Anyone else spending way less money?

[mi*vida*loca]

Just think if you all stayed at this new lifestyle of spending less how much more you would have in emergency fund, retirement and be able to give like no one else as Dave Ramsey says.

i would rather have a social life. Saving money isn’t everything. There has to be a point between living and saving every penny you make.

Also there are people who have lost their jobs so have no choice but to save money.

 

[Lilsia]

Let's just put it this way.......I am now sending DH to the stores with my list of needed items. I love him dearly but he just shops like we won't be going back in weeks. And he adds many things to the list. Honey I didn't need three bags of Cheese Balls, really; not even one bag.

My husband goes to get "food", and comes back with nothing to actually cook a meal with. No meat, no veggies, etc. It is all either sandwich stuff(which is fine), snacks, frozen pizza, etc. Would it kill him to buy a chicken. LOL

 

[wareagle57]

I’ll find out when the next credit card bill arrives. We are spending less on eating out and entertainment like going to Disney. But I have also been binge shopping online to cure the boredom.

Not too much but I’ve bought some Bose sunglasses (best purchase of my life. Total game changer), a gimble handheld camera mount for vlogging in the parks, led lights for our balcony and a few small things. Less than $500 but it’s only been 2 week. I’m going to stop now i hope lol.

I think overall we’ve probably saved. Not to mention an extra “free” month or longer on all 6 annual passes we have. That will really add up.

 

[Heather07438]

Not really spending less but we're not big spenders to start. I did buy an indoor trampoline today, coming Friday

 

[Flight]

”Anyone else spending way less money?”

Yes, expect all those comfort foods that I really should not be eating.

People are exiting the market with carts full of toilet paper, bottled water, and disinfectants. My cart has various ice creams, cookies and treats.

A few pounds gained. Working on changing that trend.

 

[Lilsia]

So, other then my hubby working from home and my youngest not going to school, we are living exactly like we always do. We don't really go out much on a daily basis anyway. We will go and get take out at times, so this has not changed. We are home bodies and I don't go to the store and just buy stuff unless I really need it as a general habit. I don't spend money on "stuff" like clothes, bags, nik naks, etc but save all of my money for my trips. My daughter is the only one that is affected by not going out with her friends. But with all of the options to get in touch with her friends now, her social life keeps on.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Saving. No more sneaking out to Appleby's for the man and DGD under the guise of "going to Target" .

 

[RamblingMad]

My husband goes to get "food", and comes back with nothing to actually cook a meal with. No meat, no veggies, etc. It is all either sandwich stuff(which is fine), snacks, frozen pizza, etc. Would it kill him to buy a chicken. LOL

Divorces in China are through the roof. Pizza might be the tipping point.

 

[tileman]

Not a big spender myself
Still the same just fuel for my work trucks and regular groceries shopping
I don’t eat out much anymore to much money and after going into the hospital for a bleeding ulcer I eat my own cooking anymore lot better

 

[RedAngie]

Cancelled a Florida vacation this week so we're saving on hotels, meals, and other travel expenses.

As for staying home, I'm probably spending the same amount as I usually do. We only eat out 3 or 4 times a month, and have been maintaining that by getting take-out. Supermarket spending is also about the same. Saving on gas by not driving to work, but wasting gas by taking drives to alleviate boredom.

 

[amylevan]

Not commuting the 45 miles that both DH and I drive to work is saving us a heap on gas and tolls. No going to Target for something and coming out with $100 of stuff is also saving us some.

But groceries are costing more due to buying what’s available as opposed to coupons/sales. We also had to up our internet plan to handle 2 virtual students and 2 adults working from home. Not to mention that I assume our electric bill is going to be sky high with us home all the time and having 4 computers, TVs, Xbox, lights etc all going much longer than usual.

 

[shh]

My husband goes to get "food", and comes back with nothing to actually cook a meal with. No meat, no veggies, etc. It is all either sandwich stuff(which is fine), snacks, frozen pizza, etc. Would it kill him to buy a chicken. LOL

Probably - because he'd have to fight 50 angry shoppers for it lol.. There is NO fresh meat avail in any stores we've been in.

We've been spending less going out - but now forking over extra cash on grocery delivery charges and tips, since neither of us really wants to deal with so many clueless shoppers who refuse to social distance at the stores near us- we did it for a while, but just not worth the risk anymore.

 

[shh]

But groceries are costing more due to buying what’s available as opposed to coupons/sales.

definitely - I've never bought so many pricey brands in my life - I'm usually a store brand girl and always search for coupons and specials. No dice these days - take what you can get.

 

[Frozen2014]

• Spending less by not commuting to work (gas, parking at subway + subway cost).
• Spending less by not being at work and buying the odd coffee, etc (our kitchen provides coffee so don't buy everyday).
• Spending less by not going to malls and doing shopping (although right before the shutdown, I did go to a local toy store and purchased a few puzzles for our kids, a card game and books for them)
• Spending less by not paying for programs for our kids this term (well, they are signed up, but thinking will get money back)
• Spending less by not going out for dinner

Having said all that, would rather spend the money and get things back to normal.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I believe overall we are spending less. We used to eat out too much... now that isn't going on too much. I do not shop for anything other than groceries, and I keep that to a minimum.

 

[WeatherLights]

I've been spending a bit more than usual in the last few weeks. We've ordered take out more than usual, I've spent money on a family member who lives alone and needed a few things, and my grocery shopping has been a little pricier because many lower priced brands are not available.

 

[Searc]

Probably - because he'd have to fight 50 angry shoppers for it lol.. There is NO fresh meat avail in any stores we've been in.

We've been spending less going out - but now forking over extra cash on grocery delivery charges and tips, since neither of us really wants to deal with so many clueless shoppers who refuse to social distance at the stores near us- we did it for a while, but just not worth the risk anymore.

Our grocery is fully stocked with fresh meat.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We’re definitely spending more on groceries, with everyone home and not eating out and all. But we are spending less on activities, entertainment, etc. Just had to cancel an expensive trip to France, so saving a lot of money there, but sure not happy about it. My kids use all of this “savings” to justify asking for numerous things they’ve found online (“Since you’re not giving me money to go out with my friends tonight, you should let me order this...”)

 

[charming23]

After the initial big grocery run to last me two weeks definitely spending less. I am working from home now so I need to make sure I have food for breakfast lunch and dinner plus snacks. It’s not like I ordered out a lot at work but having variety at home is helping a lot. Also the money I am saving on gas by working from home is astounding.I have a rather large commute when I do work in the office and this gas savings is helping. Plus I haven’t been to target in over a month and my goal when I go into a store is to just get what I need and get out. Now I will say at the grocery store I’ve been shopping at they have what they call a closeout section where they have some neat things I did buy a few things the other day. But they were all useful things like a new muffin 10 because mine is as old as dirt and I’ve been making a lot of muffins for breakfast at home.

Biggest money saver though was having to postpone my very first cruise. It is kind of nice because Royal Caribbean offered us 125% credit on the Cruise since they canceled our dates. So once that credit arrives well figure out what’s going on in the world and see when we go. We were originally scheduled to leave April 13 so I had money set aside for the trip for extras so I actually use that and paid off a credit card. And will start putting more money aside for when I do go in a trip

 

[Colleen27]

I can't get ANYONE to call me back about getting a mortgage. We would like some property from a family member, and no one is in a rush and I can understand not having settlement right away (and have left that in all my messaged!) but I can't even get anyone to call me back to get the ball rolling -

My son's broker got him a preapproval letter but just a couple of days later cautioned him about long delays in processing and advised him to hold off for a couple of weeks before making any offers. This is a lousy time to be a first-time homebuyer, that's for sure!

What are you guys buying to keep yourself sane at home? So far I picked up a grill and coffee maker.

Craft stuff. I've taken up counted cross-stich, of all things, and got myself a new sketchbook and a huge set of InkJoy pens in every imaginable color. And I renewed my World of Warcraft subscription after months of being too busy to play.

Just think if you all stayed at this new lifestyle of spending less how much more you would have in emergency fund, retirement and be able to give like no one else as Dave Ramsey says.

Yeah, eventually. But what's the point, if the way you do it is by giving up everything enjoyable in life? I'm content with the balance we have when things are normal, TYVM. I have no desire to live like I'm on lockdown now for the sake of enjoying the money at some future date.