Did your spending change when you went to one income

[maymummy22]

Hi, DH and I both have good jobs but are considering of one of us giving up work next year. We have 2 DCs, both primary school age so no childcare savings. I can see areas where we could economise if we needed to, but without any specific cost-saving did your expenditure change when you moved from two incomes to one?

Thanks in advance

No not really, but then it didn't need to. We always just put money in our joint account and that just became less.

When I stopped working in London to look after our daughter I was amazed how much money I burnt through and wasted!! No more £5 burritos or quick trips to m&s for snacks or let's just go for lunch ok what about a cocktail bar after etc. I would easily spend £700 after all my savings and mortgages payment but now I last on about £30 a week for soft play and coffees etc

Same as gaming mum. Cut out the travel and lunch costs and I was comparatively quids in. Also less money on clothes because I'm not next door to the shops.

We did have to make significant changes when I stopped working. Fewer and cheaper holidays, more price comparisons before buying things, in fact I rarely browsed in shops but ordered on line after checking out alternatives and collected in store. Bought and sold second hand things, I had more time for this than when I was working. Found local farm shops to buy reasonably priced seasonal food (lived in Yorkshire so this was possible unlike when we lived in London). More planning of food shopping, fewer / cheaper nights out. Cut back on mobile phones, subscriptions, memberships etc. That said, made an effort to make the most of the reasons we made the change (doing nice things with the children, getting the house grunt work done in the week so weekends were spent as a family etc) so it wasn't all lost in the frugal measures!!