What do you waste money on?

[Rollerskaterabbit]

This year I'm trying to identify what I waste money on and try and stop it!

For me the biggest wasters are shop bought coffees and pre packaged foods!

I am pretty frugal tight so I don't think I waste much money - I do buy quite expensive coffee to drink at home but that is something I really enjoy and, at the moment, can afford it. That would be the last thing I could give up. I hardly ever buy new clothes (my 'best' outfit is over 20 years old - now back in vintage fashion) and I don't think I have bought new shoes for at least 5 years . I use libraries for books & have found a local charity shop that sells second hand magazines, only a month out of date for 25p each .

Re: hair dressers, I am shocked at the amount people think is 'reasonable' to spend at hair dressers, I always look for 'student' model sessions, last time I went to a men's hairdresser, much cheaper. Fortunately I am not at all vain .

Interesting to read which items different people value or see as waste. I went to a fascinating talk about this where the guy discussed the importance of "framing" in marketing - e.g. Nespresso do this well because they've got people top compare the price of a cup of their coffee with Starbucks, rather than with instant.

My sins are:

• ready meals for my freezer/next days lunch at work - always buy reduced at end of day but they are still much more expensive than batch cooking from scratch and freezing!

• utility bills. I'm sure I could save money by checking price comparison sites and renegotiating or switching like Martin Lewis says to, but I just cannot be arsed to get around to it!

Holla - I am guilty of not checking energy prices, everyone says it is a '5 minute job' but in my experience it takes a huge amount of time and effort.

You are right, what one person sees as an 'essential' - someone else will view as a luxury - that's why Mumsnet is so interesting as we can't ask these questions in RL .

Iwant - tend to agree about the Nespresso coffee - I was given was a birthday gift and actually don't think the coffee is that good. When you try them out before buying you obviously only get a very small sample to drink and when it is ''scaled up' into a normal size mug it doesn't seem so good. Quite a disappointment. I stick to filtered columbian coffee.

I spend £15 per week on parking for work, whereas I could walk (just so I don't sound too lazy, it's a 5 mile round trip, not just round the corner, but it is still perfectly do-able - the problem is that I don't leave in time because who wants to leave early for work?!!).

Also £15 a week on food for work which I could easily cut to a fiver.
We spend £100/week at the supermarket, which going by some MN posts I could cut by 50%, but realistically I think I could get down to £80 without anyone starving. DH and his seemingly 24-hour snacking habit would probably not agree.

That's the real waste. After that, there's stuff that would gradually have to go if we were in financial difficulty but that isn't exactly extravagant - I have a car, DH has a van. I can't drive the van, it's huge, but if push came to shove, the car would have to go. DS has sax lessons at £40 a week, and I have piano lessons at the same cost, though less frequently. Generally, I'll spend about £50 a month, on average, on stuff that I want - sheet music, books, something more random!

I'm not a great one for cashbacks or checking energy suppliers.

Neither of us spends much on clothes or grooming. In fact, I slightly feel we should spend a little more and take a bit more pride in our appearance!

ragwort don't beat yourself up - we just switched energy suppliers and even though our new supplier is cheaper, the red tape was insane... I spent £20+ on 0845 numbers to the old supplier (who kept billing us for 3-4 months even though they didn't supply the property) and it was a huge stress.

Magazines are my worst vice. I also buy a lot of books which I could borrow from the library.

We also eat out a fair amount, but no way near as much as before we had children. Wine was a big expenditure, but we've cut way down recently.

Lotto scratch cards, I won £80 on one last month and it's made me worse. I buy one every time I'm at a till. Other that that I'm quite sensible.

Not much wastage (any more) we have slowly pruned the spending down over the years. Less income overall + 2 children = less spending money. I am guilty of buying in sales marked down things like selected Clarins/Elemis sets so it seems like a lot of ££ up front but means I won't have to buy items full price as the year goes on. DH hardly ever spends to be fair, it is all me.

Wastage used to be kids clothing in sales for next year that I then forgot about and so ended up with duplicates. Books - not a waste at all but certainly fill the house up! Don't buy them at all anymore for adults, we go to the library. I also stopped buying children's books unless specially requested for birthdays etc as we have so many and there is the library. Magazines for me - big waste, almost instant recycling.

We have had to make cut backs, and I don't think I waste money anymore. Used to always be buying packed lunches for work, and ordering books on amazon.

I like naice food, but it doesn't have to be expensive. We had beef shin stew last night for tea, and I'm brilliant at rustling up healthy inexpensive meals. I meal plan.

I don't like cheap chocolate, but I only treat myself to posh chocolate every couple of months.

I love Paperchase, and can never resist their notebooks and diaries, but I only go about twice a year, and do use my purchases.

We do have coffees out, but only about once a fortnight, when we are out doing something, not just because we are passing. Last time it was because we'd taken daughter to the local park, and to see the ducks at the mere. We enjoy this.

I only buy clothes, when I need them.

DH tends to buy treats for DD, but I cannot stop him. I think she has enough stuff!!!

We sometimes eat out, but tends to be with friends, or when out shopping, or birthdays.

I honestly can't think of cut backs. DH has us on best tariffs with electricity etc.

I think we probably need to earn more.

I work part-time and DD goes to a lovely childminder, who she adores. I sometimes pay for her to have a few extra hours at childminder, a week, so I can have a little me time. I could probably cut back on this.

I've cut out most of the "waste" . It is cheaper and better to have a few M&S or Waitrose ready meals in the freezer than resort to takeaways. I don't like over-manicured fingers and I can remove my own hair thank you. I've tried to think twice before buying clothes, and have enough to last ages now. I'm good at ebaying things that were mistakes early on when they are still likely to make a good price ( and I always leave tags on until I wear something)

I do spend a lot of money at the hairdressers, but for me it is worth it.

After marriage separation and unemployed ex situation over the last couple of years, more and more 'waste' and little luxuries have been pared away.
Got rid of not very good cleaner
Changed working hours to cut down on childcare costs
Cycle more, drive less
Even more frugal and careful than before (always been mean and green!) with energy use - careful timing of electricity use to coincide with solar power generation
Cancelled under-used subscriptions to anything
Stopped using the library as I kept getting fines!
I would love to have my hair cut every 2-3 months, but have been holding back on that. I rarely have coffee or cake out (I am usually working) but do like the occasional pub lunch with a friend.

Activities and the associated costs, for very small children, which a really just a chance for mums to get together and pass the time of day ...

I've recently stopped taking my just turned 2 year old to an art class (which was £4 a go). It was a brilliant class, don't get me wrong, but he is so little he would be equally happy messing around at home. By the time I added in the parking costs (£2.20) and coffee and pastry with the mums after (£5) the whole thing was costing getting on for £12 a week, which is over £50 a month! £50 a month for a two year old to chuck a bit of paint about - the Art classes had to STOP.

Cafes at the weekend.

Now there are four of us we can easily spend £30 on two cafe visits at the weekend, which is a staggering £120 a month! The cafes had to STOP, now its flasks of hot choc and homemade flapjack ...

M&S lunches at work.

This should stop and I should take packed lunches. But its only one day a week and it is the highlight of my "office" day! I've got my expenditure down to £3.77 (one bag of salt n vingear corn sticks, one superwholefood salad).

Costa Coffees on the train.

You can blow £3.95 on a coffee and pastry without thinking about it. I dont even LIKE the huge milky lattes that I buy and my waistline certainly doesn't need a chocolate twist pastry of a morning. The Costa Coffees had to STOP!

A glass of wine a night = two bottles of wine a week = £60 a month

The situation here is ongoing.

Heavily meat-based menus

If you eat steak and chips, pork chops, roast chicken etc at every meal, it costs a lot. We have a big roast at the weekends, then the leftovers do for a stir fry. We will then probably have a sausage stew one night and perhaps roast chicken pieces another night. That's four nights with meat and three without.

*Innocent Smoothies for the Kids"

They don't like water. I don't want to give them cartons of juice ...

We eat out as a family every Saturday and sometimes Sunday, but since we can't go out as a couple anymore it is a lot less than we used to spend. Coffees, lunches, DVDs, food shopping, clothes for the children are all things I tend to spend far more than I need to. I don't see it as a waste though, as long as we can afford it I will spend it, there may be a time when I can't.

Heating.

If I could just face the hell that is the loft, chuck out everything and get three feet of insulation put in, that might help.

I kid myself meanwhile that three feet of assorted teddy bears and outgrown clothes goes some way to insulate the house.

I think haircuts are an investment today I spent a great whack on my hair and it is now cut and coloured when DS was little I let it slide but it's worth looking decent.

I don't drink or smoke but I am rather partial to chocolate, vine tomatoes, fresh basil in pots and papayas.

I used to spend loads on skincare and makeup and shampoo but now I never buy anything over a tenner - Space N K be damned!

I'm trying to buy stuff for next winter/xmas birthdays in the sales.

Having nice hair is lovely but i would hesitate to call it an investment.

Trips to the coffee shops- more than doubled since moving into town and there's a Costa at the end of the road!! Must stop!

I noticed that I had a pattern of wasting things I bought second-hand or on steep sale. I would buy things impulsively (especially baby items) because they were such good value rather than because I really wanted or needed them - and then hardly used them.

I find if I buy new and ignore sales, I save money in the end because I choose carefully, get exactly what I want, and really value what I do buy. I end up buying less. So I try to do this now.

(Cars are the exception to this, only second-hand here).

I saw this thread and thought 'Ooh, this could be a useful exercise in assessing my spending habits and maybe cutting back' but when it came down to it, I can't think of much that I waste money on at all.

My hair doesn't grow (I know - weird, but it doesn't) so I just tidy the ends myself occasionally. It is still it's natural brown, so I don't bother colouring it yet. I use fairly basic (Boots) face creams and toiletries.

I don't drink coffee or frequent cafes when out shopping. Occasionally meet friends for lunch I suppose, but friendship is never a waste of money.

We eat out as a family maybe once every month or two on average, so don't think that counts and the food bill is probably average for our size and age of family. I do have a glass of wine with my meal 3 or 4 times a week, but no other alcohol.

The main extravagance (but NOT a waste of money in my view) is my leisure - an aerobics class and an art history class (£10 a week). I also go to a choir, but that is free apart from music and also volunteer at a library (also free).

My car could be called a luxury and therefore a waste of money as I could walk to work everyday (only 30 mins each way), but once a week I need the car for work and I also often do a shop after work, which I couldn't walk to.

definitely coffee shops
and I spend more than strictly necessary on holidays
And meals out/takeways

I don't spend very much on clothes, shoes or handbags though