What small DFW things will you do this week - w/c 21st May?

Gemsy81

Hi all, I hope you are enjoying your bank holiday weekends?

One of our biggest budget issues was eating out and doing 'stuff' - so this weekend, I have made it my mission to have a frugal bank holiday. OH is working all day and night today but yesterday we went to a Young Farmers show, which only cost £15 for the whole family, and was a great fun way to spend an afternoon. Today has been a real cheapy - my parents, sister and nieces came over. Rather than go and load up on expensive shopping to do everyone a big lunch, I've raided the cupboards and freezer - cheese and biscuits for us grownups and fish fingers for the kiddies. We all went for a long family walk with the dogs and then took the kids down to a local ford where they went paddling, had a whale of a time and cost us absolutely nothing!!

I also forced myself to do my huge pile of ironing this morning on the cheaper tariff, and the rain first thing today has done a wonderful free watering job on my plants!

DawnW

Evening all
Thunderstorms again today, but sunny and hot atm!
Missed the second, bigger thunderstorm, as I got up early and then went back to bed at about 9am and slept till 11 Feel better for it though!


Somewhat rubbish list again today, but at least I have done SOME things
Washed hair and allowed to dry naturally - really appreciating the walk in shower in the loft conversion atm as I am not able to manage the bath currently (and as I also have hippo tendencies, this is far from ideal)
Load of washing and got it dry between downpours

Planted a couple of spare broad bean plants and some chard seedlings in a big tub
Planted courgette and cucumber plants in the space in the veg bed that the Tuscan kale has just vacated
Got OH to make a hole in the bottom of a lovely old coppered pot that is decaying through a bit around the base. Wouldn't have done this had it been in good nick, but can't sell it so might as well use it! Planted it up with French lavender (2 for £3 from Lidls the other day), looks fab
Made 2 big pasta bake thingies using up various bits from the fridge and freezer. One for dinner today and one for later in the week


Will leave the washing up for OH

allydowd

foxgloves wrote: »

*Update DFW diary, which I will do in a minute & catch up with a few I like to read.

I keep meaning to have a read. I'm sure it's splendid. But lots of days keep attacking me at once.

Hopeless_Case

carrielovesfanta wrote: »

Ironing?! Oh foxgloves you are funny :rotfl:

But yep in all seriousness, I iron a garment about twice a year

I've got mine down to practically nothing, the light bulb moment was when someone told me that her test was if the clothes looked any worse than they would if you'd spent an hour commuting to work, made me rethink the whole thing and see that the crisp, freshly-ironed look is very temporary! I'm just really careful about how I dry it now, I put work shirts or dresses on the washing line on clothes hangars

Good tips though thanks . The one about the hot water bottle is good. Our living room is big and the radiator is on the wall furthest from the couch and closest to the stairs so all the heat goes up the stairs. We have couch blankies but a hot water bottle would help too.

It is a good idea, we don't have any sort of fire and although we have a throw, we do end up putting the heating on sometimes as the living room is freezing.
We also have an east facing living room and a radiator by the stairs

Another annoying thing about the LR is that it faces east and has small windows so gets too dark for me to crochet in the afternoon/evening without putting the lights on (there are 8 on the same switch!!). They all have low energy bulbs though. I do have a lamp but it's not really right for the amount of light I need.

I think we are doing the obvious ones... I'm better than OH. I will turn things off 90-95% of the time. OH more like 50-60%. I also don't watch much telly but OH def has it on in the background for company.

I don't like baths but OH is part hippo. I would not be able to get him to have less water. He fills it FULL. Having said that, the water is gas heated and the gas bill isn't bad. It's more the leccy.

I think that the kitchen lights can be swapped for more energy efficient ones as they are halogen ones. I'll do that when they ping.

So essentially, my most energy saving step would be to divorce :rotfl:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Me too, my OH not only doesn't turn things off, he resists me doing it and tells me it costs pence - and isn't swayed by me telling him that leaving a light on all day or whatever is a total waste of non renewable resources. Wouldn't be without him though!

My small DFW things today - already hung my washing out as I was up at stupid o'clock.
We're using up more food from the freezer, and I'm taking advice from the water company and putting much more into the dishwasher to save water rather than lots of washing and rinsing, and putting it on a lower programme which I hadn't realised was there (I thought there were only 2 levels of wash but there is a third shorter one which has worked fine so far and hopefully won't be so hard on items washed )