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.

Admittedly I'm not in the uk but this has actually helped us sort our finances out a lot and realise out wastage.

Only one holiday- a budget one in a campervan so we could still be self sufficient and distance from people. Cost saving of approx $9000

Salary- because we are all working from home I could return to work earlier from mat. leave (part time role)

Daycare- govt 100%subsidized daycare for a couple of months when everyone voluntarily pulled kids out and almost caused the system to collapse.

Daycare again- as working from home DS has only just started and is only going 3 days and is home with us for the remainder. Savings of $1800 per month

Kids sport- haven't enrolled in any extra activities because we don't know if they may shut, hadn't seemed safe.

Organized fitness- gyms, clubs, trainers etc were most closed and didn't seem safe so no spend for two adults savings of $160ish per month

No daily travel to work for me, savings of $175/month

No dinners/shows/babysitters- savings of $100-400/month

Haircuts- combined saving of approx $155 every 6-8weeks.

No mooching around in shops and buying unnecessary stuff- savings of approx $100-300/month

Long term we will also be wfh 3days per week and mangers are open to more flexible timings so i hope to swap to 4days instead of five (but same hours) so will get more time with dc and pay less daycare overall.

We have increased our electricity costs at home but will have a certain amount returned under tax return due to wfh. We have moved to a bigger rental to allow us to work from home but the difference is small compared to the savings.

We have added Disney plus and prime but those are small amounts comparatively. We have also purchased more stuff for the kids in terms of crafts/activities to do at home or with us.

Well, 19 pages in, I think at least you should come back and concede YABU to not realise that people might have different spends from you

Am more surprised that (at this point) 31% of people who have voted actually think YANBU to not realise that there might be people who have saved a fortune on the thousands of things listed above.

Of course, there will be people who are a lot worse off, but it isn't hard to see how a lot will be a lot better off.

We used to go on days out every single weekend with the kids so I've saved loads.

Yes we have saved money and will be contributing a % of that to charity, it feels right when we have our jobs and our health.

I was only furloughed for six weeks at the very start, but I wasn't paying for petrol, gym membership, socialising, etc, and wasn't buying expensive food whilst on the road - could always cook something proper.

We are saving loads , dh still on full pay and we aren't doing anything or going anywhere.. ! No petrol , says out , food out .. anything !

It's true that there is a divide. Without doubt some of the wealthier/ those who have been able to work from home, have done very well out of coronavirus as is evidenced here.

@MiaMarshmallows

It's true that there is a divide. Without doubt some of the wealthier/ those who have been able to work from home, have done very well out of coronavirus as is evidenced here.

Not everyone who's able to work from home had an expensive commute before and the increased cost of bills may outweigh it.

Saved a ton of money. £500/month in commuting. £150 saving in fuel. ££ eating out and work lunches etc. Swimming lessons. But the biggie was the nursery being closed for 3 months. We still paid a retainer but essentially saved £1k a month on that. After 5 years of childcare etc , I was always slipping into overdraft , a little. But if Cv debt. Covid has resulted is being out of overdraft completely, paid off most of Cc - Tiny amount left that will be gone next month. And we spent £6k on home improvements. It has been like a financial reset. Lucky have solid jobs that were never in danger.

I feel really mean that I'm rarely putting the heating on more than it was on before! It's on for an hour or 2 about 7am, an hour at lunch time, and then I think from about 4.30-9.30pm. When it was really cold I put it on for an hour extra after lunch. We are obviously using more electricity with both kids on laptops most of the day and cooking food at lunchtime and turning on every light in the house and charging a phone constantly

If you had low outgoings previously on work-related this such as travel and lunches, plus didn’t spend much on leisure and days out and holidays, you simply do t stand to have gained much.

It’s the affluent in white collar jobs who tended to spend big on this stuff before and are now able to save lots.

It’s the affluent in white collar jobs who tended to spend big on this stuff before and are now able to save lots.

Yep.
Also shows how covid has been impacting different socio economic background differently.
The ones who didn’t have a lot to start with and certainly couldn’t spend money like this on non essentials still don’t and don’t save money. They are also often the ones who are still going to work and don’t have any savings on transport....

We’ve finally got some savings for the first time. Amazing.

We don’t have any days out to pay for. School buses or lunches, clubs, activities. Fuel for husbands long commute and visiting his mother, saving a lot here.

Also worth noting that very few people would ever have the amount of money talked about on this thread for nursery fees.

I know this is how much they cost and if you want to work, there is no choice. But it shows how much people on low wages are then limited to how much they can work :(

Covid has highlighted a hell of a lot, including the stark difference in people’s life between those who are (very) confortable financially and those who aren’t...
(MN is certainly not a representation of the population as a whole)

It’s the affluent in white collar jobs who tended to spend big on this stuff before and are now able to save lots.

Pretty confident many absolutely not affluent people I know are saving lots too. No weekly club bashes, lunches etc. It's not just rich people who used to spend outside of the house. There is a lot between affluent and poverty

I have managed to save thousands, never managed to save before.

No childcare fees
No petrol fees

We have noticed food prices increasing and we paid to do a few bits in the house totalling around £2.3k.

Work provided all the equipment I need to do my job.

I'm loving not being skint and actually being able to afford to do things for one. Kids needed new shoes, new clothes, we bought a new dishwasher, I bought a new car.

I hate WFH but its saving us so much money we'll continue for as long as we can

Also worth noting that very few people would ever have the amount of money talked about on this thread for nursery fees

That's just not true. people in all kinds of jobs pay nursery fees, they have no choice. I did when I was low waged. Nurseries are hardly just for the rich!

Im not in the red for the 1st time in yrars...have paid off credit cards etc. No holidays, commute, festivals etc= more disposable income.

Also worth noting that very few people would ever have the amount of money talked about on this thread for nursery fees

Yes, I don't know whether it was my family and friends but when my kids were little, nobody paid this kind of money for childcare. Off the top of my head, out of 15 people I know, nobody used full time childcare. We can't have been the only ones whose family helped reduce the bill?

We never had formalised/paid for childcare, but that was only possible because my parents lived in their hometown, many people move away from there for employment opportunities (which I have done) so it’s swings and roundabouts, unless you have the “holy grail” of healthy, active, involved grandparents who live close to you in a hotbed of economic activity.

No commuting, no trips, no new clothes, no hair appointments, no treatments, make up etc. DH and did a count last night and we can actually afford to clear our mortgage with what we've saved over the past year.

It’s the affluent in white collar jobs who tended to spend big on this stuff before and are now able to save lots.

We are both in white collar jobs but the biggest savings have been from necessities , committing and lunch.

I'm working from home so on full pay, but saving £500 a month on after-school club for two children! Definitely saving the pennies even after more electricity etc

We've saved £400 a month on commuting costs and all the money I used to pay out for my children's afterschool clubs, probably about £50 a month. Also, days out at the weekend have dropped and I've barely used the car, so petrol costs are much lower.

My husband is lucky that he has been given a work from home allowance to cover extra fuel costs.

Overall we are better off, which has been a surprise.

Alcohol and takeaway costs have risen, but not enough to wipe out the other savings.

We are spending significantly less. Not quite so much this time round maybe (cleaners are still coming in, have discovered fine dining deliveries, online yoga classes etc ) but first lockdown I noticed our balance each month was about £1k up.

The biggest item is the train commute for all of us, including kids to school. Not every day, but many days.

Smaller items: Cleaners. Gym membership. Some other activities. Haircuts. Clothes.

Possibly even bigger than commuting is going out expenses: restaurants, theatre, cinema, giving dinner parties, days out, weekends away...

We don't have any significant extra costs. My employer paid for some equipment I needed to work more effectively from home.