Wednesday 19th March - What small DFW things will you do today?

littlepinkstars44

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:

littlepinkstars44

Morning everyone, pretty cold start here today. Hopefully it warms up a bit later.

Today's plan:

• Work: 6:30-1:30
• Meals at home
• Washing on and over airer/heaters to dry
• Quick Tidy Up
• Loose Coins into Jars
• Study for exam tomorrow
• Try to finish library book
• Early night

ziggy2407

Good Morning All

lps44 - Thanks for starting us off today

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 three of being home alone today so a quiet day planned, so 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) -
Catch up on Adpoints -
Read library book -
Parcel up a few bits I want to send to friends -

Have a great day, love you all xx

C xx

[Deleted User]

arrgghh...just lost long post! Summary was - thanks lps for starting us, ziggy I hope you continue to mend well (thanks for always putting the freepostcode lottery link in. Do others read the blurb on the page? I never realised there was a second, £5 draw every day if you scroll right down to the bottom of the page!).

Bob - so sorry to hear your news, I am sure you bought a lot of brightness to her life, don't measure that just on the last few years - look at how much joy our kids unconsciously give us x

Will update later, but dfw aims for today:

• lunch to work
• friend / colleague coming for dinner, not exactly dinner partyfare but DD has requested cottage pie, so a slab of YS beef mince is currently defrosting. (DD making the most of a second carnivore in the house tonight!)
• expenses from the trip away - about £80 to claim I think!
• during trip away managed to squirrel home enough snacks and fruit for DD's lunch all week - yay!
• clean bedroom for guest arriving tonight - done bed, just got to hoover and do bathroom when home from work
• do various money transfers tonight
• post ebay parcel - just the one - fallen off this wagon recently, but hope to have another big sort out at the weekend.
• see if I can order part for washing machine (door seal is broken...DM recommended www.espares.co.uk) currently have to sit holding door closed and mopping with a towel!!

Have a good day folks

foxgloves

Morning all,
Slow start today.....rotten night's sleep, one of those nights where you just can't switch your brain off & it just goes round & round finding stuff to stress about.
Today's money saving things:
*Washed laundry overnight on Economy 7 tariff.
*All blowing dry outside on the line. Final load of the week on daytime tariff....grrrr.... but expecting rain tomorrow, & didn't want to be putting extra heat on for getting stuff dry.
*Saved a little energy by sharing bath water, only quickly rough-drying hair, not having the heating on till much later & switching off de-humidyfier as soon as 'breakfast steam' had gone.
*Meals as per meal plans - a pasta bake from freezer which I made on one of my big batch-cooking days, plus salad which needs using up today.
*Veggie seedlings checked & watered.
*Tomorrow's packed lunch & work snacks made.
*Loose change paid into Big Jar.
*Finish sewing purple shrug - Mum made me a pattern out of an old brown paper bag (hey, you can't say we weren't resourceful!) & I managed to re-style an old purple stretchy top which is too big, but had already been taken in, into something completely different. Just got to finish hemming it.
*Cleared survey back-log, including 2 contributions to the Heinz forum I'm on at the moment - I've had 2 £5 Amazon vouchers for this so far, so it's been worth my while as it hasn't taken much time.
*Saved lots of postage yesterday as managed to get birthday & Mothering Sunday presents wrapped ready for family to take when they visited.
*Sowed more cress on the kitchen windowsill (cheapo seed).
*All free leisure today - sewing, knitting more of sock, reading magazines my Mum gave me, reading library book & watching a recorded TV prog.
*'Use-it-up-&-chuck-it-out-before-you-go-out-buying-more' campaign still ongoing......finished a weird eyeliner up this morning that I wouldn't waste money on again, found we have 4 bath products open at the moment.....not putting anything else out till these have been used up. Put old yellow split peas in to soak ready for dhal tomorrow......they take YEARS to cook, so have been using chana dal lentils instead, but in the spirit of 'use-it-up'......old concrete lentils it is!
*Sorted through pantry & re-organised it so I can reach things. mr f tall & has arms like a gibbon, I'm only a tad over 5'3" & can only reach the 1st shelf! Topped up my big jars of dry ingredients, made a note of what's in stock ready for meal planning tomorrow. (Still within March grocery budget but will need to watch this final shop if we want a 3rd month of being on target).
OK, think that's everything, except to say to Bob that I was sorry to read about Gran. My Gran died age 95 & what helped me was that I was lucky enough to have 3 of my grandparents around long into adulthood. Many of my friends have only scant memories of grandparents. This won't help at the moment with you feeling so sad, but it will help in time, as you'll have lots of memories & will be able to share so many heart-warming & funny little stories x
Now I must get a shift on.....
foxgloves x

xJOJOx_2

Hey all

Today I have

# got buses instead off very expensive taxi
# checked banking
# paid £50 off holiday
# paid £50 into bill account
# put £20 into saving account towards next loan overpayment
# free fun time at park instead off going to play gym
# made a tasty and cheap family meal with pudding for £3
# dug around in the back off cupboard and found tin off crab meat for o/h lunch tomorrow rather than nipping local shop and getting expensive meat
# walked home from the school run
# made use off free coffee from work
# tidying and cleared house

Xx

xJOJOx_2

Nice to see your bathroom fund going up fox gloves :-) I've just done my kitchen, looks really good and homely now. Aiming to do my bathroom after the debts are paid end of the year. Only doing in a budget off £700 but I do have free labour. Can't wait as the bathroom is so old, think it's been in here since the pub was made :-)