Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
Oct 17th 2017, 4:29 am
#1
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Location: Zakher, Al Ain
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Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
I think 99% of people here have seen their discretionary spending reduce in the last year or two. Curious to know what you have cut back on.
Car/motoring
Accommodation
Education
Groceries
Annual trip "home"
Annual vacation
Brunches and nights out
Weekends away/staycations
something else ?
Mine is car (would have bought another one by now if I had the cash), accommodation (cheaper rent), annual vacation (cut completely), weekends away (how I miss all the hotel stays we used to have). BTW our discretionary spend has reduced by 95% at least
Car/motoring
Accommodation
Education
Groceries
Annual trip "home"
Annual vacation
Brunches and nights out
Weekends away/staycations
something else ?
Mine is car (would have bought another one by now if I had the cash), accommodation (cheaper rent), annual vacation (cut completely), weekends away (how I miss all the hotel stays we used to have). BTW our discretionary spend has reduced by 95% at least
Oct 17th 2017, 6:02 am
#2
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
I scaled back a lot since moving to Doha from Dubai. It's easy not to spend money here 
I'm a weird freak in that I like to see how cheaply I can live and right now I easily save 75% of my income. The only area where I could genuinely cut back on is the daily Costa cappuccino but you're prying that out of my cold hard fingers.
I'm a weird freak in that I like to see how cheaply I can live and right now I easily save 75% of my income. The only area where I could genuinely cut back on is the daily Costa cappuccino but you're prying that out of my cold hard fingers.
Oct 17th 2017, 6:21 am
#3
Hit 16's
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Oct 17th 2017, 6:28 am
#4
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Oct 17th 2017, 7:04 am
#5
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
yep definitely cut back my 'luxury' expenses ie eating/drinking out; luxury spa treatments; holidays away; concerts. The only thing that i haven't cut back on is my car...in fact i am even thinking of selling it and buying another brand new one - which i know i probably shouldn't, but it is the one thing i love the most and can do here, whereas i wouldn't be able to do back in the UK.
Oct 17th 2017, 8:24 am
#6
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
Not at all for me. I'm still sipping champagne at the back of the train while the front is crashing.
The way I view it is that if I'm employed there's not reason to cut back... Although that will probably change next year when I'm no longer an expat and will be classified as a local employee thereby losing some benefits.
The way I view it is that if I'm employed there's not reason to cut back... Although that will probably change next year when I'm no longer an expat and will be classified as a local employee thereby losing some benefits.
Last edited by Millhouse; Oct 17th 2017 at 8:30 am.
Oct 17th 2017, 8:25 am
#7
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
yep definitely cut back my 'luxury' expenses ie eating/drinking out; luxury spa treatments; holidays away; concerts. The only thing that i haven't cut back on is my car...in fact i am even thinking of selling it and buying another brand new one - which i know i probably shouldn't, but it is the one thing i love the most and can do here, whereas i wouldn't be able to do back in the UK.
Oct 17th 2017, 8:38 am
#8
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
Not at all for me. I'm still sipping champagne at the back of the train while the front is crashing.
The way I view it is that if I'm employed there's not reason to cut back... Although that will probably change next year when I'm no longer an expat and will be classified as a local employee thereby losing some benefits.
The way I view it is that if I'm employed there's not reason to cut back... Although that will probably change next year when I'm no longer an expat and will be classified as a local employee thereby losing some benefits.
I'm very fortunate to never have been made redundant and career path has been smooth (so far
) but I watched many mates go through redundancies and large scale cutbacks at my firms several times due to economic vagaries. It happens periodically in the AEC sector. I've seen people struggle to find work, even highly accomplished ones. Everyone did land on their feet eventually but I've calculated that a year's redundancy when there's a lousy economy not only cost you the year's living expenditures out of your savings but also a year's worth of potential savings and when you combine the two it can add up to a substantial amount of lost long term net worth. Maybe that's why I'm always so keen on savings and investing to offset any potential redundancies in the future. Anyway, I have several long term goals that also justifies being a tight bastard at the moment.
Oct 17th 2017, 8:39 am
#9
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
Car/motoring - no - the opposite
Accommodation - no
Education - no
Groceries - looking at pricing a little more.
Annual trip "home" - no
Annual vacation - yes
Brunches and nights out - yes
Weekends away/staycations - yes
Accommodation - no
Education - no
Groceries - looking at pricing a little more.
Annual trip "home" - no
Annual vacation - yes
Brunches and nights out - yes
Weekends away/staycations - yes
Oct 17th 2017, 8:44 am
#10
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
Moving back to UK? Just in time for the Brexit tailspin
I'm very fortunate to never have been made redundant and career path has been smooth (so far ) but I watched many mates go through redundancies and large scale cutbacks at my firms several times due to economic vagaries. It happens periodically in the AEC sector. I've seen people struggle to find work, even highly accomplished ones. Everyone did land on their feet eventually but I've calculated that a year's redundancy when there's a lousy economy not only cost you the year's living expenditures out of your savings but also a year's worth of potential savings and when you combine the two it can add up to a substantial amount of lost long term net worth. Maybe that's why I'm always so keen on savings and investing to offset any potential redundancies in the future.
Anyway, I have several long term goals that also justifies being a tight bastard at the moment.
I'm very fortunate to never have been made redundant and career path has been smooth (so far
) but I watched many mates go through redundancies and large scale cutbacks at my firms several times due to economic vagaries. It happens periodically in the AEC sector. I've seen people struggle to find work, even highly accomplished ones. Everyone did land on their feet eventually but I've calculated that a year's redundancy when there's a lousy economy not only cost you the year's living expenditures out of your savings but also a year's worth of potential savings and when you combine the two it can add up to a substantial amount of lost long term net worth. Maybe that's why I'm always so keen on savings and investing to offset any potential redundancies in the future. Anyway, I have several long term goals that also justifies being a tight bastard at the moment.
Saving a coffee here or there isn't going to save you if you lose your job. Just makes the adjustment easier for when you do lose it.
Oct 17th 2017, 9:08 am
#11
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
Staying an expat in UAE, just changing to a local package which will be annoying but I'll fix it through a dedicate combination of lobbying, grovelling and bullying.
Saving a coffee here or there isn't going to save you if you lose your job. Just makes the adjustment easier for when you do lose it.
Saving a coffee here or there isn't going to save you if you lose your job. Just makes the adjustment easier for when you do lose it.
Ain't giving up coffee. Even if I lose my job. That's point of being a tightwad
Oct 17th 2017, 10:22 am
#12
Hit 16's
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
Not that the info's much use to BlueLioness:
Nope, not on any front. A weekend break every weekend (Saturday night / Sunday), 4 trips home a year (usually have 4 days away in Europe), still saving, goals on target. I only spend on essentials. Touch wood. Salute a magpie. Fingers crossed. Insh'Allah. Etc.
Edit to say that I still only buy cheap local wine -- after the first one or two the difference pales into insignificance, and I refuse to pay £10 for a bottle that would cost £7 for the same quality in UK. I did splash out on a bottle of Port, though, for my regular cheese n wine night: I suppose I should be grateful that they don't sell expensive stuff here, otherwise that'd be £100+ every couple of weeks.
Nope, not on any front. A weekend break every weekend (Saturday night / Sunday), 4 trips home a year (usually have 4 days away in Europe), still saving, goals on target. I only spend on essentials
. Touch wood. Salute a magpie. Fingers crossed. Insh'Allah. Etc.Edit to say that I still only buy cheap local wine -- after the first one or two the difference pales into insignificance, and I refuse to pay £10 for a bottle that would cost £7 for the same quality in UK. I did splash out on a bottle of Port, though, for my regular cheese n wine night: I suppose I should be grateful that they don't sell expensive stuff here, otherwise that'd be £100+ every couple of weeks.
Last edited by Bahtatboy; Oct 17th 2017 at 10:28 am.
Oct 17th 2017, 10:43 am
#13
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
I think if people who rely solely on one salary then you are more liable to economic pushes/nudges. Always have other (non-related) revenue streams (minimum of 3).
Oct 17th 2017, 12:12 pm
#14
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
trying to save more
in all fairness i did go way crazy when i first moved out here...but over the last 2-3 years i've kinda reigned myself in, and been thinking about what the hell am i gonna live on when i retire
in all fairness i did go way crazy when i first moved out here...but over the last 2-3 years i've kinda reigned myself in, and been thinking about what the hell am i gonna live on when i retire
Oct 17th 2017, 12:14 pm
#15
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Re: Have you cut back on living/entertaining expenses
Because I've been on this package five years and we are encouraged to move countries every five years - they do this encouragement through the wallet. I'll have to fight it, some options are ... leave for a few months and come back, move to a new country, suck it up, or leave. I'm tempted to try Beirut although will probably just leave (notionally) for a few months and come back.