What small DFW things will you do this week - w/c 2nd October?

Hello Wednesday People,
Just a few bits from me today:
*Cleared very large ironing pile but sorted it thoroughly first so as to expend electricity only on what really needed it.
*'Free' meal tonight as we ate one of the pasta bakes I made yesterday to use up some of our home-grown produce.
*Did a survey & a prize draw.
*Bought a litre of cheap vodka & started off this year's fruit liqueur. Blackberry & pear this year using fruit from our garden & Aldi sugar. Will give a couple of small bottles of this as gifts.
*Updated October budget & grocery budget as I really need to keep on top of spending this month.
*Have done a bit more knitting for my sales basket - turned the heel on a sock, picked up for the foot & will have shaped the foot & be half way down to the toes by bedtime. All yarn is from my stash......there have been no naughty little wool shop spends.
*Started my new £2.99 moisturiser........cannot justify replacing the empty pot of my usual fabby stuff at £26. Will treat myself to another jar on a month where I can better afford it.
*Chillier night tonight, but have put the little shawl round my shoulders that I knitted over summer from gifted yarn & no heating will be going on tonight......apart from heated towel radiator in bathroom, which is slightly different.
My best wishes to all those who are struggling at the moment.
Love f x

I totally agree with DNMS on the topic of NSDs. I think they're over- rated as a money saving tool. Of course if you usually go out & fritter money on tat every day, then having days where you spend nothing is useful. But you could have 10 nice shiny NSDs in a row, then go out on the 11th day & blow a big hole in your budget. That is a lot worse than spending as appropriate WITHIN BUDGET every day. So although I often feel pleased if I go 2 or 3 days without spending anything, that in itself isn't as important as simply setting a realistic budget at the beginning of each month & simply sticking to it. I will spend every day if I want/need to, but not on things I haven't budgeted for, & that's what has stopped the frittering.
F x

Hi all!

I agree that making and sticking to a budget is paramount. I try to, but lately, if I'm having an off day (more than I'd like! Ha), I would end up trotting off down to the local shop in my lunch time and blowing my budget, making it near on impossible to stick to it every month. Couldn't carry on like that, so am trying to focus on something to give me that little nudge to snap me out of it. :)
Also ended up blowing the diet this way and I REALLY need to lose 2 stone. :eek:

I've also been having lots of "use up" dinners lately. Got a stock of foods I've grown bored of in the freezer after buying too many, so forcing myself to become a little more inventive and also use them up. Even YS items don't have an infinite date once frozen. :rotfl:

Morning all :hello:

Band was fab on Tuesday and although a long day it was well worth it. We treated ourselves to dinner out but was very reasonable and we only had one (soft) drink each and only a main course . We didn’t have a drink at the venue :A cane fro treat money so all ok.

Back on the bandwagon, agree on NSD, sticking to budget is a priority, whichever ways work for you and increasing NSD Just isn’t on my radar but when I realise I’ve had. A few in a row it’s always nice today I have/will

Check banking, surveys and FPL
Check fleabay listings, 7 will sell :T
WFH
Pop out with DH at some point to look for something for his birthday from my folks
Book a hotel that was a present for us so no spend
Meals from stores
Some more knitting tonight
My wool for my next project arrived. It’s so pretty but it’s so thin compared to the chunky wool I’m using now :eek: I hoping to make 2 presents so the funds will come from present fund if that works out.

Enjoy your day peeps.

Hi Thursday Poundstretchers,
Some little useful bits of stuff today but have been quite busy on local political stuff so perhaps not as proactive with household economies as I might have been. Anyway, here goes:
*Used left over cooked apples with my oats this morning for breakfast......in fact the oats were also kind of a 'use it up' as they were the last bit from a box of muesli.....you know, the bit that's left when all the interesting nuts & dates & stuff has been picked out.
*Used leftover lemon & cinnamon syrup to poach a few more pears for the freezer.
*Just in case anyone thought the pear glut might be just about over here, it's not. The windy night has fetched a load more off the tree so I will be popping out in a minute to round up probably another 4 kilos.
*Make tomorrow's packed lunch.
*Did some surveys.
*Do next week's meal plans - have pretty much sorted this in my head, just need to work it through on paper to get each meal on the optimum day for not wasting food.
*Can't remember if I mentioned I was recruited onto an online customer feedback forum via a Toluna survey from a couple of weeks ago. I have only done the 1st two projects, which were nothing onerous at all, & very quick & I have received payment of £28 in vouchers. That's more than I thought, so will be very useful to buy some presents from my Christmas shopping list. I am just pricing things up this week & next so I will be able to cross those things off as now being 'budget-neutral'. Updated signature, as I like to keep a tally of my survey income.
*Knit for sales basket. This sock could be finished by tomorrow night if I put my mind to it & get those needles clicking.
*Make sourdough loaf - that's in progress, just on its 2nd proving. I can tell that it's dropped a little colder as it isn't rising as quickly as it usually does. No heating on yet though.
*Investigated whether there is an Aldi near Mum's. We need to visit this Saturday but won't have shopped. There is! And it's actually on the outskirts of her village. We are trying to avoid having to go out for our groceries on Sunday as we would like to have a day out together for a nice stress-busting walk.
Well, I must go & fetch the pear bucket. If you lot all lived within a 10 miles radius of me, I'd be dropping secret deliveries of pears on your doorsteps in the dead of night. We have been overwhelmed with them! Might have to make another batch of chutney because you know I can't bear wasting things.
OK, cheers all,
F x