Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th Jan. what small debt free things will you do?

Bobarella

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.

Bobarella

Good morning small thingies

I've been awake for ages so I thought I'd kick us off.

Today I will be

1) Eating from the house first. Have quite a good collection of random items in the fridge to incorporate
2) spending time with my family and planning a low cost day out for tommorow
3) looking for more items to sell on ebay
4) Tidying several small areas of the house.
5) Keeping heating as low as possible this weekend. Apparently it will be 0 in London this weekend.
6) hunting for roadkill/coupons
7) Go to the library for kids books
8) Declutter 16 items from the house (as per day of the month)
9) Put DD in another new outfit (given to us) cost per wear isn't looking good!
10) check in here to keep myself accountable.

Cheery bye

Bob

PurpleFairy26

Morning Bob :hello: and to all that follow. Bit of an early start considering I didn't get in until just after 12 :eek: oh well, lovely night was had and time with amazing friends.

Lovely to see your payments And debt coming down Bob my list for today consists of:

Washing drying on rads after cheap wash overnight
Tidy through, cleaning as I go
Sort some toys out to go in new unit
Meals from stores
Meal plan for week based on what we have, no buying any extra (except DH getting a few essentials such as milk and fruit after work with discount card)
Turned heating down 1 degree when I got up
Take return back to shop and collect something else
Continue January list, try something that's a bit more time consuming as its weekend.
Packed lunch to dancing, tell them about a day next month eldest won't be there so they can put as 'holiday'
Get sewing box down for draught excluder making

Back later to check in, hope everyone feeling better this morning, sending hugs

crazy_cat_lady

Morning Bob and Jonno :hello: - thanks for the start Bob
It's absolutely freezing here today, quite literally when I let the cats out earlier. I've been up for an hour now, under the spare duvet on the sofa, watching David Bowie videos - but I think I'm going to have to admit defeat and go and put the heating on.
I slept quite well last night - which confirms work as the current biggest source of my stress because I feel ok this morning.
Really skint and still a fortnight until payday so it will be a frugal weekend. Here's my list for today.
:snow_grin check banking and PAD
:snow_grin 15 mins housework and declutter
:snow_grin prepare rubber chicken for the days ahead
:snow_grin try and finish my crochet cardigan
:snow_grin get the kids to do their share of the household chores
:snow_grin get the kids to gymnastics (no footy this morning!)
:snow_grin relax and don't stress
:snow_grin washing
:snow_grin don't think about work
I can't think of much today - hopefully it will be a nice relaxing one.

allydowd

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

• Benefits check-up ( Link )
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• i-Say Surveys (Link)
• Jack-At-A-Pinch, cheap recipes ( 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 )
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• Toluna ( Link )
  
• TopCashBack ( Link )
• You Need A Budget site and App (Link)

Revised 31 Oct 2015.

allydowd

Morning all, :hello:

Thanks for the starter Bob. Greetings from Ice-Land. I've got that wonderful Saturday feeling. OH and I are going on an MSE-style photographic adventure today.

Just a wee list:

* Catch ferry to Isle of Bute. As it's Winter the price is down to £6.10 return. This gives us two hours of scenic ferry-ness. The view is local but it'll give OH a chance to photograph snowy mountains from a different angle and, as the usual pier is being re-built, we'll get a different, doubly-long, journey for the price of the shorter journey.

* Walk along Rothesay seafront admiring the view,

* Take a packed lunch and coffee with us.

* Do Royal Mail Surveys.

* Do i-Say Surveys.

How about you lovely people?

allydowd

maria3104 wrote: »

Otherwise should be a NSD. Unless I win the safety wellies I am bidding on ebugs. Wellies are a constant source of irritation for me. £65 a pair and rarely last me a year without leaking! Makes me so cross.

Maria, Can you repair them with StormSure? (Link) (Link 2) (Link3) It costs about £7 for three tubes. You can use the product to repair the uppers and the soles and to repair the join between the upper and the sole.

DawnW

Morning all
Thanks for the start Bob
Glad you enjoyed your night out Jonno
Here's to a stress free day CCL :beer:
Ally, you are lucky to live in such a beautiful place
Right, list for today -
So far I have:
Seen to hens (brr cold out there :eek:) fed dog and let him out
Cheapie porridge breakfast
Froze turkey stock as OH had eaten the bits of meat I had put aside to make soup (what is it with men and meat? He had already had loads with his meal - so unhealthy :mad:)
Claimed a £10 Amazon voucher from Ipsos I-Say - the first one as I am screened out from most surveys
2 radiators on downstairs unfortunately, but it is really cold Now off, and wood burner alight

Still to do:
HM meals from what I have in Done, cheese and chutney toasties for lunch and the rest of a quiche I made the other day plus HM cajun oven chips and peas for dinner
Grocery delivery this evening - the first proper shop since before Christmas Now arrived and put away. Not a huge shop, just bought some of the half price offers on meat and fish, plus veg and the few larder items I needed - plus the new dog's bed that I have been meaning to buy. The little blighter has been trying to destroy it already though he is fast asleep in it at the moment.
Make a loaf in the BM Haven't done this, will do tomorrow
Dog walk - OH can do the morning one, as I am not very good when it is icy :eek: I will do the afternoon one when it has hopefully thawed out Done. Also went for a walk with DD and little GD, who appeared at lunch time, so lots of free exercise for me today
Take some bits to the CS - I have decided to get rid of my cafetiere, as I never use it (prefer to use the filter cone and jug when making a lot, and I have a small filter thing that fits over a mug when it is just me). Much less hassle to wash up! That will free up a small space in the cupboard as well as hopefully making a couple of pounds for a local charity DD nabbed it for her office at work - well, at least it has gone. She also relieved me of a pile of magazines and a nice green glass bowl.
Pop into sales unit while out to replace a light bulb - sales very slow atm unfortunately. Doubt if I will even cover my rent this month Done
Any surveys, FPL etc No surveys today

Well, there is probably more, but that is all I can think of at the moment
Hope all have a good day

allydowd

DawnW wrote: »

Ally, you are lucky to live in such a beautiful place

It is beautiful...but also smurfing Arctic cold. :snow_grin I am experimenting with perfecting the art of defrosting the car windows. It should not take 15 mins to force the elements to release my car! :mad: Today's experiment is to go outside and hour before drive time and wash the windows with tepid water to get the ice off, then immediately dry them and spray with a light spray of de-icer to finish. I'm hoping this means they'll be drive ready in an hour with minimal fuss and, more importantly, without using a whole bottle of de-icer. :cool:

Neighbour has 'kindly' scattered hearth ash all over our path to act as a grit. Told him not to. Totally pointless as we'd already successfully treated it with 17p table salt. Now we have to be carefully not to tread ash into the car and the house. Also, I'm concerned that, as ash can be used to create lye, which is an ingredient in soap, sooner or later said ash will turn the path into a greasy ice-rink. Going to have to go and clean it all up later.

lego_mum

Morning all, Thanks Bob for the start, your signature is looking great
Ally, sounds like you have a lovely day planned
Dawn Are your sales usually down in January?
CCL I hope that you get a chilled day
Jonno Sounds like you had a good night.

Ds2 passed his lurgy over to me yesterday I had an awful night but decided to get up and have a shower, get dressed properly to try and make myself feel better, rather then slop around in my pj's all day.

Today's list will be small
Minimum heating on, I'm boiling and everyone else can use the blankets!
Breakfast will be from stores (I've no appetite so that's money saving in itself) :A
Will check lucky phone/fpl :A
Kids aren't feeling good either so no swimming lessons so no fuel costs either :A
Day at home watching Netflxs/amazon & catchup :A
Book mr t delivery for tomorrow :A

Sure there will be more but can't think!

Have a good day all.

Baileys_Babe

Morning everyone and thank you Bob for getting us started.

PaceThePixie wrote: »

I can excitedly inform you all that I had an interview at 08.30 this morning and I was offered the job on the spot. Of course I said yes :T *breathes sigh of relief*

Congratulations Pace :j:j

We have spent most of this week staying with my parents (well me and the children OH had to go to work but did manage to stay Monday & Thursday night. We arrived home Friday lunch time and put the stove on, lovely warm room and a kettle full of hot water in no time. My parents gave us at least 2 weeks wood from some trees they have taken down, we need to chop it to a suitable size and dry it but more wood free wood for the store :j:j

Today I plan to:
NSD
Write shopping list, we haven't bought ANY groceries since the 23rd December so I think that is acceptable
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
Take meter readings
Submit meter readings
reusable sanitary ware
Meal plan
B/L/D from stores
make bread
Check and reconcile bank accounts
PAD into saving £3.66 -1p
Soak porridge overnight
Set DW to run overnight
Set WM to run overnight
Check FPL
Educate children for free
Entertain children and us for free
Walk everywhere
Cut open toothpaste tube
Dry washing on airier
Keep heating to a minimum, we have jumpers and blankets
Light the stove, burning free wood
put kettle on stove for free hot water, put water in flasks if boiled before ready to use and refill kettle, water used for making hot drinks (we drink plenty of these, cooking rice, pasta etc, washing up etc)
Cull 100 emails

I must go and read Thursday's thread.

Lego mum Wishing you a speedy recovery.