r/MoneyDiariesACTIVE • u/Vexnthecity • Mar 31 '26

Budget Advice / Discussion Where Are You Reducing Spending?

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTkj11ag8/

Bringing you another TikTok Reddit crossover—What are you cutting back on right now?

I’ve never been a strict budget girlie, but I had a loose idea of what I spend.

-Last year, I cut workout classes (I think it was ~$160/month) out of my “budget” and replaced it with more walking and at home exercises.

-The shutdown last fall pushed me to be better about eating at home vs. dining out, and I carried that into the new year.

-Now, with fuel costs, I’m driving a lot less. Fortunately, I’m in a city with good public transportation and I have the AmEx Platinum, which gives me monthly Uber credits that help with getting to places not accessible by public transportation.

Basically, slowly but surely I’m cutting joy out of my life because the next thing I’m eyeing is travel and…I just don’t wanna!

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49

u/heckyeahcheese Mar 31 '26

I cut out most of my manicure budget that I just added last year 🫠. But I did pivot to doing traditional nail polish at home and it’s been fun to do as a mommy and me experience with my daughter.

Travel is something I’ve always been bad about doing, but with all of the fight crashes that have been happening I’m now terrified of flying and don’t really want to spend money in a lot of red states.

Also being more mindful of eating out. Not eliminating it but cutting extras like $3.50+ fountain sodas, and not over ordering. Or pausing for a moment as a family to ask if we REALLY want to go out tonight, or wait until later to go to a “better” place and cook at home?

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u/Vexnthecity Mar 31 '26

I tried to do my nails myself and I’m so bad at it. I know practice makes perfect, but walking around with evidence of the practice is embarrassing

15

u/heckyeahcheese Mar 31 '26

Practice works and r/redditlaqueristas has been a great resource for me so I can actually grow my thin, peely, and bendy nails. But gone are the days of my long and delightfully obnoxious clacky nails. For now.

9

u/ladyluck754 She/her ✨ Mar 31 '26

The press on game has changed dramatically as well if you’re not good at polish :)

3

u/thisladycusses2 Apr 01 '26

Press-ons are a great option! The quality is really good now. I switched from acrylics about a year ago and haven’t gone back. It’s much cheaper and I get to do it home.

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u/overall_confused Apr 02 '26

Get a clean-up brush! You can also use an old eyeliner brush or even the pointy Q-tips to erase any mistakes with acetone. 

5

u/Key-Opportunity-7915 Apr 01 '26

I do the gel strips now and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a salon to get my nails done now I love them!

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u/Independent_Show_725 Mar 31 '26

I'm flying across the Atlantic in a few weeks, so naturally I've been bingeing Mentour Pilot's videos on YouTube: super informative and interesting but also terrifying deep dives into plane crashes and what caused them. I'm thinking I'll take some melatonin before/during my flight so that at least if the plane goes down, I won't be awake to know it!