What are you no longer doing or buying?

[Whattosay81]

Because of COL?
I’m opting for more park trips rather than days out over the summer hols.

Nicky Elite is better in my opinion, besides being half the price.

I've swapped to Aldi but there's a couple of things I refuse to give up and I would eat toast for every meal before I did

Persil bio washing powder (I've found a place that does a huge box pretty cheap and it's only me using it)
Heinz snap pot beans (Amazon do the best deals and I only eat them once a week)
My peloton membership

I don't drink anyway, I've stopped buying brands and 99% of my shop is from Aldi

Often some of these products are made by the same manufacturer to the same specification, just different packaging.
Just saying....😉

Thank you will definitely try … seems so expensive for something that essentially goes in the loo.

Have tried own brand instead of labels for many years. Rarely buy branded now, just odd thing like tinned tomatoes but wait until on offercand stock up.
All the recent advice media advice on how to cut costs was already in place! Can only control costs on some outgoings, car insurance just jumped by 25%, no option, have to drive to work as no reliable public transport.
Have always used principle of buy what you need, not what you want but definitely harder to have anything left over at end of month now to save or treat!

Sold the big car because it cost too much to run, we just use my little car now. We don't eat out or have takeaways at all. Our holiday is one week out of season in this country. I've only bought supermarket clothes and only a few bits, we don't have coffee out. I only buy own brands except for marmite. Its not dire, but its less fun, and I appreciate that we're better off than some.

Chippy has to go for me, went out yesterday afternoon and had fish and chips for four with a bread roll each. Sat outside by the sea local to me and was charged £54. Very nice but at that price we won't be doing it again, another customer walked out when asked to pay £4.60 for chips n gravy.

I don't buy new clothes any more (although that's environmental issues as well as cost driving me to do that) - charity shops and eBay all the way.

All books come from charity shops too. Most toys ditto, or FB Marketplace.

I cut my husband's and my 2 sons' hair myself, and I personally now only go to the hairdresser twice a year (hair is long and in a v simple style).

Home Bargains is brilliant for buying things like face cream, toothpaste, bubble bath, etc, much cheaper than supermarkets. We also buy lots of things like crisps and snacks there.

I shop for presents well in advance when sales are on, and keep them in my present cupboard.

From today I have stopped buying scones in coffee shops. I LOVE scores, they are really my weakness It cost me £4.30 for a scone. It was a nice scone but it wasn't £4.30 lovely.

I now get to read magazines free on borrow box from our library - might be worth a thought - I just read them on the app on my phone

we already shopped in aldi and bought own brand cheapest of everything so only things we’ve changed is cutting the heating from 4 hours a day to 2 hours over winter and only up to 15 degrees and no summer holiday

Have you tried baking them at home? I know it’s no use if you fancy one in a cafe but I’m a rubbish baker but I find scones so easy & everyone loves them. Unlike my cakes that never rise!

I haven't but I'm willing to give it a try if you can link me a fool proof recipe? Nothing fancy - just plain or fruit scones. I love 'em all :)

I’m trying to keep supporting our local restaurant and cafe but the drop in service and hike in prices is very noticeable. It feels more like “doing my bit” than having a treat.

I haven’t bought new clothes this year, except for dd, because the quality is very poor. She is growing fast, but very few things are worth donating to charity. T-shirts have holes, fabrics pill and lose their shape. I’ve taken some of my own old clothes back out of the donation bag because at least they’re good quality.

We’re eating less meat, and opting for cheaper cuts. Eating a bit less overall too which is no harm.

DS is autistic and Heinz has been non optional for years but lately he’s complained the beans are tasting different so maybe they’re cutting corners too.

Holidays - don’t enjoy them enough to justify the expense

meals out and takeaways - cost has soared and the quality plummeted.

making fewer car journeys

Getting the dog groomed.

Now I do it myself and it looks like the council's done it (as my Gran used to say!)

We don't pay to get our car cleaned any more
No more eyebrow tints/ waxes, lash tints/ LVL ever
We still have takeaways, but only because we are having the kitchen done, that'll reduce once its finished
Don't buy anything branded any more, except Heinz ketchup and coke zero
Don't get my hair done as much, never get my nails done any more
Cancelled gym membership
Rarely go to the cinema these days and if we do go all snacks are bought beforehand and smuggled in
Loads of the DC clubs and memberships are not being renewed
Days out vastly reduced

Sainsburys have good weetabix too

Aldi’s nutoka (fake Nutella) is excellent IMO

Tin foil! Anyone else?! Nearly £4 a roll even in Aldi! I mean I'll happily live without it, not a necessity at all, but I cant believe the price of it!

Haven’t replaced our cleaner, don’t go on mini breaks anymore, I take my own tea or water when we go out rather than buying any. Same with ice creams and cakes I make both at home.

we’ve been abroad quite a bit this last year and avoided school holidays but next year we have to go in school holidays and the prices are insane, we will be lucky to manage one holiday.

we are eating more vegetarian food but that’s because I want to eat more ethically sourced meat which is expensive so we eat less.

also eating out less, some of the prices for a nice salad near us £18!!! I’d happily pay £14 but when it gets to £18 that’s basically £20 for a salad.

we are not on the breadline but our income has not risen at all, our spending has increased because of inflation and we are dipping into our savings every month. We really need to sit down and get a hold on it because it was the odd month we were overspending, now it’s every month.

@Thebirdhouse https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/food/recipes/cakes-bakes-desserts/national-trust-fruit-scones I used this one & couldn’t believe i’d baked something so decent for once!

We noticed they were charging £3.50 for a chutney tray to go with 2 poppadoms

We've stopped eating takeaways regularly, the quality has gone right down and I can make something much nicer for a fraction of the price. I have to say M&S beans are lovely and only 50p a tin. I shop at ocardo and find it cheaper than tesco and asda, plus the quality is generally really good.

Erm, we haven't put the lay-z-spa hot tub out this summer, partly due to the increased electricity costs to run it.
But that it, haven't changed anything else

I'm probably at a later stage in life that a lot of you and have already paid off my mortgage which has helped me absorb the COL but it's definitely greatly reduced how much I have left at the end of the month. This isn't me bragging BTW, as someone who has in the past skipped meals as I literally had money I know how hard it can be and I'm so thankful my mortgage is finally paid off.

But to answer the question, I no longer:-

Get my nails and eyebrows done (just do them myself)
Buy magazines/newspapers
Hardly ever eat out
Hardly bought any clothes since covid, WFH helped with that!
Go to the farmers market, nice stuff but vastly overpriced
No weekends away, short city breaks etc. Only been on holiday once I've 4 years
Using up my crafting stash and not buying new stuff, kind of sensible anyway
No heating until I'm totally freezing
Shopping for No reason or just to pass the time
No more buying meat from a local butcher
Get my hair colour done at the salon, I'm a box girl now
Only go to the cinema with Meerkat voucher

Basically all the nice leisurely things that I used to enjoy....