Wed 8th May - What small DFW things will you do today?

josiebabie

When we start out on the DFW trail we do loads of "big stuff" that makes quite a difference to our situation. These include having our lightbulb moment, cutting up the credit cards and cancelling Sky and the gym.

But once we have done the bigger stuff, we often feel that we are not making the same amount of progress, when in fact the small steps are helping us form good financial habits and helping us get closer everyday to staying in control and becoming debt free, or staying debt free. :T

Examples could be hanging washing out instead of using the tumble dryer or leaving your purse/wallet at home to avoid the risk of spending. :money:

So be proud of those small steps, they really are important.

Morning DFW-ers!

Today I will be mostly chilling out! Even though I'm working I'm going to take it easier than I did yesterday.

This is me:-
- Check banking
- Start to work on budget for May-June
- Keep an eye on conveyancing progress
- Packed lunch from stores
- Breakfast and dinner from stores
- Text friend to see if she wants to watch netball match at 8.30, if she does, car share
- Phone college beauty salon (didn't do yesterday)
- Book injection (didn't do yesterday)
- Check fridge temperature when I get home as it's been freezing everything recently
- 1x HC done last night, hung on airer this morning
- Attempt to sell a service plan, not had any opportunity to recently.
- Start making a list of stuff and prices for things we'll need when we move
- Definitely sparkle!

All the normal stuff from me today!

Jx

carrielovesfanta

Morning!

Thanks to josie for starting off the thread. Hope you're feeling a bit brighter today

I did start the dandelion wine off, sort the car insurance and sow some more tomato seeds. I had a brainwave re the existing seeds. I dug don into the little seed cells and some had germinated but were so far down. I think I planted them too deep. I took a bit of soil off the top of each one and now I have 3 more seedlings

On the down side I had the combined gas/elec bill for over winter. My monthly payment is now £113 :eek:

I cannot understand how 2 people can possibly use that much electricity (and it is the elec that's the worst, not the gas). Especially when I'm in work all day and OH is at uni. Have given OH a discreet reminder about turning things off and unplugging his charger.I just guess that with the house being cold and dark and OH always having amps/pedal boards on the go we are high users

But it's the summer now so here is today's plan:

Keep everything turned off!

Made extra sure I only boiled enough water for 1 cup of coffee

Check online banking - car insurance hasn't come out yet

M-i-l coming round. Will bake a cake with raisins rescued from boiling up tea wine. Will hoover round also.

Possibly make the butternut squash soup that I was planning to do yesterday.

Get m-i-l to run me past work to get my phone charger. Poss get her to drop me at Homebase too to look at tomato plants (free taxi!)

Tea at m-i-l's

Right - to the breach!

Have a good one guys

stitching_witch

Morning all, and thanks for starting us off today Jo. Don't forget to factor in a long visit to the college beauty salon. They always take ages to do treatments there.

I think I'll have a slow day today too. I've got an electrician coming round at some point today so can't go out until he's been - probably at the end of the day knowing my luck! Still, it's not exactly allotment weather out there today

Small things so far:

• Ran WM on Economy 7
• Breakfast from stores
• Fed and watered the chickens and let them out to free-range
• Checked banking
• Checked for surveys - Onep0ll is currently at £38.00
• Heating is mostly off, just one heater on now
• Took meat out of freezer for dinner

Will also:

• Keep an eye on surveys
• Finish one quilt top and start second one
• Look at opening a cash ISA to move my monthly savings to - must be better interest than what I'm getting currently
• Get some of website 'copy' written and emailed to website designer
• Put kettle water into a flask to use for next coffee
• Possibly bake biscuits whilst oven is on for dinner
• Have an NSD if I can avoid the quilting websites

Have a good day folks
Stitchy x

allydowd

Morning,

Thanks for starting the thread josiebabie and hugs to everyone who needs them.

Well yesterday was a really productive day. :j It was sunny so me and the OH got out into the garden and turned a derelict patch of ground into a 3 foot by 8 foot bed for growing more veg. We also leveled off a new patch, the old path had a foot deep hole in it! And I made homemade cloches to protect the strawberries from the birds. (Link) And while we were turning over the soil we found a sack of compost buried unopened?! and some plant pots. OH managed to get the broken mower working, it's a manual one, but that's better than no mower at all.

Today I will:

1. Do Nectar AdPoints. 93% of the way to a £5 Sainsbury's voucher.
2. Do OnePoll. 55% off the way to a £40 payout.
3. Leave the heating off as long as possible.
4. Go to Jobcentre. I can hardly wait to claim today's free gift...all the insults and sarcasm you can eat, no doubt...:D
5. Go to library. Charge laptop while there.
   
6. Charge mobiles in car when driving to Jobcentre.

MONEY-SAVING TIP FOR GARDENERS:

I got this from Gardeners' World Magazine (April 2007). Instead of buying rooting powder you can make your own rooting solution. Take some young willow stems. (Link) Soak them in water for 24 hours. Dip cuttings in the solution before putting them into compost. (Willow contains rhizocalin - an ingredient in many rooting preparations.)

FREEBIES:

1. Free body cream sample (Link)
2. Free 25 Tesco Clubcard points and a chance to win a Tesco voucher. You need to complete a 5 min survey about your last Tesco visit. You need a Tesco receipt to proceed. (Link)

OFFERS

1. Free Filled Roll from Baguette Express in today's Daily Record (Link)
2. £5 off voucher if you donate your old clothes. (Link)

katy_ann

Morning all Thanks for starting us Josie and gm to everyone Today I will;

• Work 10-8 (2 hours at OT)
• Check online banking
• Have a LSD as need to buy some stamps
• Phone the DVLA - Done
• B/L/D from stores

Have a lovely day all x

carrielovesfanta

I'm off to look at that cloche link. Cheers ally!

ziggy2407

Good Morning my lovelies

josie - Thanks for starting us off this morning

Dull and dreary here today and Todays little listy:

Check Banks - Done
Check swapits - Done
Check www.freepostcodelottery.com -
Packed lunch for OH & LO - Done
Work (10.30-1.30) -
General Tidy up - Done
Ironing -
Cinema trip with OH and LO (Orand wed & free ticket from coke zone, snacks & drink from home) -
Bake (cheese & onion scone loaf) -
Surveys -
Catch up on emails -
Enter a few comps -
Read - Reading another book from stash
Meals from stores -
Update Food tracker - in progress

Have a great day, love to you all.

C xx

foxgloves

Hi Everyone,
A mixed day here, as it was rainy this morning, which put a stop to my gardening plans, plus feeling a bit hormonal, but have noticed the sky has now cleared to blue & the sun's shining, so I've perked up!
So far today:
*Veggies all watered & checked for pests/problems.
*Bunch of fresh coriander picked for tonight's curry (yes, rubber pork again!)
*Did the ironing & turned off iron for the last item.....whoever on here suggested this tip, I do it everytime now.........any tiny thing to help erode rising energy bills!
*Checked my ebays - have sold 18 items so far & have watchers on lots of others. (Whatever money I make will go towards the rest of the camping stuff we need).
*Updated 2 budgets. i)May grocery budget - not as bad as I feared. Should come in at around the right amount if I get back to my good habits now mr f is back at work after his week off. ii)My May personal spends budget....have tracked all spending so far this month & it tallies with what I have left, but having a week off together has resulted in far too many visits to coffee shops & the CAKE element has not helped the diet. As I said, back to my routines now, & doing an emergency week of Rosemary Conley 1200 calories a day to tackle aforementioned cake. I infuriate myself, actually, as I only need another couple of pounds off to have lost a total of 6 stones, but there's something about millionnaire's shortbread which seems to call my name out of the coffee shop door & down the street.....sorry, will stop moaning now......
*Entered 2 competitions.
*Emailed Waitrose about the price of their petrol.
*Did a few surveys.
Still to do:
*Hem a piece of patchwork from my textiles cupboard - I stitched it when I was about 19 or 20 (not even going to say how many years ago that is!!) & it is just right for a small throw which will stop me looking at them in shops.
*Catch up on some TV recordings (a nice free activity)
*Make tonight's curry & tomorrow's pack-up.
*If the sunshine holds, I might go & investigate exactly what apocalypse has hit my strawberry tub this winter.
That's it for me....Oh @carrieloves fanta - I know what you mean about monthly energy payments. We're at £100 a month for both. I really don't want to pay mroe than that, but as energy prices will only go up, I think it's more a case of cutting use & monthly rises as much as poss. It's amazing the bits of wastage you can find.....Mr f off work all last week & I noticed he has the kitchen lights on all day. Kitchen has big window, is quite dark as north facing, but I never need the lights on......that means 6 bulbs at a time. I also read my meters each weekend, note the readings, so if there's a sudden surge, I can think what we did differently.
Cheers,
foxgloves x

Pernicious

Hi everyone,

Thanks for starting us off Josie.
Carrie - Make sure your OH is unplugging all his pedals & amp afterwards, or switching it off at the wall when not in use!
Foxgloves - To be fair, millionaires shortbread is difficult to resist


Today I have/will:-

• Made use of free water at work
• Staying in for my lunch break to avoid spending
• B/L/D from stores
• HM porridge pot for brekkie
• Log calories & exercise on free apps
• Dinner from meal plan - Veggie stir fry & noodles
• Check postcode lottery & birthday bingo
• Charging phone at work
• Heating off
• Check online banking
• Check for new mystery shopping opportunities
• Enter some comps
• Do some surveys
• Declutter & flylady
• Check FB & fleabay
• Make use of TKD membership this evening
• Ring round (using free mins) to get quotes for new rear shoes for my car

Hope everyone is ok & has a great, MSE day x

Candy0107

Afternoon Folks,
Thanks to Josie for starting the thread today
Hi to everyone else
Today I have/will do:
• Breakfast and dinner from stores
• Lunch out using discount voucher – needed cheering up and it didn’t cost that much
• Bought a day ticket for the bus – worth it as I used it 4x……single fare into town £2, dayticket £4.50 – should’ve walked but it was tipping it down
• Sat (and passed) my exam – was nervous as I went to 2 out of 5 classes and the unit was very wordy and I must admit that I gave up 85% of the way through reading the textbook and started skim reading
• Keep an eye out for any jobs – applied for 2…will wait and see if I get interviews
• Make breakfast and lunch for work tomorrow
• Spent cash and have taken out enough for my railfare in the morning
• Need to scan the question pages from my textbooks and get organised for the final 2 units
• Need to put everything in folders so I am organised for next week

Umm, think that’s about it.

Take care everyone and have a fab day
Candy xxx

stitching_witch

Candy0107 wrote: »

• Sat (and passed) my exam – was nervous as I went to 2 out of 5 classes and the unit was very wordy and I must admit that I gave up 85% of the way through reading the textbook and started skim reading

Well done my lovely! :T::beer::T