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.

Saving money on fuel due to no trips out. Already had a house full of toys! Only had to feed ourselves at Christmas so our Christmas food bill was less than half of what it normally is.
Not paying for gym membership/kids extracurriculars/new school uniform when they grow! Saved a fortune on school shoes 😂.
Haven't subscribed to extra entertainment (we already had Netflix).
Only one takeaway a month (ish).
Meal planning better because we only get one chance to food shop each week. So if we don't have it in we wait until next week which in turn means not popping to tesco for one thing and somehow spend £35.
We already had really decent outdoor gear so we're just using what we had. I appreciate some people might have needed walking boots or proper waterproofs now that going for walks is such a big event 😂.
Doing less laundry as we aren't leaving the house so I'm making the kids re wear stuff that I'd normally wash straight away.
We were due to have some big building work done which now hasn't happened so we're earning some interest on the money that is just sitting waiting.

Lots of little things really.
Oh and DH is working overtime as he's in a job that has got busier as the pandemic has gone on.

I had 8 holidays cancelled last year so saved a fortune there.

All children’s clubs have stopped fees £120 a month there.
My gym memberships is on hold that’s £140 a month.

We also usually go out to dinner at least once a week as well as have big days out each weekend. So saved a lot there.

Dog hasn’t been kennels as much so that’s another £26 a day saved.

But saying I have saved a lot, my online shopping has got a tad out of control

Fewer takeaways and no eating out or pub drinks has helped a lot.

Our decking is still slippy. Our walls still need painting. Our kids have outgrown toys and mainly use phones/minecraft

DH saved £500pm during first lockdown not having to put diesel in his car. Also wasn't spending on Starbucks/Costa. No more grabbing lunch in between jobs. Cheaper to eat at home.

I saved £1000 not using petrol, Afterschool club, no quick trips to b&m or Home Bargains for one or 2 things and coming out with bagfuls of stuff. We also spent out on books, jigsaws and crafts.

We used to eat out on a monthly basis and takeaways once a week. That stopped. We cooked from scratch more.

Not paying gym membership outweighed what I spent out on extra running gear and trainers as I took to running outside more.

I know we're one of the lucky ones though in that we've both still got jobs and I've worked through the whole time.

Oh and holidays. The stuff we had booked and paid for last year has been transferred to this year (whether or not they'll go ahead is another matter!) so we haven't had to pay for this year's holiday which we would have been doing about now.

DH is working full time but from home, so that's £60 a month bus pass. He's pretty much eating the same food except he's not going past any shops to buy stuff.
DS is home so I'm feeding him all day but I'm not doing school run so no lunches on the go - Subway, Starbucks etc.
No unnecessary shopping trips so no trips to Poundland etc where DS would pick a toy and I'd buy crafts etc.
House full of toys already but DS had birthday May and Xmas for new toys and books, twins had birthday and Christmas together for new stuff, DH and I already own books / stuff to do at night and again had Birthdays and Xmas.

It's cost up money for skips as we've had a clear out but I'd Def spent less because we don't go anywhere

No nursery fees for 3 months when they were closed. Then DS went onto the funded 30 hours from sept so that reduced things massively.
Reduced fuel costs for me as WFH. 1 tank of fuel now lasts me 3x as long. I am also fitting in more overtime than usual as I don't have to factor in commuting time to my weekday/weekend. Previously when I worked overtime at weekend I would need to finish 60mins before DH's shift started to ensure I got home in time to take over with DS. Now I work until he's about to leave the house.
DH works in a supermarket so his hours have increased a lot/works overtime.

It’s not really hard to understand OP. You see the things you’ve spent money on? Imagine other people didn’t spend that money and there you go- now you can see how they’ve saved money.

[quote squishedblueberry]@EspressoExpresso I get that, and as I said repeatedly I know some of these things are choices but after a year you look for things to try to keep you sane. Play areas and baby groups never reopened here so making use of the garden made sense. On our daily walks (!) we see so many people having woke done on their houses so I know it’s not uncommon at the moment.
Single friends with no children say they are spending more as well on activities etc to do at home.[/quote]
There are plenty of people, as shown by previous posters, who saved or are saving a lot on childcare, travel, gym and club memberships etc.

All those people you see having work done on their houses may have had it planned for a while, saved and are taking advantage of getting it done whilst they work from home.

If you hadn't have had all your outlay (yes, your choice), you'd probably have savings too.

We've saved money. Covid has been incredibly positive for my job role and I've had a significant promotion and pay increase. We've not had to buy endless activities and entertainment for DC, that was more than covered by birthdays and Christmas. We keep trips out to a minimum so I meal plan more, which means I shop more specifically, which saves money. I'm working from home (no commute or parking fees), with equipment provided by my employer.

I wonder if your neighbours are wondering how the Blueberries are affording to have their garden revamped, work on their house and endless amazon parcels delivered to the door

We are spending more on food for sure, heating on all the time in the day, replacing laptops immediately as needed for home school, teens still buy clothes as their 'fun' thing, Netflix/Prime, plants/bulbs, the odd book, takeaways once a week. Counselling costs the same as online, same with tutoring. Nothing really saved! We had no childcare costs though and commuting was taking the bus twice a week.

Mainly commuting costs (over £400 a month for the two of us) as well as not going out for meals or other activities inc cinemas, historical site visits, theatres etc. We also haven't had a holiday in a year where as usually we'd go on about three a year costing a few grand per time so that's £10k saved.

However, our food bill has gone up as we used to eat at one of our families at least a couple times a week and we've spent a small fortune on board games and video games to keep us entertained.

We also just bought a house so has been an expensive year overall.

I havnt saved more but I've spent more than I could have eg got fence finished in garden. Booked holiday for next year etc.
I think like most things it varies massivly.
I still go into the office one or two days a wke and dp is self employed and has been hit hard, so our family income has dropped.

No petrol costs (saving around £100 per month)
No pub trips or eating out (saving about £100 per week)
No weekends away or holidays
Work have provided all IT equipment for working from home and I've changed my tax code to get the relief for increased costs (about £6 per week I think)
No kids so no increased costs there.
I already have Sky box sets plus sports and I haven't increased my subscription as I'm still working full-time and have done a lot of work in the garden while confined to the house.

We got netflix at the beginning of the first lockdown (£6/month) and I'm spending more on food/groceries.
I'm furloughed at the moment so saving on commuting but obviously earning less.i think I still am saving though as no before or after school club, no school meals, DS sports is not on, less spending on fuel as were not going anywhere,(apart from supermarket) DD does dance classes but they're about 1/3 of normal cost on zoom.
I think weve had 3 takeaways since last march so not spending on that.

No after school club, no holidays, no days out, no shopping apart from supermarkets.

No hair cuts, no getting my nails or waxing done. I still commute a short distance to work but petrol costs have gone down hugely too.

£65 p.w. - minimum saving on commuting.
£12 p.w. - saving on coffees out.
£45 p.w. - saving on eating out at weekend.
£5 p.w. - saving on 'bought' lunches compared to home-prepared.

It doesn't cost us £127 p.w. extra in heating costs.

Company provide any equipment to enable wfh.
No growing kids needing new clothes.
Holiday in the UK which went ahead.
Same amount of takeaways as before.

Income not changed but we aren't paying for most activities (football, rugby, swimming, cubs). No cinema. No days out or buying extra things when we go to the shops. No holidays. No lunches or coffees or breakfasts out.

Our electricity and gas have gone up. And food bill increased.

Overall, there is more money left at the end of the month. I really appreciate it because we need to build up more savings as we were pretty low after a few years of replacing boiler/washing machine/oven/car.

Oh and our favourite takeaway shut down a few weeks ago so that cost has gone too.

Also I dont spend on beauty but people that regularly go to a salon for hair, nails, waxing, etc must have saved a fortune.

I'm saving a lot of money at the moment because I can't go anywhere or do anything. Saving it all up to go on a really nice holiday when we're allowed to.

Saving money here

No holiday / weekends away / meeting friends at zoos or other places
No eating out, which for us was probably too frequent pre lockdown
No commute
Not really buying much clothes - only when needed
Getting books from the library C&C (although before I figured this out amazon was my friend)
Fewer takeaways as we are trying to be
We cut back on Sky sports
Depending on the timing - reduction in childcare

Biggest increases are

Getting flowers weekly vs every other week
Heating

No commuting alone saves us over 6K a year!!

Not doing anything to the house because all the kids are here and there are 2 people here working on calls all day do the noise wouldn’t work.

No expensive days out to theme parks or visitor attractions. No weekend away. Not as much petrol being used to visit family in other counties. No kids clubs on which saves £300 a month!!
I’m not sure how people are not saving! (Unless they haven’t been able to work obvs)

I’m saving £1000 pcm!
No comuting costs
Less wear and tear on car
No new work clothes/perfume etc
No buying birthday/leaving work gifts
No Christmas parties
No days out with kids
No new school uniform/shoes
No spontaneous spending because no wandering around shops
No coffees in cafes/meals out
No family birthday parties
No hairdressing
No new make up
Time to do diy rather than hiring someone
No nights out drinking/taxis
No parking costs
Less shampoo etc as showering less frequently
Less washing powder/electric on washing as clothes being worn for more days
Less spent on food as time to bake and cook from scratch so fewer ready meals
No lunches out
No extra school costs
Kids not using mobiles as much out and about so lower bills/less data use as home using WiFi
Less petrol on driving away from home/visiting people/days out
No nights away in hotels/mini breaks
No kids activities costs
Time to go to shops at times of the day where they are lots of reduced items

I thought this was going to be by an OP who'd lost income or a job, in which case I'd have been more sympathetic - but this OP is just spending a lot more money, on a lot of things that aren't even 100% necessary, so... it's fairly straightforward why you're not saving money?

I don't know why you're baffled as not every other family would (or even can) make the decision to spend money on those things. Already had Netflix and don't feel the need to add a second subscription. Being in the flat more hasn't caused it to fall apart in any way so no renovations needed or wanted. Spending way less on food despite the occasional fancy takeaway because shopping is more organised and (deep sigh) no restaurants. Any extra things we've bought for entertainment cost minimal amounts compared to the tickets to gigs, shows etc we'd normally buy. How much more equipment do you need to WFH? Even in our small flat we had enough desks and just had to buy one office chair.

No commuting - saving around £200 a month in fuel.
No eating out / trips / events / holidays to pay for - saving around £100-£200 a month
No gym membership to pay - saving £40 a month
No smart clothes / outfits to buy for events saving around £50 a month
WFH equipment supplied by company, including wireless kit to stop me being tied to my desk
Allowance of £30 a month added to salary to account for increased household bills due to
WFH

Adding all that up I’m “up” around £550 each month, and even taking into account the extra things I’m buying like takeaways or comfy clothes or entertainment or random purchases “just because” I’m still able to put away more than before. I will be putting the money saved into a new bathroom or doing up the bedroom, but still see that as money saved as I wouldn’t have been able to do it as quickly before. So as PPs have said it all depends on your circumstances!

So I’m up around £500 a month, plus

I should say there was a very fine line for me between saving and losing money - we saved in countless ways but also lost a lot of income, directly related to covid. Luckily a big contract came through that means I'm now earning more, but if it hadn't things would be a lot tighter.