Monday 18th January - What small DFW things will you do today?

allydowd

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:

allydowd

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

• 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)
• 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 )
• 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)

Revised 31 Oct 2015.

allydowd

Morning all, :hello:

Greetings from the frozen North.

Just a wee list:

* Charged phone at work.

* Spent nothing in the works canteen. Took a packed lunch to work

How about you lovely people?

PurpleFairy26

Morning all :hello: thanks for starting us off Ally. Up and ready for a new week, good news is that I feel 100 X better than yesterday, let's hope it lasts as I have loads to do today. I'm working from home but will try and fit some additional things in around work:

Check banking, call disputes department and tell them they can have their money back that they lent us, assuming company that took it unauthorised has put it back
Update spreadsheet, pad to cc
Washing on rads whilst heating is on first thing, have managed to catch another load on cheap leccy
Look at utilities bill that is due to day, money already accounted for
B/L/D from stores
Try and do DH tax return and then I can get that, mine and our partnership return submitted
See if I can do one thing from my January list as time will be limited after today until Friday.
Check surveys and £co
Sew up top that I found, along with another one (undamaged), 2 bras and a pair of pyjama bottoms when I sorted the wardrobe out haven't a clue what they were doing in there :rotfl:

Think that's all, have a good day everyone

crazy_cat_lady

Good morning everyone
Good news - car is not frozen :j
Bad news - it's a long time since I felt this bad about going to work.
Good news - I slept ok considering.
Thanks for the start Ally, and pleased to hear that you're feeling better Jonno
Today's list:
check banking and PAD
full day of teaching
meeting with the Head
mark a set of books
15 mins housework and declutter
exercise with my friend
crochet
finally fix this blimming quilt cover
get dh to do something
nsd
all meals from stores
I think today might be crunch point at work. I'll be back to report in later. Have a good day everyone :j

ziggy2407

Good Morning

Ally - Thanks for starting us off today
Jonno - Glad you're feeling better
CCL - Massive hugs, hope your meeting with the "Head" goes well for you, you have to start putting yourself first now!

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 - Done
Bump all sale listings/freecycle/facebook -
Check Banks -
Post Office
Sort filing drawer -
Continue purge on Emails -
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

maria3104

Morning all.
Amazing day, woke with no headache. I am having tea and toast and enjoying being pain free.
Men travelling today to work with sheep that are away.
Should be a nsd.
Have fun all.
Maria

DawnW

Morning all
Thanks for the start Ally
Hope work /meeting goes ok CCL. You have been through a tremendous amount of stress lately
Hope Ziggy feels better this week?

It is warmer here today but guess what, it is raining again
OH out for the day, so a quiet day for me (as OH puts it, nobody asking stupid questions and no TV on all the time :rotfl:) Well, he said it

Today's list:
No heating on downstairs, will light the wood stove later Managed to keep it off all day, but it did get very cold this afternoon :eek:
See to hens (done)
Porridge for breakfast and used up one of last week's bananas which was going a bit brown (done)
Feed dog (done, used scraps of meat picked from a turkey carcase cooked down for stock in the SC, the less appetising looking bits make fab free dog food, saves on tinned meat for him, just mix it with biscuit. It is his favourite thing ) (done)
Iron skirt and put the dress I am currently wearing on to wash Done, dress, along with another few items, is currently on the airer as it was too wet to peg it outside
Dog walk x 2 Done, #2 took ages because I mis-timed it for when the local primary school ended for the day. Pup loves everyone, and looks cute, so all the kids and their mums want to pet him, which makes for very slow progress :rotfl:
Litter pick along the verge at the front of the house - I have to do this every week, sadly Other neighbours do too. The joy of living on a through road I guess. Still, I don't want to look at it, and it is bin day tomorrow, and there is plenty of space in the bin for another bag Rounded up a carrier bag full
Clean and repurpose a nice storage container I already have for little GD's toys, which are currently spilling out of a smaller box Well, I got as far as cleaning it...
Go to sales unit and tidy up / think about whether it is worth changing stock (not much selling atm) Done, a couple of items had sold, so all good
HM meals from stores - got to work out what to do for dinner as meal planning has failed again Plenty to choose from here though, don't need to buy anything. Trying for a NSD Had salmon Failed on the NSD front though as I bought an interesting looking cookery book and a puzzle for GD from one of the charity shops - £3.50 spent
Any surveys, FPL etc Done
Read books I already have for free entertainment Done

Right, better get the iron out
Hope everyone has a good day

lego_mum

Thanks for the start Ally.
CCL I hope that your meeting goes well with the Head.

I got the kids up this morning and ready for school but at the last minute I've decided to keep ds2 off again. He is much better in himself but very pale looking and coughing really badly. One more day off with lots of fluids and rest then he'll go back tomorrow.

I'm still not 100% either so I've cancelled my dentist appointment. Don't want to share the lurgy!

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 :A
:starmod: Monitor fitness goals etc using my fitbit daily & adjust when needed

Daily jobs:
:starmod: Wash a load at 30 degrees :A2nd load in
:starmod: Hang washing on the line if dry/radiators if not :ADone
:starmod: Check banks/update spreadsheet :A Money dance done
:starmod: Delete junk from emails :A
:starmod: Clean & tidy fridge (make sure we don’t waste anything) :ADone
:starmod: Use something out of the food use up box
:starmod: Plan today’s meals from stores :ADone, cooking a gammon joint to have with yesterdays leftover mash & veggies
:starmod: Make families lunches for tomorrow :A
:starmod: Minimum heating on (set for 30 mins before dh gets up), plenty of blankets & jumpers available 

Tidy home = Tidy mind
:starmod: Hoover carpets :A
: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 4 searches :A
:starmod: Swagbucks
:starmod: Check Fpl
:starmod: Check luckyphone :A Got enough points yesterday to claim my 3rd £10 since June
:starmod: Check for surveys

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

Extras
:starmod: Make a date cake
:starmod: Check car mileage :A
:starmod: Print off voucher that I had forgotten about from p!necone :A £10 M&S
:starmod: Made a big batch of porridge that will just be reheated in kiddie size portions for the rest of the weeks breakfasts:)
:starmod: Make soup using the stock I made yesterday :A :ADone, made a lovely butternut squash and tomato soup
More to follow

greensalad

:starmod: Do fast day. Breakfast down, shake for lunch.
:starmod: [strike]Contact Very and Debenhams about faulty products (hoping for a refund!)[/strike] Heard back from DB: they want me to take the bra to store.
:starmod: Pick up parcel from Budgens (new coat to replace faulty one)
:starmod: Return one parcel to Budgens, one to Costcutter and two to Doddle. Worth £677.50! Friend's wedding stuff
:starmod: Carry on with immense amount of washing (4 loads to go)
:starmod: Tidy up flat
:starmod: Do some web work

I paid £1000 off my debt last week let's see if I can do the same this week!!

determined_new_ms

Morning guys thanks for starting the thread ally :A

jonno sorry to hear you've not been well and glad you feel better! Same to you maria!

Cat hope work goes ok x

Dawn enjoy your *freedom*

Need to catch up with yesterday's thread as I'm out of the loop!

Last night we went to watch The Reverent. It was really good but far too violent for me. Said to oh I don't want to watch anything that violent again! Need to get £12.50 off of oh. Cost more than I thought as it was a really long film so babysitter was £25

Managed to get £6 in tips yesterday so that went straight into the debt overpayment pot :T Now we have £57 in there so just need £23 to meet the target :beer:

Small things for today:

* shared bath with dgd
* all meals from stores - leftover christmas dinner soup for lunch & lo pork with onions & mushrooms in ys creme fraiche for tea mmmm
* hang up washing
* do another load
* walking down to the local coop & farm shop for a couple of bits. Will be a little more expensive than going to Aldi but won't be tempted to get extra bits and no petrol/time spent in traffic costs
* sent in timesheet & expenses claim sheet to work
* go to the library with dgd while in the village for free entertainment
* pay some money into the post office for money spent on my cc over the last few days & pay off card
* probably go for a walk down to the river and feed the ducks with dgd while we're in the village. Take a couple of slices of bread from the freezer that I put in there before it went off
* tidy up the house as it's a bomb site.

Right gotta go as dgd is bored and asking me to play! x