What small DFW things will you do this week? w/c 09/01

FatVonD

foxgloves wrote: »

Hello Saturday Savers,
Today I've been out for the 1st time since getting flu on 28th Dec. And where did I go on this great occasion? Sainsbury's!! Really enjoyed just getting back to normal after wasting all of New Year & half of January on that bloody lergy! A bit of money saving today:
*Treated ourselves to a bacon roll & coffee while we were out. Inexpensive & we used our 'Personal Spends' so no impact on the budget.
*mf found a lovely big white linen shirt on the sale rail for £7. Had taken Clothes Piggy cash with me just in case, so used that. Just shows how you have to properly pick over a sale rail, as the rest of it was dross. I don't know how this fab shirt got missed.
*Did grocery shopping - we came in at £7.50 over budget, but I am not disappointed with that, because it included a big box of cat meat which will last the beasticle for 3 weeks and a kilo of stewing steak from the local butcher, 3/4 of which has gone in the freezer for future meals.
*Bought M-i-L's birthday gifts.....Sainsbury's Home dept had some really nice things & we found something we think she will really like. I had brought Presents Piggy cash with us, but ended up adding it to our trolley & doing a funds swap later, as we realised that if we paid altogether, we'd be elligible to use the 5 x nectar points coupon which we were given when we paid for mr f's shirt.
*As I haven't been out all month, I have plenty of 'Personal Spends' left for January, so I treated myself to a magazine. I love monthly Personal Spends. It means I can have little treats completely guilt-free or can save some of it towards something bigger another time. This helps both the overall budget, but also helps us personally, as both mr f & I have been big silly spenders in the past. Back in the Spendy Decades, I used to buy magazines 4 at a time, all glossy monthly ones, & several times a month. I can't imagine what I must have spent on them! I now have this one new one by my side & when I've signed out of here, I'm so looking forward to sitting by the fire with a cup of tea & naughty puss to read it.
*Updated grocery budget.....one more grocery shop to do & £50 left, so that should be fine, though must remember my nephews are coming to stay next weekend.
*Paid this morning's grocery spend straight off our CC, which we use solely for accruing points for vouchers.
*Did quite lot of surveys. Hoping to cash-out on Toluna next week.
*mr f is cooking a new recipe tonight.....a Bengali fish curry. Sounds really nice, & quite low calorie too. If we like it, it could well be another of those useful tasty recipes which make good 'fake-aways'.
*Did not get suckered into buying YS items which weren't really money-saving. So much YS stuff seems to be things like coleslaw & other ready-made salad, pies, cream cakes, ready-made party-type nibbles, which are just not the sort of stuff we buy. Checked the bread YS offerings as well, but items were either all too processed or not enough money knocked off. I think 10p loaves (local Co-op after 9pm), almost out of date Co-op bread flour (30p) & Waitrose bagged up butcher counter items have been the best value for us. Does anyone really buy those shonky old dented random tins with the labels hanging off when they are only reduced by about 15p? (Just adding me two pennorth to the YS debate there)
*Knit more sock. I am up to foot shaping on the 1st sock of the 3rd pair. It dawned on me last night that next weekend, I will see a friend of the people they are for. If she can deliver them, that will save me postage costs (thus maximising profit). Will need to knit like crazy to get the order finished, but I'm going to give it my damnedest.
*Filled up car with diesel while we were in next town. Fuel is always cheaper than in our own town.
OK, that's me. Lovely to read everyone's posts. Take care all,
F xx

I have recently been cooking a yummy fishy spaghetti recipe one of the other freelancers gave me, if you like fish I can thoroughly recommend it! Basically you just slowly cook about five crushed cloves of garlic in olive oil then snip in a tin of anchovies and a few sun dried tomatoes (I use any old tomatoes) and add some chilli flakes then add one sliced courgette. When the courgettes are cooked and absorbing some of the lovely anchovy gravy, stir in your cooked spaghetti. I swear it is lush and dirt cheap!

Glad to see someone is at least buying one magazine! I am the worst, I've not bought one myself for years

Cheery_Daff

Evening chums :hello:

I actually can't remember who our breakdown cover is with, and worryingly can't find an email about it! :eek: Do have a note in the car though so I'd best have a look! :eek: I know we paid about £65 upfront for the whole year for home rescue etc, and we don't have to pay out in advance.

Ooh, La E, I know someone who did that cashmere jumper/glove thing - I'd completely forgotten! How exciting :j Will have to keep an eye out in the charity shops

FvD, you're right, it's so easy to spend money and rottenly hard to make it! Much easier to keep hold of what you've got (although that's plenty hard at times!) That's an impressive amount of loyalty points you've got there! :money: I've never managed to earn anything from mine :rotfl:

So, little things for me today:

* cycled across town for an activity I was going to. About 6 miles :j
* Popped into the bakery to pick up a treat to take to a friend's, and they had viennese mince pies for 10p each :money: Got 6 and an iced bun for £1.15 :money:
* packed car full of stuff to go to the tip in the morning - another car full of stuff we won't have to move when we move house :j
* said no to going out for a curry tonight - we might have gone but we're actually going to a party which will have (free) food anyway so it would have been a bit of a rush!

That's it for tonight I think Have a good evening all

Bobarella

La_escocesa wrote: »

Well ladies, this week has been one complete emotional drain! OH took pooch to the vet later this afternoon and our usual vet was back...he asked about the heart murmur again and turns out it is nothing that she is concerned about!! She looked confused checking for it, saying it was very subtle! I guess she didn't want to contradict her colleague but OH said she basically did! Then they get talking about his paw and again she seemed to totally contradict the other vet (that it shouldn't have been bandaged up since Tuesday because that may be making the situation worse!). Unfortunately it wasn't all good as she said it maybe wasn't something stuck in his paw but that it could be a tumorous growth and he may have to go back next week for another op to get it cut out. Makes no sense to me - surely if it was a tumorous growth they would've seen it when they cut into it on Tuesday..?! Hopefully it'll just get better now and we can never go back to that first vet again!!

Anyway, all it means is that I am about £300 poorer and have to work tomorrow to make time up for all the vet visits. :mad:

I only get my hair cut about every 6 months btw. I youtubed 'up dos' - perfect for those 'in between' months.

Right, must stop my winging and think about making tonight's supper - still not eaten...

Night all!

La E - you aren't the only one I have heard saying they've had conflicting vets. I remember reading about someone who was told by a vet their dog had terrible teeth and needed some removed. Only to go to another vet who said the first vet was a dodgy so and so as the teeth just needed cleaning.:eek:

Bobarella

Hi All

Just chipping in with my list for today. It hasn't been the best of days.

* Letter arrived from kids cash savings account saying they are reducing the rate to 1.4% need to move those asap. Any tips on who to look at? Currently with the Chelsea.

* Needed cleaning supplies for the business. Got the cheapest own branded stuff possible. It does the job. Tommorow will be doing about an hour before the next party arrives.

* Wombled a £1 when you spend £10 voucher at the tills. I love those way more than £20 off when you spend £80 or something similar. Because I know I will actually use it.

* Hit the payout limit again on nectar points. Haven't cashed in yet though.

* Wombled two triple point vouchers.

* 11p roadkill.

* Cycled for an hour to and from the business.

* Dinner is a simple tuna pasta bake with salad and garlic bread.

* Hoovered our room and DSs and OH is putting a toddler bed we have had given to us up in the loft as DD will be in the cot bed for ages yet so that's another declutter.

That's it. Really looking forward to the next episode of Taboo tonight, Tom Hardy is fantastic. I was gutted not to get to see him a couple of years back when he filmed at a local location, shame

Bob

La_escocesa

Evening all!

Bob - I'll definitely be getting a second opinion on everything in future!
FVD - Will try that recipe - sounds perfect for us.
Cheery - Definitely worth keeping an eye out - I got a cashmere jumper for £3! I did wear it a few times but it was a bit too short for me and I put it in the CS bag, but then found the offer so took it straight back out.

I reckon this has been my first NSD of the year... I might start logging them in my bullet journal

I watched the minimalism documentary on netflix earlier - I was the saddo who knew the people they were interviewing before their name came up! :rotfl:

Right, must go and watch Saturday night TV and knit some socks :cool:

crazy_cat_lady

Hey :wave:
So pleased to hear that you're up and about Foxgloves - happy days!
LaE - pleased that you like the wool place
And thanks for picking me up Yorkshire. I've hung onto the wagon all day today. Did some shopping, from a list at Mr T, and my tutoring, but also got quite a bit of housework and crochet done today as well.

Bobarella

La_escocesa wrote: »

I watched the minimalism documentary on netflix earlier - I was the saddo who knew the people they were interviewing before their name came up! :rotfl:

Right, must go and watch Saturday night TV and knit some socks :cool:

Was it The Mins by any chance? Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus?

Sharon87

So I've had a productive and good money evening.

I got a letter from HMRC saying they owe me £50 (when originally they thought I owed money!). And my self employed tax for this year is coming off my tax code for next year, so I don't have to pay the £443 right now - which quite frankly will cause me to struggle next for money next month!

I have also been accepted for anew 0% card and I've juggled my credit cards around this evening and nearly all balance transfers now expire in 2018 or later!

Whilst doing this I did spill my red wine though over my Nintendo DS! I haven't checked if it still works yet! And the wine cost me only a fiver on Virgin Wines on a special deal (with a value of £13).

I also had a freezer meal today - left over home made spag bol with tesco value spaghetti.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Oooh isnt Tom Hardy amazing Bob! Cant wait for the next episode.

So, a good day, managed to almost get some washing dry outside, did some dusting and hoovering. Threw the mealplan out of the window at teatime - really fancied some junk food and just couldnt be bothered to cook for once. Sent DS1 to Lidl and he did very well.

Done my half monthly accounts, all reasonably OK, spent some money on house stuff which I hadnt budgeted for but I can tweak other things for that.

DS2 to collect from a party at half twelve so a late night for me!

[Deleted User]

Morning all! I have been reading but not posting - a glitch with my phone, and severe shortage of time in what has been a bonkers, surreal, and at sometimes devastating week. No sleep at all on Friday night with worry over somebody else, although outlook much better on Saturday, phew. I haven't had a 'cold sweat, tossing and turning' night like that for a long time. Gave myself some TLC yesterday but still had three important papers for work to write. Not looking forward to peaking at them later to see what state they ended up in, though they got done, of sorts!
Glad folk are recovering from lurgies and setbacks, wishing ally all the best with the process, and so impressed by some of the money saving coups!
Can anyone point me towards the cashmere jumper/glove opportunity?

My DFW actions today

• Just accepted A1rb&b bookings for a few nights, including tonight. Glad as this has been slow recently. Just requires me to blitz the communal areas: [STRIKE]kitchen, [/STRIKE]bathroom, [STRIKE]lounge[/STRIKE] and [STRIKE]their room[/STRIKE] this morning.[STRIKE] DD sleeping in so I'll aim for all tidying shortly, then run around with the hoover when she gets up.[/STRIKE]
• [STRIKE]I am sleeping in guests room at the moment (its warmer) so just need to swap bedding to another room, and put fresh on for them.[/STRIKE]
• Necessitates a small top up shop today - a shame as I shopped yesterday - but not for much. Will check cupboards first! Have a small stash of change that should cover it. Have checked - most from stores, only need fruit juice. Should probably keep a few in the cupboard to make things easier next time.
• I have three papers to write today too but no enthusiasm for them. Will try and do one after cleaning so it doesn't remain an untouched job all day. Feel I need a early night! Didn't happen. Thats my 7pm task then!
• Out for lunch, but planned spends.
• Need to transfer cash to mortgage account. gulp.
• Minimal ironing required tonight to prep for week ahead

Good luck everyone with everything!