Has anybody become less frugal with money as they have gotten older?

orangegato · 07/05/2026 11:22

Yes, due to being busy and not being arsed to do things the long way. I’ve gone for convenience and thinking fuck it I work hard I can have a nice dishwasher I don’t have to have the most basic model just because.

Finding balance is good. I’ll take a butty and a flask on a day out and have an expensive car because that’s what brings me joy.

lunar1 · 07/05/2026 11:26

Absolutely, I still save, but if me and DH lost our jobs tomorrow we could pay the bills as they stand for about 5 years without cutting back. So now I go on the holidays, or see the show etc.

im also planning to pay my children’s uni fees which I didn’t think I’d be able to do. We are lucky and have good savings should the need for care arise. But I’m going to make sure my sons start adult like debt free, the government isn’t having that!

Meadowfinch · 07/05/2026 11:27

I've just finished paying school fees and my mortgage will end shortly. The relief is immense. After maintaining an iron grip on all spending for the last 7 years, I added a bar of Tesco dark chocolate to last week's trolley of food. 😁

So related to outgoings rather than age but yes, I am old and look forward to being frivolous.

KojaksLollipop · 07/05/2026 11:32

I’m the opposite. I was awful with money, in one hand out the other. Now I’m older (59), I can’t be bothered with that anymore, I have everything I need for the house, I have more clothes than I’ll ever need. I eat less and more plainly. Life feels so much more peaceful.

I still spend, I’m just not bothered about material things anymore… unless it’s a motorbike or motorbike parts and accessories or trips out, lol

Original poster

coulditbeme2323 · 07/05/2026 11:32

Agree there needs to be a balance, but life is short isn't it.

OP posts:

NellieJean · 07/05/2026 11:35

Absolutely. We are lucky to be able afford to shortcut some of life’s hassles and inconveniences and as others have said life is too short and getting shorter.

Dellarobia · 07/05/2026 11:40

DH and I are in our 50s and we have more disposable income now than we did in the past. I don't think I've changed my spending / saving behaviour, but DH definitely has. His mindset is that he could be considering early retirement (his dad retired at age 57), and the fact that he isn't means that he deserves to have nice things. In other words, the most expensive thing for our finances would be if he stopped working (he earns a lot more than me), so if he doesn't do that he can sort of justify other expenditure.

Turnitoffnonagain · 07/05/2026 11:41

I have. At 63 im thinking more and more often, "why not have the better/more expensive thing, stop penny pinching" There's more pleasure in having it, and I'm worth it. Bearing in mind I don't even mean really indulgent stuff. I'm quite balanced.

KarmenPQZ · 07/05/2026 11:43

Absolutely. Partly because I think the way I was living wasn’t sustainable partly because I have more money than I did when I was younger. And partly because I have less time to research things to buy cheaper or less interest in a flight with a long stopover to save £50 etc etc

BIossomtoes · 07/05/2026 11:44

Yes. We’re conscious of running out of time now and following my dad’s mantra “Do it while you can”.

FoxandDuck · 07/05/2026 11:46

Yes and no. I’ve always been a saver in anticipation of a rainy day but, as I approach 50 and various friends and acquaintances have died or been diagnosed with life changing or limiting illnesses, I’ve realised that there needs to be a balance between enjoying things while I can and having a buffer to fall back on. So I got a bit more care free. The COL is having an impact on that attitude though, both because I don’t have as much spare cash in the first place and because the way I flinch when I get to the till detracts from the joy!

UncannyToad · 07/05/2026 11:49

Kind of - I've always been more of a spender. But my dad was hugely frugal all his life, saving for his retirement, planning to buy the ubiquitous red sports car etc. Sadly, he died suddenly a few months before his retirement age. Now I am even more of the mindset of you can't take it with you, enjoy it while you can.

Original poster

coulditbeme2323 · 07/05/2026 11:50

UncannyToad · 07/05/2026 11:49

Kind of - I've always been more of a spender. But my dad was hugely frugal all his life, saving for his retirement, planning to buy the ubiquitous red sports car etc. Sadly, he died suddenly a few months before his retirement age. Now I am even more of the mindset of you can't take it with you, enjoy it while you can.

I am sorry to hear that. x

OP posts:

childoftkty · 07/05/2026 11:51

I have. I am still careful but I don’t skimp on my (Aldi) shop, I take flights which suit me rather than the cheapest one, I fly premium instead of economy for anything further than New York or even then sometimes.

My main spend is on health as I won’t wait on NHS waiting lists. I pay £3000 a year for top private healthcare, had my kids autism and ADHD diagnosis done and dusted within a couple of months from deciding they were needed and I pay for a mammogram, ultrasound and gynae check annually.

Gardenquestion22 · 07/05/2026 11:54

Yep, I'm in my late 50s so retirement at some point. When I was young I was happy to share a room on holiday with a friend, or take the long way to get somewhere, or carry a rucksack or get inconvenient public transport to an airport.

Just booked a holiday with friends, booked luggage transfer, I'm paying extra for my own room, and we are getting a taxi to the airport.

I've got a bit of money now and am happy to pay a bit extra to make things a bit nicer and easier.

secretrocker · 07/05/2026 11:56

Yes. DH and I have always been careful savers.
Now we are more comfortable and definitely spend more than we used to e.g. eat at a cafe on a day out rather than take sandwiches, nothing too extravagant.
DH is driving this primarily, he says we have lots of money tucked away and might die before we can enjoy it.

Ohwhatfuckeryitistoride · 07/05/2026 11:58

Covid was the game changer for us. We paid off mortgage, werent running the car, I was furloughed, dh wasnt. After a few weeks I checked and for the first time ever we had no overdraft. Cautiously, we realised we could treat ourselves to things without being skint. We do lead a smallish life, but we go for coffees regularly, we buy what we want, we have holidays. Retired now but still ok to kick up our heels. Feel like this is what we worked for.

PopstarPoppy · 07/05/2026 12:14

Yes, for the simple reason that I can afford to now. For a long time I had to be really careful with money, tracking everything I spent. Now I can afford not to, I don’t do that, and I do splurge on occasion. You can’t take it with you, as they say!

Mt563 · 07/05/2026 12:16

Yes. I'm well setup now (low mortgage, emergency fund, solid and growing pension plus other savings, established career, know what makes me happy) and earn well. So I've relaxed the reigns and it's great. I enjoyed being frugal, it gave me great foundations. Now, I'm enjoying the results of that hard work and sacrifice.

MarieTheresevonWerdenberg · 07/05/2026 12:22

Absolutely. Cannot take it with me and all that…

Still buy a lot of clothes in charity shops, but that’s because I hate looking for what I want in department stores - I get overwhelmed - and I prefer to find haphazard quality pieces while I’m in the mood for browsing.

But I now fly premium or business and get better seats at the theatre. I’m getting rid of a very expensive armchair that’s only 12 years old because I got bored with it - and the new one may well ‘see me out’, as the saying goes…

Purplewarrior · 07/05/2026 12:50

No! I am the opposite, and probably in the minority.

I could cry when I think of all the money I wasted on tat for the kids and myself in the past.

As I have grown older I have become far more sensible about spending and prioritise it on savings and holidays.