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

[early30smum]

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…

Not a small thing but my car. I gave up alcohol in 2021 and bought myself an EV as a reward and I do love it but I could manage without it.

I got a cleaner when I started cancer treatment and now not sure I want to give it up!

I have a few small subscriptions that I could cancel but they’re mostly independent businesses, artists and media and I quite like supporting them.

Well done 👏🏽 I cannot fathom how anybody could spend over £500 a month on cigarettes. How many a day does this relate to? I’m shocked

Another horses one here. DH dabbled in racehorses for a time too😬 would be millionaires now if we had never had horses. But I’d rather live in a caravan in a field than give up my horse.

The gym- but I actually use it regularly
The cleaner- but she is excellent and my house looks amazing when she has come

My bi monthly eye extensions - but it saves time and my eyes look lovely

I will not give up any of these things

Books. Even though i mainly buy from charity shops or World of Books it still adds up and i have so many on my tbr now that i will only get through them all on the off-chance i live to be 135 yrs old!

With food I try to make as much from scratch as I can so i have my own little herb garden. Im starting to grow my own veg aswell. We never have any ready meals or jars of sauces. I bought a meat slicer so yesterday's roast has loads of slices left for sandwiches today. We stopped getting takeaways as every time we got one we felt bloated and crap afterwards. I've really focused on putting together new recipes and I enjoy it so much.

Mounjaro- costs me almost 200 per month but the health and confidence benefits are priceless. Plus I can fit back in all my lovely old clothes.

Food delivery- I spend a small fortune using Deliveroo, Uber Eats etc for grocery deliveries. I live in a city centre so have sooo much choice and it's just really convenient as a single Mum with a stressful job. I could easily save a few hundred a month by being more organised and sensible.

TV subscriptions- I have so many! I've just cancelled 3, saving just over 20 per month.

Eyebrows- wax and tint costing about 25 every 6 weeks. But they look great after and I can't recreate it at home, I've tried!

Beauty products and clothes , I do love them

Gousto box, have just worked out that’s £2,400 per year.

Wine

Wine
Vinted
Charity shops

Hair, but I'll never do it.

I've recently checked our budget and contact lenses are over £1 a day. I can't see without them, and DH spends as much on glasses, so not much of a saving to be had.

We're at the end of private education; even after paying university rent, we'll be £1k a month better off.

I'm careful on what I spend on myself, the kids hobbies cost about £3,500 per year though. I don't want to stop any of them.

High end cheese and bread. Loaves from our local independent baker are now £5 or £6, and its almost impossible not to then stop off at the cheese stall. Last week I spent £23 at both, which works out as £1,000 a year...

Children at Uni. One has just graduated and has a job and the other has 2 years left. I will be minted when he finishes!

Had acrylic nails for years. Loved them.

Covid stopped me having them but then went to gel nails when things opened back up.

Hate them. Hate having them done, hate doing them myself, hate paying for them, hate the removal process, hate that they don't last etc.

Tried acrylic again and just decided nails aren't a priority, anymore.

So, in short, nails are done!

Thinking about how to stop doing my hair but I do have to look professional so it's a balance.

Dh gave up diet pepsi, we save around £150 a month!!

I could cut out loads of things, but for one thing I'm on a very good salary and things like having a coffee on the train or a take away add to the little joys of life. For another, I've lost two stone recently and have cut down on everything food and drink related as it is, and still have a few pounds to lose. So while I'm still on that path and am not yet in maintenance, I'm not making any further lifestyle adjustments or cutting things out as it can tip the balance over to feeling like masochism, and may be counter-productive. And when I stop taking mounjaro, I'll be saving the money I spend on it anyway.

Cleaner. But I have a painful physical condition that means the less scrubbing etc I can do, the better.
Hair. £50 a time, and I have short hair so have to have it cut every 6-8 weeks. I’m not even going to work out how much that is over a year; I don’t want to know!
Membership of an art gallery. This is the one I have the weakest argument for keeping, and I know I should give it up, but I love it.

I could probably give up loads of things and save money but they are the things that make like more pleasant so I have no intention of giving them up. I meet a friend for lunch once a week which costs maybe £20. Would be much cheaper to make my own sarnie but not nearly as nice!
Same with a treat coffee.One of my favourite things to do is sit in a coffee shop by myself and read my kindle for an hour. I could do that at home and save a fiver, but it’s not nearly as nice.

Pilates - fortunately I'm in a cheap Everyone Active gym for swimming, gym and other classes I might fancy. There's no substitute for a proper dedicated pilates teacher though - £9 a class,2 and sometimes 3 x a week. Can't see me giving up whilst physically able.

Nothing. No car. No commute (WFH). Rarely spend money to socialise. Don’t eat meat or anything pricey and cook from scratch. Haircuts twice a year. No expensive face creams or beauty treatments, nails etc. No gym membership. Kid lives at home to afford uni.

Still struggling. Rent crucifying. Landlord prob feels they need it to waste money on crap!

Feel lucky, though, and really enjoying life.

With toiletries and beauty products I gathered up everything that wasn't in daily use and put it in a box. Now before I buy anything I check the box, it really helps and I have barely bought anything for years.

I did the same previously with cleaning products and it was alarming how many repeated items I had.

I have a mantra - dare to run out. It focuses the mind and means you're only buying what you genuinely need and genuinely haven't already got tucked away somewhere.

Getting out of debt was a big one for me - after many years, I got free of it 4 years ago. Really liberating! It costs a fortune to be in debt.

My best mate is equally generous with her money and takes people out for dinner (she says v occasionally, its not!) and it is the loveliest feeling to be looked after like that and to be on the receiving end of her generosity.