What small DFW things will you do this week? w/c 23/01

determined_new_ms

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:

determined_new_ms

Morning guys another day, another dollar Thought I'd start us off while I'm procrastinating with coffee!

Really do need to spring into action!

Things for today:

* training for work in my home down so saving about 40 miles in travel
* sausage roll, cinnamon bun and yogurt out of freezer for madam's lunch. I'll grab a pot of soup. Oh has ys chicken drumsticks and bread
* going to pick up a dress bought on a fb site and a pair of boots from fleabay today
* do a load of washing & hang up
* call the bank and old employer in my lunch break
* am sure today will be stressful as I'm not really working today but have 2 clients who are being made homeless and things went nuclear on Friday when I wasn't working...
* while I'm in town will go to pound shop and get shampoo & conditioner
* do some more of my tax return tonight. Excited to find out what my tax rebate will be. How long does it normally take before you're notified?
* get 21 wombled points put on my card

Ok that's all I can think of!

Cheery_Daff

Morning, thanks for starting us off DNMs :j

Today I will...

* have porridge made with water for breakfast (favourite breakfast and super cheap!)

* take defrosted homemade soup and bread to work for lunch

* home made carrot cake muffins for snacks

* cycle to work (free exercise)

* not buy anything at work (although i have some slightly tiresome activities planned so if i get desperate for a snack i'll get a bag of satsumas NOT a cake from the cafe... but Mr Cheery is going shopping today so I'll see if i can jold out...

Er, that's probably it i think. All mine seem to be food related! :rotfl:

Have a good day all

Chandelier.

Morning! I can't believe it's Monday already. I really need to start checking back here after I've posted. I'm slowly getting back into a routine sort of..

It's been a pretty busy weekend, I've slept quite a bit but I still feel tired.

So today's to do list includes:-

- Attend referral for CBT group appointment.
- Write out my sisters birthday card and post it.
- Write out my godsons birthday card.
- Transfer money to people I owe.
- Write out a meal plan for today (I'm starting SW from home. I have all the information I need).
- Wash gym clothes on quick wash and hang to dry.
- Go to the gym this evening (Formulate a plan of what I'd like to do).
- Eat at least 3 portions of fruit/veg.
- Drink at least 6 glasses of water.
- Eat breakfast, lunch and tea.
- Take my medications at right time.
- Buy passes I require.
- Pick up passport form for the boys passport renewal.

So mostly bits and bobs to do here. Nothing big. I'm trying to do things in baby steps.

Hope everyone has a good day.

La_escocesa

Hi everyone :wave:

I've been poorly all weekend and still not 100% so it's a sick day for me...

Probably be quite DFW-esque because I plan to spend the day snoozing, crocheting, watching TV.

I should also go to register at the doctors and will pick OH up from work at 4pm.

Will hopefully salvage some courgettes I have in the fridge somehow - the thought of food is making me feel a bit sick again but I am starving! :think:

Right, must go and call my boss...

Made my own isotonic drink - water, dash of apple juice, salt :cool:

Also took some chicken out of the freezer (to defrost in the fridge obvs :A ) and have put a washing in, which I'll go and hang now...

Tried to eat something and that didn't go well so how very money saving is that...

StarRose

Been following along on last weeks thread so I want to join in this week!


Should hopefully be a no spend day today :j


--Lunch is leftovers from Saturday night, delicious risotto made with pearl barley instead of rice
--Afternoon snacks that I already have in the office
--Other half to call the washing machine repair man (times like this I'm gad we rent and our landlords are really nice!)
--Easy Monday night dinner of jacket potatoes
--Bit of cleaning this evening, putting away bits and pieces left over from the spring cleaning this weekend
--Photographing a few bits to go on ebay


But first back to work

angelpye

Hi all,

Thought I would pop in for a cuppa! Have been back on MSE after a blip in financial habits mainly just reading but time to join in and get cracking.

I had a NSD yesterday but Saturday was a bit of a spend one for pet food and supermarket but shouldn't need anything at all until the weekend which should just be fruit etc.

This morning I had a flat tyre and this would normally send me into a tail spin of 'why me?' but I have taken it to be fixed (hopefully) and have a budget set for car expenses so telling myself its all good and just one of those things. Other than that it will be a NSD and the spend is out of my control.

BTW how do people keep an eye on what comes out of what budget? So, I will spend £xxx amount from car budget but thats lumped in with other savings and I am wondering hows best to record it? In my diary? Downloading an app?

So today:
*breakfast and lunch at home today so no organisation required
*make pasta sauce (DD's) favourite, cheap and healthy with enough for freezer and another meal this week.
*do some washing
*complete outstanding work - going to just heat the room I am working in rather than whole house.

Have a fab day!

DawnW

Morning all
Thanks for starting us off DNMS - hope work isn't too stressful
Nice to see some new people

So far today:
Got up at 6 as OH is out for the day and I needed him to help take both dogs out - I can't manage on my own as DS's dog isn't used to a lead and it is like taking a bullock for a walk :eek: Brr it is really cold here again today! And I have the heating on downstairs :eek:
Porridge for breakfast, filling and cheap. I have fruit with it and a spoonful of Greek yogurt, and it is like a lovely pudding for breakfast (and using any fruit I have available, fresh, frozen or cooked and Lidls yogurt means it is STILL cheap :T)
Moved DS's washing from the airer to the airing cupboard to finish off

Still to do:
Should be a NSD - I may delay paying the milk bill till tomorrow to ensure this (no worries, they only left it this morning). It is only about £6, but any opportunity to nab a NSD! Not spent anything :T
Another ebay parcel to wrap. I did 2 last night, but this one needs more ingenuity than I had last night :rotfl:Done
Check to see if there is enough washing to make up a load Not today
Check banks Oops must do this!
Check for surveys Done, not much today
Post office when it (hopefully) warms up. Remember to take RM surveys bits! Done
Ought to restock sales unit, but not sure if I will get to this today Did a partial restock
List some more ebay items Only managed one
Business paperwork Not done
HM soup made yesterday for lunch Done
Got some bolognese stuff out of the freezer, will make lasagne with it. Not much, but I think OH is being fed, and not sure if DS will have eaten when he gets back. I will make it enough whatever! Add some salad and make garlic bread if necessary! Only me eating apparently, so I had a small portion with some salad. It will do for tomorrow, with garlic bread and salad
OH bought home a plateful of roast pork from the function he attended today, plus the sandwiches he took, so no cooking needed tomorrow!
One more items sold on ebay

Hope everyone has a good day

1LuckyLady

Good Morning all,

Dnms Thank you for the start and I hope that today isn't as stressful as you think.
Cheery Carrot cake muffins sounds lovely (my have to bake now )
Chandelier Baby steps is definitely the way to go
La E, Get well soon
StarRose Welcome to the thread
angelpye I would be in a tail spin if that had been my morning! Re budget, I know several others on here use the app YNAB and love it. I just have a separate tab on my main spreadsheet and reduce from there. hth
Dawn oh I fancy lasagne now!

Today's list
* Kids to free breakfast club done
* Wash a load on the quick 30 degree wash done
* Hang washing by the radiators before the heating goes on tonight done
* Put away dry washing, iron only what "needs" it Done and only 1 thing to iron so will leave that til tomorrow when todays washing is dry rather then heat iron up for 1 item
* Check banking/update spreadsheets done
* Check fpl/luckypnohe/numberplate done
* Search on inbox£'s as really want to get to payout and it takes forever done
* Do a bit on swag$s even if its just the games/poll - every little helps done whilst on hold with energy supplier
* Kids tea is planned - leftover cocktail sausage rolls, with beans & ys potatoes Done and it was someones birthday in school so one ds came home with a little bag of sweets and a cupcake, split this between the two kids for dessert with a pear each The yogurt I had planned for tonight can be had tomorrow instead
* Plan our tea.... Prepped, having a comfort food meal as I know dh has had a rubbish day, so I've got a couple of cheap mushroom soups into a casserole dish, added in yesterdays leftover peas, with a couple of chopped carrots, some sweetcorn, cauliflower rice that I'd made the other day but not eaten, will add in the leftover chicken. Top with leftover mash and grate on some cheese
* Clean bathrooms done
* Clean kitchen & refill stardrops mixture
* Talk through with dh tonight about holidays this year, we have a couple of uk breaks planned but want to get dh to book his time off work for the rest of his days soon so that he's got breaks from work spread over the year. done over email as he'd had the same thought as me, again done whilst on hold
* Hoover only were needs it done
* Continue using up this coffee we tried, we aren't keen on it so want to use it up before next weekends food shop when I can get a different one to try done
* Applied make up & other lotions/potions that I'm working on using up done
* Spray everywhere with the room fragrance I'd wombled ages ago and want to use up done
* Sort out box of cross stitch fabric & supplies that my mum sent me, includes lots of cards/envelopes for x stich, haven't done x stitch in yrs so need to find some small ones to do and start making some cards. I have lots and lots and lots of the threads so this is part of operation use up!

That's enough to be getting on with I think!
Have a good day all.
Also done
** Online chat with old energy company, didn't resolve the problem but now know it needs sorting via new energy supplier
** Rang new energy supplier using free phone number then emailed them for free after being cut off
** Checked via online acc to make sure the interest & late charges had been taken off my Debenhams store card after complaining last week
** Set up a new tab on my spreadsheet to record meter readings for my own record, as not impressed with new supplier so far!
** Cleared and filed all receipts
** Made fairy cakes using the last of the butter in the house, not enough to make a full batch but making 8 so that the kids can have 1 a day in their packed lunches (will freeze and take out one at a time) done this as I'm eating too much bread because we have the butter in. Dh has spread on his sarnies which I don't like, so using it up this way will hopefully help me get back to better eating!
** Updated wall calendar & online calendar to reflect days holidays hubby has booked for the year

Peabody_2

Back on the boards again so....

- I batched cooked all meals for the week yesterday using things we already had in the freezer :cool: so having lots of homemade goodness
- Not spending anything during the working week
- Seeing if my 'free' bingo bonus can make me any money!
- Just managed to get a 0% balance transfer so need to budget to make the most of the next 18months.

think that's about it for now

PurpleFairy26

La E hope you are feeling better. rest up.

Today I'm working from home, so plan on being productive:
Check banking, surveys, FPL
PAD to savings
Meals from stores
small shop for things on list only
blanket over legs to keep warm
heating on airer/over radiators
knitting tonight - doubles as a leg warmer
Log in to HMrC to check they have received my payment

Will check back later