All the small things - tell me what you have done to be MF today

TallGirl

So many good tips on here please keep it going.

Decluttering going well here no bids yet on Ebay but some Freecycle stuff gone.

Went out for MS meal last night but the roads we so bad we went to a local pub for a drink instead and changed the MS to tonight.

Found a Danish Shop in Basingstoke spent £16 good thing it was a £ shop and I got quite a few bits I really needed. Like two packets of veg seeds for £1, loads of Danish sweets (rhmm not really needed) a £1 washing up brush (cost at least £4 in Denmark and needed that. Also got two flight cushions £3 instead of the £10 they normally cost everywhere else.

Payday tomorrow, needed.

Other good news flight home in September is only £67 from Gatwick, happy days.

Ayeshalush

Not much happening for me at the moment.

Over last couple of days I have:

1. Earned 80p on OnePoll
2. Completed Toluna surveys and sponsored polls
3. Earned 10 MySurvey points
4. Charged phone at work
5. Bought nephews birthday present using vouchers earned from surveys etc. Only had to put £3.99 cash to it.

misscousinitt

Today I have:

* Dinner tonight will be from stores
* Got points put on my boots card from when DH had it (£14.66 total now)
* Chatted to a lady about changing my energy tariff - may go back and see her tomorrow
* Will be filling up on the way home, boo (got my car back), but will be getting my morrisons points ;-)
* Meal plan and shopping list for next month is in progress

curlygirl1971

Not much today

* MPG OCD 47.1
* Shower not a bath
* Heating still off in the evenings (I indulge myself in the mornings)
* Round at mums for dinner tonight
* Charging phone at work
* Laptop charged at work and will watch Silk on iplayer tonight rather than switch on TV and digibox
* Took something back to M&S Outlet store last night and got £15 refund. Then saw that they were still seling it but marked down to £2.99 so re-bought it using a credit voucher I'd forgotten about

curlygirl1971

There used to be a thread by Welshlassie 'Regular Checks to Maximise your Overpaying Potential', it hasn't been around since July last year - but perhaps the points Welshlassie took the trouble to list deserve a re-visit? One of us might spot something useful.

Things to check on a regular (monthly/quarterly/annually) basis to ensure we are getting the best deals for things, finding all opportunities for extra cash and any other regular things we could be doing to maximise our potential for finding and making Over Payments.

Monthly

• Check bank statements to ensure DD/SO have been collected
• Check offers on Quidco and other cashback sites
• Check current account at periodically throughout the month and transfer any "spare" money into mortgage
• Enusre all your Direct Debits are still current and needed
• Check fuel prices in local area to ensure filling up at cheapest place - Petrol Prices
• Check tyre pressures are correct and tyre wear is ok. - Keep an eye out for good deals on decent tyres when you know they're getting worn - saving 25% and getting them fitted a few weeks early will save you more on the life of your tyres. Consider energysaver tyres to save fuel long term.
• Check Fixture Ferret for non-perishable special offers
• Read gas and electric meters and submit to utility company - This will give you improved kWh consumption (for comparison purposes) and also mean your DD should be very close to your usage
• Update your finanial monitoring tools, (spreadhseets, MS Money etc)
• Review "alternative" shopping items for suitability
• Identify any large purchases and schedule the purchases of them to maximise interest-free period (on CC) and any off-set benefits
• Read a few of Martins articles - they are always there and periodically updated, we see them so often we forget they are there.
• Filling up the car - Every time we 'fill up' the car these days we only half fill it, from MArtin's article on cutting fuel bills, if 110lbs can add 2% to your fuel bill, then carrying an extra 25KGs (25 litres of petrol) will have about 1% effect, roughly speaking
• Do a monthly shop and stock up on cheap rice, pasta, bargain crisps etc,diluting juice etc. so they are always in the cupboard and you don't end up spending twice as much on them at the local shops when you run out.
• Birthdays - work out if you have any birthdays etc. coming up and find bargains online for them instead of going into town and paying full price at the last minute. (consider getting cheap gifts for a gift draw).
• Count up your mortgage pig and put it somewhere that they can earn interest instead of deflating in a piggy bank at home.
• Check down back of sofa etc for spare change that can be banked.

Quarterly

• Check current account/savings account rates to ensure best deals
• Check credit cards rates and cash back rates for best deals
• Check gas/electricity suppliers for best deals, use quidco if transferring
• Check Phone/Broadband/mobile suppliers for best deals
• Declutter house and garden and sell unwanted items on Ebay/Amazon/Car boot/Green Metropolis etc using profit for OP
• Dust the ligthbulbs - they give out a lot more light with no dirt on them
• Review any life/sickness etc cover linked to the mortgage to see if you can reduce your cover and save monthly premiums (especially if your are OP's significant sums)
  

Annually

• Check mortgage rate
• Check insurances are best deal, and if changing use cashback maximiser
  • Car, Van, Motorbike
  • House
  • Travel
  • Pet
  • Life
  • Health/Dental
  • Breakdown cover
• Update budget
• Check salary sacrific options at work (childcare voucher etc)
• Check P60 to ensure not overpaid tax in prior year This link will help
• Check new tax coding notice to prevent tax overpayment in following year

cha97michelle

Thanks Curly girl for reminding everyone of those. I had a look through but nothing new for me.

Ok day here. Ds2 only wet 5 sets of clothes, compared to 7 yesterday. Progress?

Got an approved food order, which made me look at the contents of my pantry with a bit of horror. I definitely need to start using some up rather than keep stockpiling. There is a lot of money tied up there, so i should make the most of it in the next few months. I am pretty sure i have an obsession.

Surveys:
35p OP
50p Shop and scan
60 points on my survey
£2 for NVL, now at £17.50/50.00

Received lots of amazon parcels today which are from using up vouchers from surveys. Easter presents are now fully sorted.

Also received a cleaning survey worth £10 if i fill it in, and need to do a DVD survey.

And, MIL has transferred some money to us from DHs great aunt. She had to move into a care home, and her car has been sold and proceeds divided between 6 great nephews/nieces, so we just need to decide how much or if all of it should go to the mortgage. DH says do what i want.:A

katsu

Today for me:

* cheap petrol, and points, at Mr M
* drove somewhat carefully from work, working off-site so can claim mileage
* read Martin's ISA articles to understand ISAs better (we actually have some money in the bank now so we need to learn how to look after it!)

curlygirl1971

cha97michelle wrote: »

And, MIL has transferred some money to us from DHs great aunt. She had to move into a care home, and her car has been sold and proceeds divided between 6 great nephews/nieces, so we just need to decide how much or if all of it should go to the mortgage. DH says do what i want.:A

You know michelle, I read your posts sometimes with awe and admiration - everything you do, especially all the little bits, making things, thinking ahead, your dedication and motivation. You really are something spesh and I don't think you even know it. I'd probably hate you in real life because I would compare myself and fall woefully short. I don't know how much it is, and I'm not encouraging you to spend all of it - but how about a treat, just for once?

tinkerbel

nothing to really add again today
NSD which is good I guess but it was wednesday and I was at work all day so I guess there is nothing to buy!!

cha97michelle

curlygirl1971 wrote: »

You know michelle, I read your posts sometimes with awe and admiration - everything you do, especially all the little bits, making things, thinking ahead, your dedication and motivation. You really are something spesh and I don't think you even know it. I'd probably hate you in real life because I would compare myself and fall woefully short. I don't know how much it is, and I'm not encouraging you to spend all of it - but how about a treat, just for once?

That is a lovely thing to say to me. I never feel that special, although it is hard to see the woods for the trees sometimes.

I think somewhere about £1000.

You wouldn't hate me in real life. You'd pop in for a cuppa and i'd feed you a scone, and i am not perfect in any way. My house is a state, and i half do so much and don't finish it. Tonight for eg, my living room is full of boxes from the app food order which the kids were playing with and i can't be bothered to tidy up. I also have a several foot high ironing pile. I'm not that saintly. I saw a great quote today.

Even role models have room to improve.

(not saying i am a role model mind I'm taking it as no-one is perfect.) I just try my best hon, and try to be nice to everyone as i want to be treated, and i often end up getting pooped on as a result.

I was thinking a little treat like take the kids out on a nice day trip somewhere, so spend about £50.

Thing is we are quite happy with not a lot most of the time. A flask of tea and a walk usually. :rotfl: