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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

What’s one small thing you could give up that would save you a LOT of money long term?!

382 replies

early30smum · 10/08/2025 22:12

Coffees in London are around £4 now. I definitely don’t get one myself every day, but between me and my husband we definitely average out at spending this per day just on coffee. We just worked out, spending £4 a day on coffee every day, is almost £1,500 a year. Just on takeaway coffee. Insane. Over 20 years, that’s just under £30,000…

OP posts:
Daboomboom · 11/08/2025 00:04

Buses when we can walk. £3 each for a 10minute walk. No reason to get the bus, just lazy.

And Im about to start paying £30 a month fir the gym. Something not adding up here.

Dontlletmedownbruce · 11/08/2025 00:05

Chocolate, crisps and other rubbish food that is bad for me. Because I say I don't eat them, I don't keep them in the house (I'd devour all if I bought multinpacks) so I buy them in my nearby shop usually on impulse which is shockingly expensive. Also takeaway coffee. If times get tough that will be the first to go. Also, Dh has a ridiculously expensive golf membership that he uses about 4 times a year.

JaneJeffer · 11/08/2025 00:05

Justaspy · 10/08/2025 22:25

Oxygen

🤣

kleverklogs · 11/08/2025 00:09

chocolate…

BlackeyedSusan · 11/08/2025 00:14

Justaspy · 10/08/2025 22:25

Oxygen

Have you not seen the price of funerals these days?

BusWankers · 11/08/2025 00:18

Dogaredabomb · 10/08/2025 22:27

I gave up smoking a couple of months ago, £20 per day 😬

I remember swearing I would give up when a pack reached a tenner.

Do you notice having more money?

OliviaBonas · 11/08/2025 00:19

InOverMyHead84 · 11/08/2025 00:04

I gave up diet coke. Was knocking back 4-6 a day. I'm saving a huge amount!!

Well done! I think I had about 2 cans a day on average. It was just habit over many years. What do you drink now?

Liketheclappers · 11/08/2025 00:19

I've stopped the takeaway coffee but do have one at uni twice a week as it's subsidised. Packed lunches have saved me a fortune now I'm on student loan as my only income.
I colour my own grey roots in-between hairdresser visits. I do have highlights but it's twice a year rather than every 6 weeks. I dye my own eyebrows which again saves salon prices.
What I won't give up tho is my horse who costs me a small fortune but he's more than just an animal, he's my best pal and therapy after a hard day.

Petitchat · 11/08/2025 00:22

Liketheclappers · 11/08/2025 00:19

I've stopped the takeaway coffee but do have one at uni twice a week as it's subsidised. Packed lunches have saved me a fortune now I'm on student loan as my only income.
I colour my own grey roots in-between hairdresser visits. I do have highlights but it's twice a year rather than every 6 weeks. I dye my own eyebrows which again saves salon prices.
What I won't give up tho is my horse who costs me a small fortune but he's more than just an animal, he's my best pal and therapy after a hard day.

Aww, that's lovely. What's your horses name?

Our downfall is takeaways.
We spend far too much on them but can't seem to stop !!
Just chucking money away 🙁

missrachelsavesmedaily · 11/08/2025 00:46

Cadbury’s mini rolls and mini eggs at Easter 🤣🤣 why is it so expensive now ?? Everytime I hit in to one I think about my mortgage 🤣🤣🤣

ChocolateCinderToffee · 11/08/2025 00:46

Dontlletmedownbruce · 11/08/2025 00:05

Chocolate, crisps and other rubbish food that is bad for me. Because I say I don't eat them, I don't keep them in the house (I'd devour all if I bought multinpacks) so I buy them in my nearby shop usually on impulse which is shockingly expensive. Also takeaway coffee. If times get tough that will be the first to go. Also, Dh has a ridiculously expensive golf membership that he uses about 4 times a year.

This is me. I’m going to work out my monthly expenditure in the village shop and give myself a talking-to.

CosmicEcho · 11/08/2025 01:07

Going out and about. But that’s what I save my money for!

Aur0raAustralis · 11/08/2025 01:13

Limmers14 · 10/08/2025 22:28

Recently gave up a cleaner (£100 a month) and stopped getting my nails done regularly (£45 every 3 weeks).

Money saved from a cleaner is going into parental leave savings - we’re doing IVF, positive manifestation over here.

A small thing I could give up which would save money is probably Pilates? I could do it at home with a free online class and save £80 a month haha

Don't give up Pilates! I hurt my back when pregnant and it was an ongoing issue until I started physio-led Pilates.

The worst time my back went was the first day of my summer holidays. I had four weeks in pain, missed all my beach time, spent Christmas in pain (I'm in Australia so it was Christmas/summer holidays), NYE in pain. It was awful. Look after your back and core!

mamabearlove · 11/08/2025 01:19

Dogaredabomb · 10/08/2025 22:27

I gave up smoking a couple of months ago, £20 per day 😬

I remember swearing I would give up when a pack reached a tenner.

Crikey are you in the UK ?

NC543210 · 11/08/2025 01:21

Vinted
Beauty boxes (but i think they do actually save money, i just appear to be obsessed with them)
Nails once a month £50

I've just bought a ninja coffee machine in the hope that it sorts out my daily kn the way to work starbucks which works out about £100 a month.

mamabearlove · 11/08/2025 01:24

Making my dog eat dog food!! Probably spend about £10 a week on fresh meat for her .

BeanQuisine · 11/08/2025 02:19

Spirits, and I don't mean ghosts. 👻😄

If I'm walking home past the off-licence I'll sometimes justify a bottle of cognac, whisky or gin on the grounds that one bottle of that will be lighter to carry home than a couple bottles of wine.

But it's usually a lot pricier.

BooneyBeautiful · 11/08/2025 02:23

Dogaredabomb · 10/08/2025 22:27

I gave up smoking a couple of months ago, £20 per day 😬

I remember swearing I would give up when a pack reached a tenner.

Well done! I gave up in 2007 before it became against the law to smoke in pubs and restaurants. I like eating out and I most definitely did not want to have to keep going outside for a cigarette.

IridiumSky · 11/08/2025 02:49

Women.

(I’m a bloke.)

Not going to happen. 😀

IridiumSky · 11/08/2025 02:59

YYYDlilah · 10/08/2025 23:01

I have Ebay parcels I've not even opened and ones I bought but forgot about. Same is true of charity shop books and CDs. I have curbed my spending on 'too cheap to not buy it' purchases.

Edited

Yup. Me too.
I can’t resist a bargain, even if I have no need of or desire for the thing.
Recently, two ex-Highways Agency vehicles which I have never driven, now sitting in a field; and last week, forty garden chairs and an X-Ray machine.
I’m not making this up. It’s madness. 😀
So the answer for me, is auctions.

GeeButItsGreatToBeBackHome · 11/08/2025 03:11

Over the last year I have given up:

Saturday newspaper £4pw £208pa
Drinking a glass (or 2) of wine or G&T at home most evenings £624pa approx
Chocolate £1.50pw £78pa
National lottery £48 per 4 weeks £624pa
Omaze £20pm £240pa
Peoples Postcode lottery £12.25pm £147pa
Total saving £1921pa

I'm saving hard for something very important.

It surprised me how much these small things came to when added up over a year. It would cover a holiday or some bills.

I don't really miss them now. They had all become a habit. I particularly missed wine o'clock whilst cooking and with dinner after a hard day. It got easier and I feel better for it. As well as saving money, it meant I lost a bit of weight and my skin, sleep and emotions have improved too.

I'd recommend trying it.

Next stop, stopping breathing! 😂

reversegear · 11/08/2025 03:19

Tallisker · 10/08/2025 23:26

Actually my Land Rover is quite big…

Count you give it up though?? My 90 is a nuisance but not giving up.

Ponderingwindow · 11/08/2025 03:21

The Lego tax.

the bastards clearly are doing market research in my brain though.

Horsie · 11/08/2025 03:49

OP, that's a sobering figure on coffee, isn't it! I wfh, but if I had those coffee-numbers, I'd have bought myself a flask asap! That way, you can have loads of coffee and it will be kept hot for hours.

MsAmerica · 11/08/2025 03:59

early30smum · 10/08/2025 22:12

Coffees in London are around £4 now. I definitely don’t get one myself every day, but between me and my husband we definitely average out at spending this per day just on coffee. We just worked out, spending £4 a day on coffee every day, is almost £1,500 a year. Just on takeaway coffee. Insane. Over 20 years, that’s just under £30,000…

Yes, that's a ton of wasted money. But why is this in AIBU? I'm mystified as to why people shoehorn everything in here. Isn't there a finance forum or a frugality forum?

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