Monday 16 Nov - What small DFW things will you do today? :)

crazy_cat_lady

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:

crazy_cat_lady

Morning everyone.
The start of another week...
Ally - hope you survived work and are feeling ok today.
Right, plan of the day for me today is marking. If I don't get at least one set of books marked today I am in serious trouble - so I'd better get on.
List
check banking - no PAD
sort out YNAB and hope everything matches up
read gas and electric meters
15 mins housework and declutter
mark a set of books
full teaching day
nsd
all meals from stores
do not stress
go to my friend's exercise class
tell myself at least 3 positive things about myself (to stop my mood slipping too much)
Hope everyone has a brilliant day.

Bobarella

Thanks for the start CCL.

Happy birthday to your son Yorkshire. 17 is a big deal

Ally - hope you feel better today?

Currently sitting in bed the others have left. Have a sleeping baby on me. Have a health visitor appointment at 9. So will have to stir myself soon anyway.
Relieved that we have now survived 2 of the 3 birthdays in our house this month (OH s is next sunday) got son to write 2 of his thank you notes yesterday and post them. He wasn't keen but I explained how important it is to show gratitude and he got on with it. Typical boy in that regard doesn't like writing.

Jobs for today.
1. Tidy up lounge. All throws rolled up and back in the basket.
2. Check banking. 2 DDS left this month. One this week. One in the 24th.
3. Pack away dry laundry.
4. Tidy bedrooms.
5. Make coffee at home.
6. Walk all journies.
7. Take some reciepts to Mr T to get the points added on.

Think that's it for now.

Happy Monday all.

Bob

lego_mum

Morning CCL & thanks for the start.
:wave: to all who follow

Its very wet, dark & miserable here this morning but my boys are home as its an inset day so hopefully they'll keep me smiling all day

Health & Fitness plans (lose this weight once and for all, no fad diets ever again!)
:starmod: Walk at least 7000 steps to get bounts points
: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 first load in
:starmod: Hang washing on the line if dry
:starmod: Check banks/update spreadsheet
:starmod: Delete junk from emails
:starmod: Clean & tidy fridge (make sure we don’t waste anything)
:starmod: Use something out of the food use up box
:starmod: Plan today’s meals from stores
:starmod: Make families lunches for tomorrow
:starmod: Minimum heating on, 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

Money making schemes
:starmod: Inbox pounds 5 searches - claim payout £20.05 claimed
:starmod: Swagbucks
:starmod: Check Fpl
:starmod: Check luckyphone
:starmod: Check for surveys
:starmod: Rm survey

Freebies/vouchers/offers
:starmod: Check 02 priorities
:starmod: Check tcb/quidco
:starmod: Check cos/shopit - claim payout on mine & dh shopit £4.05 dh & £4.70 on mine

Extras
:starmod: Make a date cake
:starmod: Take the kids to get their eyes checked ds2 is going to have glasses he's happy with what he's been able to choose (1 minion pair & a star wars pair)
:starmod: Free lunch at my dad's well he supplied the pasta & cheese and I took the ratatouille type sauce I made the other day, it was really tasty
:starmod: Make the most of the last day of free trial on a website to help ds2
:starmod: Homework part done, having a cuppa whilst they play for a bit and then get some more done
:starmod: Check/record car mileage 8761
:starmod: Use amaz0n free credit to order a film
:starmod: Parked out of town near my parents and walked to specsavers so no additional costs & I got to 7000 steps
:starmod: (more to follow)

Have a good day all (Ally I hope you are feeling better this morning)

lego_mum

Bob Good morning, we crossed posts, I fondly remember the days of baby sleeping on me The time just goes far to quickly.

ziggy2407

Good Morning Everyone

CCL - 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 I will

Packed lunch for DH & DS
Ironing
Appointment with therapist at 12
Bump all sale listings/freecycle/facebook
Post Office
Check Banks
Continue purge on Emails
Craft
Continue decluttering
Enter a few comps
All meals from cupboards/fridge/freezer
Check https://www.freepostcodelottery.com - Remember there are now 5 chances to win
Check Lucky Phone

Have a good day! Love to you all!

C x

Shortie

Morning all, hope noone minds me reappearing. I have a horribke habit of falling off the boards when things get busy, and then last 8 months or so have been manic.

They still are but I need to kick my backside again as the last 8 months have seen major building work at home which has lead to periods with a lack of kitchen and bad planning resulting in bad and costly eating; a loan taken out to cover the post-build work needed (eg plastering, electrics, etc); changes in work mean I have an opportunity to change job but I will lose my on-call retainer in my salary (but I would rather change job than keep the on-call pay - I have been unhappy in my job for a long time now)

So, I have to start small. Which is mad seeing as we have big expenses coming up like new beds (our mattress got ruined 6 months ago and the frame under it was awful so we threw it thinking the build work was thundering along but it soon after ground to a halt and Mr Shortie and I have since been sleeping on a sofa bed

But, I have to start somewhere.

So today's list is...

- Breakfast from home (Jack Monroe's £9 a week bircher recipe)
- Lunch from home (Jack's £9 a week tomato and bean soup plus half a cheese and pickle sarnie)
- Snacks from home (a couple of snack bars and a small tub of sweets taken from halloween sweets reduced in Mr T)
- My turn in work to buy milk for teas
- Remind Mr Shortie to nudge his phone sale on a selling page or send off to Mazuma. Have chosen Argos vouchers if through Mazuma as we will need plenty for the house and you get 10% extra :money:
- Made the boys' lunches for school to save them buying something there and is healthy
- check online banking
- See if I can find Christmas pressies online spending my £50 Amazon reward that I got recently in work

Have a good day all xx

ClioScott

Hi All

Thanks for the start CCL

• Check Banking [DONE]
• Kids To School [DONE]
• Visit Coinstar [DONE]
• Tidy Bank Garden If Rain Holds Off
• Tidy dining room, after my washing spree its full of clothes
• Finish Spreadsheet Eventually

foxgloves

Morning Soggy Campers,
Chucking it down with rain here. Unusually, my only commitment this week is one meeting, so have decided really to make this week count & my main target is going to be festive preparation, as I reckon there's plenty of money saving potential there. Will check back in later to share what I managed to get done.
Have a good start to the week, everyone.
F x

DawnW

Morning all
Thanks for the start CCL. Hope everyone is ok
Terrible news of events in Paris

Well, I didn't manage to post over the weekend as I got very little done. We had a weekend guest, and spent the time entertaining her. Still, even though not much was done, not much was spent either - I bought extra / nice food at Mr S using a voucher to get a reduction, but no other spends

List for today:
Sort out washing - having had a weekend guest, I have extra bedding to wash and get dry - and the weather doesn't look good Doe, ad got most of it nearly dry :T Finishing off on the airer
Go to post office to post off old phones to envirophone, and deal with some RM survey items All done
Pop into sales unit while I am out Done, but unfortunately did not need to restock
Walk into town for free exercise Done, lots of free exercise today!
Dog walks x 2 (unless I manage to get OH to do one) Done, OH came with me for the second one :)
Plenty of food left from the weekend for today
Phone car insurer to renew, their quote is good, and I have had good customer service from them in the past Done, but printer is playing up so cannot print out emailed documents :mad: I will need to put 'wrestling with the printer' on my list tomorrow (I HATE printers - they have very small brains, and are always going wrong !!)
Speak to DD2 about booking accommodation for a wedding we are all invited to - it makes sense for us all to stay somewhere together, as I don't mind looking after baby GD so she and her OH can enjoy the evening party Done, will ring hotel tomorrow to try and book
Make a list of ingredients I need to buy for Christmas puddings etc (first reviewing what I already have in!)
Do some decluttering - I am having withdrawal symptoms, but not sure how much more there is to chuck out! I am sure I can find something - I am not counting things like junk mail etc which I recycle anyway as part of my usual routine Not done, silly RL stuff going on

Hope I get more done tomorrow!

Well, I can't think of anything else at the moment, but will pop back later to update.

Hope everyone has a good day

twiggy86

Morning all.

Hope you all had a good weekend - haven't caught up yet.

I have been trying to take inspiration from you guys and have thrown a few small things out, at least it's a start. This morning it was a birthday badge but will look for more later (like I said "small" things!)

Was meant to have Friday and today off (plus last Friday) but boss has agreed to pay me instead as we're super busy (despite the fact that I'm on here!) So that actually works out better for me as was only taking them off to use them before the end of the year. So now owed 5 days holiday which will be a nice bonus at this time of year!

Today I have/will:-
* Check banks DONE
* Check FPL (need to get back in this habit) Done - must check again later
* Delete 300 emails! Make that approx. 600 emails!
* Take chicken out of freezer for dinner - Done
* Take lunch to work - including sandwich I made for OH yesterday that he didn't eat and a piece of cake my aunt gave me
* Update work expenses - Done
* Email payroll re holiday - Done - will earn an extra £500 (less tax) instead of getting the time off
* Catch up on weekends thread - Done
* Order something for work via TCB - £3.17 cashback earnt
* Request payout from TCB - £1.01
* Write meal plan
* Write shopping list
* Check how much is in an old, previously forgotten bank account - Cash machine ate my bank card as apparently it had expired! Called parents and left message with my dad to ask my mum about it as think it was a joint account... Ooops! Apparently I closed this account a few years ago! No wonder the machine ate my card! So no extra pennies hidden away there!
* Find out how to withdraw funds and close account
* Charge phone in work - Done
* Earn more on OnePoll (need to get back into this habit)
* Pay money into bank at lunch - Done
* Move money into appropriate accounts
* Dinner from stores
* Upload receipt to COS (need to get back into this habit too!)
* Put Co-op card in purse and remember to use it! (Only pop in there for odd bits but it all helps!)
* Take pictures of damaged item received and email to company in response to their request
* Shop to list and budget
* Sort out utility room - see if there's anything I can throw out
* Put away gift bag which I received so I can reuse
* Hoover living room and bedroom

Think that's everything - hoping for a productive evening as feeling behind with things!