Sat/Sun 12th/13th December - What small DFW things will you do this weekend?

determined_new_ms

Bobarella wrote: »

Hi All

I'm pondering. It's a good morning for it. I set a rather arbitrary DFD last time but it has given me a really good goal to work toward. As my income is so variable due to being self employed I have had months were I can only do the min payment and others were I've managed to pay down several hundred.
My signature debt is all on 0% need to check till when. But if I set my new DFD to this time next year (12 months) I would need to clear £225 per month. This would be doable some months but not all. However with the better months it should smooth the worse ones. I think this seems like a good plan. If I can find more to pay down this month then that would change the monthly amount to clear over the next 12 months.
If I took £500 from my EF then that would reduce the monthly payments over 12 months to £183. Something to consider.

I'd love to find a way of ending this year Debt Free but see 1 more good year of pushing at it as more realistic.

More coffee going on now

Bob

Bob you really are an inspiration how you are dealing with your debts. When we were in debt *proper* we went for it like mad for a year and paid off £13k, but I was earning a reasonable salary and we stripped our costs to the bone. But now we owe oh's dm money she loaned us when we bought our house so we could do some of the renovation work. We were paying it off but then dgd came to live with us so the payments slowed down to almost nothing (when dgd came to us we weren't receiving her cb and until we had the court order we couldn't get the childcare voucher scheme so childcare costs were crippling). Now my income is very low so most of the day to day costs fall to oh, so if we are extra frugal we can afford to put by £50-£100 a month to her.

Everytime I see how determined you are with clearing your debts I get a twinge that we should be doing more to pay her. It's now been 3 years since she lent us the money - although we have paid her £2000 and have £700 sat in our account for her. I think I would like to set a target of paying her £2000 by this time next year. I would like to say we would clear it but I just can't know what our financial situation will be once I start work again

determined_new_ms

crazy_cat_lady wrote: »

OMG - I slept until 9.15 this morning :eek::eek::eek:
Must have needed it - and it has saved me 2/3 hours of heating

win win then cat! :rotfl:

carrielovesfanta

Bob and DNMS - you are both very inspirational and both doing amazingly

In fact, everyone on here is inspirational, which is why I come back to this thread time and time again

Had fun last night at the meal - it certainly wasn't cheap but it came out of our "fun fund" so was budgeted for. Extra excitement on the way home as OH was pulled over for having a headlight out and then breathalysed. Not a problem as he had only had a lager shandy over the whole meal (although registered 0 alcohol - we expected a teeny tiny amount). Police officer very polite and doing a very important job.

Also got some birthday presents from b-i-l/s-i-l. Lots of socks(!) and Bill Bryson's new book. Very pleased with book. Will read after my current one (Michael Palin's diary 1989-1998)

Today we are supposed to be going into town to get our Christmas presents for each other. I also need to get my boots fixed. However, OH currently sleeping and I'm just letting him. He's been working lots of funny hours and I think he's coming down with that "exhaustion cold" that I had the week before.

Soo today's list:

• B/D from stores. Probably lunch out but depends what time OH up. May have brunch
• Turned heating down a notch. Far too hot in the house but trying to get the washing dry
• Put away a load of washing. Get OH to do his as the spare room looks like widow Twankey's laundry.
• Water chilli plants
• Move Christmas presents from my wardrobe into the living room to encourage us to start wrapping
• Try to remember to put bread on. this still hasn't happened.
• Pick up dried peas in town for pea and ham soup. I have loads of ham stock from when I boiled the ham for the party.
• Some more stuff decluttered: a party dress that never quite fitted right and a cardigan that is too big. Off to the cs in town.

On the note of Christmas presents, I'm gobsmacked when I hear what my b-i-l buys for the kids. Especially as he doesn't work. I think it's mostly on Brighthouse type finance. When me and my bro were little, we knew what Dad's budget was and so if our wish list came to more than that, we knew that we wouldn't get it all. (It was set at a generous £100 per child, although strangely it never grew with inflation ) Never bothered me once and I think it was a good lesson in money and life.



My b-i-l's kids are on about their 3rd ipad each because they don't look after them and break them. When they break, everyone just scrabbles round for money to replaces it. Heaven forbid that they should go without!!


Rant over. I don't want to get on that soapbox today


Have a good one all


clf x

DawnW

Morning all
Just been for another wet, windy dog walk - it would be nice to have some sunny weather, even if it were colder (though with it being so damp it actually does feel quite cold). Also posted the latest batch of Christmas cards using free stamps from the RM survey.

List for today:
No heating on except in bathroom and airing cupboard (and that only happens if the temp drops below the set level), but will light wood burner later
Another dog walk
Make soup from pheasant stock and carcase, for lunch
Get Christmas decorations out of the loft
Cook a gammon joint in the SC
Pull some muddy leeks from the garden for dinner
Write still more Christmas cards - I think I have done nearly all the ones that need to be posted now :T
Clean kitchen floor
Finish meal plan for the week

There is probably more, but that is what I can think of at the moment

determined_new_ms

to add to the Christmas present/kids discussion. There was a discussion on fb last night about a woman who is upset her mil has spent £700+ on gifts for her 10 month old baby. I was gobsmacked and think this is gross. I hate the mass consumerism at Christmas (and any time really) and really do assign to the idea that more is less. For dgd I have bought her 3 gifts - a scooter, a peppa pig set and a doll. I am getting her a large box and filling it with balloons (I have asked oh & dd to only get 3 as well but think dd will have got her a lot more). I also have borrowed the idea from legomum I think of giving 1 present an hour throughout the day to spread the magic across the whole day. I love the idea from a minimalist site that you give 3 things to kids 1 they want, 1 to wear and 1 family experience.

I've really tried to make everyday Christmasy by doing a different xmas activity each day for the last week and up until Christmas


I cannot believe anyone would spend that much and think it sets children up to get their values all tied into materialist things.

carrielovesfanta

determined_new_ms wrote: »

I am getting her a large box and filling it with balloons

She'll be thrilled I'm 32 and if someone got me a whole box full of balloons I would be overjoyed!

La_escocesa

determined_new_ms wrote: »

I am getting her a large box and filling it with balloons

Wow - I love this idea!! I'm going to do this for my niece I was thinking what I got her looked quite small (a book, the hat I'm making and PJs) so this will make it extra special. I can just imagine her face opening it so your DGD will be the very same. AWESOME!! :T:T

I saw this article about Christmas spending - WOW! :eek: http://business-reporter.co.uk/2015/10/16/christmas-spending-forecast-to-drop-796-per-household/

allydowd

Hi all,

Not in the best of moods s'afternoon. Waited in for man coming to collect Gumtree'd fridge at 4:30pm and 10:30pm yesterday. Finally decides he's coming at 10:30am this morning. He doesn't show. What is wrong with people?!

Then car heater stops working as it does from time to time.. Attracted strange looks from neighbours as I was out there defrosting the screen with a hairdryer on a low setting.

And I have to work tonight and I'm not in the mood. Sigh.

determined_new_ms

La_escocesa wrote: »

I saw this article about Christmas spending - WOW! :eek: http://business-reporter.co.uk/2015/10/16/christmas-spending-forecast-to-drop-796-per-household/

ha ha ha! I worked out I have spent less than £200 on xmas including food! Our food will be our usual £40pw and I have saved £40 for extra bits. Decorations zilch. Card zilch still have some left from previous years and dgd made ones for family

Baileys_Babe

I've had a very busy week and I didn't even manage to read anything until the end of the week, I've read Friday and the weekend thread.

determined_new_ms wrote: »

I love the idea from a minimalist site that you give 3 things to kids 1 they want, 1 to wear and 1 family experience.

I've really tried to make everyday Christmasy by doing a different xmas activity each day for the last week and up until Christmas

I like the idea of the 3 presents but I would also add 1 to read. We buy a few more for our 2 but we don't spend excessively and we buy though out the year.

We have celebrated advent each day by doing an activity each day as well as reading a seasonal story we have also listened to Christmas music and watched films to get us in the mood and spend time together.

This afternoon myself and the children are going to the Christingle service at the local church afterwards we are going to meet friends for a monthly activity session and then we are going to my sisters for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, OH is meeting us at my sisters. Everything will be free, fun, festive with friends and family what a perfect way to spend our time, just wish OH health was better and he was able to join us for everything.

Today's plans:
Open curtains fully
Turn off lights and appliances not in use
Close curtains before it gets dark
Keep heating to a minimum, we have jumpers and blankets
B/L/D from stores
Make packed tea for myself & the children
Entertain children for free
Educate children for free
Set WM for overnight
Set DW for overnight
NSD
Eat dinner from HM freezer meals
Make bread
Chop free wood for multi-fuel stove
Check FPL