much better off.

Signed up to Disney Plus and Netflix to keep ourselves sane. Spending more on takeaway because eating is one of the few things we can still do that feels like a treat.

I’ve ended up having to buy equipment so I can work from home as has DH. Bought countless entertainment for DS as he’s getting so bored so toys, books, games etc that we can play together, crafts and things. We had to replace the deck as it was unusable and we are spending so much time at home we wanted to make the most of it (didn’t have to I know, but it was dangerous so DS couldn’t go out on it).

We’ve also ended up having to do some jobs to the house because things have finally given up due to us being in it loads.

And that’s before the books and things we’ve ordered for ourselves to try and keep ourselves sane, supplies for hobbies, having to buy more expensive clothes from DS as can’t nip to Primark and pick up vests etc cheaply and he’s growing like a weed.

I know this is all very privileged and we are lucky to be able to afford it but it amazes me when people say they are so much better off. We’ve also lost money on a couple of auks holidays so that adds to it and I’ve lost work so am down on income to what we usually have.

I'm saving even though DP is furloughed. No travel costs, no lunchtime trip to a cafe, no children to entertain, no holidays to pay for. Electricity has gone up, I get more takeaways and I've spent some money on things to do myself such as jigsaws, but overall I'm saving money whereas I used to be in my overdraft every month.

My father has been getting a lot of over time shifts.

I haven't been spending on my travel card, last paid to eat out in August, no gym at £23.99 a month, no coffees (would spend £17-20 a month), no books, no make up, no clothes.

i did spend on christmas and birthdays but they weren't super pricey gifts.

We’re spending less on meals out, we’re having takeaways but these are cheaper and probably once a fortnight rather than weekly. We’re also spending far less on petrol. Less on days out. Less on children’s activities as they’ve been cancelled and less on birthday presents for parties etc. We also had 4 holidays cancelled last year so saved the money we were refunded and obviously spending money was saved. Me and DH are making do with clothes since we’re not going anywhere, obviously the DC are still outgrowing theirs.
We’re spending almost double on food though, have more streaming services and the Amazon delivery guy is here more than ever. I’m being more frivolous on treats too so whilst we’re saving I’m spending more on other areas.

Commuting costs down, party clothes, gifts, meals out, new ‘posh’ clothes for children, meals out, cinema, concerts, ballet classes, gymnastics, football club.

Makes me realise how much I used to spend just on the DC!

We’re putting away perhaps an extra £200 a month. Not a huge increase but we’re putting it towards doing up the garden this summer.

I don't spend LOADS on these things but:

No going out and seeing friends for a bottle of wine
No family meals out
No family days out - except for a walk
Less petrol, because no family days out
Gym membership frozen
Buying far fewer clothes - I didn't buy any new 'smart' winter shoes / boots this year or new work trousers etc. Didn't buy anything to wear at Christmas parties.
Hair - 'nuff said
No impulse shopping
More time to cook (no commuting) so we do more thrifty but fiddly dishes, try new recipes etc during the week. We now make loads of things we used to buy, and it is so much cheaper. e.g Hummus, soup, pita bread, bread, pizza, curry pastes,.
Because I want to go into shops as little as possible we do proper menu planning so don't pick up emergency ready meals etc.

No commuting, no random food/drinks you buy out the house, no wrap around care needed as we can drop off/collect our children and then carry on working. No meals out, no concerts, sports events etc (we literally do nothing!), no randomly shopping in town if I’m there for something else, no holidays or nights out/away.... we are literally spending nothing apart from food and heating.

We didn’t have to pay nursery fees for about five months which was a MASSIVE saving. Less spent on work lunches etc but then our home food bill has gone up. No holidays so saving there. We barely ever went out pre covid (restaurants / cinemas) so not much saving there. We did splash out on a NowTV subscription at £10 a month in addition to Netflix and Amazon. Our electricity bill has gone up hugely

Is there any need for that tone?

I think you may have misread my tone - it is what it is, that's all.

What is wrong with people on here lately?

I can't think of ANYTHING it could possibly be; can you?

My husband is CEV so been shielding as a family since March. Since then no holidays, no days out, no cinema/theatre trips, no eating out, no takeaways, no petrol or travel expenses, no shopping other than food, almost no new clothes or shoes, no activities and no school expenses (trips or extra classes).

What others said really. I used to do a main (£70ish) shop at Sainsbury's and then enough top-up shops to take that past £100/week. A lot of boredom shopping too - I'd gotten into the habit of walking to the local shop with baby DD for just about anything, just to get out each day.

Our food bill is now down to £50/week.

I've started a new job in lockdown and have a van for work. DH had a promotion. DD got her free hours at nursery. No swimming, soft play, cafes (if only!), birthday parties, classes. No nights out. No train/bus travel. DH and I would previously have gone out for a ££££ meal every few months, and needed to pay a sitter - gone. No haircuts. No new clothes.

On the rare occasions we do go anywhere we're all still as partial to treats and coffees as ever, so it's just a matter of availability really.

On the other hand I'm personally subsiding Baker Ross, Amazon and every sticker manufacturer in the Western world, so swings and roundabouts I guess?

Oh god I forgot holidays! Yeah, another few thousand there...

Spending more on takeaway because eating is one of the few things we can still do that feels like a treat.

Maybe those who have saved money are using their time to feed themselves rather than picking up the phone all the time. The pandemic has been a godsend to things like Deliveroo etc.

My childminding clients have saved money since last March by not paying for childcare from the moment first lockdown was announced.

I'm saving money by not spending a large proportion of my wages on food and activities for said children as I was forced to find a new job.

Not commuting, barely using the car - no trips to see any relatives, discount on school fees, children not travelling, no eating out (eating in is cheaper), no shopping, no theatre, no concerts, all of DCs holiday activities were cancelled so no orchestra tours etc, DH not buying coffee/lunch etc whilst at work, only holiday a week in a Pembrokeshire cottage. No life basically......

It is amazing how cheaply you can live if you don't do any of the things you enjoy.

Most of these are my life before the pandemic! 'No holidays, no home improvements, no eating out...'.

Those of you who are happy to pay less than minimum wage, perhaps you are more aware now of how life is for some?

Those of you who are happy to pay less than minimum wage, perhaps you are more aware now of how life is for some?

Who here do you think is paying anyone less than min wage? And for what?

Hardly spending anything on fuel, more time to cook and use up all leftovers so cheaper food costs and no waste, no eating out, the kids activities are not happening so we are saving on those. Holidays and weekends away have been cancelled, no trips to the theatre...........

Have saved a fortune - no holidays (our biggest annual expense), we would normally eat out a couple of times a week, no new work clothes, not changed the car as mileage has hardly increased, no coffees on my way to work.
On the other hand food and drinks shopping has increased significantly and Amazon shopping is getting out of control!

I'm saving on somethings but then using that saved money on other things so yep I'm not saving anything either!! It's just shifted about!

We are saving money by doing the following:
Not spending £75 every 9
Days on commuting fuel for car
Meal planning (for a diet)
No meals out
Less food wasted
Fewer takeaways
No new clothes (fitting into older smaller ones!)
No holidays
Recouped 15 or so hours a week from my normal commute to enable this level of organisation

@Rhiannon13

Most of these are my life before the pandemic! 'No holidays, no home improvements, no eating out...'.

Those of you who are happy to pay less than minimum wage, perhaps you are more aware now of how life is for some?

well the only person I pay for is my cleaner. I pay her £18.50 per hour and she has been furloughed (and we continued to pay) since March.

her hourly rate is alot higher than mine.

They’re saving by not spending money on weekly take- aways and whatever else you mentioned. You kind of already answered your own question right there...

I think the big variable is commuting costs. It can be anything from zero if you walk to work, to ten grand a year for some rail season tickets.

I agree the OP answered her own question...

For us we save £200 x2 on commuting costs each month, plus lunches and coffees, plus popping into Boots for make up, plus work clothes, etc.

Our supermarket shop has gone up and we've spent a bit more than before on TV subscriptions and Amazon craft kids for the kids, but the increase is much less than we have saved by not going into the office.

*multivac
We're spending quite a lot less than we used to.

Because Mr Multivac hasn't been able to earn any money for 12 months.

Funny what you can do when you have no fucking choice, eh?
Is there any need for that tone? What is wrong with people on here lately?*

I don't see anything wrong with this poster's tone. She's simply telling OP her reality.

On any other day on MN, posters would be piling on to the OP to tell her how tone deaf she is to post about the luxuries she's buying through lockdown. She'd have been berated for not being sensitive to those who are unable to save or splurge due to the impact covid has had on their families economic health.

What is wrong with people on here lately indeed.