Friday 10th April - What small DFW things will you do today?

ziggy2407

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 canceling 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:

foxgloves

Good Morning Campers,
Wish I WAS camping.....gorgeous sunshine again here.
So far today I have:
*Reconciled April's budget. It's been a complicated month, with all sorts of budget swaps. It stops the niggles in my mind if I keep on top of this.
*Paid £100 into M&S card to cover a purchase which we budgeted for. Only used credit card to get the shopping voucher points. Takes discipline, but works in our favour if I remember to pay in the cash saved asap.
*Paid £200 off 2nd credit card. I usually pay both cards off in full each month, but I've had to contact the gas man today as our boiler is having some sort of mad la-lah, meaning our hot water supply is very erratic. Paying off only 2/3 of card, means I will have an extra £100 buffer towards what could be a very smelly gas bill indeed (sooooooo hope it's not going to be a new boiler :-/....)
*Discovered a credit of £8.28 in savings account. It was interest. Better than now't, I suppose!
*Did a survey.
*Postman brought my sample of free posh oats. Cat received his sample of food to test yesterday so we're not doing badly for freebies.
*Saved a bit of energy - towel radiator will now only be run overnight to dry towels & air bathroom on Economy 7 rate (half the cost of daytime electricity rate), shared bath water & also washed hair & let it get almost dry before finishing it off with dryer & straighteners. Also changed towels & kitchen linen & have set timer for it to wash overnight on cheap rate. Tiny things, but they do all add up.
*Finished meal plans......after having a good look at grocery budget which is weird this month, & it's also a 5 'shops' month which doesn't help. Lots in freezer though.
*Wrote shopping list.
*Was v tough on cat this morning. Took his biscuits away until some of last night's spurned meat has been eaten.
Still to do:
*Water all veggie & flower seedlings.
*Sow courgettes & squash.
*Sow coriander
*Enjoy some free leisure as the lovely mr f did my big Friday house clean yesterday - am planning to throw the conservatory doors open & progress both my family tree & my knitting.
Have a lovely Friday everyone......& if it doesn't go according to plan, don't beat yourselves up, it's a new week around the corner, never too late to begin doing a few things differently if you want to see different results.
Love to all,
f x

1HANNAH

Morning all

Thanks for the start Ziggy, hope you are ok? x

Baileys_Babe wrote: »

We cook our porridge in the microwave the container is a lidded pyrex and the liquid is milk. We add things like sultanas, crystallized ginger or seeds, by soaking overnight we find the flavour develops and it cooks a lot quicker and is deliciously creamy.

Hope that makes sense.

Thank you it does make sense, kids love porridge and we do it in the microwave, thanks I will give it a try x

Foxgloves, The small things certainly do add up Enjoy your day x

A planned day at home waiting in for a parcel today. Also means the kids have got the last of their homeworks finished and are up to date with their reading books too.

2 loads of washing done on quick 30 degree wash
Both loads out on the line in the sunshine
Checked banking and updated spreadsheet
Made a date cake with OOD dates ready for the kids school lunch boxes next week, to make the most of the oven being on I also made some cheese straws and 6 coconut flour, banana & almond muffins. (House smells devine!!)
Put a chicken casserole in SC.
Claim Nectar voucher for Cafe Nero drink, ready for meeting up with a friend for a cuppa/catch up next week.
Heating off

Still to do

* Do some Swagbucks
* Check Sun perks * Check FPL * Check TCB * Check Quidco
* Check email survey oppurtunities
* Unsubscribe from junk emails
* NSD

Last month I went through the food cupboards (after watching eat well for less and a family having £1000+ worth of food already in their cupboards, I wasn't like that but it made me think) and put stuff together in a big box that I wanted to use up and not replace, things like scwartz (sp?) casserole powders, quinoa, coconut flour, gojo berries & loads of other bits that I can't even remember now!! anyway this morning the last of the casserole powders, coconut flour have gone and the box doesn't have much left in, so I am going to do another sweep round the cupboards and see what else I can be using up. we've had some weird concoctions over this last month but we've also had lots of things that we've really enjoyed. Its made me more inventive in the kitchen thats for sure :rotfl:

Have a good day all who follow xxx

twiggy86

Afternoon all!

We actually have sun today! Yesterday work was surrounded in sea mist - drove two roads away and it was glorious sunshine! Couldn't believe it!

Today I have/will:-
* Check banks
* Check CC statement
* Pay work expenses off CC
* Wash towels on 30 degree quick wash and hang on line - annoyingly one is still marked so I've gone the opposite way and put it on hot wash to run the machine through as not done for a while!
* Take lunch to work
* "Womble" some stamps from work
* Post parcels for OH - annoyingly I forgot to bring them to work so I'll have to dash home! Checked with OH and they can go tomorrow - actually I feel bad so I might go get them!
* Make up spare bed (washed bedding last night and hung on line)
* Dinner from stores? (Friday so I can't promise!)

I think that's everything for today! If I don't post tomorrow have a great weekend everyone.

Baileys_Babe

Ziggy thank you for getting us started.

Sunny again here today which is so uplifting.

1HANNAH wrote: »

Thank you it does make sense, kids love porridge and we do it in the microwave, thanks I will give it a try x

Glad you could understand my late night ramblings, I know it isn't the traditional way to make porridge and my Grandfather would be turning in his grave to know I don't make it in the traditional way, but we all enjoy it this way and their is no pan to scrub



To do today:
Open curtains fully done
Cull 100 emails - still on going done
Take meter readings
Submit readings
Check bank accounts done
Dry washing outside done
NSD
Post that birthday card done finally
Turn off lights and appliances not in use done
B L D from stores
OH to bake a loaf or rolls he has yet to decide done
Educate my children for free done
Entertain my children for free done
Walk every where
Check FPL done
Close curtains before it gets dark done done
DW set to run overnight done
WM set to run overnight done
Soak porridge overnight done

Have a lovely day, I'm going to have a quick coffee break.

OH suggested a take away and I didn't resist, so a spending day. I also drove to collect it as they seem to add an extra 45 minutes on to the time, it's less than a 5 minute drive. On a more positive note I did make cakes with ingredients we had in.

koselur

Hi all!

I keep posting intermittently in here but am going to try to be a bit more disciplined - nice positive thread! Will post a list for the weekend as I have a lot planned and probably won't get online much (dad is coming up for the day tomorrow).

Hang up laundry that went in last night (didn't have time this morning)
I've Kondoed a huge pile of books which need to be sorted into chazzer, freecycle/bin and ebay piles and actually get them out of the house
Sort spare room as mum is coming next weekend (full of piles of carp which I have been sorting through - most will go to chazzer or bin).
Do a stock take - am hoping I can get through the weekend on freezer bits and leftovers and do my shop on monday evening (always get much better veg in our Aldi mon-fri)
[STRIKE]Reconcile accounts and budgets (bit scary as Easter was a spendy weekend, which isn't fun early in the month and it's my birthday next weekend so don't want to be stressing about cash)[/STRIKE]
Clean out bunnies
Fresh litter for cat
Bathroom once over
Hoovering
Sort out & chuck mountains of papers (still have lecture notes from uni 8 years ago!!!!!!!!!)
Put a homebrew on
Just remembered I have some clothes to put on ebay so need to sort that this weekend too
Also meal plans for next week

Probably a million and one other things too.

Hope all you DFWs have a great weekend

Red-Squirrel_2

Today I will be going to stay with my parents for the weekend, eating their food and using their energy! Only cost will be fuel there and back, sometimes it's goid to scrounge a bit.

carrielovesfanta

Hey folks,


Thanks to ziggy for starting us off.


Feeling a bit down again today. I don't want to bum everyone out with my moping though (there is a reason for some of the moping but do not want to appear like I'm looking for sympathy). Small list:

• Charge phone in work
• B/L/D from stores. Not sure about dinner yet as do not know if OH is home for it
• Pick up some eggs on the way home
• Take home black bananas in work and make into cake
• Received news of 2.5% salary increase
• Tend to garden
• Check online banking and reconcile against spreadsheet
• Housework once OH goes out (gigging tonight)

Have a good one folks


clf x

astoryandasong

Finally cancelled sky..:beer:

Then am doing some swagbucks, not too much off of my first gift card...

Maybe I will watch some youtube videos of this KonMarie method I see people talking about!

Pollygarter

I've not got the hang of this. Newbie, just committing to clearing debt. Went to buy cat food to get my £1 back from parking for chores. Always need cat food. Spent £10 on cstfood, got my £1 back. Also spent £40 on other stuff we would have survived without. Doh. Seeing what needs to be done. Doing it. Not the same.

DawnW

Afternoon all
Chilly here, and it keeps randomly peeing with rain. It will do the garden good I suppose.
Hannah, I really like your idea of putting weird ingredients into a box and making an effort to use them up. I must do this!
Sorry you aren't feeling great CLF. Hope things look up soon.

Did loads yesterday but not much so far today
Been to sales unit and had a good sort out
Ocado order arrived, likewise the trainers I ordered from HiTec using a 60% off code I found on the main site. I got 2 pairs for £23, including postage. Just as well, as I only had posh shoes and an ancient pair of mock crocs apart from those, and needed something for everyday wear for the summer

Still to do:
Make fish pie for supper
Make a cake
Sort out strange ingredients in larder to use up and NOT replace
A quick tip run so that I can get the garden tidied up

Hmm not very ambitious
Hope everyone is having a nice day