Friday 17th July - 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 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!

So be proud of those small steps, they really are important! :money:

ziggy2407

Good Morning All

Ally -Well done on the haggling
Bob - Your roadkill & wombling totals are fantastic - well done

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 (apologies for yet another boring list):

Packed lunch for DH - Done
Continue purge on Emails -
Continue purge on FB & Twitter -
Surveys -
Check Banks -
Enter a few comps -
All meals from cupboards/fridge/freezer -
Check https://www.freepostcodelottery.com - Remember there are now 5 chances to win -
Read - wip

Have a great day, love to you all

C x

1HANNAH

Morning all.

Thanks Ziggy for the start.
Hope everyone else has a good day .

Its grey and wet here so far this morning, really hoping that the sun comes out as we are hoping to go to play tennis in the park with the boys after they finish school at 1.30.

I'm not going to the gym first thing as I've agreed to try a class there later on this morning with my dad (he loves the class and has been trying to get me to try it for months but I've wanted to stick with the personal trainer instead, only thing is my pt isn't well and is having to take 6 weeks out for treatment so I've no excuse now!) I can't say I'm looking forward to it, I hate new situations, my tummy is all upset and anxiety kicking in There can be up to 28 in the class but my dad assures me this one will be a quiet session as the earlier classes are always rammed. I can't cope with too many people so fingers crossed!


Other things for this morning
Walk boys down to the bus stop done
Clean kitchen using stardrops done
Hoover round
Check banking/update spreadsheets done
Go to gym
Fill water bottle there
Shower at gym use their water/elec
Go to Farmfoods to pick up a few bits (joint shop with my parents to make use of 2.50 off £25 shop) Sorry can't remember who mentioned sugar yesterday but I think a pack from FF is 39p
* Cheque arrived in the post for £5 when I was only expecting £1

That's it for now.

determined_new_ms

Morning ziggy & Hannah1 :wave: thanks for starting us off ziggy! Sorry you feel your lists are boring hopefully with the summer hols things will get a little more exciting for you. How are you doing with your recovery?

Hannah hope your anxiety dies down. Am sure once you're there you'll love it. I always find with anxiety the thing I am feeling anxious about isn't anywhere near as stressful as the anxiety leads me to believe.

So Friday and am feeling a bit down, I feel like I've been through so much over the last few years and losing my job and my mum just feel like too much at the moment trying not to let myself sink into depression but at times feels like too much. I went through my cc statement and what with the funeral and everything I have spent too much at a time when we can ill afford it... Anyway must try to do some little things to lift the spirits and ward off a depressive episode...

Small things:

* [STRIKE]check banking[/STRIKE]
* [STRIKE]wash sheets and put on line[/STRIKE]
* [STRIKE]cook a load of meat as our fridge/freezer died yesterday :eek: luckily we still had out old one in the garage but it still has the problem that meant we replaced it a couple of months ago (2nd hand so that's £100 down the drain)[/STRIKE]
* eat jam tarts made at the weekend
* Going to look at a fridge freezer today in my village selling for £40
* [STRIKE]2 lo enchilladas in the fridge for lunches for me & oh[/STRIKE]
* [STRIKE]do a job search[/STRIKE]
* possibly do a skills inventory
* carry on with studying for course I am taking
* final flylady of the week and really just making sure all rooms are spick and span :T
* go for a run
* gardening
* read book

Ok that's all I need to do. Have a great day everyone :A

Maria you said the other day how much you love this thread. I've been coming here for 7 years now, always been a very positive and supportive thread with lots of lovely people coming and going. It's the 1 thread I continue to post in after all these years
*

floella80

Good morning everybody, hope you've all had a good week.

Hannah - I hope the class goes well, I'm crossing my fingers for you!
Ziggy - good morning! Your list is not boring because it's your own debt free wannabe list!
Determined new Ms - I hope things begin to improve for you. I know what it's like to lose a parent. one of the hardest things ever. Eating jam tarts will definitely help a little.

It's really dull here as well, hoping it will improve. My partner is off for a weeks holiday time and I've had a busy week and now finished school for the summer and maternity leave so we both have time to get some. Things done.

Swag bucks - done
Wash up
Put a new washing load in a hang on drier
Defrost the freezer, we've eaten nearly everything ready to defrost.
Start sorting out my boy's room so that we can put in toddler bed and all other bits for when brother in law comes at the end of the month.
Put anything on freecycle fb group

Have a lovely day, everyone

maria3104

Hi All

Thanks for starting us off Ziggy.

1Hannah go girl, I bet you love the class when you get there, will be nice to spend time with Dad too. the tennis sounds fun. Is that children breaking up for summer then?

DeterminedMS am with you on the need to fight black dog days. It is a relatively new thing for me, and I am consciously fighting it at times. Watch us both have a lovely weekend and bounce to Monday!

So,

Today I have done poultry, no goose babies, fear I have 5 rotten eggs in her nest. 38 days so far, I really must google how many days it is meant to take. My 3 chickens have again given me 3 eggs, they are such obliging girls. I am leaving them in caged run so bad pup can not eat them. They miss their orchard.
DD comes home tonight for weekend with bf and SHE HAS PASSED HER YEAR 2 EXAMS, with no resits. So her summer has just been regifted to her. Which is just as well as she has 3 jobs on the go! How would she have found time to revise?

Aim to not go to cattle market today as there is a sheep sale on with bargains. Would be so tempted! Like a 10 year old girl in Claires accessories... Must restrain myself.

Busy day in work about to start, so I am coffee ed up and raring to go.

Have fun everyone.

Maria.

1HANNAH

Thanks for the good wishes Maria, Dnms & Floella, like I said I really struggle with new things but next time I post(so long as the class doesn't finish me off!) it won't be a new thing anymore.


Maria, fab news about your daughter Your comment about a 10yr old in Claire's made me chuckle! My niece (11yrs old) could spend the whole day in there if you let her! Yes the boys finish school for the summer at 1.30, I really don't know where the time is going!


Dnms, you've had such much to deal with this last few weeks, please take care of yourself.


Floella, Hope you enjoy your time off with oh.


Right I better go and get changed into gym kit, (I feel like a condemned woman!! oh dear!)

enjoyyourshoes

Hi


busy AM, just got I for quick cuppa before heading out again.


Feels like its a Viv Nicholson day 'spend, spend spend' day. So no little gems of how to save £ today.


Difficult moments- aged 12 I worked out that if I had to do something I didn't want to and it was making me feel anxious, I would count up to 10 slowly and on the 10 I HAD to do whatever it was. Worked then and is still working today.


Need new PC as this one falling apart, keyboard is now US, so it'll be a big spend on top of the other spends. Sorry , not being helpful and pertinent to thread title.


Ah, ha,, I do save into a high interest account for annual, 1/2 & 1/4ly etc bills and the renegotiated bills for the forthcoming year are less than the accrued for bills this year, so I have a few quid in the account for emergencies. So PC is the emergency.


Also new job and money coming in so can rebuild buffer or 'Warren Buffett fund'

DawnW

Morning all
Thanks for the start Ziggy - your lists certainly aren't any more boring than mine!

Hope the class goes ok Hannah

Take care DNMS XX

Maria, your Claire's accessories analogy made me lol. I would be exactly the same :rotfl:

Right, list for today:
Check banks still haven't done the one where you have touse a thingy to generate a code -such a fiddly nuisance
Ocado delivery this morning, so need to put it all away Done. Discovered a pack of bread rolls that OH had put in the bread bin instead of the freezer, and just left :mad: I didn't notice them as I haven't been eating bread. Oh well, they were unopened, looked and felt ok, so I have shoved them in the freezer, even though the date is the 12th :eek: I have marked the pack, and will investigate further when I get them out, and perhaps use for pizza bases or something like that if they are ok, not mouldy or anything. I am not hung up on dates (after all, the eggs and vegetables produced at home don't have them, and neither do the things I make, and we aren't dead yet!
Work out what bits (if any) I will still need from Lidl (fussy grandchildren who will only eat certain things :eek:) I will send OH in the morning with a strict list
Clean house, all the bits I didn't do yesterday :eek: But OH is helping, even though he may not realise it yet.... Done
Sort out spare bedroom for visiting grandchildren Done
Cook a chicken to have cold for lunch tomorrow (visitors) Done
Make a cake while oven is on Done, just about to ice it
Any surveys that are available Just the one
Load of washing Done
Ironing :eek: Hmm not done this yet
HM meals - I have lots of eggs, so will make a frittata today Done

I think that is it.... will pop back later to update

foxgloves

Hi Friday Folk,
Have managed a few bits of money saving today.
*Cleaned whole house using minimal products - will soon be starting my new annual bottle of 'Stardrops', purchased last weekend at a colossal 89p!
*All household linens, towels etc, loaded into washer for a cheap overnight wash.
*Did a mid-month budget check-in. Despite taking my eye off the ball while I was ill with flu, we don't look to be doing too badly. I had forgotten to budget for the 2 online geneaology subscriptions, but even taking those into account, we should get through to the end of the month solvent.
*Paid another £45 off my credit card - the clothes cash/cheque paid into bank this week. I do find the Savings Piggies system (envelopes) works well for us, but it stands or falls on remembering to pay cash in, do any transfers, etc, promptly before I forget what the original transaction was.
*Had a good look at this month's grocery budget. I'd remembered to budget for it being a '5 week month' for food shopping, but had just been feeling at the back of my head that there was an error. There was! It has basically meant that this month we will have spent about £30 more on groceries than we should have done. It was to do with a complicated swap-over of some funds & forgetting to make a note of it when I was still feeling poorly & not firing on all cylinders. It's too much of a pain now to try & sort it out, so as I think we will be solvent this month, I'm leaving it as it is. At least it's only extra food shopping......not like we've chucked £30 at something silly.
*Did meal plans for the weekend & next week.
*Started shopping list.....will finish it later. (Caffiene called, & I abandoned it)
*Did a few surveys - Getting close to cash-in on Ipsos, Toluna points mounting up quite nicely, One-poll as slow as a slow thing on National Slow Day in the Country of the Slow. Convinced they don't have as many surveys as they used to. Am over half way, though, so will carry on.
*Removed all the free packets of seed from the gardening mags Mum gave me on Tues & stored them in my seed box. Plenty of pretties to sow next spring.
*Water greenhouse veggies & the sulky courgette plants I moved yesterday.
*Do a bit more family history - I need to make full use of the websites I'm paying for, get my project finished, then I will cancel them until I need to do another project.
*Try to finish knitting - 22 rows to go, albeit massively long ones.
DNMS - Sorry to hear you are fighting off a spell of depression. You know, losing a parent & losing a job both feature high on the list of most stressful situations, so try not to beat yourself up. You've also had a lot on with taking on your baby grand-daughter, which must have been quite a change of lifestyle in many ways. My advice (for what it's worth!) is to concentrate on the stuff you can control, like your health & fitness, personal/household organisation & finances, so that the stuff that's outside your control can't come crowding in quite so much. And have some downtime. We're none of us invincible after a huge period of stress. I think that sometimes we have to remember to be our own best friend x

allydowd

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