Thursday 14th May - What small DFW things will you do today?

allydowd

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 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. :money:

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:

allydowd

MONEY MAKING AND SAVING SITES AS OFTEN MENTIONED IN THIS FORUM:

• A Girl Called Jack, cheap recipes ( Link
  
• Benefits check-up ( Link )
• Birthday Bingo, daily free game ( Link )
  
• Coupon Shop Forum list of money-off coupons (Link)
  
• eBid ( Link )
  
• Freecycle ( Link )
• FreeStuff ( Link )
  
• FreeUKStuff ( Link )
• i-Say Surveys (Link)
• List of online newspapers. At bottom of the linked page. ( Link )
• MSE Boost Your Income page. Gateway to lots of money-making links. ( Link )
• MSE Abbreviations Explained ( Link )
• MSE Deals and Vouchers ( Link )
• MSE Wow Offers ( Link )
• My Supermarket ( Link )
• OnePoll ( Link )
• Quidco ( Link )
• Reclaim PPI at no cost to yourself ( Link )
• SayNoTo0870 cheap phone number finder ( Link )
  
• Survey sites that pay for your opinions ( Link )
• Swagbucks ( Link )
• Swapit ( Link )
• Tesco Orchard product testing (Link)
  
• Toluna ( Link )
  
• TopCashBack ( Link )

allydowd

Morning DFW-Ninjas,

Lovely sunny day today on the West Coast of Scotland. Hope it stays fine for the weekend. So, far, so good for the New Era Plan:


New Era Day Six:

:grinheart Go to work.

:grinheart Washing on the line.

:grinheart Stay off internet at home. Getting close to limited allowance. Use internet cafe at work and mobile internet.

:grinheart Take a packed lunch and the sweeties I was given free yesterday.


Good luck on your quests, Ninjas.

NewlyFrugalMumof3

Good morning. Thank goodness you started us off Ally. Dont think i would know how to get it right!

Well after a very energetic day yesterday, jogging and cycling to all manner of places to get free exercise and save on diesel, today is quite a soggy day so will see if blows over before walking school run.

Today i will:

check online banking - DONE
update spreadsheet - DONE
try & get 3 - 4 hours OU study done (but am v behind w dxam only 3 weeks away!) - DONE
hang washing on airer - DONE
put dent in ironing - OOPS!
BF/L/D & snacks from stores - DONE
Get swim bags & snacks & dinner ready - DONE
heating and all non essential electrics off - DONE
post birthday card hopefully 2nd class - DONE
trim DS son hair - POSTPONED
Have NSD (bar stamp) - YEH!

Right i best get busy. Have a great day.

T x

Bobarella

Morning All
Thanks for the thread Ally. Hello Newly Frugal.
Today for me
- Going for NSD 9. We have done very well so far this month but it is now half way through the month as far as pay is concerned and how we act now will really have an impact on our overall budget result. So keeping focused. - DONE
- Bring snacks for son's after school food. Keeping us from stopping at Mr T's to pick up our evening meal is helping save around £10 per day by the time he is done putting 1 more thing in the basket. - DONE
- Keeping on top of my own affairs. Banking checks, filing, shredding any paperwork that comes into the house today. - DONE
- List an item on eBay. Have become very lax on this as none of the items for sale (comics/graphic novels) have been selling. - not 1 but 3 DONE
- Cycle all my journies. This saves me around £40 per week purchasing a travel card. - DONE
- Make do and munch, evening meal. I have the choice of using up a pasta pesto base with something new added in. Or using up a veg curry with something new added in. Also good for food waste. - DONE
-Look for roadkill/ any other useful wombling items. - 1p found today

Have a great day all

Bob

ziggy2407

Good Morning All

Ally - 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.

Today's little list:

Packed lunch for DH & DS - Done
Read meters & chart - Done
Post 3 parcels - Done
Post used ink cartridges to Tesco for recycling - Done
Look at O2 freebies -
Continue de-cluttering - freegled 2 incorrect ink cartridges that I couldn't sell or return, re-used jiffy envelope and bubble wrap, freegled a few bits and listed a few bits on facebook
Continue purge on Emails - Done
Continue purge on FB & Twitter - Done
Surveys -
Check Banks - Done
Check swapits - Done
Enter a few comps - Done a few
All meals from cupboards/fridge/freezer - chippie tea
Pamper feet this evening -
Check https://www.freepostcodelottery.com - Remember there are now 5 chances to win - Done
Read - WIP (trying another new author, thanks to another comp win I haven't bought any books for months)

Have a great day, love to you all

C

Shortie

Morning all.

It's not an NSD for me today as I'm meeting a friend for lunch, but planning to be good otherwise. I forgot I was meeting her so have lunch in my bag which I will save for tomorrow or have today if she has to cancel

I have my breakfast, tea stuffs and a snack with me for the rest of the day though

Have a good day everyone :-)

DawnW

Morning all
Thanks for starting us off Ally

List for today:
Heating off
Put those darned auction boxes away! (this involves carrying them up 2 flights of stairs and crawling in the loft cupboard, which is why I have been putting it off ) The boxes are done, buy there are still a few 'escaped' items floating around
Meals from stores - I am going to try a Thai fish and coconut curry recipe for tonight, that I haven't done before V. nice, and there is enough leftover sauce to blitz with some LO roasted butternut squash to make 'free' soup for lunch tomorrow too
Do an Ocado order for delivery. This stops me from popping into random supermarkets and spending more than I need to. I will meal plan first, as I am trying to get to the bottom of a freezer, and need things that go with things that I already have, if that makes sense. Done, ordered for tomorrow lunchtime
Make a crumble from random freezer ingredients Plum and almond
Clean the bathroom, using cleaning products I already have Done
Pop into sales unit at some stage, walk for free exercise and to save fuel It started pouring with rain shortly after I posted this morning, and has continued all day So I didn't go out, and will need to do this tomorrow

More coffee first, I think!
Hope everyone has a good day

foxgloves

Morning Campers,
Nice sunny day. Ziggy - it doesn't look as if that big band of rain is going to get as far as you & I, which means a chance of finishing today's garden jobs.
Money saving bits:
*Put cat's dinner which he wouldn't eat last night into new bowl with a spoonful of water, which he ate, having been successfully conned into thinking it was a new pouch of meat :-)
*Clean silver - I'd never normally do this despite having some vintage silver, but after yesterday's cleaning cupboard blitz, I have a pile of stuff for using up. Also found a couple of brand new items in there I didn't know we had so we've been buying new. Grrr. Don't I always say that being v organised saves us money?
*Jacket potato night. Defrost a couple of freezer things to top those.
*Plant up border with free plants - 2 were birthday gifts & the others I've grown from free seed.
*Pot up remaining pepper plants
*Pinch out tops of broad beans & feed now that pods are swelling.
*Water all future food crops & talk to them nicely..
*Surveys.
*Update freezer list.
*Do next week's meal plan. Short on grocery budget but lots of food in.
*Start shopping list.
*NSD - I don't have the car this week & am too busy in the garden to think about going out & spending money.
*All free leisure - reading, a recorded TV prog, blogging, knitting. Jobs first though.

Someone asked me what a reed diffuser is yesterday. It's one of those glass jars/vases filled with perfumed liquid which has wooden reeds standing in it which diffuse the room fragrance up & out into the room. The refills are silly money, so I tried making my own.

Must crack on with kitchen jobs, then get out in the garden.
Cheers,
F x

twiggy86

Morning all!

Sorry I didn't post yesterday - didn't have a chance at work but was going to post last night to keep my promise to Bob. However... I broke down an hour away from home!!!! I was then told my RAC that my membership had expired but managed to call again and speak to someone sensible and yes whilst the membership number I gave them was my old one, it had been renewed! One guy turned up and told me he didn't have time to tow me so had to wait for another tow truck - so 4 hours it took until I got home!!!

So today I have/will:-
* Check banks
* Use up free foundation
* Get washing off line before the rains come
* Get lift from mum to work (was going to get 2 buses and walk a mile but she offered as its raining - love my mum!)
* Get bus home from work (OH offered to pay for a taxi but declined)
* Earn some SBs if I have time
* Earn more on OnePoll if I have time
* Dinner from stores (no idea what as was meant to go shopping last night!)

Can't think of anything else other - brain is just thinking about my car! Hope you all have a good day!

1HANNAH

Morning all,

Wet windy & wild her this morning
Had an awful nights sleep, our burglar alarm went off at just after midnight and again at about 2.30am this morning. No sign of problems so thinking its maybe a faulty connection or something?? So I've just dug my file out from when we got it to give the company a ring to ask them to come and service it but there lines are dead, no web site anymore so it looks like they've gone out of business, not sure what to do now?? My dad came and decided to order a sensor that he thinks maybe the problem, was £1.25 from amaz0n (using vouchers) so hopefully that will solve the issue.

Anyway todays list
Daily
 Switched mobile off over night done
 Heating off (get fleece blankets out if needed) done
 Kids to school breakfast club done
 Fill water bottle at gym done
 Check FPL done
 Use nectar search
 Check Banking/update spreadsheets done
 Unsubscribe from junk emails done
 Walk to/from bus stop with boys this afternoon
 Make families lunches for school/work tomorrow done

Food & Health - got to start looking after myself (need to lose about 6st)

 Make myself a berry/spinach whey protein smoothie (to take in the car for after the gym) - forgot
 At least 1/2hr exercise at the gym 1/2hr pt session this morning
 Gym - shower (using up mini shampoos samples etc) & dry hair no, going to clean inside windows of conservatory then have a shower at home
 Apply make up/perfume
 Drink warm water rather than tea/coffee save the cost & less calories too coffee first then I'll do this! 2nd water drunk
 All meals from stores - plan & prep - All meals are leftovers
Old school, make do & mend & use up
 Try to use something out of the use up food box done finished off a tub of parmesan cheese BBE May 2007!!
 Use up pamper box started with 18 nail polishes 4 handcreams 1 footcream & 3 perfumes - so far uu - 1np 2hc
 Use up household box started with 5 shower sprays - so far uu - 3/5
Entertainment
 Read a few pages of a book done
 Check Sun perks done
Home and decluttering
 Wash a load at 30 degrees Not bothering, its sooo wet I wouldn't get it out anyway
 Fit retractable washing line that mum picked up for me yesterday its not stopped raining all day, so will hopefully do this tomorrow
 Check out flylady email and complete todays task didn't do this but did clean the conservatory windows inside, and cleaned the floor
 Clean & tidy fridge done I find if I tidy daily we don't waste stuff
 Clean & tidy freezer (update freezer list) done as above
 Add items to charity bag Nothing today again
Earning chances
 Do some Swagbucks running sbtv apps, will look for surveys tonight when dh is late home from work
 Check email survey oppurtunities Will look tonight whilst hubby away
 Check checkoutsmart done
 Check shopitize upload a receipt -sent sos to my sis as it won't work for me this morning! lol -she saved the day!
 Check TCB/Snap Save - done
 Check Quidco/clicksnap done
 Do Geolotto done, got 60p so on £4.08 so far, gutted to hear this freebie is ending, not surprised though!