What are your money priorities?

[D20]

I’ve been reading a lot of different money saving and investing sources and it struck me how militant/vocal about what some people won’t spend money on or what they refuse to save money on.

I personally wouldn’t spend on cars, hair/nails/eyelash extensions, or overconsumption like lots of jellycat toys, matching fridge storage etc. (although I do watch this content with strange fascination)!

I do spend my money on my home, Netflix, kids education.

So, what are your personal priorities?

Did you find it easy or difficult to decide? I didn’t put down things like smoking/alcohol that I don’t do anyway.

Another single parent here. This is such an interesting thread! Kind of glad I don’t have someone to share financial priorities with 😂

Priorities for me: anything that saves time (cleaner, pre-prepped foods, takeaways/eating out), Home stuff (Inc matching fridge storage etc!), gifts/treating friends and family. Travel, anything culturally or educationally enriching for DS, paying off the house, saving for DS future and my own early retirement.

Won’t spend money on: beauty treatments, nails (bar my Essie collection), haircuts, business class flights/fancy hotels, smoking/drinking, nights out partying. AI holidays. Paying full price for DS clothes (vinted good quality brands for life).

I do tend to be more materialistic (I grew up without nice things) and it took a while to not feel guilty about that, which is wild. Why would I judge myself for what I choose to spend my hard earned money on 😂 I definitely have set ‘limits’ on what I consider appropriate to spend money on though - £300 on good seats for a musical, sure. £30 for a manicure, never. Oh, and Jellycats are acceptable at any price point 😏

I took that poster at face value to be honest. I wasn’t making judgements just curious about what people prefer to spend their money on although most Mumsnetters are likely to fall in a similar age range and have kids so there’s bound to be some common themes.

I wasn’t dissing Jellycat toys. They’re actually really cute but in my mind more like £10-£15 level of cute. I’d rather spend £100 on a toy that I perceive has more value or playability but if my kids really really wanted this as top of their Christmas list then that’s what I’d get them. Hope that’s cleared that up for you.

I didn’t put that on my list because we’re in a good place (or will be iyswim) but definitely something we have prioritised over the last 10 years.

Houses always take longer than they do on the TV! Almost 20 years here and we only recently knocked a wall down that I said needed to go on first viewing.

Absolutely! Glad you are having fun right now.

Buying things once!

We prioritise buy good quality furniture that will stand the test of time, same with clothes. I have clothes I've been wearing since I was a teenager and I'm now late 30s! We also only buy clothes we need and don't follow fashions. We only buy a handful of things each a year

Good food but buy in season, mix meat and vegetarian foods , minimise anything bought in packaging and avoid the free from aisle as my daughter has food allergies

We are very mindful with when and where we spend our money with few impulsive financial decisions. It usually means we get what we wanted but for much less. Two recent examples - going on holiday we were going to book a cottage for a week came very close to booking and spending £1000 switched ideas and booked a campsite for £300 instead. We decided we'd rather spend £700 on days out that accommodation to sleep in. My daughter needs a new bed as she's outgrowing her cot bed, originally found some lovely ones at £300-400 we were very tempted by but found one in very good condition fairly local to us second hand on eBay for £70 including fuel for collection.

Priorities:
Paying off mortgage in 8 years
Clothes (I feel like I should be ashamed to admit this, but I'm not. I've transformed myself from 21 to 10 stone and I feel good about myself when I like how I look)
Travel for leisure - we try to get a weekend away once a fortnight
Reducing my working hours to facilitate leisure time while retaining enough income for my financial priorities (so not a spend, but a reduction in earning)
Gigs and theatre
Meals out (I'm a cheap date now due to WLS)
Good quality food and branded soap powder and loo roll
Coffee

Non-priorities:
High end/fancy cars
Nails/expensive beauty treatments
High end travel (five star holidays etc. We have a camper van!)
Home upgrades - I don't replace things like windows, doors, kitchen, bathrooms for the sake of a new look. Our bathrooms are relatively new but our kitchen is okay and functional, not impressive. We'll replace it eventually)
Alcohol and partying
Expensive jewellery, I just don't appreciate it enough to spend money on it
Expensive gym or health club - I run outdoors and a member of a basic gym
Branded cleaning products
Cleaner, gardener etc

Priorities:

pensions/ retirement

Uni fund for our children

Emergency fund/ savings

keeping us and house warm in winter

Christmas

Driving lessons and 1st cars for our children. They can then start to learn, as soon as they are 17 without pressure

Groceries- meat is from the butcher, fish from fish monger.

Holidays and mini breaks

Reliable cars ( live rurally)

Waterproof Coats for all

Shoes, walking boots and wellies

Socks I only wear hiking socks

Bedding / mattresses

I think having a well organised fridge is actually a cost saving in the long run as it means stuff doesn’t get forgotten at the back and stuff lasts longer when stored in the right conditions.

Priorities - house renovations, foreign travel, hobbies (tickets to concerts/exhibitions, books but usually secondhand, sports memberships/equipment), quality groceries.

Not a priority - vehicles, TV/streaming/cinema, watching sports, food cooked by someone else, clothes/beauty, short breaks in the UK.

It’s not really been a conscious decision though, just a natural consequence of our preferences and interests - no need for spending a lot on a car because we both hate driving and chose to live somewhere we wouldn’t have to, I find restaurant and takeaway food is rarely worth the money and calories, for the cost of a couple of weekends away you can get a full holiday somewhere cheaper abroad, we used to have Netflix and tv licence but got rid because we weren’t watching it, we’re not that fussed about having a pet and they are a lot of money and effort so we don’t have any.

That said, there’s a limit to some of it. We’ve reached the level of scruffiness where we can’t deprioritise clothes any more, much to DP’s dismay about the prospect of spending tomorrow shopping!

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with prioritising spending on clothes. Looking neat and well put together is a confidence boost, and also a necessity in many careers. I am the same size I was in my early 20s but having 3 children means my shape has changed, so I wouldn’t want to be wearing clothes that suited me back then even if they were still in good condition, as they wouldn’t suit my shape now. For example low rise jeans!

Priorities for us:
Holidays - I like at least 4 per year, some just short city breaks
Building our emergency fund back to 6 months expenses - used most of it recently to cash fund a car
Investing - not much but trying to put £200 a month away
Groceries - we don’t scrimp as we like to have whole foods and plenty of fruit and veg etc
gym membership

Non priorities:
hair - cut my own with hairdressing scissors bought on Amazon, use box dyes if wanting to change the colour
nails - paint my own once a week instead
other beauty treatments
fancy cars - we share one reliable car between us
Multiple streaming services - we try just to use one at a time
clothes - I do buy new clothes maybe 3 times a year but it’s not a necessity for me and I could skip it if I couldn’t meet the other priorities

I’m trying to save at the moment to buy a house and I’d say I’m quite sensible with money. I will spend on travel but not so much on material items.

I do treat myself and don’t feel like I go without anything. I have friends who spend obscene amounts of money and wonder why they don’t have any!

Priorities.
Holidays. I would cut down on most things, but not holidays.
Health. Gym membership, good quality food and supplements.
Hobbies.
Good quality clothes
The dog!

Not bothered about.
Takeaways, nights out, smoking. We do have 2-3 pub lunches per month, but rarely go out in the evening.
Cars. We both have decent, high spec cars, but will probably run them to the ground. Don’t understand the need to change them every few years.
Home decor. Out house is nice and neutral. We don’t really follow interior trends and only replace things occasionally.
Beauty treatment, nails, etc. Minimum expense.
Throw away fashion.
Edited. No streaming services, just the Beeb and free view. Do use DC’s prime and Netflix accounts occasionally.

Would like to spend less on…
Being the bank of mum and dad!

Well I can’t believe I left pets out of my priorities however the cat has very low running costs thankfully.

If you have a significant other do your priorities align? Mine and DHs mostly don’t I’d say. He’d have a four car garage and still not be satisfied! Like a PP he has also lost a significant amount of weight so he has begrudgingly had to spend money on clothes that don’t fall down but he hates the process of clothes shopping.

Yes mine and DH’s priorities align, thankfully.

@suah absolutely understand organisation can reduce costs but some are OTT (in my opinion obviously). Just last weekend I went though the fridge to get rid of sauces and jams that were best before 2024. They’re all facing labels forward now which makes me happy. If I got storage they would be all jammed in (no pun intended).

@Superscientist yep we might buy the expensive furniture or wallpaper but it is bought to last. We do have the odd bit of Ikea too but more for function and kids.

Anything to do with health. Gym, PT, pilates, physio. Retired and mortgage free so I want to be as mobile as possible to enjoy it

I am frugal and spend on lots of things but always like to get the best value for money. I have regular hair, nails and beauty treatments but I have found the best providers for excellent prices. I shop around for groceries and home stuff, between B&M, Aldi and Lidl. We don't eat out for meals, I find them overpriced. I'd rather have a full wardrobe of cheap clothes, bags and shoes instead of a few expensive ones. Work pays for my car, tech, travel insurance and health expenses. Happy to buy home things from TK Maxx, Ikea or The Range. We are spending a bit more on some very cheap weekends away this year.

I've never really subscribed to the idea that should I spend more for better quality. I love a bargain, I utilise cashback and rewards.

We are currently prioritising building our savings and pensions for FIRE so we are keeping our outgoings low with every payrise to avoid lifestyle creep.

Prioritise -

baby’s activities

savings for ds and myself (not sure what for, I just want savings!)

Eating, we have a lot of meals out , food shop at m&s , don’t budget food shopping we buy what we fancy.

Date nights

Home improvements , new sofas coming next week!😆

Sons clothes , I like him to look smart and well dressed.

Holidays we go on around 4 a year and has to be nice hotels.

Haircuts

Days out

Good car seats for ds.

Don’t prioritise -

nice/expensive cars..mines an old banger and I’ll drive it until it litterally breaks before getting another. Usually just something that’s around 3k like my last 2. DH on the other hand drives a 30k car!

Beauty treatments, I use strip eyelashes if i want them on, do my own self tan, brows, nails.

Pets, so expensive!

alcohol/nights out

Gigs

Teddys. I love the look of jelly cats there cute but extortion for a teddy!! Although MIL bought one for ds. He’s a baby and absolutely loves it, he sucks its ears!

See I do spend on beauty treatments as I like to feel good all year round does wonders for my overall mood and confidence levels.
Also Like to spend on ‘doing things’ such as days out, drinks in local city, one off events even if it’s just me and 1 child taking it in turns. As holidays are mostly out of reach

Don’t prioritise holidays - camping or simple overnight trips is enough at the moment I cannot afford the thousands that an abroad holiday for a family of 4 would mean.
Am not bothered about either about cars, home decor, i adore clothes but am a savvy shopper and Vinted is my friend.

Also rarely bother with eating out - I sometimes do with a friend for birthdays but again I can’t justify the spending £100 odd on a meal for 4 which is over in about 90 minutes and often forgettable!

I think people often really underestimate the costs of owning a pet.

I have had friends say "oh it's just few tins of cat food" - I can't be bothered to argue with them but it really isn't.. Insurance, vets bills, cat sitters etc, the estimates online are around £1500 a year. And dogs are much more expensive.

I don't want one that much

I am in the same position as you, but I have a long mortgage to pay. I’m just trying to work as long as I can to get that term shrunk as fast as I can. I also am trying to give kids as full a life of experiences as possible like you.

I prioritise:

Streaming services - I rotate them and usually have Now on the go. British TV on the terrestrial channels is generally crap (especially on ITV) and I prefer American TV. TV is my favourite way to escape and without Now I wouldn’t have watched And Just Like That, Mare of Easttown, Julia, The White Lotus and a few more. It’s well worth the money for the quality of some of the shows on there (also on Sky).

A rainy day fund - it’s hugely comforting to know I have money for emergencies that I can easily access and without relying on anyone else.

Expensive tech that is enjoyable and easy to use, that I know will last years and won’t slow down much after a few years of usage.

Gym membership.

City breaks in Europe.

I have a good pension and a (mortgaged) house. I have no savings. In the past I have prioritised holidays for me and my children.
Now I’m trying to focus on getting my children set up financially. So we have a couple of weekend breaks booked but much lower key that the holidays we used to go on.
My friend does my hair for free. I pay for the gym. I meet up with friends quite a lot usually for things like a coffee so that does add up. My mum buys me clothes for Christmas and birthday. That may sound ridiculous but she absolutely insists on doing it for all her children so she either wastes her money on things I will never wear or now I go shopping with her and we choose some bits. She does it with my siblings as well. It’s not optional.
House repairs seem to take up a lot of money and I do try and stay on top of that as I rent a spare room out to a lodger anyway so I use the rent money to go towards the house upkeep. I’m a single parent but earn a good wage.