What do you not buy anymore to save money?

[heartbroken22]

What's the alternative?

I stopped buying brands (no more Lurpak, New York Bakery Bagels, Activia Yoghurt, branded vitamins and face creams). Everything is supermarket owned brand now.

All clothing I bought this year came from supermarkets and Vinted - can’t afford the high street now.

If I fancy a rare takeaway coffee it's McDonald's or Greggs I go to, can't afford Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero anymore.

We ditched all the nice to have sides, ie spring rolls with a Thai curry, garlic bread with pasta, onion Bhaji with a curry etc. just have the mains now.

That’s us cooking by the way not eating out! I definitely used to get more takeaways a few years ago.

now we have a restaurant meal for our birthdays and special occasions and that’s it.

New clothes. I'm mid 30s and have enough to see me out! When I do need a new piece, I buy on Vinted or second hand.

Magazines, manicures, take away coffees at work and lunches at work

We are good earners but teenagers plus price rises means we still have to be careful

Oh yes and we eat out once every few months rather than weekly and rarely drink alcohol

Alternatives - bring coffee flask /make coffee with coffee bags. Bring lunch in.
Manicures - just have crap nails!
Magazines - scroll my phone instead

Makeup. I never used to spend a fortune but I used to have one blush and wear it until it was gone, now I have a bunch of different blushers and it will probably take a few years to work through them

Buying lunch at work but that's common sense. Why spend £7 when I can make my own. Similarly coffees at work. I take a flask nowadays.

I feel like I cut out a lot years ago, before the COL crisis. E.g. shopping in aldi, on ebay, no nails, making own lunch, only have a takeaway during the week once every few months etc.

More recently I've reduced my "Saturday fun day" spend, which used to be going to the pub for a couple of pints, getting a coffee out and buying a hot lunch on the market. I just make a fancier brunch at home now.

I do treat myself occasionally, but not "regularly" for example, I'm going to the theatre in London for the first time in two years. I've been on holiday abroad this year. I would rather splurge on bigger memorable things than buy a coffee and a cake everyday, or get my brows, lashes and nails done every month - that "maintenance" stuff really adds up!

Clothes are all second hand from charity shops or Vinted

I don’t do expensive social occasions. Just declined a night out with a group which will involve buying rounds of drinks for £££££. I’m outdoorsy anyway so prefer to meet for a hike or cycle with a coffee anyway

I don't go out to dinner much now. If I am meeting friends it's normally just for drinks

I now dye my own hair and eyebrows. This saves quite a lot!

Used to get more takeaways

I used to drink more wine than I do.. too much sometimes in fact. It was for that reason I have pretty much given up rather than money - but the Financial savings are fantastic!

Fewer takeaways (down to maybe once a month), more vinted vs brand new, fewer trips to pub, always looking for discounts when buying e.g. from Boots or supermarkets

I've stopped getting my hair coloured - I just couldn't justify how much the hairdresser charges for highlights

I rarely buy new clothes now and more likely to buy from Vinted or charity shops

I've changed a few of the things I buy, not even because I can't afford the alternative but because the branded version price has become outrageous.

I thoroughly enjoy mcvities biscuits but a pack of their chocolate digestives are now 3x the price of the supermarket ones. Same with fairy liquid, Warburton's bread etc. I just can't really justify doubling the price of a food shop for these things, and tbh haven't really missed them (except for those damn chocolate hobnobs if anyone has found a good own brand alternative).

In case it's helpful for people missing magazines, my local library has an app called Press Reader - it has most magazines on it and is free to library members. I love Good Food magazine and now read it free on my iPad using this app and my library card sign in 🙂

Dye my own hair and about to have it shaved off as can't be arsed any more. Do DHs hair with clippers.
Don't buy kitchen roll,cling film,fabric conditioner, loads of different cleaning products.
Don't buy fish,too expensive
Don't buy bottled water or takeaway coffee

We've cut right back on eating out and getting deliveroo - we found most of the chain restaurants charge appx £30ph for a main and drink and you end up feeling like you're just a number with a tiny portion of something usually covered in chilli despite it not being made clear on the menu. I'd rather have cheaper healthier home cooked food with meat that is local in the comfort of my own home for a quarter of the price.
Is there a reason everything is spicy these days? Friend bought a burger at McDonalds (one of the monthly ones) which she said had CHEESE as the headline only to find it was over-ridden by spicy sauce again.
Are they all just covering up crap/cheap ingredients?

Alcohol. Magazines and newspapers (although stopped buying those years ago). Much meat. Brand name cleaning and laundry products, supermarket own is fine.
Have cut back on the amount of new clothes I buy and look for things on vinted.
New books, will always see if they are available second hand.
Tech stuff, try to buy items that will last me longer

Very very rarely go to the pub now, pub prices just way too high.

Ive always tried to minimise costs with food shopping whilst keeping quality up so haven't changed much in that regard.

Reduced eating out and takeaways. I'm kind of sad about this because none of us can be bothered to cook complicated food and have different preferences so it's nice to be able to get what you fancy but on the other hand I've seen the quality of food and portion sizes in our usual restaurants go down whilst prices have doubled, I just feel ripped off. I've replaced this with better quality ready meals, everyone can have what they want and it's probably better than the restaurants. It's not the same experience though, we don't chat whilst waiting to be served or afterwards waiting for the bill.

I buy most of my clothes on vinted, I get a kick out of the cost saving and enjoy browsing more than I do going shopping.

I don't buy a lot of biscuits but the thing i can't justify is heinz beans or ketchup, 3x the price of sainsbury's and there isn't much difference in quality.

I never eat out now. Partly because I can cook better food at home for a fraction of the price, but also because the last two occasions I went out for a meal there were uncontrolled children running around.

I wouldn't buy things like named digestive chocolate biscuits anymore, but I went off them well before the latest price hikes, because of the change in the recipes which somehow took all the taste away.

I used to spend a small fortune with the local fishmonger which I don't now. Partly due to the price, but also, he sold me some fish one day that was definitely past it's best. If I pay top price I want top quality products. I buy frozen fish mostly now.

I definitely buy more supermarket own brands these days.

This.

So many things as I just resent paying double for stuff. One example is Muller corner yogurts. I paid £1.99 for years and now they are £4.50. Like fuck am I paying that. Will only buy them when they are reduced. Pretty much every example of that I refuse to pay the new price. So I either go without or buy a supermarket brand.

Gave up having my hair done altogether. I cut it myself and use a Superdrug hair stain. Job done.