Thursday 31st December - What small DFW things will you do today?

cabsy83

Morning!
I'm new-ish to posting on this forum but I've been loitering on the edges for a while!
I've decided this is the year to put my big girl pants on and get my life sorted out so my plans are:
1. get my debt & spending in check
2. Learn to drive
3. Lose weight & be more healthy

So far yesterday I actually read the balances on all my debts for the first time in a long time and now I properly know what I'm dealing with! I've then written up a budget which will take me through to April. Time to stop burying my head in the sand!
Today, so far I've checked my online bank and paid £50 towards my credit card, plus the price of my tesco shop that I paid for it with to get clubcard points. (0% interest).
I'm about to sit down and meal plan, partly because I'm starting slimming world and work better with a plan and partly to cut down on spending and waste. I'm going to look at batch cooking too, just need to figure out what meals my kids like best and get some decent (cheap) tubs.
I know slimming world isn't exactly mse but i need the extra motivation to help me lose, I have about 3.5 stone to get rid of! I'm looking on it as the £4.95 a week will be saved in the crap I won't be eating so it will probably even itself out.

I'm really looking forward to learning from everyone here and to making my life better! Thanks!

chocolatelover93

Morning everyone
Thank you Ally for starting us off today, nice to see your Aus fund building up

Bob - not used holiday pirates before but my brother and his GF use it a lot and have got some great deals on it

CCL - nice to see you back, hope you have a nice time away tonight. Sending hugs to you and your family

DNMS - sending hugs

One of the cats is in a lively, playful mood today, he loves chasing shadows and because the sun is out he's been chasing reflections on things. He is currently trying to get a a cross on the wall where a shelf was going to put up. He is so funny to watch!!

List for today (just basics really):
FPL
Lucky Phone
Survey/s
Check MS's
Enter a few comps

Hope you all have a lovely, happy, healthy new year
xx

PurpleFairy26

Morning everyone (just ) :hello: thanks for starting Ally, hello to regulars and newbies, stick with us it really does help.

I have/will:

Checked banking and update spreadsheet, I have paid off over double my normally monthly repayment in December just by PADs and using money from sales/cashback. It all does add up, plus the small things of course
Meals from stores, going to a friends later for an hour early evening, will take a bottle from stores and back early as have the smalls with me, will be walking as they're on the same road.
Car brakes being repaired today, no spend though as on contract through work
Couple of loads of washing done, cheap leccy used as much as feasible.
Found quick wash on DW yesterday only 29 minutes and it's fab :T
Review some monthly 'to dos' that I have started to jot down in an old notebook. I was tempted to buy a shiny new one ( to fix my love of stationary) but decided against in and used a tatty old one that has loads of blank pages I don't do ny resolutions but a few goals each month are much more achievable and I can add to them as I need to. They range from everything to pay X off debt to strip one doorframe - it's all very rock and roll here :rotfl:
Try and find 3 birthday cards I have already written and write one more

Think that's all, wishing all my frugal friends a very happy 2016 :beer:

princess_pea

Hello everyone, thanks for starting Ally

Big hello to new posters :wave:

Bob - we can't afford big holidays but love going camping (might be interesting with a baby?) and to cottages. We're going to Whitby again in March from a Monday-Friday, staying in a lovely cottage for about £250. Those £10s will all add up

I'm still poorly, it's either food poisoning or norrovirus Drove to town yesterday and paid cheque in but I nearly passed out in Boots collecting my parcel. Went rapidly downhill when I got home. OH made me ring NHS Direct in the early hours but I knew they'd just tell me to ride it out which they did

So it really doesn't feel like new year for me. We've had to cancel on the friends who were meant to be coming round tonight. Where I come from in the north-east new year is a big thing but I think tonight I'll still be wrapped up on the sofa with a bucket next to me like I am now!! I just hope I'm well enough for work on Monday. I think I'll end up taking my birthday off as annual leave on Wednesday just so OH and I can spend some time together. We have so much too look forward to in 2016 I just hate being so debilitated by illness

On the plus side poochy has been giving me lovely cuddles, I think she knows I'm poorly. I've sent OH out to watch Star Wars this morning without me and he's going to pick dog food up on the way home so the only spends are coming out of the food budget

I haven't eaten a proper meal since Sunday so I should be shifting these Christmas pounds :rotfl:

Banking, surveys and FPL to check

I caught up with and finished my OU Managing Money course. I'm going to have a look at their other free courses as I really enjoyed that one

Nothing much else to do but sit here like a beached whale and read (Game of Thrones book 4)...


Have a very happy new year everyone and good luck on all our debt free journeys in 2016 xx

ziggy2407

Good Afternoon Everyone

Ally - Thanks for starting us off today!

Wishing all you lovely peeps a "Happy & Healthy 2016, may your lives be as special as you are. Thank you for a 2015 where I've not felt alone but supported, inspired and loved"

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/we will:

Check Banks - Done
Ironing - All done :T
Stripped & re-made our bed - Done
Watching DVD's from shelf -
List few bits on freegle/facebook etc
Continue purge on Emails -
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 - Done

Have a good day! Love to you all!

C x

Baileys_Babe

Ally thank you for starting the thread this morning.

princess_pea hope you get better soon.

Today:
NSD
Post on this thread for support, motivation and inspiration
Open curtains fully
Close curtains before it gets dark
Turn off lights and appliances not in use
Meal plan
B/L/D from stores
Make bread
Check and reconcile bank accounts
Set DW to run overnight
Set WM to run overnight
Check FPL
Entertain children and us for free - book, board games, dvd's from stores, programs on hard drive ect
Read Martin’s email
Dry washing on airier
Ring Sainsbury's careline line regarding lumpy milk dated 3/1/16
Keep heating to a minimum, we have jumpers and blankets and we will light the stove later and burn free wood.
Cull 100 emails

PurpleFairy26

Hey Princess Pea - I do hope you're feeling better soon.

I didn't go out in the end, tempers were running a bit high indoors and I didn't want to go out with the smalls being on the edge, I don't think I would have held it together if they had misbehaved Saved some pennies on spend though and also used up more of the cheese mountain (now more like a hill ) in toasties for lunch
Car fixed (plus they cleaned it inside and out too :T) appears that we may have lost rapunzels shoe in the vacuum though - oops, small price to pay :rotfl:
Found on when my BT is due to end and worked out if I up my payment by about £3 a month it will be clear without any (additional from now) overpayment, which is great as it means I can just focus on the other one with PADs - I'm off to set up a payment through my online banking now so I can PAD to it from tomorrow

Just started raining, might be a quick dash down the road later :cool:

foxgloves

Hello Frugal Friends,
Not an NSD, as bought myself a little treatypoo but it was half price & I paid from my Personal Spends, so halo still fairly intact.
*Visited local NT place for fresh air & walk. Took packed lunch (leftovers) with us plus contraband biscuits for sneaking out to eat with our coffee. Stopped for little friendly chat with cafe lady & she popped an extra stamp on my loyalty card :-)
*Bought calendar for half price.
*Paid 3 x 50ps into my new sealed pot.
*Paid lots of odd coins into change pot.
*Not going out tonight but will open a bottle of cava & watch Charlie Brooker's End of Year Wipe & a film. Perhaps 'Spinal Tap' ......will see how we feel.
*Exotic dessert for now't, lol. Leftover ice-cream topped with the fruit left from straining my home-made summer berry gin. I mixed some extra sugar in & froze it. It'll be nice warm on top of ice cream.
Ok, I must get on with writing a few more thank-you letters now. Best Wishes to you all for a Happy New Year. I really need to step up the Car Fund big time during 2016 because what we can't save, we will have to borrow. Despite my decades of indebtedness, borrowing no longer sits happily with my reformed self, so we will be saving hard.
Love to all.
F xxx

lego_mum

Afternoon all, Thanks for the start Ally,

Wishing regulars & newbies a lovely evening & Happy New Year.
Been to the gym to make the most of my membership
Filled water bottle at the gym
Mr T delivery arrived but only fruit veg milk bread etc as still plenty of meat etc
Took the trees down, dh took the lights off both trees and plonked them in a pile, it took me more then an hour to untangle them when I got back from the gym! :eek:
B/L from stores, we all had something different for lunch but everyone enjoyed
Closed off my December spreadsheet, managed to put £295 into savings
Sorted Jan spreadsheet
We usually have family over for New Years but we weren't in the mood so its a night in watching Netflix for me & dh We'll probably be asleep by 9:30!
Finished off the xmas chocolates
Checked luckyphone
Checked fpl
Let hair dry naturally

I'm sure that's not all but I can't think of what else we've done!

Bobarella

Hi All

The count down has begun hey!

Princess - thank you for the holiday cheer on, a cottage break in the UK would be lovely. I'm sorry you won't see in the new year in your usual fashion.

Chocolate - it was Traveller that recommended it to me. So good to hear other people IRL are using it too. Sounds like your cats in a good mood

Cabsy -hello nice to meet you. It seems like a lot of people fighting debt want to tackle weight too. I think if you feel that slimming world is what you need to get healthy then it can be an essential in your budget. Losing weight will do so much for your health in the long term. Which is money saving in itself. Good luck to you.

So today went pretty much to plan. Took the baby for her jabs. Horrible to see but necessary. Then set off for town to do the dentist for my son. His teeth are fine apparently. Always good to know.
Found 7p whilst out. Have added that to my final roadkill score for 2015 of £84! And to my wombling total overall which took it to £1027. Pleased with that.

I did a small shop. Came to £6.50 managed to only put 47p on my card by the time I'd taken off coupons, roadkill and 1 £5 nectar reward.

We planned dinner around leftovers. Heated up some saut!ed potatoes we'd cooked last night. Made burgers using basics mince -500g is £1.90 which makes us 6 burgers. If you buy a pack of 6 burgers in the fresh section you'll pay around £5 for the same quantity.
Used up the salad bits from yesterday and a pack of basics sliced cheese which we'd bought to make sandwiches on our journey home from the inlaws.

We are just at home tonight for NYE but we never do anything for it anyway. Bit of Jools Holland and a couple of diet pepsis and that will be me

To those of you who have been here all year, thanks for your excellent company and amazing support.

Bob