We used to use the tax rebate as a mini-bonus - we tended to get a decent one when we had a big mortgage. Now, it's pretty much zero, but we do have a bit more disposable income than we had back then, as what remains of the mortgage payments are in turn a lot lower.
We're a bit lazy with cooking - we use Feast and Fettle for a couple of meals a week. It's cheaper than eating out, which we only do maybe once a month - that's got a lot cheaper since we stopped bringing the kids with us.