Monday 17th March - What small DFW things will you do today?

ziggy2407

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:

ziggy2407

Good Morning All

soopa - Dont worry too much, I think you did great and one wkend of being a relaxed DFW'er means you will have made some great memories with your DD (more important in the long run)

Hi to all of the regulars and a BIG welcome to all the newbies, this is a really FAB thread with so many lovely, caring, considerate and supportive people.

Day one of being home alone today so a quiet day planned, I will:

Check Banks - Done
Check swapits - Done
Check www.freepostcodelottery.com - Done
Packed lunch for DH & DS - Done
Catch up on emails (& unsubscribe from any no longer wanted) - Done
Read library book -
Parcel up a few bits I want to send to friends -

Have a great day, love you all xx

C xx

ikesmummy

Morning all, thanks for starting us off Ziggy, hope your first day home alone goes okay and you enjoy the quiet.

Very busy weekend hence not being on but will go and read the weekend post a little later on. My list for today:

• Walk two of the three school runs (DS1 has a sports club after school so will use the car for the final run as it is close to tea time and he'll be tiered)
• Do a wash on low temp and hopefully get it dry on the line
• Tidy round this morning
• Check bank & spreadsheets
• Prep tonights dinner
• Plan the coming week
• Finish at least one more cushion cover
• Check free postcode lottery
• Take DS out for some free entertainment this afternoon either with our season tickets or to a park
• Go for a run this evening for free exercise
• Make sure things are turned off when not being used.

Will try to add to this

determined_new_ms

Morning Ziggy :wave: thanks for starting us off. Happy Monday one & all (might be a bit happier for me as it's my last working Monday for a month :j the stress of the overwhelming workload isn't quite as daunting today seeing as I just have 5 working days left :rotfl:)

DFW things for the day:

* checked bank account
* get soup out of freezer for lunch
* LO chicken from roast to make pesto pasta for dinner
* working from home so saving petrol & time
* start work in 5 mins. Type up an appraisal before logging into emails
* check onepoll at some point
* bath in lunch break
* load of washing & hang outside
* do travel ins search & purchase
* going out tonight to Camden to see Imelda May :j my birthday present from oh
* order bath panel
* post parcel

Ok that's all I'm going to have time for. Must be very efficient & effective today! Have a great day everyone x

soopa_de_doopa

Thanks Ziggy, yes you're right about the memories, and I'm back on it today feeling happy as we had such a nice weekend!

I made 20 Mickey Mouse waffles this morning (got a Mickey Mouse waffle maker for Christmas a few years ago, it's fabulous!) as it's DD2's birthday, so I had a little production line going with waffles, nutella (well, Tesco's own version, I don't do brands), strawberries. My willpower was tested to the max and I managed to stay strong and didn't even have a bite, I was impressed with myself. I came to work and have had my porridge made with water and some strawberries and blueberries.

Today I will:

* Bring packed lunch and all snacks to work.
* Post 2 e-bay items.
* Check bank.
* Look at budget for next month, see if I can jig something about to compensate for overspends this weekend.
* Take snacks to DDS's swimming lessons tonight to avoid paying for overpriced and junky Sports centre fodder (why do sports and leisure centres always sell mainly junk food???)
* Homemade soup for tea, broccoli and potato made using the broccoli stems left over in the fridge last night. Will serve with toasted crusts cut up into croutons and a sprinkle of cheese.
* Make something thank you cards for DD2 to hand out at school tomorrow.
* Borrow Slimming World books from a colleague to get me back on track, it's a fortune to join and I just can't afford it at the moment.
* Sell 2 boxes of eggs from very enthusiastic hens over the weekend.

Have a good Monday all!

Soopa x

emmi_bush

Morning all!
Lovely day here so lots of money saving motivation...
- got free 12 week supply of dishwasher tablets as a trial from one of the survey sites. Really pleased as not had one before
- free exercise walking daughter to school
- washing out on line today
- got more soda stream cola so can stop buying expensive Pepsi now
- going to make some more cards and do sewing today
- lunch and dinner from freezer

Enjoy the sunshine x

good_advice

Happy St Patricks day everyone. May the luck of the little man be with us today!

Counting the pennies =
Recycle = saving empty tubs and cutting the bottom of plastic milk bottles for planting seeds in.
Saving card for lists and cutting out shapes for visiting child.
Washing & reusing plastic food bags.
Went through wardrobe last night and now have 2 bags of clothes for recycle clothes bin down the road.
Glass cooking jars in recycle crate.
Complete all surveys

Saving electric =
No heating on at all
Using one cup machine for hot drinks.
check and pull out plugs
washing machine on @ 40C and on line.
Just put up 2 extra washing lines, will take down later. On my 3rd wash. 2/3 of it belongs to adult kids. Double quilt, lots of work clothes, gym clothes, sleep clothes, towels .....

Free stuff=
Walking the dog with family
postcode lottery
check freebie sites
Craft - knitting
Open windows to air house
Sit in the garden.Sunshine is good for wellbeing.
Drink your water
Look on free books UK for ebooks for kindle.

Kindness =
I have decided to make up a toy box for visiting under 5 year old. Going to look around house for things to play with.

Shopping = went to Marks outlet store on Saturday.
Bought x2 trousers
x2 sets of thermal long sleeved tops and legging at big reduction.
Total cost for thermals 7.50. reduced from 48 pounds. I have put then in the bottom of my wardrobe for the cold winter of 2014 to come.

Went in Boots and caused a long Que. with my penny pinching. They opened another till for customers.
I picked up the FREE Boots book.
Had some tokens from their Boots card machine and Paid with Survey vouchers.

HM dinner = pie/chips & fish/chips. lots of cooked veg in fridge so we will be eating it up.

Crusts from loafs eaten - usually toasted. NO in the bin waste here!

Friday, i drew some funny faces on an egg and banana, it was the talk of the house - guess what she has done now! Ha ha.

yorpington

Morning everyone!

Well, the run of bad luck continues - DH accidentally left his razor uncapped in the toiletries basket and I reached in without looking in...you can guess the rest. I'm ok, just sore and bandaged. It never rains but it pours, eh?

Penny-pinching for today: post an eBay parcel, ring the council about the bill we've had (it's wrong), work on cross-stitch some more (as well as I can now!), transfer credit card balance over onto an 0% I've been accepted for, and enjoy my DVD that came today. It was a pre-order, which I love because it's like a present from my past self, and even better I paid for it in vouchers!

Also: did anyone else have a completely insane nP*wer bill over the weekend? Ours wanted to up our monthly payment to £100 even though we're in credit! I don't think so! Apparently their system has gone totally doolally. All sorted now anyway.

littlepinkstars44

Afternoon everyone!, sunny but still quite cold here! Was really light as I left for work this morning though, makes a change from driving to work in the dark, lol!

Anyway today's plan of attack!

• Work 6:30-12:30 done (actually got away at 12, planning to stay extra on Wed though as lots to do then!)
• Meals at home
• Check banking done
• Work shirts on quick wash and over airer to dry
• Check emails for reply from OU tutor done got a weeks extension, thank goodness!
• STUDY LIKE A CRAZY PERSON FOR MATHS EXAM ON THURSDAY!:eek:
• Visiting friend tonight to meet her newborn twins

foxgloves

Afternoon all,
Well, a busy day so far:
*Did laundry overnight on Economy 7 tariff. Was up early so managed to get most of a 2nd load done too, before tariffs swapped over. Have re-loaded for tonight.
*Everything drying outside on the line.
*mr f has dug over our big raised veggie beds & topped them up with our home made free compost.
*Did rubber chicken. It did a roast dinner yesterday. Have divvied up the leftovers to make a chicken & leek pie for tomorrow, a spicy mexican-style pizza for tonight & a packed lunch. Carcass in slow cooker for stock.
*Made pizza dough & bread rolls in BM.
*Made loaf.
*Baked little wholemeal apricot scones - calorie counted them too.
*Weighed out ingredients for the biscuits I'm making later - also calorie counted.
*Dried apricots left over from scones divvied up into tiny plastic boxes for this week's snacks.
*No yoghurt or buttermilk for my scones so used the old trick of measuring out the milk & adding a squirt of lemon juice an hour or two before using.
*Made tomorrow's packed lunch & work snacks.
*Updated my energy use data from last night's meter readings. Gas & night time electricity usage has fallen nicely now that the heating isn't needed as much.
*Wrapped 2 presents using recycled paper & pretties from my recycled ribbons/gift tags bag.
*Plan exactly what I'm going to feed to visitors tomorrow so I don't end up popping out for extra bits & bobs.
Think that's it.
F x

foxgloves

Soopa da doopa,
Just read your post which mentioned slimming club costs. I've lost 6 stones & have done it at home, without a slimming club membership. I started dieting Jan 2011, following a healthy eating plan in a magazine. I got about 3 stones off but then plateaued. I swapped to Rosemary Conley's Inch loss plan, which is now called FAB diet, & that's shifted another 3 stones. I have a yearly subscription to her Food & Fitness mag (£17), I bought her calorie guide (about £2-75), & a set of the Portion Pots (£5). I've gradually picked up a few of her exercise DVDs either 2nd hand from Entertainment Exchange or in HMV sale (£3), but I walk & garden too, so DVDs not really an essential. It's helped that mr f also needed to lose weight (he has lost about 4 stones) so we've eaten the same meals. I know attending clubs can give many people the support they need, but I haven't felt held back through not going to classes. The bottom line is that all diets work if we stick to them. We need a 3500 calorie deficit each week to burn off 1lb of body fat. The key to me FINALLY managing to shift a significant amount of weight has been planning meals, being organised, having strategies in place to deal with temptations, keeping a daily record of calories consumed & believing in myself......in fact, all the same disciplines which got us debt-free! I am typing this in a pair of size 16 skinny jeans.....when I started out, my size 24 jeans wouldn't meet in the middle. Just wanted to say that not having spare funds for slimming club classes doesn't have to hold you back!
Foxgloves x