What cut backs have you made recently?
Discussion
A few people have mentioned coffee.
If you live/work near one then I recommned 92 degrees subscription - https://92degrees.5loyalty.com/membership - £20 a month for five coffees a day.
A weird one to recommend a paid subscription on a thread about saving money, but if you a regualr coffee drinker and have one near by it's great!
If you live/work near one then I recommned 92 degrees subscription - https://92degrees.5loyalty.com/membership - £20 a month for five coffees a day.
A weird one to recommend a paid subscription on a thread about saving money, but if you a regualr coffee drinker and have one near by it's great!
Skyedriver said:
I've noticed a lot of Boxsters coming up for sale. I've been considering buying an earlyish 3.2S (until this weeks share price drop of some of my portfolio). The prices over the last few months have been pumped up but I note now that the higher priced stuff isn't selling. Maybe they aren't inflation proof after all.
Re saving: I have a free bus pass due to my age but haven't used it in over 4 years since I got it until last week. One day a week I work in a local museum, i usually drive to the Tesco 3 hour free car park, but I now use the bus. Have to drive to the bus stop (1mile), but the bus drops me off a few hundred yards from the museum and I catch it home across the road. Saving about 16 mile and about £5/week in fuel. Also cut out the "glass of something" in the evening.
I bought a 996 early this year and now teeing I should lob it back out although maybe the smarter move is to lock it away and revisit next year when things might have improved Re saving: I have a free bus pass due to my age but haven't used it in over 4 years since I got it until last week. One day a week I work in a local museum, i usually drive to the Tesco 3 hour free car park, but I now use the bus. Have to drive to the bus stop (1mile), but the bus drops me off a few hundred yards from the museum and I catch it home across the road. Saving about 16 mile and about £5/week in fuel. Also cut out the "glass of something" in the evening.
Skyedriver said:
I've noticed a lot of Boxsters coming up for sale. I've been considering buying an earlyish 3.2S (until this weeks share price drop of some of my portfolio). The prices over the last few months have been pumped up but I note now that the higher priced stuff isn't selling. Maybe they aren't inflation proof after all.
I have been toying with the idea of getting one as a weekend car for years, but I have now accepted this is never going to happen. I suspect the people who bought them to do the same, rarely drive them and are sick of insuring, taxing and paying for repairs on something they hardly use. I borrowed a 987 3.2S for a few weeks years ago and I seem to remember I got 18 MPG whist I had it. If I had one I cannot imagine I would really want to put £100 of fuel in it to drive around aimlessly and get 18 MPG so it would never get used.
I am sure people were quite happy to have them sitting in the garage when they were appreciating in value each year.
Im not a huge spender so its not so easy.
Moving the girlfriend in once house finished will increase costs but save more really.
Turned the shower down a little and dont spend as long in there. Actually turned down the mains pressure.
Decided against changing the car. The 08 volvo does what it needs to.
Batch cooking instead of nipping to Tesco before work. non-frozen micro meals have jumped in price.
Upping my overtime has made the biggest difference.
Moving the girlfriend in once house finished will increase costs but save more really.
Turned the shower down a little and dont spend as long in there. Actually turned down the mains pressure.
Decided against changing the car. The 08 volvo does what it needs to.
Batch cooking instead of nipping to Tesco before work. non-frozen micro meals have jumped in price.
Upping my overtime has made the biggest difference.
Edited by bazza white on Friday 17th June 14:19
GT3Manthey said:
Skyedriver said:
I've noticed a lot of Boxsters coming up for sale. I've been considering buying an earlyish 3.2S (until this weeks share price drop of some of my portfolio). The prices over the last few months have been pumped up but I note now that the higher priced stuff isn't selling. Maybe they aren't inflation proof after all.
Re saving: I have a free bus pass due to my age but haven't used it in over 4 years since I got it until last week. One day a week I work in a local museum, i usually drive to the Tesco 3 hour free car park, but I now use the bus. Have to drive to the bus stop (1mile), but the bus drops me off a few hundred yards from the museum and I catch it home across the road. Saving about 16 mile and about £5/week in fuel. Also cut out the "glass of something" in the evening.
I bought a 996 early this year and now teeing I should lob it back out although maybe the smarter move is to lock it away and revisit next year when things might have improved Re saving: I have a free bus pass due to my age but haven't used it in over 4 years since I got it until last week. One day a week I work in a local museum, i usually drive to the Tesco 3 hour free car park, but I now use the bus. Have to drive to the bus stop (1mile), but the bus drops me off a few hundred yards from the museum and I catch it home across the road. Saving about 16 mile and about £5/week in fuel. Also cut out the "glass of something" in the evening.
No holiday since 2019.
Eat out a max of about four times a year.
Take-away a max of about four times a year.
Drink a modest amount of alcohol about once a month.
Don't do nights out. Introvert so don't miss it anyway.
No pay TV whatsoever.
Cancelled gym membership.
Walk everywhere I can. Car only did 280 miles between its last two MOTs.
Boil kettle to wash up - 3.5 minutes to boil instead of immersion heater on for 20 minutes.
Two out of a possible eight light bulbs installed in the lounge.
Heated 150w fleece throw instead of using electric storage heaters.
Just need to get the OH to cut down her time in the shower!
Eat out a max of about four times a year.
Take-away a max of about four times a year.
Drink a modest amount of alcohol about once a month.
Don't do nights out. Introvert so don't miss it anyway.
No pay TV whatsoever.
Cancelled gym membership.
Walk everywhere I can. Car only did 280 miles between its last two MOTs.
Boil kettle to wash up - 3.5 minutes to boil instead of immersion heater on for 20 minutes.
Two out of a possible eight light bulbs installed in the lounge.
Heated 150w fleece throw instead of using electric storage heaters.
Just need to get the OH to cut down her time in the shower!
MitchT said:
No holiday since 2019.
Eat out a max of about four times a year.
Take-away a max of about four times a year.
Drink a modest amount of alcohol about once a month.
Don't do nights out. Introvert so don't miss it anyway.
No pay TV whatsoever.
Cancelled gym membership.
Walk everywhere I can. Car only did 280 miles between its last two MOTs.
Boil kettle to wash up - 3.5 minutes to boil instead of immersion heater on for 20 minutes.
Two out of a possible eight light bulbs installed in the lounge.
Heated 150w fleece throw instead of using electric storage heaters.
Just need to get the OH to cut down her time in the shower!
Impressive and makes myself and my family look excessive wasters Eat out a max of about four times a year.
Take-away a max of about four times a year.
Drink a modest amount of alcohol about once a month.
Don't do nights out. Introvert so don't miss it anyway.
No pay TV whatsoever.
Cancelled gym membership.
Walk everywhere I can. Car only did 280 miles between its last two MOTs.
Boil kettle to wash up - 3.5 minutes to boil instead of immersion heater on for 20 minutes.
Two out of a possible eight light bulbs installed in the lounge.
Heated 150w fleece throw instead of using electric storage heaters.
Just need to get the OH to cut down her time in the shower!
It's an interesting topic, I changed jobs at the start of the year to a place within walking distance, so thankfully the fuel rises haven't hit me hard.
Otherwise I've looked at subscriptions and realised I don't need my Spotify (don't drive much any more) my xbox live doesn't get used and after the Obi Wan series, neither will Disney+. An easy £40 a month saved there!
Otherwise I've looked at subscriptions and realised I don't need my Spotify (don't drive much any more) my xbox live doesn't get used and after the Obi Wan series, neither will Disney+. An easy £40 a month saved there!
So far this thread has been about reducing expenditure, cutting down usages etc. One thing on the other side of the coin to consider is savings. As a group we have retired, and at least for the more elderly of us, should have most of our savings in less risky assets, so predominately some form of interest bearing assets eg fixed bonds, cash deposits etc. We know we have been shafted in recent years by very low interest rates so maybe now is the time to review investments and wherever possible go for the emerging higher rates. Although I notice the banks etc today announced that they have speedily increased the rates for borrowings and mortgages etc, but remained silent about savings interest rates.....nothing new there. And I got an e mail overnight from Nationwide promoting their improved rates for savers, now at crap 2%.
Problem is: are interest rates going to go higher (probably) so should we hold off reviewing and switching until some later date?
At least, being retired, we should all have the time to consider these issues in detail !
R
Problem is: are interest rates going to go higher (probably) so should we hold off reviewing and switching until some later date?
At least, being retired, we should all have the time to consider these issues in detail !
R
Possibly worthy of a thread in its own right ?
Cash held is currently in a mixture of accounts - some instant some with access limitations and some fixed rate. Strategy has been to move as able but all a long way from AIB paying me 7% on a fix rate for 12 months.
I got that NW email but got bored after trying to remember which accounts fell into their 24 different interest rate tables.
Lloyds bank have now increased their savings rates to 0.50% I saw today.
Cash held is currently in a mixture of accounts - some instant some with access limitations and some fixed rate. Strategy has been to move as able but all a long way from AIB paying me 7% on a fix rate for 12 months.
I got that NW email but got bored after trying to remember which accounts fell into their 24 different interest rate tables.
Lloyds bank have now increased their savings rates to 0.50% I saw today.
The Leaper said:
So far this thread has been about reducing expenditure, cutting down usages etc. One thing on the other side of the coin to consider is savings. As a group we have retired, and at least for the more elderly of us, should have most of our savings in less risky assets, so predominately some form of interest bearing assets eg fixed bonds, cash deposits etc. ...
Interesting.
You have hit on exactly the reason, why very fortunately, I no longer need to reduce expenditure.
Even have a hedge against rising petrol costs.
The only problem with it, is that compounding took an extremely long time to gather pace. Not everyone is prepared to wait.
Being very careful about expenditure for me, was earlier in life.
Did not even own an iPhone 1, let alone the latest iPhone 14.
Looking back, one of my big mistakes was not buying Apple shares in the 1980s. I could not believe people would buy iPods, because they cost 10 times more than a generic mp3 player. How to misjudge fellow citizens! Did they not know about mp3s and free digital music, or perhaps it was the attractive, sleek Apple designs?
Not keen on fixed bonds and cash though. Cash and cash equivalents, come with a guarantee to lose money long-term (inflation).
I've stopped using the TV for background noise. It used to be on every waking minute. Now its now only on when we're going to watch something. All TV's and Sky boxes have been set to time out if not being used.
We also don't heat a tank of water every day. Our showers are electric and we have a dish washer and washing machine. We really don't need a full tank of hot water. I'm the only one that uses the bath so I fire it up for that when it's needed.
I'm also driving slower and doing less journeys.
We also don't heat a tank of water every day. Our showers are electric and we have a dish washer and washing machine. We really don't need a full tank of hot water. I'm the only one that uses the bath so I fire it up for that when it's needed.
I'm also driving slower and doing less journeys.
Started using Hello Fresh. Our.portion sizes are healthier, our vegetables intake much higher. Supermarket shopping could be much cheaper but we found we ordered way too much, struggled to decide what to cook, and there was A LOT of waste. So whilst Hello Fresh is not cheap it's saved us a fortune on food waste and takeaways and the meals are extremely tasty.
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