Easter Bank Holiday weekend - what small dfw things will you do this weekend?!

DawnW

Me again

DawnW wrote: »

Nice and sunny here atm, but this morning is supposed to be the only nice bit of the weekend here, unfortunately It has actually stayed nice all day No heating, and no wood burner tonight :T

Today's list:
Porridge and fruit from freezer for cheapie breakfast Done
Dog walks x 2 Went for 1 really long one, about 6 miles. Found the route to the canal from where we live, walked along the towpath to the next village, then back along a quiet road, lovely Dog is less worn out than we thought (certainly less than we are :rotfl:)
Good tidy up needed Not much done ...
Dinner already cooked, plenty of meatballs with tomato sauce left from yesterday, just need to cook some spaghetti to go with them DD rang up after we had come back from our walk and had lunch, and she and little GD came round for dinner. I stretched the leftovers with lots of pasta and a can of sweetcorn, and there was plenty for all of us
Lunch also already done as there is HM soup left in the fridge
Wrap GD2's birthday present as we are going to her party tomorrow Still need to do this
Meal plan with an eye to using up items in the fridge before we go away next Thursday. What doesn't get used will be frozen! And this!
Sow mangetout peas in a big pot Done, also sowed some salad leaves
Buy some yogurt as I have run out - nothing else needed! Also bought some hot cross buns, but paid with shopping vouchers from RM Surveys. Noticed the butchers next door to Iceland had more of the large cooked ham hocks for £2 - so I bought another one (sadly had to pay cash for this) and put it in the freezer
Check whether seedlings /indoor plants need watering Done

I'll be happy if I get those things done!

Well, I got some of it done, and there will be another day to clean the house. It was good to get out in the sunshine for a really good long walk, so really made the most of the day

Deep_In_Debt

I'm a saddo! I went in to work today as I had a huge backlog of stuff I wanted to clear. Big Boss was in and demanded that I put the hours down as overtime at double time so that's nice.

Bit gutted I missed the lovely weather today - especially when I got home and saw all my neighbours had cut their grass and mine is rather overgrown. I did at least manage to get my washing on the line before I left and it was lovely and dry and fresh when I got home.

Hoping to relax a bit for the rest of the weekend especially as the weather is forecast to be a bit pants so a good opportunity to do indoor jobs and sleep!

allydowd

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PurpleFairy26

Back for a quick check in. Really productive day, sunshine definitely helps

In addition to my list from earlier :
got an extra 5% discount from DH work as they have increased it for weekend.
Popped to see friend in her new house, very lush good natter and cuppa
Mowed front lawn and cleared all old leaves
Filled car with stuff for tip, went as didn't realise it would be closed. Never mind, ready for tomorrow
Swept front and back patio, looking lovely
Girls played happily for hours in the sun :T impromptu egg hunt this afternoon, used last years baskets and bunny feet that I had put away
3 loads of washing and an old big rag that had got damp that we were going to chuck dried on line - put away for decorating
Cleaned and scrubbed drain on patio, removed leaves, old plaster, pebbles and General rubbish, need to look for drain cover. The standard one that is widely available I don't think will work as the pipe is on the side not the centre, will get it from somewhere I can return it to if needs be
3 things listed on Fleabay

Gardeners advice please? Lived in house 2 years, have 4 fairly big fuschia bushes. First year didn't cut them back as they still had flowers in December. This year finished a bit earlier so trimmed back. They now look fairly dead to be honest but there is lots of loose wood which I have pulled out - should I wait for them to come back or should I cut back the other 'dead wood' any advice appreciated.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Jonno OH says take out any dead wood now, before they start to regrow.

Tired now, have had a fairly busy day really. There are extra jobs like defrosting the freezer that I dont get around to doing during a normal week so I am planning on tackling some extra stuff tomorrow. I also have some more paperwork to sort which I am a bit reluctant to do.

Tea was interesting. We bought some gammon, bit of a treat, and when DH cooked it it shrunk much more than we expected! I was happy with egg and chips and let DH and the boys share the gammon but DH was really worried that I was missing out.

My lovely boss bought me some posh chocolates as an Easter pressie so I have opened those and we are having a glass of wine from our Christmas box.

allydowd

jonno7 wrote: »

Gardeners advice please? Lived in house 2 years, have 4 fairly big fuschia bushes. First year didn't cut them back as they still had flowers in December. This year finished a bit earlier so trimmed back. They now look fairly dead to be honest but there is lots of loose wood which I have pulled out - should I wait for them to come back or should I cut back the other 'dead wood' any advice appreciated.

I'm not green fingered at all but we have one in a pot in the sitting room that's five years old. It seems to tolerate whatever we do to it! I regularly cut dead-looking bits of it and it seems to come to no harm. The RHS give this advice. (Link)

allydowd

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Checked 25 Feb 2016.

ziggy2407

ziggy2407 wrote: »

Morning All

LaE - Thanks for starting us off today, totally relaxed today - thank you lovely
MTC - Big hugs

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 - Done
Check Bank & shuffle funds - Done, no shuffling required
Washing & line dry - Done
Ironing - Done
Empty & sort bedding cupboard - Done
Clean under sink area -
Pamper time -
Read -
Buy paint for hallway/kitchen -
Continue purge on Emails - Done a few
Complete a few surveys -
Enter a few comps - Done a few
All meals from cupboards/fridge/freezer - Done
Check https://www.freepostcodelottery.com - Remember there are now 5 chances to win - Done
Check Lucky Phone - Done

Quite a lot to be getting on with so best crack on, have a good day! Love to you all!

C x

Had a lovely day, this sunshine definitely makes a difference to my mood. Well I haven't achieved everything on my list but we have also managed

Strip and re-make all beds
All washing line dried
Removed cover from a chair we got from freecycle in DS's room and washed and dried it.
DS has sorted through some clothes that don't fit so we'll be passing them on to eldest DGS
DH has painted ceiling in hallway and kitchen
Changed shower curtains
Spent not 1p :T

Tomorrow may not be as productive (but you never know ) as DH will be at work in the morning and then we have to pop over to stepson's to see all grand-kiddies

Hope everyone is ok. Night all

allydowd

Hi March Money-Watchers,

Thanks for the starter La E. I have the luxury of three and a half days off and today I'm planning on staying at home (unusual for the Dowds) and clearing a large list of annoying jobs. Thanks Foxgloves. I've had a list of annoying jobs on a post-it note for about a month now. Time to stop procrastinating and do some of them. As I'm quite busy I do tend to right down a lot of things that I "must do when I have time" so I don't feel overwhelmed...but now I'm overwhelmed by that list so I must clear it.

The other Mrs Dowd is still in bed, I'm letting her have a long lie as, again, she "un-tidied" the house and all the time she's a sleep she's not making more mess! She is the centre of my universe...and an untidy smurf! :mad:

(If anyone wants to join in with Easter-themed emoticons look to the right of your screen when composing your post and click More.)

The list will grow as I do things:


Debt Free-Nillionaire Continuity Plan Month Ten:

:EasterBun Eat free chocolate from work.

* <<< Changed my Avatar for free. That's me trying to hold onto a pound note.

* Cleared my paper-based In-tray.

* Decided once and for all whether I'm going to change my credit card provider as they've reduced the loyalty rewards. Nope. Not changing.

* Binned receipts I no longer require.

* Checked broadband allowance. All ok.

* Look at Finances. Something isn't adding up.

* Sorted through toilettries. Oh my. You'd think we were running a bath house. Having gone down to nothing last Summer OH has been over-buying. I laid them all out on the carpet so she could see. Mean aren't I?

* Cleaned and tidied bedroom with Stardrops and washable cloths. Re-using a carrier bag as a bin liner.

* Parcel up OH's camcorder that has sold on eBay, at last. Drop off at localish shop. Found cheapest postage through Parcel2Go. (Link)

* Tidied the Study which looked like a building site. It's meant to be a haven of tranquility!

How you all doing?

Money-Saving IT Tip 3: Reducing Your Internet Usage

If, like me, you don't have unlimited Broadband or you want to use less on your mobile phone there are things you can do. This from the smurfing fool who went over her allowance this month....<Hangs head in shame>:

If you are uploading photos to Facebook reduce the size of the images before uploading. Some photos are massive...and your Friends won't notice the difference.

Turn off the Automatic updates for software. (Best not to do this for your internet security programs though! Your virus seeking software needs to be up to date with the latest nasties.)

If you need to email something large, like a photo or some files Zip it/compress it first.

Turn off your internet when not in use so it can't be using itself in the background.

Read less online news. These websites can be a massive drain on your internet, especially the Huffington Post.

Turn off automatic video playing in Facebook. (Link)

Check your data usage regularly with your provider and remember that it is often a day out of date so you will have used more than the system tells you.

Ask your provider if they can send you alerts to let you know how much data you've used.

If you need more advice on any of these give me a shout.

DawnW

Morning all
Not an expert on fuchsias by any means, but if the bits you are referring to really are dead, it won't really make any difference if you cut them off now or later. They do look pretty dead in winter / early spring and take longer to 'come back to life' than lots of other plants.

Visiting DD1 and her family today, for GD2's birthday party We are travelling with DD1 and baby GD - this is moneysaving for all of us, because DD will drive, and we will pay the road toll, so only 1 lot of fuel and 1 of road toll for us all to travel And DD is twitchy about longish distances on her own on the motorway with the little one, so that issue will also be got around

So short list for today:
Cheapie breakfast of porridge and HG fruit from freezer
Tidy up before we go out, as it is depressing coming home to a mess
No heating
Must wrap present for GD2 (still not done this )
Out for birthday lunch, and fridge leftovers for supper when we get home - I have leftover cooked pasta from last night, some bits of ham, soft cheese and cherry tomatoes. I am sure I can make something from that
Look for surveys later (though I rarely find any on bank holidays or weekends)
Check FPL

Weather forecast not good today, shame after lovely day we had yesterday. A bit of sunshine really lifts your mood, I find.

Hope you all have a good day:)