Wednesday 29th May - What small DFW things will you do today?

Bobarella

Wednesday 29th May - What small DFW things will you do today?

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.

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.

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

Bobarella

Good Morning All

Up with the lark so getting the thread started.

1. Off to work, day 1 of my week. Extra event today, so depending on the trade could well be a good day.
2. Me and OH discussed him joining his new company's pension last night. 3% contributory. We are trying to decide whether we can raise our side of it, but it seems to make sense as its free money from his company. Will mull further ways we could rejig our budget to allow this.
3. Will not be buying anything for myself today. Will need to spend £1.50 on parking though.
4. Check banking
5. Planned dinner - Mixed meat rice, to use up some cooked chicken wings, and cooked ribs lingering in the fridge. Needs to be easy tonight as I wont get home till around 7pm.
6. OH is taking a packed lunch.

Think thats it, no big or exciting MS today but grateful the habits that lead to big changes are firmly instilled thanks to this thread and the board in general.

Good luck all

Bob

determined_new_ms

Morning bob thanks for starting us off. Hope the event goes well today

Hurrah to it being Wednesday already :j I have a busy day ahead so it should speed by as well

Josie I reckon it'll be ok with handing in your notice. Honestly once everything is back it all happens so soon! Oh and I had daily 10 min meetings to work out what needed doing the next day and who could do it. We moved just after his exams for his 2 year course. This was really helpful as I didn't feel was on my own and we could spread whatever needed doing depending on who had the busiest day ahead. hths x

Things for the day:
* check banking
* update ss with recent spends/123 cashback :T - it is fab to get that every month
* have made lunch, using up last of the unfrozen subs from the weekend, fruit that needs using up & will take a bottle of water
* dinner will be beef enchilladas from stores
* give some love to my plants this evening, although only a little as don't have much time!
* go drop something off & collect something for the charity I do some things for
* check air, water & oil & get petrol while passing through the town
* only spends today are biscuits & grapes for team meeting and a £1 for my group tonight
* read Martin's newsletter

Ok that's all for me today. Hope the sun is shining for you whatever the weather

stitching_witch

Morning all. Thanks for starting the thread Bob. Re OH's pension contributions. - I work in payroll and always point out to people that joining a company pension scheme where the employer also contributes is like having a hidden payrise. Okay, the money doesn't go directly into your bank account yet, but it will in years to come, and who would turn down a payrise??

My list for today so far:

• Washing machine ran on Economy 7
• HC hung on airer to dry - still can't get near my washing line so that's a job for the weekend :mad:
• Breakfast from stores
• Fed and watered the chickens
• Savoury mince base out of freezer to jazz up for dinner
• Checked banking

Also to do today:

• Keep checking for surveys throughout the day
• Spend the day in the sewing room completing one order and starting two more samples for the case
• Make lemon sponge cake to freeze as there are 4 lemons in the kitchen which need to be used (and I can't stand lemons!!!!)
• Escalate my complaint to the letting agent to the next level as I've had no reply in the 14 days I gave them - somehow I can't see me getting back a penny of the £228 I paid them
• NOT have a trip out to Ikea with DD therefore not spend money on stuff I love but don't actually need
• Lunch from stores
• Water all my veggie plants so hopefully get a crop this year
• Get some copy written for website tonight
• Have an NSD

It's a busy day planned here so I better get a move on now.
Stitchy x

josiebabie

Morning peeps!

Thanks DNMS for the reassurance, I'm sure it'll work out ok it's just slightly stressful, even more so that OH doesn't get it! :eek: Daily ten minute meetings sound like they'll work though

Another early get up on my second official day of "holiday". I got so much done yesterday I am really pleased! Makes me feel a bit better about the trip to Ikea today. So it's going to be a spendy day for me today as we're also ordering our new sofas

- Check banking
- Breakfast from stores
- Mince out of freezer for dinner
- Take Ikea family card for free tea in the restaurant and discounted lunch
- OH will take his own snacks as he eats funny stuff :rotfl:
- One more coat of paint on cubby hole in bathroom
- Ex picking up DD saves me a trip to his house (opposite direction)
- Stop in at carpet place on the way to organise them coming to measure
- Order sofas on 0% finance, we have the money but are going to keep it in savings for a bit. Over 2 years if we can opt to pay it off early/over pay, over 1 year if we can't.
- Watch spending in Ikea, lots wanted/needed!
- Take letter for landlady and get it posted today guarenteed next day
- Recheck measurements for DD's new room and wardrobe I think I need, measure DD's coat hangers to see if I can opt for the shallow one

That's it! Enjoy the sunshine peeps, looks lovely out there today.

Jx
- Return some items to Primarni for OH's mum

foxgloves

Hi Money-savers,
Useful sort of day. So far, I have:
*Weeded garlic bed (got to look after those future food supplies)
*Netted peas from woodpigeons (ditto!)
*Strained stinky nettle fertilizer bucket & fed anything that was looking peaky.
*Short of bread & still a number of packed lunches/breakfasts to do, so put breadmaker on for bread rolls.
*Dinner is jacket potatoes & something from freezer.
*Get my complicated socks finished so I can start some quick easy ones to take with me to the music festival in a couple of weeks.......I spend a lot less money on the stalls (esp. the craft tent) if I take a little project with me to do. (Years ago, I sometimes used to have a craft stall at local fairs......sometimes I think I'd like to do it again, but it was hard work for not much profit, as so many people seemed to equate 'handmade' with 'should be practically free'.
*Did a few surveys......am over £30 now on Onepoll, really want to get to cash in level asap as planning to use this for some camping lamps, rather than dipping into bank account.
*Mr f starting to hanker after booking a holiday cottage in autumn in case the weather doesn't pick up sufficiently for us to go camping. As the Budgeter-in-Chief, I've had to say that we have bought camping gear with the money we would normally have spent on a cottage booking, so if we are to have both, then we need to talk about what we are going to cut down on to free up the money. He does get this.....in the bad old days, it'd have gone straight onto a credit card. Personally, am still hoping for some sunshine at some point, as I don't mind if it's not red-hot, just not much point going if it's a total constant p*ssdown.
Oh well, think that's everything today,
foxgloves x

carrielovesfanta

Afternoon all!

Bobarella - thanks for starting us off today

Sounds like everyone is very busy!

Quick one from me at work:

Check online banking - done

Read Martin's email

B/L/D from stores

Keep an eye on seedlings

Charge phone in work - done

Dream about payday

Not much in the Fanta household today i think

have a good one all xx

allybee101

I'm so impressed that you all post diligently every day!

-Walk to/from work to save petrol. (Really glad I brought the big umbrella with me - dry on the way here, but currently peeing it down)
-B/L/D from stores. I did crack and buy a sausage roll from the sandwich trolley as well. oops.
-Bring washing in when I get home - my flat has a covered balcony which is great for drying washing even when it's raining
-Check how my ebay items are doing - listed items to sell for the first time last weekend. I have two starting bids already!

Pernicious

Hi everyone,

Thanks for starting us off Bobarella, definitely go for the pension. That reminds me I need to double check DH has joined his....thank you!
Stitchy - Fingers crossed you get that money back soon.

Today I have/will:-

• Making use of free water at work
• Food from stores
• Dinner from meal plan - Grilled chicken salad
• Log calories & exercise on free apps
• Checked postcode lottery & birthday bingo
• Charging phone at work
• Heating off
• Check online banking & move funds around, must go through budget again & double check all is as it should be - didn't do this yesterday
• Check for new mystery shopping opportunities
• Enter some comps
• Do some surveys
• Declutter & flylady
• Free exercise again today as well as making use of my TKD membership
• Get some home insurance quotes as that is due in a couple of weeks - didn't do this yesterday either

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

allydowd

Afternoon all,

I've been off the radar for a while, trying to get my brain, house and finances in order. Today's list:

-Find out where my Housing Benefit is. Council has paid it into my 'old account', the one I'm on the cusp of closing, rather than the account I've been using recently that I quoted on my forms! For goodness sake...
-Do some gardening. Weeded everywhere again. Should be able to harvest something edible soon.
-Work out if we have enough money to pay our bills. Yup, just about.
-Check Quidco. Yippee £26.95 due in next payment run.
-There's 41p in my PayPal account. What can I do with that?!
-Do Nectar AdPoints.
-Read paper online.

foxgloves

@ally - Yes, it's nearly time to start harvesting something & as always, I'm getting quite excited.....I've had the polytunnels (much grander than they sound as they are only mini ones from the 99p shop!) off my lettuces today to see how they're getting on & I think I can safely not put lettuce/salad leaves on the shopping list for a good while, from this weekend. But the WEEDS!!! While it was so cold, we were on top of them, but a (small) amount of sunshine & a lot of rain & they've gone mad! I did one big raised bed this morning, I try to do them in rotation. I also lifted the clay pot I put over a lush looking dandelion as this is the old fashioned way to blanch & make less bitter.......result.....still very bitter (to me) but think still valuable to mix in with other leaves as they are supposed to be good for the liver & there's always loads of them around. Chives have gone mad. Might experiment with making chive pesto. Have lost a couple of shallots to rotting.....hope your red onions are doing OK.
foxgloves