What‘s gone entirely for you / your family due to COL ?

[WhereIsTheSunshine3]

As well as cutting back on lots of things such as coffees, takeaways, meals out, using washing machine/ oven etc, there are quite a few things I’ve given up totally since cost of living has eroded disposable income :-

• Using tumble dryer
• cancelled Netflix
• monthly direct debit to charities
• giving stuff to charity shops (either keep it or sell it)
• Going to hairdresser (dye at home now)
• Cancelled cat insurance
• cancelled breakdown cover
• car cleans (used to get done every 2-3 months, now do it myself)
• Also thinking of cancelling Amazon prime when the yearly subscription comes up in May

what have you given up completely ?

Buying takeaway lunches / snacks.

Hardly anything, just more careful

Nothing. But apart from going to the hairdresser about once every 6 months, I don't spend money on anything on your list anyway, OP.

Heating. We've turned it on about 3 times this winter.
The oven, now use the hob or airfryer.
Electric kettle

Hairdresser, just can't afford the £90 ish on a cut and colour. Now cut it and colour it myself at home, although the cutting is difficult and I've found somewhere really cheap where I can just have a dry cut for about £15.

Holidays and heinz products!!!

How do you make tea/coffee / hot drinks without a kettle ?

Nothing thank God, this is the first recession ever that hasn't hit us.

Nothing yet, but we are being much more careful with our money. To be fair, we weren't extravagant anyway but are being more conscious of heating use etc.

Sainsburys
Lurpak spreadable
Zoo membership

So not much gone completely tbf, and very much the tip of the iceberg in terms of spend. But then lots of other cutbacks across broader family spend. Clothing, holidays, takeaways, home improvements, heating etc.

Branded beans

i’ve given up salmon, walkers crisps unless on offer, anything Heinz & most nights out

i gave up the above to keep my (cheap because my friend owns a salon) haircuts & my pet insurance.

Honesty nothing yet but that’s because we have always lived very low key.

How have you given up the washing machine?!

Cut back on buying a Starbucks every day at work.
Cancelled Disney+
Cut back on eating out or takeaways
Cancelled Hello Fresh/ Gousto
Switched from super unleaded down to regular e10 (not sure if it's making that much of a difference)

Due to have another review of our finances next month and I suspect DH will cut out the gym memberships, but I'm trying to go more to prove to him I use it lol. He can cancel his lol!

Nothing but I’ve worked more hours

Takeaways
Hairdresser
Heating
Branded food
Alcohol (mostly!)
New clothes
Records for DH
Long car trips
Paid for days out (zoos, museums etc)
Holidays
Any new furniture or garden equipment,
Sky tv
Kids clubs (swimming, gym).
Gym membership.

That's depressing isn't it.
Not much else to trim- we already didn't eat out, didn't really spend on makeup, nails etc, didn't buy many new clothes, and only had a cheap airbnb holiday once a year.

It's horrible- we both work hard and still spend the last week of the month with zero in the bank and eating cheap food to get by.

My hairdressers is closing because people are choosing to colour and style at home. It's a shame, they never made a profit from me anyway but they were terribly convenient.

We've given up the tumble drier and paid carwashes.

We still give old clothes to charity, they're not worth selling privately (e.g. Primark) and somebody else could need them.

Fabric softener, my haircuts and dye, magazines, payday treats (would have been a bit of new makeup or something similar)… whistles clothes, anything branded like that.

Not too much, fortunately, but...

• Dh doesn't buy lunch when he's at work, he takes food from home
• Takeaways, except a very occasional pizza
• haircuts (hasn't been cut since Christmas but I have found a cheaper salon so plan to go in a couple of weeks)

Oh and I've stopped going to my usual hairdresser as I can't afford the £150 for a trim and highlights. I've since booked with the local college.

Cleaner and holidays both gone. Normally would be looking for a short break at Easter but just haven’t managed to save.

Days out, car rides for fun, treats fot LOs. Disney + is coming out this month but split that with my sister.
No idea how I'll survive easter hols.

Saving and home improvements.

Not given up 100% but I can't be arsed to buy new clothes when the quality is usually shite and the prices have skyrocketed. I'm not paying ££££ for a flimsy polyester or acrylic top that'll Iook like a rag after a few washes.
I actually have a lot of clothes already, and have in bygone times bought new ones just for entertainment/ fun/ retail therapy reasons but I'm now realising this is entirely unnecessary and wasteful. So I'm using what I already have this year.