Sat 22/Sun 23 August - What small DFW things will you do this weekend?

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 important! :money:

lego_mum

Good Morning All & thanks Ziggy for the start, I hope you have a good day.

I had a good nights sleep & feel a lot better today (voice still not back 100% but better then it was) The weather is grey & very wet so the morning at least is going to be at home. A mixture of relaxing & tidying as I go I think.

Today's list
:heart: rm survey done
:heart: yougov survey done - only 1050 points away from payout now
:heart: Kids breakfast = mini cereal boxes from tenants house. done We're having ys crumpets from the freezer done
:heart: Clean kitchen using some of the products taken from tenants house (my cleaning cupboard is jam packed again, I can't even see the stardrops anymore!
:heart: Check Luckyphone done
:heart: Check FPL done must remember to check at 6pm & 9pm
:heart: Do 5 searches on inbox pounds done
:heart: Check Banking/update spreadsheets done
:heart: Unsubscribe from junk emails done

2pm update
:heart: Popped to !celand for a pizza for tea & stuck to shopping list done
:heart: Wombled a receipt which I have now claimed 5p on COS + 5p for my receipt done
:heart: Lunch was yesterday's hm veg soup & bread done
:heart: Booked Mr t del for tomorrow, didn't have enough for the £40 minimum so rang my mum and she wanted a couple of things which pushed me over the minimum without me buying something we don't need done
:heart: Picked up my COS free jar of curry sauce (& one from my sister) voucher code 15HOTT done

Will add more through the day

Have a good day all

determined_new_ms

Well done ziggy for starting the thread :T have been waiting for a while and was just about to start us off but saw your post!

Have been up for 3 1/2 hours already! :eek: bless the little lady of the house

So far I have:

* checked banking
* made dollar pancakes & syrup and there's enough for tomorrow's breakfast too
* changed bedsheets - as it's going to be a scorcher they'll be dry and back on the beds this evening
* put a load of washing in machine

I also intend to:

* [STRIKE]have a NSD[/STRIKE]
* [STRIKE]fill up the paddling pool and have a garden day[/STRIKE]
* make some flapjacks decided not to do this as have a load of yogurt and fruit to use up. If I make cakes that's what we'll eat and the aforementioned yogurt and fruit will perish!
* [STRIKE]make a picnic up to eat in the garden for lunch[/STRIKE]
* pick and stew rubbard & freeze in portions
* possibly go for a walk along the beach promenade this evening
* changed meal plan so I didn't need to go to the shop and get an onion
* picked 1 1/2lbs of blackberries for the garden. Think I need about another lb to make the wine :j
* did another load of washing and dried it on the line. Just need to put it all away now - regulars you know this is my downfall!

My brother has invited us to go to a bbq at his tonight but am thinking I might not go. It's a long way to go and I can't really afford the petrol. Hmmm decisions! decided not to go

Have just put madam to bed - 6.45 - as she said she was tired. Not surprised all this lounging around in the hot garden has been tiring! Off to read my book and then watch last episode of Vikings - Foxgloves the main guy is HOT :kisses2:


Have a lovely day everyone x

ziggy2407

Good Morning All

Dawn - Are you ok? Haven't "seen" you for a few days

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.

Off to visit mum this weekend and will be back Tuesday sometime (as OH has been made to have this week off through work we have decided to try and make the most of it and have a few days away and the rest of the week getting appointments and odd jobs out of the way). Will be de-stressing (yes visiting mum is stressful at times - love her to bits but boy does she know how to pull my strings, my 2 brothers are oblivious) by lots of walks and hopefully managing to get a swim fitted in too). Today I will:

Packed lunch for DH
Check Banks
Clear Fridge
Pack for weekend away
Remember to take £30 Co-op vouchers I won (will help greatly with food budget)
Quick tidy round

Have a great weekend all, love to you all

C x

lego_mum

Morning DNMS, our weathers sound polar opposites today, can we please swap??


Ziggy, I hope that your weekend isn't as stressful as you imagine.

maria3104

Hi All

Thanks for starting us off.

Pouring rain here, sideways, stair rods and I suspect from above also. Envying anyone who has a lovely sunny day.

Quiet day here I think. May explore freezers and get out some stuff to cook for the week ahead.

Have a good weekend all.

M x

allydowd

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• A Girl Called Jack, cheap recipes ( Link
  
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• 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 )
• NHS Minor Ailment Service article (Link)
  
• My Supermarket ( Link )
• OnePoll ( Link )
• Quidco ( Link )
• Reclaim PPI at no cost to yourself ( Link )
• Resolver tool. Helps you draft a letter, send it, monitor replies and then escalate it to an Ombudsman or key complaint body if it's not sorted. (Link)
  
• SayNoTo0870 cheap phone number finder ( Link )
  
• Survey sites that pay for your opinions ( Link )
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• Toluna ( Link )
  
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• You Need A Budget site and App (Link) New link!
  

If this list helps you today please click "Thanks".

crazy_cat_lady

Afternoon all - 3rd decent nights sleep in a row and I'm starting to feel somewhere approaching human again. It really makes a world of difference. Grey day here, but not wet just yet.
Ziggy - hope the weekend goes ok for you
Here's my weekend list, which I may come back and add to.
[STRIKE]:) check banking :eek:[/STRIKE]
check for surveys
[STRIKE]:) get DS to football training (already paid for)[/STRIKE]
15 mins housework and declutter (bathroom looking bad)
walk the cat without letting her climb
watch DVD with DD while the boys are at football this afternoon - my fairly safe prediction is that Sunderland will lose so they will be in a mood when they get in
keep everything up to date on YNAB
all meals from stores
meal planning for next week
get DS to sort through the mess that is his bedroom before I go in there with a binbag
post eBay shoe sales and hopefully make a nice little profit
relax a bit and do some reading
don't sweat the small stuff
get some exercise done
I've already had a little spend - £2.50 on a pack of bacon which will do the fortnight for us. Other than that it should be a nsd.

Bobarella

Hello Everyone

I was also wondering if Dawn was ok Ziggy. I'm sure she will just have been busy enjoying her husbands fishing trip peace and quiet:) hope you have a nice stay at your mums.

Hannah - Glad you are feeling better. Sore throats are horrible.

Ally - very restrained of you to only do half. But sensible not to push it.

Crazy Cat Lady - Isn't it amazing how sleep plays such a big part.

Maria - it is baking hot here.

Determined - I'd be tempted to stay home too. Especially as it means a late night for Little Miss.

I've been quite busy today. OH left me to sleep till 8.30 which I never do. So that was a nice start. Had YS bagels bought for 44p instead of £1.75.
We were all going to cycle to son's bank which is probably 3 miles away but he decided he didn't want to. So I did that instead as I also had cash from the business to pay in. OH and son did another errand instead. I really enjoyed my cycle today it's a good route with mostly easy to use lanes. Paid in son's £20 & did my own stuff.

Met back up for lunch with the family. We used a bus ticket deal from a wombled ticket which gives you a burger and fries in McD for only £1.98. Son has a happy meal. I bought 2 drinks in Mr T for £1.39 so the whole thing cost £6. We don't often do McDs maybe once a month and this is a typical spend for us so I'm not too bothered.

OH bought a pack of lights for my bike. After the near miss this week we both want me to be more visible. You wouldn't think it necessary on main roads in broad daylight but....anyway they cost £4.95

Son wanted to treat himself using some other cash he had stashed away so we took him to ToyrsRUs where he bought an iron man dress up costume. I used our points card to make sure we qualify for all the best deals.

We then went to the park where I spent an hour picking blackberries for use in cakes at work. Son and OH went to look for tiddlers in the river although didn't catch any. I found 20p in the grass near the river. Two 10ps that I suspect had fallen from a pocket.

Came home and carried on decluttering the lounge. I started last night. All son's toys are in there. Don't use his room for play. So it can get a bit wild at times. One of the storage bins had cracked and split so all the toys from that came out, the bin was recycled and we went through everything and culled a load of hot wheels cars and track he no longer wants. Lounge is now free of old scribbled drawings, magazines, broken toys and broken storage bins. It looks a lot better.

Husband put out the washing to line dry as it is so hot here. Got son to write a few lines in his holiday diary which school have insisted on...and now I'm sat down having a cuppa! Oh I also uploaded 3 reciepts to COS for the 15p.

Have a good day everyone.

Bob

lego_mum

Bob, sounds like a very productive day. I don't know where you get your energy from though!!

Crazy Cat, Pleased to hear you had another good nights sleep. I always feel that I can cope with everything far better when I sleep well.

Ally, Enjoy your sofa afternoon.

Maria, I hope the suns out with you now! It was awful here earlier but nice now (I think you're further West Wales then me if I remember correctly.

DawnW

Hello all,
Been reading but not posting, as I haven't had a great week. I had to have our old dog PTS on Tuesday She had a nasty chronic eye condition which had come to the limit of possible treatment at the age of 14 and a half, and it flared up again. It made it worse OH being away as she was his dog really, and he felt bad not having been here to say goodbye .... which started me off again

The house feels very empty, though not quite so much now OH is back. There is definitely a vacancy for a small dog though

Apart from the large vets bill (though nothing like as large as CCL's), I have been keeping the faith, and spent almost nothing this week

Small things plans for today:
NSD
Load of washing dried on the line outside
Home made meals from stores
Claimed £50 from Yougov :T
Been given a carrier bag each of cooking apples and plums
Picked a freezer box of blackberries
Got a large pot of apple and blackberries stewing on the stove atm - wonder if it will go in the freezer :eek:
Stick to diet

Still to do:
Pick French beans and tomatoes
See if I can palm off some more French beans on to the neighbours :rotfl:
Water the garden pots

Hmm not very motivated today