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.

No commuting
No new clothes for ages
No eating out (was big expense for us)
No holiday
No trips out (cinema/play/swimming etc)
No nights out

But spending more on utilities and groceries.

DH and I have no children, and he's still working his normal hours. I'm saving due to working from home. No bus fares - €100 per month, no buying lunches or coffees. I haven't bought any clothes as we're not going anywhere. Shopping only once a week so no dropping into the shop for bits every day.
We'd each have our own spending money, but I don't use mine these days, apart from to buy a few toys for the dog or something. I saved a few thousand so far. DH is spending his on stuff he's needed for a while but wasn't able to afford.

No cafe coffees, lunches or dinners out. No random visits to shops, no cinema trips, exhibitions theatre tickets, galleries, no day trips on the train. More money spent on Prime Video, on books, but on balance I've saved.

I don’t get your point, OP.

It sounds like you’ve saved money on daily expenses associated with your work, but have spent more on luxuries.

It’s like saying “lockdown made me realize I needed more space so I moved from my small flat to a 4 bed detached house on an acre, therefore I’m £500,000 down due to Covid”.

No days out, less fuel for car, no eating out, we've not had takeaways either, no paying for groups, haven't bought too many new clothes as making do with what we have with shops being shut, making our own entertainment in garden etc rather than buying loads of stuff to keep us entertained. We've definitely learnt how to entertain ourselves more without the need to buy things we don't need. Cooking together and making our own meals rather than eating out. We've definitely gained more of a self sustainable and make do and mend sort of mentality from it all.

I have an expensive commute so that’s definitely the saving for me, but am still surprised by how readily money runs away!

You can't be seriously asking why you're not saving money. It's because you've spent it. Jesus Christ.

We are saving money due to no commute, most kids activities paused, no theatre, cinema, bowling, swimming, soft play etc. Also had refunds for several school trips that have been cancelled ☹️ and didn't have our planned holiday last summer.

Baffled? Really? I mean, you're doing what you feel you have to to get you and your family through. No judgement on that. But you've said yourself, a lot of your extra expenditure was a choice, or something that was probably in the pipeline anyway. I just don't get how you can be baffled that others haven't made those choices, or gone with cheaper alternatives.

In a normal year, our car usually does about 15k miles. We haven't even got to 1k yet since last March. We normally go to Spain to see DH's mum twice a year, now haven't been for 18 months. We've eaten less take out this year because a lot of the time it was because we were out at work, and DH likes cooking and he's not working at the moment (SEISS) so has time. DH loves going to the pub with his mates, so he's spending more on house beer, but probably less overall. Heck, no just wandering around town on lunch break and buying random things. Essentially, leaving the house used to cost money, and we're now doing that a lot less. Even balanced up against the loss of income (about 20% down) all the books and jigsaws we've bought, and the fact we're using more gas and electric, we're still on balance probably better off now.

We've saved a lot by not having days out which we normally spent quite a bit on. There has been no commuting for dh or work related travel so no paying for lunches out and petrol. We have swapped to Aldi as we couldn't get a slot for online delivery at sainsburys and it was a less busy shop so saving money there.
We haven't been buying anything for ds really as he has so many toys and books he doesn't need anything else although I have agreed to get him a trampoline for when it's warmer. We have takeaways every couple of weeks but this is the same as before the lockdown.
We have however moved house during lockdown but our bills are about the same we are spending a bit on decorating but that is coming out of equity from our house sale at the moment.
I've not been shopping for anything for myself in months as I hate online shopping so saved money there as well.
I appreciate that dh can work from home and his wages are not affected. I've put my online business on hold while I home school ds so I'm not making any money which I know I'm lucky enough to be able to do.

Less petrol money as don't have to be in work as much.
No eating out or takeaways as more time to cook.
No buying clothes or make-up as nowhere to wear them.
No holidays (saved £1000s on that one).

It’s going to vary person to person.

I’ve had to reduce my days at work as we were relying on my parents for childcare and my mum is clinically vulnerable. My DH was also on 80% furlough for six months so lost a fifth of his income. So our incomes were quite reduced for months.
Our outgoings have reduced a bit for all the reasons others have stated- no holidays, days out, kids clubs, meals out, I’ve not bought or needed new clothes for myself for a year as no evenings out or trips. We had Netflix anyway and have stopped takeaways.

We're spending a bit more on food as I have treated us to a regular delivery of organic fruit and veg and we have had to buy a few tecchie things to adapt to working at home. Apart from that though: no new clothes, no travel, no entertaining, no eating out, no concerts or visits anywhere and dry February!

I don't know how much Disney is but Netflix costs £5.99 a month.

Takeaway looks like a big avoidable expense for you, but I don't understand the love of takeaways tbh. It's like paying for 3x the calories!

No expensive commute into the city
No expensive parking in the city centre (25 a week straight off)
no buying lunches out, no meals out at night
no coffees while out and about (boy do they add up)
not having to replace work clothes
Not having to pay for extra curricular activities.
Meal planning to make things easier and so everyone knows what's happening and can take over if needed means shopping is more controlled and consequently cheaper
Only doing the 1 online shop a week, no midweek top ups because we fancy something different

We haven't had to buy any technology as we already had it.

We've had work done and still have increased savings however we acknowledge that we are lucky that our work hasn't been affected by the pandemic, if anything slightly busier and we were in a lucky position already because we had all the technology (and spare) plus lots of other means of entertainment, already had things like netflix

In my case the amount of money we've saved has been directly proportionate to the amount of money I was wasting before lockdown Not that I'd have described it like that at the time...

No takeaway coffee habit.
No being too lazy to pack lunch and buying it instead.
No sneaking the odd cigarette outside while at work.
No popping to the pub with DH while MIL was visiting and happy to babysit (or with a friend after work).
No on-impulse trips out at weekends that turn into lunching out or ending up somewhere that has a gift shop.
No going to the shops as an excuse to get out of the house on my own for a bit and ending up buying things I don't need (or pester power while out with the family).
One pair of new shoes in the last year - walking boots.
No tights.
Living in fairly utilitarian clothes, not dresses and matching accessories.
No bus or train fares.
Very little petrol use as no day trips or nipping back and forth to visit family.
One hobby that used to mean a full family day out several times a year cancelled for the foreseeable.

We are extraordinarily lucky though - I haven't lost my job or been furoughed with reduced wages, and we were already used/adapted to budgeting on one income.

I’m saving £250 a month on commuting and partner saving £400. As a result less wear and tear on cars - no new tyres, service less often and less going wrong.
At school I was having a school dinner for lunch each day which was costing £15 a week (I’m a teacher) but at the moment I’m having sandwiches/tins of soup.
My exercise membership are currently frozen so that’s £80 a month. I am not paying and extra for other entertainment as I’m going for longer walks and runs rather than finding something else to do.
I haven’t bought a desk or anything I just sit on my bed or the kitchen table.

All the money I’ve saved I have used to pay off a couple of credit cards and a loan. So I now have less monthly outgoings from them and am now better off for all the money above and £300 a month in debt payments.

I haven't saved on transport as I cycled to work. Or internet or netflix, as I already had those. And I am spending more on heating, electricity and supermarket shopping. I'm not saving on take-aways - I didn't get them before and don't get them now, so no change there.

But am saving loads on not eating out in restaurants, going to the cinema, theaters, concerts. I've bought very few clothes, no make-up. I have been colouring my own hair. No shopping trips, with coffee or lunch out. No holidays - and was lucky to be refunded for the holidays I had booked last year.
Trying to think of what I HAVE spent more on, aside from living essentials. I treated myself to a Liberty Advent calendar, which I wouldn't have done otherwise. I knit and have bought far more yarn than I can use, partly to support the little local shops that are struggling.
But I am certainly saving a lot more than I am spending.
I'm utterly sick of it and can't wait to book a holiday, go to the theater and have lovely meals out.

@Mrgrinch

You can't be seriously asking why you're not saving money. It's because you've spent it. Jesus Christ.

OP have you tried claiming the work things back from work?

Commuting
Childcare
Hobbies
Holidays
Parties
hairdresser
Anything out (meals, cinema...)

I am wondering how we actually spend any money at all

We are saving a fortune. No commute costs, barely fill the car up more than once every 3 months these days. No eating out / days out. We’ve redecorated, got some garden equipment, bought whatever we liked and are still quids in. It’s amazing.

Op

Just pause for a minute

Do you really not understand his people are making savings?
Or do you think that we are all in situations identical to you?

For me the money is definitely being saved by not eating/drinking out.
I was also spending around £50 a week on petrol but haven't actually used my car in weeks now. Well only to nip to the shops, not a proper drive.

Savings:
Commute for two adults and one child (other child commuted by free bus). Saving at least 3K
Overseas villa holiday 5K replaced by 1K UK cottage holiday
Restaurant meals/ Cinema/ theatre/ gallery trips. Saving probably at least 1K
Dry cleaning bills, tights, shoe reheeling, maybe one hundred quid
Pret sandwiches for two adults most days. Saving over home lunches probably over 1K.
Haircuts - DD and I have had one since March 2020, when normally that would be about 8 each. The chaps have had none. Saving maybe 500 quid.
No cleaner - she quit because it was incompatible with her other job as a carer for the elderly. Saving around 1.5K

Costs:
New screen for home working - 125 quid
Heating, lights and kettle, on all day every day. Haven’t costed but several hundred at least
3 extra pints of milk a week for tea and coffee.
Weekends of Hotel/Air BnB stays to visit relatives instead of them coming to stay with us. Five hundred including meals out.
Endless snacks and treats for the teens - I shudder to think.
Home entertainment was more or less free - we had Netflix already and we’ve got free 6 month trials of BritBox and Apple TV. I did spend 80 quid on a copy of Nintendo Ring Fit.

Mental health and educational costs to DC and recently bereaved lone elderly family members: unpriceable.

Saved a lot of money. Enough to put away for next house deposit. A few thousand but that's huge to me.

Fuel is next to nothing.
No school dinners.
Only paying for brownies and guides no other kids activities.
No days out anywhere.
No holiday abroad that 2k is in an account waiting for it to be possible again.
No meals out or nights out.
No browsing and spending all the time.
In fact less shopping altogether as I'm not working in town.
I've spent loads on the got much nicer kids clothes in Morrisons though!
No school discos or trips.