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 ?

Using towels once. I only wash if they've been used a couple of times

Going through divorce as well here! I've given up frivolous subscriptions - to apps I rarely used. Also the extra Netflix. I now use the family account. Considering also Amazon prime, but it's handy.

Takeaway - has been cut down. I also need to meal plan and cut out top up shops. Also cutting down takeaway coffee.

New clothes - none in ages and I buy second hand and vintage which I prefer.

I won't compromise and cut down on extra curricular classes, or gym and classes for myself. School fees for one DC are being paid for by a close relative.

I plan to look at cheaper, equivalent beauty products, but I won't give up Botox, not yet. It's only a couple of times a year.

I also don't use a hairdresser now. I have very long hair so just snip the ends every few months. I don't colour as I have fair hair so the occasional white strands aren't noticeable.

Im also doing more baking @livingthegoodlife

We've switched from branded items to supermarket own brand for several items in the weekly shop.

Cafetiere coffee rather than takeaway coffees.

Cutting down on washing by washing sheets and towels less frequently. We don't have a tumble dryer.

I'm quite frugal anyway in terms of clothes, make up etc and I don't get my nails done, but I am adding an extra couple of weeks in between hair appointments.

We haven't cut out much, but we have cut back. We still have takeaways, but I'll sometimes cook a gammon or chicken, and get chips from the chip shop to go with it. I take coffee out with me so I'm not persuaded to buy drinks out as often. I think about the cost of driving much more, and try and combine journeys. I use the Libby app at the library for magazines (which is brilliant). We buy soft fruit less often, and use frozen more. I bulk up meals with more veg because it's healthier.

We are relatively high earners, but there's no point in wasting money. We've never spent loads on clothes or bags or make up or cars, so the changes we've made have not been life-changing.

Switched to Surf for laundry as cheaper and incl fabric softener.
We have saved 150pm just meal planning. I do 2 weeks worth of meal plans and alternate them. Add up all the meat and ingredients and do 1 big shop at the start of the month and freeze everything. Then just have to buy milk, bread and veg weekly. Works out so much cheaper.

I also started buying tesco vouchers at the start of the month to cover food and fuel. That way no matter what unexpected expenses pop up, I know the basics are covered.

Nothing but work ridiculous amounts of overtime instead, I am knackered

Netflix and virgin tivo boxes cancelled. Significantly reduced heating and use an airfryer for most foods. Cutting own hair and stopped using hair dye😬takeaways only for very special occasions. Gym membership cancelled. I really can't see me re-introducing anything either.

We've cancelled netflix, luckily Amazon Prime offered me 6 moths free trial right after this so we're using that instead at the moment. We will probably just have one tv subscription at a time now and switch when we've watched everything.

Our car had to be scrapped and we haven't replaced it and are full time bus wankers/walkers now, it's been alright actually.

I've cancelled National Trust Membership and Bristol Zoo and Wild Place. I did not go often anyway.

I still give by direct debit to Cats Protection League and pay to support an African child through school but no longer give to other charities regularly.

I've cut back on my takeaways so only 1 every two or three weeks now.

Our 2 dogs used to go to groomers every 8 weeks now every 10 weeks.

Have not been to hairdresser for months. Bought a home due kit last time which was actually ok. Saved about £75.

Hiya!

We've not cut a huge amount out, but have made a few changes so we can go on holiday during the summer. It seemed a bit silly to struggle to save for the holiday when we could just cut things out that were being under used. We don't want to cut on food as we struggled majorly when we were younger up until maybe the past 7 years, so that's our personal area that we like to spend. Our electric and gas usage is quite high as we need heating on to dry work supplies overnight and the washing machine on sometimes twice a day, but we're happy to do so and just made some cuts elsewhere to accommodate this.

I'm self employed and my partner works for me. We've been lucky enough that if any clients can't afford us anymore, we could replace them straight away as demand is still exceptionally high in our area. If this changes in the future as things get worse and we find it more difficult to get new customers, we will need to reconsider our working hours and increase them, but right now we're lucky enough to only have to work part time and appreciate that having this option is a good position to be in.

I've cut out;

•gym memberships £39
•Amazon Prime £10
•Netflix (we found neither of us were watching TV, we only watch YouTube really!) £10
•Lowered both phone bills slightly, saving £5
•took breakdown insurance off (it's cheaper for us to use a recovery company of someone we know if we do have a problem) £6pm
•re-negotiated one debt payment lower £50pm
•returned one of partners motorbikes that was on finance £110
•Small bits like Lenor Outdoorable, slightly less lunches at the local shop, only buying the Nescafe if it's on deal, no more tins of Heinz shapes.

I always did a lot of other things myself, ie I've always cut my own hair...its bum length, so I just layer and trim it myself and have always dyed at home. I've never had the patience for getting beauty treatments, nails etc. Partner does still pay for haircuts though and he's switched from one barber at £20 to another at £10. I have done it on occasion for him, but it's just easier sometimes him going to a professional. I've always bought cheap makeup, I don't use foundation, just eye makeup and it's all own brand stuff except the mascara. The makeup lasts between 3 and 6 months. I very rarely buy anything like clothes or random bits etc, I would rather put money towards a holiday or experience than have stuff, so I think that's always helped keep costs down.

We go out maybe 6 times a year with friends for food and drinks, but we don't drink outside of those events. We eat out very rarely now as partner had a gastric sleeve and can't eat a full starter, so there's not much point! It's not saved us money on food as such, we just have to buy less but higher quality food, more protein snacks etc.

Cancelled Sky TV, magazine subscription and daily newspaper - other than that we’ve just been careful where we spend our money ie Sainsburys own baked beans and I stick strictly to my shopping list.

I've cancelled my pension contributions for this year. I'll start them up again as soon as possible, but my mortgage fix is coming to an end in October and I have so little wriggle room when my payments rise - going from 1.89% to 5%+ is going to be killer.

Cleaner
Holiday
Subscriptions
New clothes
Having hair dyed at hairdresser - do it myself now

What do you do instead of gym memberships now @30slife

I think I'm projecting as I wouldn't like to do without gym membership and classes. The social side too. Though also making small cutbacks elsewhere.

I've got an extremely active job, so that helps, plus I'm a cyclist and hiker, although I haven't done as much of those recently. But I basically just intend to stick to free activities like that. Unfortunately will be harder to maintain muscle, but I wasn't super toned anyway so as long as I can just maintain some weight loss between natural cardio and work. I had PT too for the past 3 months, so I will miss the social part of that, but that was £140 a month on top of the memberships!

OP do think about car breakdown cover options - I have a Nationwide bank account with a small monthly fee which includes breakdown - really worth it - I've had to use it 3 times this year.

Nothing directly due to cost of living. But our spending has dropped a lot since having our son (now 18 months) because we're not socialising as much. We save more now than we did before the COL crisis.

We’ve always been careful, but one thing I’ve changed is that I now use reloadable gift cards for various supermarkets and shops. I can get them through my work benefits, and it’s a system where I get a % off when buying amounts. So in a 5% off arrangement, and pay £9.50 but can use the card to pay for £10 worth of goods.

You only save a pound here, 50p there - but it really adds up. And you can load the cards instantaneously - so I tot up the shop, add the right amount to the card, and then spend it immediately.

i also look at offers more. I try to combine money off codes with cards on which I get cash back.

No more brow/lash type stuff at the salon. Stopped dying my hair. Have a cheap cut from a mobile hairdresser.

I don’t wear makeup and have no skincare routine so I am trying to own the old hag look.