AIBU to wonder how we spent so much doing nothing?

[coulditbeme2323]

We were all exhausted this weekend, and literally didn't move further than 1 mile from our house.

How is it possible to spend so much money going nowhere and doing nothing?

Agree.

Going out for any meal could be counted as functional activity... But brunch out is a treat.

As is having a takeaway.

You went out for brunch and had a takeaway.

Those things are considered special treats to the vast majority.

Goady and braggy.

It is optional.

If you didn't have the money you'd have to move schools, so yes, you're choosing to spend the money, which of course is your choice, but you can't expect people to sympathise that much when you can't always go for a brunch whenever you fancy it or whatever.

You can keep repeating the same thing, it doesn't mean I have to agree with you.

Yeah, op clearly has a very high income household and can afford to spend hundreds without really thinking, and to disregard brunch coffees oug etc as functional rather than a year. Good for them. But it's hard to hear all that dismissed as "nothing" when for many that would be your busy/treaty weekend.

Exactly, we don't consider a takeaway when we have had a busy week a treat.

I get that some people do and that's fine, but I wouldn't consider it a treat personally.

Believe me, I live somewhere very rural, and we know our customers...

Being able to spend £70 on ONE meal is an absolute privilege that most people don't have, so you might want to reconsider your audience.

Food-both supermarket and takeout-is so much more. And if you're in your late 30s/early 40s, like most of my friends, you've grown up expecting it to be a certain percentage of your bills, and it's not any more.

I think if you just see a take away as dinner on a Friday that is fine, I see take away on the weekend as dinner, but you surely must see that you spending money on nice brunches and take away coffee etc as a nice thing to do for yourself therefore a treat,

I mean you have said many times you were exhausted surely getting someone else to make your brunch allowed you to relax with your husband you treated yourselves to food out.

How is that doing nothing?? Swimming club, you stopped at boots/tkmax/butchers/charity shops. You had coffee out twice , brunch out too 🤯

I thought you meant you never left the house for 2 days straight and still spent that online with nothing to show for it

Well of course it's a treat you couldn't be bothered cooking, so you treated yourself to someone else cooking for you

🤷‍♀️

Same here we do nothing still end up spending. This weekend we were stuck in as reliable car has broken down and both got poorly on Sunday. Still spent

the big shop £140 (nowadays more likely to last 4 days than 7)
Saturday took a sandwich to a local park in the older run around car remembered we needed pet supplies as we were next to the shop £60
Sunday no spend only because ill in bed

so I’ve done nothing at all apart from eating sandwich in the car in the park carpark as it was raining and still spent £200 plus fuel costs.

That's a hell of a lot for coffees! 🙄

How is that dull. You seem to have had a lovely weekend going to lots of places enjoying yourself.

On Saturday you brought 2 kids to their swim club and had a £4 coffee, did you do this while chatting to other mums. Then at some stage you went shopping to Boots and the Butchers. No clue why you dudit our base toothpaste and the gems on your Tesco order, especially as you’re all so exhausted. Then the exhausted family of 5 has a takeaway instead of cooking burgers for everybody, or chicken fajitas.

Sunday you and hubby went off for coffee somewhere to entertain yourself, instead of having it at home, then you guys seem to have wandered around picking up a couple of books in a charity shop and buying donuts at some stage. Plus a bakery trip too. Then the pair of you had a full meal brunch.. The library is cheaper btw. As is eating breakfast at home..where were the children? Sounds like you’ve got money to burn and then complain about the cost of everything.

So, OP. If you don't consider a takeaway, brunch out, non essential shopping and coffees as anything special or out of routine, what would you expect to do at the weekend for it to be classed as a special treat?

If you were walking distance from your own house why did you need to buy coffees out?!

I mean for me it would by going out to dinner somewhere nice with my hubby for dinner, spa day etc.

Bills was nice, but a quick chain meal I would consider more functional than a treat.

Because it tastes better.

How is it not? If you're 'exhausted from a busy week' and don't have £70 to spend on takeaway, you make something really simple, like beans on toast or egg and oven chips, meaning that at least £65 of your £70 is the 'treat' in that it's nicer food that's cooked and delivered to you.

Coffees, takeaway and brunch out would be a weekend full of treats from my view! As would buying a fancy sourdough loaf.

you've summed up online shopping nice & succinctly OP!

At least there were no crowds, no queues etc

Honestly people just allow themselves to walk straight into lifestyle creep/affluenza.

DH and I earn loads (like top 2%) and we still consider a takeaway or brunch out a treat. We spend far, far less than you on an ordinary weekend like that.

£45 on burgers & 5 chicken breasts is absolutely extortionate! You are choosing to buy premium/luxury produce. Gail's is also overpriced.

You have talked yourself into a mentality that these things aren't a "treat" well they are. Most people have got poorer relative to cost of living in the last 5 years or so. When we get poorer it means things we used to afford comfortably become treats.

If you spend all that in a day (looking at Saturday) then how can you be surprised that you spent money?

Odd thread.