Friday 16th October - What small DFW things will you do today?

allydowd

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

• A Girl Called Jack, cheap recipes ( Link )
  
• Benefits check-up ( Link )
• Coupon Shop Forum list of money-off coupons (Link)
  
• eBid ( Link )
  
• Freecycle ( Link )
• Free Postcode Lottery ( Link )
• FreeStuff ( Link )
  
• FreeUKStuff ( Link )
• i-Say Surveys (Link)
• List of online newspapers. At bottom of the linked page. ( Link )
• LuckyPhone free lottery with loyalty rewards (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 )
• Swagbucks ( Link )
• Swapit ( Link )
• Tesco Orchard product testing (Link)
  
• Tickety Split cheap train tickets (Link)
  
• Toluna ( Link )
  
• TopCashBack ( Link )
• You Need A Budget site and App (Link)

List checked 29 Sept 2015.

allydowd

Morning DFW-Ninjas,

Hugs to everyone.

Foxgloves: I'm desperate to know what Postman Pat is bringing you.

Today we are going shopping at our nearest 'proper' town. We live in the middle of nowhere so this is quite a long journey, but we haven't been for months so that's quite restrained of us. And we are going to control our spending.

I'm going to grow this list as I do it.


Debt-Free Nillionaire Month 5:

* Payday. Bills paid and money set aside for all spends.

* Paid another £50 into our Australia fund. (Got 1p interest on our savings so only actually paid £49.99 in today.)

* Have reserved a £20 gift in town for OH. Usually sells for £40. This will go into the Decemberfest box.

* Will get free coffee at Ikea as we have a loyalty card and it's a weekday.

* Will fuel car at Sainsbury's when we go passed it. They are giving extra Nectar Points when you buy fuel from them equivalent to 5p/litre off the cost until the end of this month. (Link)

* Get a M&S Sparks loyalty card when we go past. (Link)

* Was going to make new sitting room curtains as ours are derelict. We've twice dyed them to restore the colour but they are very thin and offer so little insulation against our freezing mountain-side Winters. They're so thin that when you open a door they billow letting the heat out. After doing the Maths it's cheaper to buy a new lined pair in the Argos sale than buy lining fabric and more dye, and still cheaper than making a whole new pair.

Have a good day everyone.

foxgloves

Good Morning Campers!
A few money saving things today, but not much of a list:
*Cleaned entire house using minimal products & washable microfibre cloths.
*Loaf in bread machine.
*Finished shopping list, as mr f volunteered to do the grocery shopping on his way home from his half day. Wrote budget target on the list, as he seems to be enjoying the challenge of this.
*Have earned another £5 voucher from a brand online community I am currently on, so will update my signature totalling my survey income for this year.
*Pay £40 into M&S card. mr f ordered a dvd box set last night - it's from his 'Personal Spends' money so no impact on bank account, but using M&S card will increase our points (for vouchers) & I then always put the various funds right by paying the exact amount off the card asap.
*Did a few surveys.
*Washed my hair & let it dry naturally. It's got into the most appalling condition, breaking off all over the place. All the straightening doesn't help, & regular colouring, but what seems to have made it worse is some very cheap own-brand shampoo & conditioner I bought in the summer. It had such a nice fragrance & was on offer, but it was a case of I got what I paid for........the shampoo has stripped every scrap of moisture out of my hair & the conditioner......well, I needed a whole palm full to make any impression on my hair, & even then, it didn't do very much. I totally love a bargain, but this is one I won't be buying again. Have now had to invest in something very moisturising to tackle the witchy tresses (thankfully it was on offer).
*Updated my blog with a recipe someone asked me for. Free leisure, as is the knitting & family history project I'll be doing later today.
Still to do:
*Round up today's bucket of windfall pears.
*Bake a pear & cinnamon cake to take when we visit my parents tomorrow, as it will be nice, use some pears (but only 2. Bah!) & save me buying them some biscuits or other treat.
I think that's everything. Mr f is hoping to call at the sorting office on his way home to collect my 'brown pig'. I bet it's not anything remotely exciting now, but I'll admit I'm curious!
Oh, & CCL - Yes, I agree that you need a GP who is empathetic regarding mental health disorders. When I first admitted to my GP, several years ago now,that my anxiety levels had got totally out of control (due to a previous medical issue) & I was struggling to cope with daily life, his response (& I remember it word for word) was 'Can't you talk yourself out of it?' I was astounded, as I'd never had any mental health issues in the past so was already beating myself up about being feeble! I asked to swap to another Dr at the same practice & she was really good. Do persevere, & see someone different if you don't seem to be getting the help you both need.
And Ziggy - Sorry to hear you're not feeling on sparkling form, but good for you on sticking up for yourself with that other parent. You weren't put on earth to be a doormat. Don't some of these school arguments kick off over silly things though? Kids!
OK, time to make some lunch with whatever's left in the fridge. Looks like an egg cob......though mr f did give me permission to eat his crisps :-)
f x

lego_mum

:mad: I posted before the school run and its disappeared!
Thanks CCl for the start, hope DH's appointment goes well.
Ziggy, hope you are feeling more yourself again soon & good on you standing your ground.
Bob, I too kept my ds's in their baby gros for as long as I could as I didn't want them to grow up too quick! Hows your ds taking to having a baby sister?

Health & Fitness plans (lose this weight once and for all, no fad diets ever again!)
:starmod: Walk the boys to & from the bus stop done
:starmod: Gym class – aiming for 5 a week (works out to less then 80p/class!)done
:starmod: Fill water bottle at the gym done
:starmod: Shower/dry hair at the gym, save my water & electricity!
:starmod: Walk at least 7000 steps to get bounts points done
:starmod: Eat for health
:starmod: Drink water through the day
:starmod: Monitor fitness goals etc using my fitbit daily & adjust when needed


Daily jobs:
:starmod: Wash a load at 30 degrees done 2 loads
:starmod: Hang washing on the line if dry both loads on the line
:starmod: Check banks/update spreadsheet done
:starmod: Delete junk from emails done
:starmod: Clean & tidy fridge (make sure we don’t waste anything) done
:starmod: Use something out of the food use up box
:starmod: Plan today’s meals from stores done, kids are having pizza, we're having a rice dish
:starmod: No heating on yet, plenty of blankets & jumpers available 

Tidy home = Tidy mind
:starmod: Hoover carpets
:starmod: Clean the kitchen using minimal products
:starmod: Tidy at least one cupboard
:starmod: Gather together items for the cs
:starmod: Work out how to change light bulb on dh’s fancy reading lamp

Money making schemes
:starmod: Inbox pounds 5 searches done
:starmod: Swagbucks
:starmod: Check Fpl done
:starmod: Check luckyphone done
:starmod: Check for surveys
:starmod: Rm survey done

Freebies/vouchers/offers
:starmod: Check 02 priorities
:starmod: Check tcb/quidco done
:starmod: Check cos/shopit

Extras
:starmod: Sew missing button onto my winter coat
:starmod: Picked up birthday cards for Dh done
:starmod: Coffee with a friend after the gym, used gift card so not a proper spend done
:starmod: Sent DS1 to school with a handmade bday card for his best friend, with some money in & some Lego that was given to ds2 as a duplicate gift (ds's dont' know that bit!) in a reused gift bag from ds1's party last weekend done
:starmod: Ironing done

carrielovesfanta

They have opened a branch of The Range at the retail park by my work. I went for a walk around at lunchtime. It was VERY hard not to part with any cash. However, I have decided to declutter more before I buy any more storage.

:A

FatVonD

I am I the only one still checking in periodically to find out about the brown pig? :rotfl:

Bob, I'm with you on the babygrow situation, I hate, hate, hate to see little babies in for instance, jeans, it must be so uncomfortable for them :mad:

I don't have much to report today except I didn't get an interview for the 'out of my comfort zone' job but they have invited me to interview for another (on 21st) where hopefully there will be no competition since it hasn't been advertised :rotfl:

I'm loving Ally's 'Decemberfest', I'm going to adopt it

carrielovesfanta

FatVonD wrote: »

I am I the only one still checking in periodically to find out about the brown pig? :rotfl:

I'm here!


Good luck for the interview

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

I bought a bag of coal today so have lit the fire. We have both an open fire and a multifuel stove, both of which we use a lot in winter but this is the first time we have lit the fire. I need to check out coal prices locally.

I am interested in the brown pig too. Hope its a lovely surprise.

OH has not gone to work again today. He is self employed and doing less and less hours. Touchy subject and very difficult to discuss with him.

Chicken pie in the halogen oven with some chips, better going and check its not burnt to a crisp!

crazy_cat_lady

Evening all
Another quick check in as I'm just about on my way out to ds football practice with him. Doctor's appointment was fair to middling - she has improved a lot since I last saw her. I will blah on about it loads on my diary, but the long and short of it is that he's been signed off work until the 6th Nov earliest; I have been asked to look after his medication to stop him taking an overdose; we have been given the crisis team number, and a number to self refer to the MH team. I rang Mind this afternoon asking about some practical help but I have to say that they weren't that helpful...
Anyway...

crazy_cat_lady wrote: »

[STRIKE]:p check banking
accompany dh to the doctors
work [/STRIKE]
mark 2 sets of books (as I've fallen behind by a day)
[STRIKE]:p get my photocopying in at the office (urgent)
get ds to football training
shopping night
nsd
meals from stores
[/STRIKE]

I didn't do any marking :eek: my head isn't in the game at the moment...

allydowd

FatVonD wrote: »

I am I the only one still checking in periodically to find out about the brown pig? :rotfl:
.....

I'm loving Ally's 'Decemberfest', I'm going to adopt it

I'm dying to know about the pig too.

We call it "Decemberfest" as our household is 50% Jewish-50% Christian-ish.