Friday 31st January - What small DFW things will you do today?

MinnieMousesMummy

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 :money:

MinnieMousesMummy

Good morning everyone, Sorry I have not managed to post every day this week, it has been so busy this week, however it now looks like the house move will be going ahead, just awaiting paperwork going through.

My list for today:

1. School and childcare runsDONE
2. Schedule work that has come inDONE
3. Catch up with emailsDONE
4. Nectar adpointsDONE
5. Make shopping listDONE
6. Do some of ironing mountainDONE
7. Check online banking and sort business bankingDONE
8. Do 2 loads of washingDONE
9. Sort through Avon books and get rid of old onesDONE
10. Spend some time looking for freelance workDONE
11. Sort through sideboard in the living room and either pack or bin
12. Sort though bag of things for sale and take picture
13. List the items that are for sale
14. Decide on seeds to plant this year
15. Organise Avon round

I think that is everything I need to get done today, Hope everyone has a good Friday x

SettingIn

Good morning

Thanks MMM for starting off.
I haven't managed to post much this week with work and disastrous potty training which is consuming my life, I have no luck in this area and history is repeating itself with my second son!!!!! :mad: trying to be calm about it.

DH got paid yesterday & I had posted some weeks back that once our salaries were in, I would allocate an extra debt payment at the start of the month rather than at the end. In bit the bullet last night and paid two of our debts in full. Feeling rather pleased with myself & my updated signature. :T

My list for today is:
Check banking (done) transferred expenses payment from current account to credit card, my old self would just leave the balance on the cc and treat the payment to my current acc as extra money. Feeling good about that.
2 loads of washing
Massive pile of ironing
Clean house from top to bottom
Advertise a few things on local gumtree site
No diesel day
No spend day
Do surveys
Make bit pot of soup
Dinner from stores
Take boys out for a walk.

I've allocated down to the last penny for the month ahead, I am feeling really motivated to stick to it and show myself that this debt busting can be done & more importantly that I don't need the ad hoc crap I used to waste my money on.

Have a great day everyone.

ikesmummy

My forst time posting here - hoping it will help me to stay focused and also be proud of the little things I can do on a day to day basis.

1. work from home saving on petrol
2. walk the school runs (about a mile each way each time) saving petrol
3. Eat a portion of the soup I made at the weekend for lunch
4. Follow round after people turning off lights (telling them what I am doing in the hope they may catch on)
5. Pay £600 off our debts (£300 to each)
6. Look at, update and extend my meal plan.
7. Stay wrapped up warm to minimise the need for heating.
8. Home made McDonalds for tea (Friday used to be take away night but this is so much tastier and cheaper and my 8 and 4 year old boys now ask for it knowing they won't get a real one).
9. Read around the forum looking for new ideas on money saving/making

good_advice

Good morning, Friday 31st January

i am really pleased with my supermarket spend this month.
Grand total spent 245.38 (pound sign not good on this mini ipad)
with a saving of 23.39 in coupons.
This is for 4 adults.

This shopping did not come easy, i did a lot of work to lower the food bill as last year it was near the 100 mark per week.
I have tried shopping on line. Yellow stickers. shopping lists. menu plans and coupons. Batch cooking.

I check the fridge now every morning as part of my routine. Tidy it and move food around. 4 adults remember! Fast food will disappear quickly. Wile the slower things have to be used in meal plans - hope this makes sense?
Those yellow sticker green grapes went quick! Hooray! i did not want then hanging round. bought Tuesday evening and gone Thursday evening.

I know! i talk a lot about food shopping but when all the big stuff is done the food bill you can still play around with.

Done the morning choirs, washing on, washing up done, tidy around.
Noted the conservatory is looking better after I had a declutter.
i am now crafting some brightly coloured patchwork cushions for the sofa.
hopefully the warmer spring is on the way! We do not heat that room any more - saving electric.

Have a penny pinching last day of the month ;0)

[Deleted User]

Good morning – whoops, afternoon.


Welcome Ikesmummy and thanks everyone – I really find that posting here helps me focus and celebrate the efforts that we make everyday. Its not just the big changes in direction, but all of the little trimming of the sail (and the budgets) that keep us on course! Very nautical, you can tell I’ve been on a leadership course recently!


I am having a restful day – did a little too much for first day out of hospital yesterday! Enjoyed a little iplayer TV (this is a luxury for us as we are a no TV aerial or license household – only watch occasionally on catch up TV!) this morning and am reading books either lent to me or on a free kindle CD lent to me – very MSE. Heating is off and hot water bottle with me on the sofa!



A friend is coming tonight to help me with a couple of jobs I can’t do too easily – making the bed etc – and has text to say she will bring the Sherlock box set and pizza over for DD and us both tonight J I’ve offered to pay for the pizza but she said its instead of flowers! Very useful!
Aims for today (many carried over from yest):

• Meal planning – (got much more exciting as lodger who was staying until this am left behind various odds and ends of fresh food, just the kind of stuff I cut back on buying – parmesan, marinated peppers etc). He also cooked for me last night and there are a couple portions of leftovers in the fridge for the weekend!
• Call plumber – another friend has helped me repair the tap lever but it won’t hold. However possibly will hold long enough to mean I can book them in for just after payday (in a couple weeks).
• Call roofer – I want to give them business!! But can anyone answer the phone?
• We buy books / ziffit etc
• Talk to friend about our trip away (this is kind of MSE – I gave DD the flights for her Christmas present (and honestly, didn’t get her much else at all), then invited a friend to come with us, so we are splitting the accommodation 2:3 plus have joy of her company, this also makes me feel more confident to stay in some cheaper places and do more exploring off the beaten track. Very excited!
• Ring up about household insurance
  
• Update descriptions for rent a room site. Nobody coming until Monday now, phew. Its great having people here but as it turfs me out of my room to the sofabed, or the floor in DD's room, I am very happy for a break while I'm poorly!
• I forgot to say, swagbucking with surveys whilst watching the TV! I did two already. This is a new area for me but approaching £5 giftcard amount. Not sure if I'd be able to do this normally, but it has been a good distraction last few days.
  

Best of luck everyone x

foxgloves

Hi,
So far today I have:
*Saved a bit of energy by sharing bath water, leaving hair till nearly dry before finishing with hairdryer, not hoovering spare bedroom because it was perfectly clean.
*Cleaned house using minimal products.
*Spotted first few rhubarb shoots poking through so put the forcing crock over them so we get some of the forced pink stems in Spring (the ones which can sometimes cost £6 a kg)
*Did a few surveys.
*Did meal plans for next week. Shan't need any meat or fish as have chicken in freezer, so will stock up on other store cupboard type stuff which is getting low plus fresh stuff.
*Wrote shopping list.
*Made use of free bin bag (charity shop bag) which plopped through my door this morning just as I was looking for something to collect all the recycling in.
This afternoon I will:
*Do an exercise DVD for free fitness.
*Revisit my seed box to make definitive list of veggies to grow this year. Will prioritise seeds I have in stock & make very short list of seeds for purchase.
SettingIn - Loved your comment about buying 'ad hoc crap'. I used to be Mrs Ad Hoc Crap! But am now a truly reformed girl!

natlie

Hi
Thanks MMM


Settingin - how old is your potty training son? our is 2 yrs 5 months and he's not interested at all.


welcome Ikes mummy our debt is similar I hope you stick around maybe we can will each other on


Good advice - well done on shopping I am going to add mine up


Hello everyone else too


I sent the kids off to school yesterday with packed lunches that I saved from a work meeting yesterday - we had small insulated bags with sandwiches, water, apple, dairy milk and crisps so the girls were chuffed AND I saved cash


I have been paid today so will do a shop at ALDI this afternoon and have paid off some loan


I have done washing on eco and have tumble dried it as the weather is terrible here - but my tumble dryer is eco friendly ish (B rated) and has sensor dry so isn't TOO bad


I need to add up my shopping for the month


I will collect my tips from the restaurant tomorrow - working a split shift tomorrow and its a Rugby day so will be very busy!


Have a good weekend all
Nat

its_maths_not_magic

What a busy and stressful week! My dog tore his cruxiate ligament and had surgery yesterday, a week after getting bloat and almost dying on us, my husband and I both got the flu, and I am really looking forward to this week being over :undecided. Luckily my dog is insured because it could have cost us £1500 just for the surgery.

So, spending on chocolate has been a bit of an issue this week and before I slip back to my old ways I'm here and keeping my eyes on the prize so to speak. Today I have:

1. Come here to keep myself motivated - remembering why money is important and how important it is to save it.
2. Got my pooch's space ready for his return today.
3. Organised my budget to the penny.
4. Continued saving for my permanent residency application in November.
5. Filled in my budget spreadsheet.

I think that is about it, besides staying in bed and watching TV to recover from this lurgy.

littlepinkstars44

Hello all, hope everyone is having a good day so far! Who's got that Friday feeling?? Not me lol, I don't know what a weekend not working looks like lol!
In other news, I got my marks back for my Biology TMA (studying with the OU), I got 74%, well chuffed with that! I was really stressing about this one as didn't have as much time to put into it as I had with the first one. Still managed a better mark though, not questioning it...just accepting and loving it lol!

My plan for today:

• Work 6:30am-3:30pm done
• Take breakfast and lunch to work done
• Dinner at home
• Phone docs to order repeat prescription done
• Washing on an over airer/heaters to dry done
• Towels washed and over heater to dry done
• Clean clothes put away done
• Tidy Up done
• Package up Ebay sales ready to post on Monday done
• Sort out new books that got delivered (free from publishers) done
• Charge Ipod done
• Listen to some of audiobook
• Take an hour for myself to de-stress and unwind after a hard couple of days! done
• Early night as going in to work super early (5am :eek:) tomorrow to try and finish earlier

ikesmummy

Hi again all. Thank you Natalie and Crazylady2009 for the "welcomes". Having a bit of a mixed day, rowed with hubby a little earlier due to our different views/approaches to our debt but we are "friends" again now. Think me posting on here is making me really face it and he probably still wants to keep his head in the sand. Quite good progress on today's list though

1. work from home saving on petrol - done
2. walk the school runs (about a mile each way each time) saving petrol - had to use the car this afternoon as was just too wet.
3. Eat a portion of the soup I made at the weekend for lunch - done
4. Follow round after people turning off lights (telling them what I am doing in the hope they may catch on) done and still doing
5. Pay £600 off our debts (£300 to each) done - feels good
6. Look at, update and extend my meal plan. done for the whole month
7. Stay wrapped up warm to minimise the need for heating. Heating is only just on for a quick 20 minute burst
8. Home made McDonalds for tea (Friday used to be take away night but this is so much tastier and cheaper and my 8 and 4 year old boys now ask for it knowing they won't get a real one). - just about to dish up
9. Read around the forum looking for new ideas on money saving/making