Friday 31st July - what small DFW things will you do today?

determined_new_ms

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:

Bobarella

Good morning

Thanks for the start Determined!

I for one am so looking forward to the weekend. Today is my 13th day at work without a break. It's been fine but I can see I am just reaching the ends of my endurance now. I have simple thoughts for my Saturday morning. There is a small list of items I want from Mr S and as it is OH'S payday today I can now action that. I want a baby book to file my scan pictures in. A new welcome mat for the porch as the one that is out there came with the house and is disgusting. I figure a nice looking rug we see first ever time we come in and out may be a lovely cheap boost.
Need some plastic bins to put away some old clothes into the loft that have been lingering around the office for weeks.
And 1 new picture frame to frame my son's class photo of this year.
I may even go to Costalots and have a nice coffee in peace! :T

None of this is money saving but I think will only cost around £20 if I'm careful. And the thought of free time is making me crazy with happiness!

Since OH and son went away on Wednesday I've eaten up 2 lots of leftovers for dinners each night. Both were lovely. Tonight soup again.
I attacked the house last night and gave the bathroom a big clean plus hoovered the whole house, took out recycling, did a load of washing, did the dishwashing load and unpacked that. So tonight I will make a start on the school work pile whittling it down.

1 more day to push through!! Will do all the usual payday stuff later as well.

Have a great day all.

Bob

DawnW

Morning all
Thanks for the start DNMS
Sounds like your weekend off is well deserved Bob. Hope you enjoy it. Just a thought though, do you need to buy storage for old clothes? Are they worth it, or would they be better just going to the charity shop (says she who has hoarded old clothes for years in the past )

Thanks for yesterday's tip about harvesting green chillis Foxgloves, I will be doing this today. Brilliant idea to preserve green ones as well as red :T Done, I have cut some green ones and frozen them, as advised by Mrs F I will need to look out for another chilli plant at some stage - I usually buy one cheap (I only need 1) in late summer, and keep it over winter, through the next summer and by then it wants replacing

Got some good freebies through the post yesterday, Ainsley Harriot couscous (thanks to Ally for this one) and samples of Garnier moisturiser offered via an email

List for today:
Check banks Done
Rescue shallots from wood store as this has slipped from several previous lists Done
Stick to diet - I seem to have gained 2lbs this week, and can't really see why Why is losing weight so hard? Done
HM meals from stores, lots of leftovers to use so not much cooking needed Done
Walk to sales unit to tidy up and see if more stock is needed for the weekend - free exercise Done, and a few small things had sold
Few bits needed, hmm do I need them today though? If so I will get them from Sainsburys as I have a voucher Couldn't face Mr S, so I popped into Iceland when passing to pick up some milk for OH's endless cups of tea. They had packs of 4 cans of tuna, in either oil or spring water, 2 packs for £5, and it is John West dolphin friendly. I thought that was really good, so picked up a couple of packs
Do any surveys that are available a few for Onepoll and some complicated stuff for the post office one
Tidy up in garden if it stays dry Done
Water anything that needs it Done
Pick any produce that is ready French beans, a courgette and some baby beetroot today
Clean and tidy upstairs Done

Right, better get on!
Hope you all have a nice day

Ratison

Morning all,

Thanks for the start Determined

Bob your plans sound absolutely perfect for the weekend. Low key, and low spend really. And the signature is looking good at under £4000 (might have missed when you got under there)

Dawn - thanks for the stain devils tip. Once I have the energy to tackle shopping and cleaning, I'll get on it.

I continue to be ill, which is costing me money! I bought a few cartons of fresh juice yesterday, and some nice biscuits. My appetite is zero, so I'm having to force down things that I would usually wolf down, but having had a few biscuits and some juice yesterday has really boosted me.

No spends planned today though. And I might have the brain power to do some surveys!

Hopefully I'll be productive at work today too. Not sure I've been on my A game yet, but I hate taking time off work (yes I know that's a bad way to be!).

Happy Friday everyone!

1HANNAH

Thanks for the start Determined, hope you have a good day

Bob, I don't know where you get your energy from!!! Sounds like a lovely plan for tomorrow though

Hope all who follow have a good day.

Up early this morning as we are taking my dad out for a belated 60th birthday Breakfast at the Harvester My sister and niece are coming too before they head off to Yorkshire to stay with her ex-inlaws for a couple of weeks
Switched mobile off over night done
:heart: Heating off (get fleece blankets out if needed) done
:heart: Check FPL done
:heart: Do 5 searches on inbox pounds done
:heart: Check Banking/update spreadsheets done and it is Dh's payday whoo hooo
:heart: Unsubscribe from junk emails done
:heart: Check http://ashleighmoneysaver.co.uk/ for daily chance of winning £50 done
:heart: Check https://www.luckyphone.co.uk/ - like FPL done
:heart: All meals from stores - plan & prep -
:heart: Try to use something out of the use up food box
:heart: Use something out of pamper box
:heart: Read a few pages of a book
:heart: Check out flylady email and complete todays task
:heart: Clean & tidy fridge - if I keep on top of this daily, we don't seem to waste any food.
:heart: Clean & tidy freezer (update freezer list)
Washing 3rd load in, 1 still to do
Get the washing outside on the line - 3rd load out
:heart: Ironing - switch off before last item to use residual heat Must do this today
Strip & remake spare bed, ready for visitors next week stripped...
:heart: Do some Swagbucks
:heart: Check email survey opportunities
:heart: Check checkoutsmart uploaded a receipt for 5p cb
:heart: Check shopitize - code for freebie is 15RONE - for a 100g toblerone done
:heart: Check TCB/Snap Save -
:heart: Check Quidco/clicksnap
:heart: Check 02 priority want to pick up Halfords freebie as near harvester - will do this, this week as DH can get one too, so may as well go together
:heart: received £10 odeon voucher in post from survey site
:heart: Had a letter from sky offering 35% off to stay with them... I've filed it in the bin
Off to get dressed ready to go, be back soon

twiggy86

Morning all!

Yes Bob - where do you get your energy from and are there any offers on as I could do with some?!!?

Today I have/will:-
* Check banks
* Check FPL
* Check PayPal
* Upload receipt for 5p - cant remember which app as left phone at home!
* Wash bedding on 30 degree quick wash
* Hang washing on line
* Take lunch to work
* Transfer money from pot to cover clothes I bought yesterday (jelly shoes for £1! plus some other bits on sale and then 24% off code)
* Finish meal plan!
* Finish shopping list
* Earn more on OnePoll
* Earn more SBs
* Shop to list
* Dinner from stores
* Clean bottom of fridge (seems to have loads of water under the veg tray?)
* Strip second bedroom bedding ready for friend to stay at some point whilst she's back from Aus (yes Twiggy Towers is open for business again!)
* Possibly start sorting original lodgers old room as needs a good tidy (he left a few bits here) and clean

Think that's everything for today! Hope you all have a good day!

Ratison

Twiggy - your signature is looking amazing too!

twiggy86

Thanks Ratison! I'm not sure if I'd realised before that you're now DF!!! If I haven't said it before (actually even if I have, as it's a big achievement!) CONGRATS!

xxxJOJOxxx

Quick type and run for me today, running out of time...


Check banking
Onepoll
Packed Lunched
All meals from stock
Budget for next two weeks
Undercoat one door tonight
Check emails
Reuse tinfoil in packed lunches
All lights/switches etc off before work and before bed
Write checklists for holiday/little ones birthday
Walk all journeys


Have a good day all xx

greensalad

First day back at work after a long 10 day holiday! And now I've got the weekend to enjoy so it's quite nice being back in for one day, helping me get my brain engaged

Started afresh with YNAB as I had fiddled just before holiday but vowed to start afresh when I got paid. Conveniently, though I got paid a while ago, was on holiday which means both 1st job and 2nd job are now paid, so I have my full monthly budget to play with!

- Filled in YNAB
- Budgetted out for next few weeks (expecting a small bumper payment in around 3 weeks)
- Set aside cash for BF's birthday (next Tuesday) going out drinks
- Filled my virtual pots with cash under categories: Christmas, birthday, holiday, car, tax, phone:, £400 in total
- Popped £222 in my "debt savings" pot making the total £352. When it gets to £500 I will be able to close down my current account OD! Maybe this month, maybe next month!
- Left BF with some chores (he's at home still today)
- Wrote letter to Halifax requesting £50 from a complaint, posting this evening.
- Signed up with Clearscore - it's free! And it's more accurate than Noddle from what I can see 350/700
- Replied to a possible job lead, would be several hours of work a month indefinitely which is v. nice (maybe an extra £150-£200 a month?!)

determined_new_ms

Morning everyone started the thread as woke up at 5.30! Went to bed for a nap at 6.30 last night and slept through :T I LOVE it when I have a super early night, generally need one at a certain point of the month...

Bob glad you're enjoying your free time! When is mini Bob due? Sorry for not answering your cocumelon question, I missed it and then when I saw you'd asked again ally had answered!

Dawn it's like that with ww I think. If you stick to it again this week you should get a good loss at wi

Hannah your lists make my eyes water! Surely you don't need any energy!

Needed to pop out early this morning to see a friend and passed sainsbobs so decided to call in and get 6 bottles of wine as they have 25% off of 6 and we generally have 1 a week (sometimes 2 ), remembered I had a £3 off of £20 spend and some how magically I had £7.50 in nectar rewards. So bought 3 bottles of cava, 2 prosecco and 1 bottle of Pinot, 7 pints of milk and some breaded chicken for £19.03 :T total before discounts was £39.78 :T works out each bottle of wine cost about £2.50 :T so as long as I can show restraint (my optimism knows no bounds!) It should bring our gc spends down for the month :j

Small things for today:

* tidied up house
* mop kitchen floor
* do some studying
* do quick job search
* looked into tickets for a local festival as I thought it was this weekend and tickets were £30 :eek: but turns out I was looking at the wrong festival and tickets are £7.20 pd :T
* get out into front garden and do some weeding/tidying up
* text woman on my course and see if I can still get a lift on Monday
* one poll
* get emails for any Ms ops
* make food for party on beach this afternoon/evening
* sausages out of freezer for party
* will take the disposable bbq I found in the shed last week. Kinda free
* grate and freeze 2 x ys packs of cheddar purchased yesterday for 68p each

Ok that's my lot. Happy Friday y'all x