Moms reveal non-essential products they stopped buying due to cost-of-living crisis

Butter, chicken, and pet insurance may have been considered essential home purchases.

But mumsnet readers uncovered how they abandoned these articles due to rising prices amid the cost of living crisis.

“What Did You Stop Buying Due To The Price Increase?” on the UK-based parenting website. Readers shared what to cut from their weekly shopping lists.

“What Did You Stop Buying Due To The Price Increase?” on the UK-based parenting website. In a thread titled, Readers shared what they cut from their weekly shopping lists.

Butter seemed to top the list, specifically Lurpak. Someone wrote: ‘Lurpak has become ridiculously expensive.’ Another added: ‘Real butter. Ground coffee. Whole free range chicken.

But pine nuts also came in for a punch in how expensive they were.

One woman freaked out: ‘Last week I needed pine nuts for a recipe. DH went to Tesco for me and came back with spitting feathers.. almost 6lbs for a bag of pine nuts!!! If I had noticed them before I bought them, I wouldn’t have worried! ‘

Another said, “Definitely pine nuts. What’s happening? Are they from Ukraine?’

But it’s not just expensive food that’s been wiped from the weekly shopping list, pet care is taking a hit.

Several Mumsnet readers have written about canceling their pet insurance.

Some said they ate less meat and mostly ate vegetarians because it was cheaper.

Multiple readers were infuriated by the price of pine nuts, and one woman asked if they were from Ukraine.

One reader said he stopped using the oven and put everything in the microwave.

Many reviewed their spending and did errands daily rather than weekly grocery shopping.

One wrote: ‘Pet plan and pet insurance, even if it’s a drop in the ocean. I think life insurance will be next.

Another wrote: ‘I didn’t stop buying pet insurance, but went back to the simpler one. (While I think you can get it through Dogs Trust, I wouldn’t go without a third party). The costs became unbelievable and nothing they had to do seemed to be getting paid”.

Likewise, dog grooming is restricted by some readers.

Someone wrote: ‘Cut the dog down. It was £44 for 8 weeks and I couldn’t justify it more. Plus there were 5 miles of x4 drop and then pick up. I bought a set of scissors and instead I do it every day. It looks a lot more messy, but that’s okay.

Another wrote: “Pet insurance – it never covered anything they needed. Assistance – once a month to quarterly.

Others have written about how they reduce the most mundane things. Someone wrote: ‘Don’t buy as many eggs or chickens as we normally do…’

Answer: Others have written how they reduce the most ordinary things. Someone wrote: ‘Don’t buy as many eggs or chickens as we normally do…’

As another wrote: ‘Gasoline for all non-business travel. Gas for heating (of course not now, but in April it was 13 degrees in our house some mornings and we are very cold this winter).

‘Use our local store, because prices have increased more than in supermarkets. If we don’t pass by a supermarket on a business trip (we live in the countryside) we have to do without it until we get there.

‘Quality meat, we should choose cheaper options. Branded food, we buy more from Aldi than before. Clothing other than DS 13 years old and growing.’

Another woman wrote that she stopped buying potato chips. ‘I could almost be right as a weekend gift of £1 per bag, but not £2. Now we’re out of chips.’

Similarly, others have written about swapping store-bought sandwiches and pastries for homemade items.

One wrote: ‘Now I make my own cupcakes, cookies, muffins. Do it without books. All newspaper and magazine subscriptions canceled or not renewed, Netflix subscription.’

A few people also said they stopped drinking alcohol or started eating more vegetarian food to lower the price of their weekly groceries.

Others said that they changed their shopping habits, they shopped daily, not weekly, and they only bought their own branded products by buying discounted products.