What small DFW things will you do this week? w/c 26 Dec 16

crazy_cat_lady

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:

crazy_cat_lady

Good morning everyone :hello: :coffee:
Operation 'get-ds-to-sleep-in-his-own-bed' failed miserably by 4am and I've been asleep on and off on my favourite sofa since then. Still full of cold, but better than I was yesterday. I hope everyone had a wonderful and peaceful Christmas - I think I can safely say that mine was brilliant; better than it has been for a few years. :j
Not very sure what today's plans are but ds wants to hit the Boxing Day sales so I imagine I'll be out and about at some point. Trying to decide whether to investigate the cost of a new living room sofa... I love this one, but it is 20 years old now and a long way past its best. The four of us are also going out for dinner together this afternoon to a restaurant, which I know isn't very mse, but I booked as a precaution ages ago in case Christmas turned out to be as difficult as in previous years. It hasn't, but I'm looking forward to spending time just the four of us.
Other plans for today include:
daily housework jobs (washing up, washing, hoover)
sort through my lovely Christmas gifts and make a start on my bullet journal
try and find some more wool to complete my friend's blanket
no frivolous spends at the shops later, I have a list of things that I actually need.
get some more cheap paracetamol and ibuprofen while we're out
just relax and enjoy some time with the family
Have a wonderful day everyone :beer:

determined_new_ms

Oh no Cat double thread territory! x

determined_new_ms

Morning guys & welcome to another week So the holiday continues but the anti gets reduced Always feel after Christmas what was all the fuss about?! Luckily for us there's no financial headache, and to be honest how our financial situation is we wouldn't be able to cope with it so it's just as well!

Madam is pleased as punch with her gifts. Currently playing with a girl's world ds got her she is absolutely crazy for puppies and dogs and my dd got her a mechanical pug, that barks, plays tricks and generally acts like an excitable puppy. She LOVES it! I suppose seeing how little ones love the things they get makes it all worth while

Not much dfw things going on I guess, probably a nsd but might go for a country walk and if we do probably will stop for a pint....

Need to strip the turkey of meat, divvy up, freeze some. Also portion up and freeze Christmas dinner soup mmmmm

Will put a load of washing on and get it dried

More lolling around on the sofa, watching things with the fam.

Happy boxing day guys x

Cheery_Daff

Morning - mind if I join you? I'm debt free now (hooray!) but with a new job I've got a teensy bit spendy lately and am trying to reign it in We're decorating ready to move house in the new year :eek: and that will mean a mortgage when we don't currently have one :eek: so I want to get back into good MSE habits! :j

So, small things for today :j

* I've got back into Sw@gbucks again - claimed a £5 gift voucher yesterday and after some messing around this morning I'm back up to 92 points :j Trying to reach my daily goals for a bonus - only done it in a very ad hoc way before so trying to be a bit more systematic

* just about to do a free internet yoga video. Trying to get into good habits so I can avoid renewing my gym membership in January! :money:

* off to visit family later today. I said I'd take food to add to buffet, so I'm going to use a couple of part baked baguettes from the freezer, and maybe knock up a quick curry with some 3-for-£1 sauces we bought the other day :money:

* we'll need to buy diesel on the way over, but won't be buying any sweets in the shop for the journey

That'll probably do for today I think Hope you all have a good boxing day, and I look forward to posting more here in the future :j :j

Cheery x

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, and I just did a search for what to do with the raspberry quark I bought 4 tubs of for 10p the other day and sw@gbucks gave me another 40points :rotfl:

Baileys_Babe

CCL thank you for getting us started this week.
So far Christmas has been calm and enjoyable, unlike some others in recent memory.
This evening us and my parents are off to the pantomime, I'm really looking forward to it, we went to this companies production last year and it was brilliant.
Today we are having Morrocan shoulder of lamb, yummy.
Today I hope to sit down and spend many hours together doing jigsaws, playing games and relaxing.
No plans to spend anything except on interval icecream.

We will be keeping up our DFW ways by:
Opening curtains fully
Closing curtains before it gets dark
Turning off lights and appliances not in use
B/L/D from stores
NSD except ice creams
DW set for over night
WM set for over night
Keep heating to a minimum, we have blankets, jumpers and thermals
Put kettle on stove for free hot water, which we will use for endless tea and coffee my Mum drinks

natlie

Hello

I've got a cold too yuk

I've started to but some gifts in the sale for next year, I am not going to the shops but have done some click and collect to pick up tomorrow.

My main aim is to eat all the food I have bought without waste - my eldest daughter has gone to her dads now so less people to feed although we will have some visitors this week.

Major clean up needed after yesterday and have given the kids boxes to put eBay clothes in.

I have one bad Xmas present to eBay - for my eldest daughter

The kids are keeping themselves entertained so have been cleaning the kitchen

I have to find out which day the bins are coming as we have large amounts of recycling to put out

Hope you had a lovely Xmas everyone
Nat

determined_new_ms

ok just stripped the meat off of the turkey. Weighed it and there is 900grms meat. We had turkey yesterday for 3 adults and lo. Whatever was left on plates went into christmas dinner soup (approx 1/3-1/2). I estimate portioning 2 x 300grms and having 300grms for sandwiches over the next few days. The bird said 4-6 people. How much turkey are people having??! Do you ever think the recommended portion sizes are too much?!

FatVonD

Morning all and hello to Cheery DaffI'm just back here after being AWOL for a while but it is a lovely thread with a lovely bunch of people

Christmas Day started really well but ended badly. We had a lovely morning opening gifts with DS and DSGF who, despite being on a very limited budget had put a lot of thought into the gifts they gave us and we're both really grateful for theirs.

Lunch went without a hitch (apart from forgetting to put the avocado into my prawn cocktail but I love avocado so they won't go to waste.) DSS and DSD similarly gave us very thoughtful gifts and all our gifts to DSD have survived intact despite me dropping them all down the stairs when the bag split.

The bad bit, FIL fell at home on Thursday but DH spoke to him afterwards and he assured him he was looking forward to coming for Xmas, etc, etc.

When DH picked up DSS he said that BIL had posted on FB the day before that FIL wasn't coming (there is some history here with the kids finding out their nan was having hospital tests via BILs FB when we hadn't even been told.)

BIL and SIL arrived late with just MIL and BIL said the reason was because they'd left behind some cold meats they'd picked up for MIL 'for later'. (Bearing in mind they were all invited to ours for the evening also.) Nobody else seemed to pick up on the 'for later' except me but I had an inkling which way things were going.

Around 5pm DH disappeared upstairs so I went up to find him and shortly after my mum came up and said that BIL, SIL and MIL were leaving as they were all going back to MILs for tea???

Now I can totally understand them not wanting to leave FIL on his own all evening as well as during the day but why not tell us before we'd gone to all the trouble and expenses of catering for them all for the evening? They clearly knew at least the day before, if not longer, as they had asked SIL to get food in for tea.

I was fuming and pacing up and down in the kitchen trying not to cause a scene and DH will do anything to avoid bad feeling but eventually it was all too much for him too and he spoke up about what was happening and then, to make things worse, MIL started trying to downplay that it had been pre planned by saying 'oh, we'll probably just have a sandwich) so I pointed out that BIL had already said they'd bought cold meats for tonight.

BIL jumped in when he heard mention of FB but I simply stated that we had no idea that FIL was coming until that lunch time when DSS told us he'd read it on FB.

Tbc

Bagpuss741

Sorry I disappeared for ages, I had a cold for weeks that then turned into the most awful chest infection.

Today I have\will:

1. Checked online banking (I have no idea why but it's a habit)
2. Been to sales and bought 3 Christmas presents for next year and all my family cards and wrapping
3. Bought pyjamas in Monsoon sale online (had my eye on them for a while so treated myself to them out of my Christmas money)
4. Bought Christmas tree lights from M&S reduced to £12.50 as our tree lights broke on Christmas eve so only half the tree was lit up��
5. Meals from stores
6. Check for surveys
7. Play with cat to help her burn off the extra calories she ate yesterday ( she was allowed a slice of Turkey and 2pigs in blankets yesterday) She was also bought a lot of cat treats off family members so I will decant them all into her treat box so she will eat them all and not just her favourites.
8. Start next year's budget in shiny new note book.
9. Transfer all money related stuff into shiny new organiser. I write when direct debits are due out so I know when sorting out my budget. I love this time of year as I'm obsessed with stationery�� I'm like a child starting school getting all my new books��