Friday 22nd Jan - What small DFW things will you do today?

DawnW

Morning all
Thanks for the start CCL
Happy birthday Ally :beer: (you seem to have lots of cake already :rotfl:)

Bloomin dog barked in the night and woke me up - twice Hope he didn't wake the neighbours as well I need to stop him sleeping in his box in the conservatory (his chosen spot at night) as he gets woken up, presumably by cats and other passing creatures.

List for today:
Cheapie porridge and free stewed plums from freezer for breakfast Done
Dog walks x 2 (peeing down with rain, so not done #1 yet - dog doesn't care, he is catching up on lost sleep at the moment, lucky devil!) Managed one long one, as it rained hard all morning, butwas ok this afternoon.
Check and edit (if necessary) Ocado order scheduled for tomorrow morning Done
HM meals from stores Done, made macaroni cheese and added the last few mushrooms and an end of a ham joint
Aim for a NSD Nothing spent (shopping delivery doesn't get paid for till tomorrow) :T Must update my signature
Tidy at least one cupboard or drawer and get rid of carp / things no longer used. I am currently decluttering large sizes of posh ceramic bakeware to DD1, who has a family to feed and entertains a lot, as I don't any more, so don't need it. Also thinking hard about largest enamelled cast iron pans as I struggle with them now (I have a bit of arthritis in my hands). They are Sainsburys, not the posh French brand, but are pretty much the same. I do love them, but rarely use them.... and it would be nice to see space in my cupboards instead of stuff being crammed in Emptied the saucepan cupboard and wiped it out. Put large cast iron pots in the loft for now while I consider their future, but I can't really manage them now, they are ridiculously heavy . Large ceramic baking dish and quiche dish put to one side for DD1 when I see her next week Also took a spare roasting dish to the CS and a small bag of clothes to the recycling bin in the supermarket car park. Quite pleased with decluttering efforts today.
Make a loaf in the BM Not done, as I have bits of bread, crumpets etc to use up and will not waste them! I will make some when they are gone:)
Any surveys, FPL etc A few really tedious surveys for onepoll who seem to have a daft valentines theme at the moment
Started saving all the paper I get from the postal survey stuff for grandkids to draw on, instead of immediately recycling it. Why didn't I think of this before Saved 3 sheets today, enough for a drawing session for little GD tomorrow

This seems quite a pathetic list. I will pop back later and hopefully will have done more!

Hope you all have a good day

allydowd

Hi, :waves:

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I have been very lucky today with, essential, gifts from my OH. Particularly needed new socks, pyjamas, toilettries and sunglasses.

* Having a one course lunch out soon. Really looking forward to it.

*Did a quick run round of housework. I'm allowed to be lazy today! And it's money-saving isn't it?!

* PayDay. Rent paid early.

How is everyone?

DawnW

PaceThePixie wrote: »

Checked my credit file earlier too and because I owe nothing I am listed as poor. So Experian send me an email saying to improve this I should take out a loan or more credit cards :eek::mad: I have a credit card with a limit of £11500 but owe nothing on it. No wonder we all get into debt if credit file people are saying to borrow.

Coincidentally I checked mine the other day too Pace, and my rating is now 'good' instead of 'excellent' as it was a couple of years ago. I haven't had any debt for years, and when I did I paid it all off, no CCJs or anything like that. I own (with OH) a house with no mortgage, and have some savings. I have a cash back credit card which gets paid off in full each month (when I remember to use it) so can only assume that it is because I took early retirement about 18 months ago, and now have only a small income (so I daresay they think I am 'poor' as well - I suppose I would be if I wasn't careful :rotfl:).

I am not sure if it is actual risk they are measuring though, or their odds of making a lot of money out of you....

foxgloves

Greetings Friday Frugalistas,
Rum sort of morning here, as pouring with rain & I woke up with a muzzy head. Not bad enough to take painkillers, but sufficient to make me feel less bright-eyed & bushy-tailed than usual. Have got local gardening firm cutting our hedges today. Feel sorry for them out in this downpour, so will take them some coffee in a while. Not money saving as we have a long garden with LOADS of hedging, but it's one of those things where it is better in the long run to pay out, as if we did it ourselves, we'd need to buy an additional extension lead & joining thingy, skip bags, & make probably 8 or 10 trips to the tip as we have a small car & a serious amount of hedge. Anyway, a few things only today:
*Two baths from one lot of hot water, so a bit of energy saved there. Washed hair & let it dry naturally, too, so no units squandered on hairdryer. Still using freebie leave-in conditioning product. Slapped a bit more on as didn't think it did much last time.
*Cleaned house using minimal products & washable cloths. Still got to hoover but will wait till workmen have gone so can hear them calling me if there are any hedge-related issues. Too early for nests, that's why we book the work in now.
*Round up what needs using in the fridge for lunch.
*Finishing touches to meal plans, prioritising stuff in the freezer.
*Wrote shopping list.
*No heating on downstairs yet. Lots of back door-opening going on as access to our garden is through the house. I'm cold, but reluctant to pay for heating the street.
*Couple of quick surveys. Must get back into the habit again....especially ones where the cash goes straight into bank account, like Onepoll. They are so quick, there's no excuse really.
Talking of excuses.......
*Did a small job from my 'Annoying Things I can solve for free' List. I have been walking past this outstanding job for about 3 months now. It has annoyed me every time. Made me annoyed with myself because I still hadn't done it, but still choosing NOT to do it, when doing it would make me feel better. Well, this morning, I took an old cloth & did the task, & do you know how long it took me? Approx 45 seconds. Outrageous! I know a lot of the things on my Annoying Things lists are small, but why would I keep on leaving them when doing so makes me feel cross with myself? I need to listen out for workmen, who often need to check stuff with me, so while they are busy, I'm going to crack on with a much longer ongoing Annoying Thing. I've got the Doingstuffitis bug now. I mean, 45 seconds with a cloth.......or another 3 months of beating myself up every time I walk past this task. It's a no-brainer! I'm almost beating myself up for not thinking of writing these Annoying Things Lists earlier!
OK, had better go & put the kettle on for the workmen.......& have another sneaky little cup myself.
Love to all,
F x

Bobarella

Good morning

Thanks for the start CCL.

Happy birthday Ally

Hope you enjoy the spa day Determined. Can't think of anyone who deserves it more.

LegoMum hope you recover fully soon.

Maria well done on your shopping budget!

Right this is my stern voiced Bob. It's a bit like Foxgloves assertiveness level 3 can we not worry about credit scores. Ever. They don't exist in the world outside of Experian et Al. Who incidentally want us to be panaoid and paying them money every month to fix something that doesn't exist.
All you need to do is make sure you are on the electoral role. Pay all your bills on time. And it does help to have a couple of cards that you use occasionally just to show a credit record.
That's it. The scores are nothing more than a sales device. There! I will put my wagging finger back in my pocket and get off my soap box.

Small tings here.
1. PAD £100 to THE DEBT
2. Meal plan has held up very well this week. Tonight will be the spare roast dinner using roast beef frozen in gravy (thanks for the tip Foxgloves)
3. Managed to make the beds yesterday which was an epic undertaking with a baby on in a sling. Today's job will be packing away all the dry clothes!
4. Plan shopping trip for Sunday. Write list.
5. NSD

That's it for now.

See you later

Bob

foxgloves

AllyD - Happy Birthday! Have a good day. Age is just a number, & a pretty much irrelevant one at that!

Dawn - What a shame we live in totally opposite ends of the country. If I lived nearer to you, I'd be sorely tempted to offer to buy your cast-iron casseroles, as have been pondering whether to buy a couple of the larger ones. Never mind, I'm sure someone locally would be happy to buy them, they are a great item.

Maria - Meant to say the other day.....love hearing the farming news & about the lambs. Almost bought some YS lamb shanks the other day then spotted that they were New Zealand. Couldn't even get a British ham from Sainso's at Christmas. All Danish........except for the few that were Dutch. Must investigate buying a half lamb box. Quite rural around here, lots of butchers, someone must do them. Mentioned it to mr f. He was enthusiastic about the idea. Think he was translating all those lamby bits into vats of lamb madras, lol.

foxgloves

Bobarella - I so agree about credit scores. I sometimes read posts on DFW forums & think people sound more worried about their credit scores than they do about the actual amounts of debt. And paying a monthly fee to credit reference companies? Why would you not just pay this amount off your debt each month?
When we changed banks accounts (while we were still paying off the last of our debts), the bank advisor looked up our credit rating prior to accepting us as customers & said 'This is one of the highest credit scores I've ever seen, it's really really good' & told us a score which meant nothing to us as we never check Experian et al. It felt utterly meaningless as we had spent money like water since our late teens, never budgeted, & always been overdrawn & overborrowed.
Being on the Electoral Roll is the most important thing. Lots of people have 'disappeared' from the Electoral Roll as the current government has changed the rules about registering. As someone who is politically active locally (for the other tribe), we have been encouraging people who are not registered to do so.....not just so that they do not unwittingly find themselves disenfranchised in future elections, but because it can help with financial things like credit checks, bank accounts, etc.
I have spent most of my adult life in debt but have not once checked my credit rating. It has been talked up into something that matters. It's meaningless. Listen to Bob!
f x

DawnW

foxgloves wrote: »

Dawn - What a shame we live in totally opposite ends of the country. If I lived nearer to you, I'd be sorely tempted to offer to buy your cast-iron casseroles, as have been pondering whether to buy a couple of the larger ones. Never mind, I'm sure someone locally would be happy to buy them, they are a great item.

Maria - Meant to say the other day.....love hearing the farming news & about the lambs. Almost bought some YS lamb shanks the other day then spotted that they were New Zealand. Couldn't even get a British ham from Sainso's at Christmas. All Danish........except for the few that were Dutch. Must investigate buying a half lamb box. Quite rural around here, lots of butchers, someone must do them. Mentioned it to mr f. He was enthusiastic about the idea. Think he was translating all those lamby bits into vats of lamb madras, lol.

If they wouldn't cost a fortune to send, you could just have them Foxgloves, as I will only take them to the CS. They are only Sains own brand and well used (though not chipped or damaged, I have had them for years), so don't really have a resale value. They still stock them, and they aren't very expensive to buy, especially in the sale they have on at the moment (our local branch does anyway). Why not check them out?

Lots of the butchers, farm shops etc round here sell half or whole lamb packs, so I should imagine you won't have too much trouble finding somewhere

allydowd

Article on credit scores. (Link)

La_escocesa

[FONT=&quot]Hi guys :hello: [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Happy Birthday Ally!!! :j :T :j
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[FONT=&quot]Thanks for the kick off Cat :A
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[FONT=&quot]Here’s me: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Used freebies/gifts – shower gel, moisturiser, eye shadow, lippy, body spray :j[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]No parking to pay :cool: – £2 saved! [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Free snacky things in work – colleague’s bday [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Packed lunch – peanut butter and jam sandwiches and an apple - old skool :cool: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Leftover HM curry for tea tonight :A [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Not shopping on lunch break [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Replying to biz emails on lunch instead :j [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Bit of promo for course next weekend :A [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Reconciling YNAB :cool: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Doing free online nutrition course courtesy of FutureLearn :T [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DIY tonight – building our wardrobes :j The end of Clothesmageddon is coming :rotfl: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Listing bits on Freecycle – no takers on gum tree and have been up for 2 weeks – will be easier/better than skipping them! [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Working on my right move listing [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]DNMS – I’ve got my yoga teacher head on today – if you get/have the free spotify app on your laptop check out Deva Premal – you might like some of her mantra meditations. Mantra for precarious times is one of my faves.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Re credit scores - why would you pay anyway when there is Noddle??? :think:
[/FONT]