Thu 22nd Aug: What DFW Things Will You Do Today?

allydowd

When we start out on the Debt-Free Wannabe 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. :money:

Morning all,

Is it the end of the week yet?! Nope. Better get on with it then:

The List:

:staradmin Need to call Tax Credits (groan) as they haven't bothered to reply to my query yet. They've sent me a bill for money I have proof I don't owe.
SUCCESS! After weeks of wrangling they have agreed I don't owe them £240! :beer:

:staradmin Check all balances. Done.

:staradmin Need to call nPower again to deal with exasperating situation of no bill. They have £600 of my cash and so I can't properly check if it's right. We're on excuse number three for why I've no bill! Read meters and logged online. No joy; escalated complaint up another stage.

:staradmin Will be ignoring the advice of Microbiologist Dr Lisa Ackerley who has today appeared in a number of newspapers saying that 30 degree washing machine cycles are insufficient to prevent us all catching the 'black-death' (other illnesses are available). Most of my laundry will continue to be done at low temperatures using economy powder; think of me whatever you will.

Mrs_A_2

I have my own lunch with me today (pulled from the freezer, where it has sat for months!). I can't remember the last time I did this - but I intend to continue to do it!

ShootForTheMoon

Morning Gang!

Thanks Ally for starting us off again - you're on a roll with these early mornings!!!

Hoping to have a productive day at the allotment today!

Going to collect a Belfast sink from one of OH's friends, who doesn't want it any more - then planning to sink it in the allotment to make a little pond for frogs and toads and other natural slug-slayers!!

Got some membrane from Dad to lay under the path to make sure the weeds don't come through, and then we're away!!

DBIL is coming round to finish shed base and do some heavy stuff to help - he's a superstar!

Meals from stores today - another NSD

Working 3-11pm - the way things have been lately, potential for a couple of hours overtime if its busy - we'll see!! As always, taking my own food and sharing a lift with colleague!

Think that's pretty much it, might ask OH to try Nectar Adpoints for me later if she gets chance - think she's amazed that we've basically got over £20 now for nothing!!

Hope everyone has a great day - lots of MSE love xxx

happytails

Thanks Ally for starting us off today

Not sure how much Moneysaving ill be doing today as im off to the shops with the kids and friend with her kid also (so 2 adults and 4 kids under 5 LOL) but im planning on looking for stuff for a 3rd birthday and my DD, Evelyn's, 1st which are coming up. Also anything suitable for Xmas. I also need more kids bowls as another broke today (3 years old so not bad!). Need more bubble wrap and parcel paper.

When i get home ill be popping on a wash load, 30c, quick wash.

Oooh i have to drop that parcel off at the post office on the way out this morning!!

Cheapo slummy dinner of chicken nuggets/chips/spaghetti loops as i want that crap out of my house! We have become lazy and ive had enough!

Tonight i hope to get the labels sewn on DD1's school clothes so i can iron them and get them put away. Just under 3 weeks til she starts!! anything else will be a bonus as ive been so tired of an evening this week!!

Sarah x

foxgloves

Morning Money-savers,
Small list today only as have friend coming over & we can gossip for hours & then some, so don't think I'm going to be very productive. However, so far, I've:
*Made beef burgers for dinner, using half of one of the £1 packs of mince I found the other week & froze, & shallots, garlic & herbs from our garden.
*Made lentil & tomato soup for lunch for self & friend to serve with some of the bread rolls I baked yesterday. Rhubarb muffins baked last Sat taken out of freezer ready to have with coffee, making it a totally 'no spend' lunch.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch.
*Checked calendar to make absolutely sure how many grocery shops there will be in September.....I got caught out this month.
*Pick salad stuff from garden to have with dinner.
*Be proud of self that meeting friend in town was resisted. Would have been lovely but I bet we'd have had at least 2 coffees, one with cakes plus lunch out, then there's that lack of resolve you can get when shopping with friends who say 'Oooh, that looks lovely, why don't you treat yourself?', etc.
-ally - Oh, my old 'friends' at Npower......Can you believe they tried it on with the following? We were paying about £77 a month for dual fuel. They sent a letter saying we were falling into arrears & our payment would need to be increased to £133 a month, an increase of £56 a month!! I read the meters each week so had a lot of data (going back 4 years!), which combined with their own estimates of what we use annually (including projected price increases) that they'd helpfully included in the letter, that we were indeed underpaying.......by £3 a month!! A very strong email went off to them (a Level 2 on my assertive email scale, followed by a Level 3!) & the response was that they could see I had a point about the £133 a month, but would only be prepared to reduce the new payment to £92. I changed supplier after that. Gave new supplier all my readings & they estimated my monthly payment at the time at £80. If I'd just paid the £133 without query, this company would have had a cheeky little extra £53 a month (£636 pa) sitting in their account earning them a tidy bit of interest before the rebate level kicked in. Keep on at them. It is unacceptable that you still have received no bill. How are people supposed to know if they are paying the correct amount with levels of corporate obfuscation such as this?! The Big 6 energy companies are up their with the Coalition when it comes to winding me up!!
have a good money-saving day, everyone,
foxgloves x

little_pink_purse

Morning all

that's gr8 new ally glad its sorted

so back to work I go gr r

on a goodish note after bloods xrays etc they have worked out whey I am in pain so I have loads of new meds to take for a month then they will confirm in a month so far so good

todays to do
small shop
clean the bathroom
meals from stores
check the banking

ally do you have a link for 2014 calendar one I could write on etc
ive look but cant find xxxx

have a gr8 day xxxx

allydowd

foxgloves wrote: »

-ally - Oh, my old 'friends' at Npower......

That's horrendous. We are staying with them til Jan when they will (hopefully) pay us a £100 bonus for having paid by Direct Debit for a year then we're switching. It'll probably take them til Jan to sort this anyway, even though the problem is simple: I want my bill, they've a thousand excuses for not supplying it. I'd like to cut and run now, but that £100 is dangling in front of my nose like choc cake.

allydowd

little_pink_purse wrote: »

ally do you have a link for 2014 calendar one I could write on etc
ive look but cant find xxxx

Yup, I believe these ones are free:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

And these ones aren't:

Link 4

Link 5

Sorry, I haven't tested any of them.

smokies

Good Morning All

Just got a lift into town (from my son) so I can go to back ( put money in) (saving me parking fee)

Walking the rest of the way to work (so no parking fee) again (no car)

Talking home made salad for lunch (no expensive shop brought lunch)

Have a good day all xxx

Never realised with a bit of thought just how much you can save, for example getting lifts, or walking.

foxgloves

ally - Well, watch them like a hawk on that one. We had already changed to a new supplier when I received a very contrite letter from the company in question informing me that unfortunately, I was one of the many customers who had mistakenly not received the £100 dual fuel dd payment. I don't know how I missed this, presume it was because their bills are not the clearest anyway, & were getting more complex as in addition to the extra tariff we have through being on Economy 7, plus the different charges for up to a certain amount of units being used, there were then different charges from all the price rises. Anyway, I hadn't noticed it, & so shortly afterwards received a letter which I had to take to the local PO who then paid me the money. It was £200 (they had neglected to pay this heavily promoted discount to customers for 2 years!) plus the interest I could have earned on it during that time. One of the things I like about being with Co-op Energy is that I understand the bills......I do have 2 degrees......Npower's bills should not have been beyond me, but I did find them pretty impenetrable - maybe they have now improved this. Hope so. I look forward to the day you post on here that you have received that £100. It will get a big 'Like' from me!

Pernicious

Hi everyone,

Thanks for starting us Ally. Hope you get your problems with Npower resolved soon. We tried to switch to them once & they made such a mess of it (long story short they took over my neighbour's gas & tried to take their electricity too) & we experienced such poor customer service that we decided never again.

Good news from yesterday is that my ex did manage to fix my graphics card, so I am hoping it will last until at least the end of the year & then we can stay on track with debt free plans :j


Today's plan:-

• Making use of free water at work
• Charging phone at work
• Staying in for my lunch break to avoid spending
• Food from stores
• Dinner will be free as going to a friend's house
• Log calories & exercise on free apps
• Checked postcode lottery & birthday bingo
• Check online banking & DH's
• Check for new mystery shopping opportunities
• Enter some comps
• Do some surveys
• Declutter & flylady
• DH hopefully doing some overtime this evening
• Check if cashback has tracked
• Order vouchers from Mr T's for breakdown cover for the year

Have a great, MSE day everyone x