I want to be really clear before I start, this isn’t a “stop spending money on nice things and suffer” post. It’s about the stuff I stopped buying because I realised I didn’t actually need it, or because I found something that did exactly the same job for a fraction of the price.

Some of these saved us a few pounds here and there. Others made a genuinely significant difference to our monthly spending. All of them were easy switches once I got my head around them. We bought our first house in 2024, and he definitely wouldn’t have been able to buy it if we weren’t budgeting in other areas!

Branded Medicine

This one still blows my mind that it took me so long to figure out.

Calpol, Nurofen for Children, hay fever tablets, cold and flu sachets… I was buying all of these without a second thought. Then I started actually reading the labels and realised that the own brand versions contain exactly the same active ingredients at the same dosage.

Supermarket own brand children’s paracetamol suspension is the same as Calpol. Own brand ibuprofen is the same as Nurofen. Own brand cetirizine is the same as Clarityn. The active ingredient IS the medicine. The branded packaging is just… packaging.

Once you know this you genuinely cannot unknow it. Always check the back of the packet, check the active ingredients match and check the dosage. But once you’ve done that? You’ll never go back to paying branded prices again.

Expensive Kids Snacks and Lunchbox Packs

The lunchbox snack aisle is a scam and I will not be taking questions 😂

Those little individual portion packs of Mini Cheddars, Pom Bears, cereal bars, raisin boxes… you are paying a massive premium purely for the small packaging. The exact same product in a big bag costs a fraction of the price. I now buy the big bag and decant into a small pot or sandwich bag and the difference in our weekly spend is noticeable.

The same goes for things like Cheesestrings, just cut a strip of cheddar from a block. Dairylea Dunkers, just get soft cheese and breadsticks. Fruit Winders… you can actually make these at home with just fruit and an oven!

Baby and Toddler Branded Food Pouches

When Albie was small I spent an absolute fortune on branded baby food pouches and toddler snacks. Ella’s Kitchen, Kiddylicious, Organix, all of them. I didn’t even question it because they were in the baby aisle so I assumed they were the right thing to buy.

But the baby aisle is designed to make you spend more. There are so many cheaper alternatives sitting in the regular aisles that do exactly the same job. Sainsbury’s Stars pasta is perfect for little ones and costs pennies. Plain rice cakes from the regular aisle are identical to the Organix ones. Own brand fruit puree is the same as the fancy pouches.

I wish someone had told me this when Albie was born. I would have saved so much money in those early months.

Buying New Instead of Second Hand

Kids grow so fast that buying brand new clothes, toys and equipment just doesn’t make financial sense most of the time. Vinted, charity shops and Facebook Marketplace have completely changed how I shop for the boys. I’ve found brilliant condition clothing, toys and baby equipment for tiny amounts of money.

Not to sound big headed but… I am always getting compliments for the ways my boys dress. I have just joy responding with “it only cost 20p!”I think it’s because I don’t dress them ‘typical boy’ (IYKYK).

Takeaways and Convenience Food on a Whim

I want to be really careful how I say this because I genuinely believe there is a time and a place for a takeaway or a convenience meal and it does not make you a bad parent or a bad budgeter. Sometimes life is hectic and a happy meal on a manic Tuesday is the right call.

But the ones I stopped buying are the unplanned, impulse ones. The “we’re out and I can’t be bothered to make lunch so let’s just grab something” ones. Those add up really quickly and the food isn’t even that enjoyable because it wasn’t a proper treat, it was just laziness.

I’ve always been guilty for this. But since having Jesse, who is allergic to EVERYTHING, I’ve had to pre pack food for him… so I’ve got into the swing of it. I always take packed lunches and snacks out with us so we’re never caught out. It’s such a simple thing but it saves us a surprising amount every month.

Expensive Days Out as a Default

Chessington, soft play, paid activities… I used to feel like this was just what you did with kids at weekends and in the holidays. And while we still do these things occasionally, they’re no longer my default.

Our free half term genuinely proved to me that some of the best days cost nothing. The beach, a free art gallery event, a cardboard box house, a day in the garden. The boys were just as happy, if not happier, than on expensive days out.

I now plan free activities first and save the paid ones for when there’s something really worth going to.

Buying Things Just Because They’re On Offer

This one is subtle but it was costing us a surprising amount. Buying something because it’s on offer, not because you actually need it, is still spending money.

I used to love a good deal and would buy things “just in case” or “because it’s such good value” without asking myself whether I actually wanted or needed that thing. Now I ask myself whether I’d buy it at full price. If the answer is no, I put it back.

Overall

None of these switches feel like a sacrifice anymore. That’s the thing nobody tells you about budgeting, once you get used to it, you stop noticing what you’ve changed. You just have more money at the end of the month.

Start with one thing. See how it feels. Then do another one.

It does add up. I promise 💛

Soph x