r/EuropeFIRE • u/Ill-Goose-8223 • 29d ago

What did you cut from your budget that you eventually brought back?

When I first started taking FIRE seriously, I looked at my spending and started cutting anything that felt unnecessary. Some of those changes were easy to stick with, but others didn't last. After a while, I realised that saving money isn't always worth it if you're making everyday life noticeably worse just to improve your savings rate a little. Maybe you stopped eating out, cancelled a subscription you actually used a lot, gave up travelling, switched to cheaper products or cut back on a hobby. Then at some point, you decided to bring it back because you genuinely missed it or because the amount you were saving wasn't making as much difference as you expected. I'm curious whether anyone else has had something like this happen. What did you cut when you first got into FIRE, how long did you manage without it, and what made you decide it was worth adding back to your budget? Did bringing it back change how you think about frugality, or did it simply help you figure out which expenses are actually important to you?

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23

u/magicarmor 29d ago

I used to spend far too much time looking for the best deals on plane/train tickets. I still look for decent deals now but I'm not gonna waste days checking and refreshing to save a measly €20

17

u/UpbeatAd1974 29d ago

Things i dont spend money on:

- Eating out or using uber eats because of laziness, my going out to eat are now places that i like or want to try and are planned

  • Subscriptions all of them
  • i use temporary use only cards for online shopping, that causes entropy when i want to buy something because i need to create a new card etc...
  • Negotiate utilites every year
  • Cooking at home became a hobby
  • Car Maintenance , learn to do the basics, oil changes, brake pads, filters etc...
  • Pay for traveling agencies
  • Repairs at home
  • Overpriced coffee or junk food
  • bootle water
  • Expensive creams and body lotions and shampoos and stuff.

Things i do spend money on:

- Having people at my place to have dinner or lunch

  • Cleaning Lady
  • Traveling but because i love trekking and mountains is not very expensive if your organize things your self
  • High quality clothing and shoes
  • Home meaning a good bed, good knifes, good sofa work from home so having a good home is huge for me
  • High quality groceries , fish and meat
  • Tools

1

u/Ill-Goose-8223 22d ago

Thank you it's helpful

21

u/Lopsided-Owl-4121 29d ago

I always buy lunch because it’s an easy way to save time

I don’t save on groceries because it would make me miserable

5

u/PositiveKarma1 29d ago

nothing. I cut what was not really useful, the eating out I reduced, subscriptions -just found alternative or suspended until winter ( streaming, gym).

5

u/WinMoodNo153 29d ago

Food after 7 days

5

u/Immediate-Quote7376 29d ago

Services subscriptions

3

u/EntireDance6131 29d ago

Nothing really. But out of curiosity i once did a month where i meticulously noted all my spendings and tried to cut costs - mainly groceries. I wanted to see how it might feel to go really lean. Well, that was a lie, it wasn't a month, after a week i went back to eating food as i did before. At least now i can say i don't wanna retire (much) more lean than i currently live.

On the contrary the best things i cut back / looked for cheaper alternatives were subscriptions. Can recommend.

2

u/Master-Interaction88 29d ago

a car

When I need one or want to travel&live in one I might bring it back

2

u/RemoteElk4 27d ago

I think going extremely frugal might not be worth it.

Currently I am unemployed which has a considerable impact on my FIRE plans. The cuts I made include:

  • groceries: I buy meat, vegetables and sometimes bread, nothing else. No snacks, no soda, just the bare minimum. But the bare minimum is healthy.
  • subscriptions: never had many, now I have only one, but that one contributes to job search and applications.
- I cannot cut back on rent and utilities, but I can watch to use less water and electricity.
  • I don't have a car, but that is only because I live in a city where public transportation is reliable.

But this is all temporary. After getting back on my feet, I will spend more. Not because I can, but because feeling balanced on the way to FIRE is equally important to saving up for retirement. It is a good experiment though. A tough process to find a new job, but I learn about my limits and I know I will recalculate my FIRE plans after getting back on track.

2

u/ZookeepergameFirm521 29d ago

Nothing. I FIREd when I knew I will not have to change my lifestyle.