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What small DFW things will you do w/c 28th Jan?
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Morning all!
DNMS - be gentle on yourself, you sound worn out x
Big hugs to any poorlies xx
Started my new crochet project last night, but the chain stitch count seemed wrong. I frogged it all but I'm going to use a spread sheet to count it out. I'm sure the pattern is slightly wrong. No one has mentioned it on Ravelry but I think there's an extra dc.
I bit the bullet last night and decided to plan a Brexit food box. I'm not so much worried about shortages due to lorries not getting through, but I'm a bit worried about people panic buying and there being nothing left - or even worse, a big scrum in the supermarket. I have written down a list of staples that we eat anyway that would see us through 3 or so weeks. It's only about £70 and it's stuff we eat anyway.
Today's mission:- B/L/D from stores - done
- No alcohol - done
- Use free focus app to limit FB (I find this very helpful) - done
- Charge phone in work - done
- Gym at lunchtime if programming appears - done
- Crochet - done
- Nose at things to do in Barcelona (going away next week!) - done
- Prompt colleagues to ppal me some money they owe me - done
clf xLBM 11/06/2010: DFD 30/04/2013Total repaid: £10,490.310 -
Good Morning All
Quiet day planned, nothing much needs doing and well I can't really be bothered. Today
Check Bank & made PAD - Done
Check Boiler (its not playing nicely)
Swagbucks -
Check TCB/Quidco -
List a few bits for sale -
Purge a few emails -
Enter a few comps -
All meals from cupboards/fridge/freezer -
Check: Lucky Bob, FPL, WinaDinner -
Finish Library book -
Have a great day!
C xGoodreads 2025 Challenge :16/75
Goodreads 2024 Challenge: 65/80
Goodreads 2023 Challenge: 77/520 -
Morning all,
I'm another not feeling the love at the minute, the frogs keep multiplying and so I've not slept much which isn't helping my mood. Ah well just got to keep plodding I guess.
Todays small things
* ds2 to free school breakfast club (ds1 had full priced bread with his eggs :eek: )
* gym session and refilled water bottle
* brunch at home rather then the coffee shop I'd rather have gone to!
* popped to aldee on my way back but just got the items I needed - bread & eggs
* washed a load on the quick 30 degree wash
To do
** hang washing on radiators ready for the heating coming on tonight (heating not on until the kids come home from school at the earliest) done and heating on now kiddos are home
** check banking /update spreadsheet & email it back to me done
** print something on the back of something else as no one else will see it! done and printed in draft mode to use less ink
** rm surveys done:D:D
** clean kitchen using stardrops done
** put fabric recycle bag in the boot of my car so that next time I'm near it I can get rid done just got to remember its in there now!
Will hopefully add more as I go in between dealing with tenant enquiries2 viewings done and more arranged for tomorrow
*** ordered something that we've been procrastinating about for quite some time, went through a cb site
Right take care all.Sticking with the "Small things" thread to keep up us on the straight and narrow.
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Morning Frugalistas,
Sorry to hear some of our frugal number are feeling a bit down atm. That kind of depression in mood can quickly turn into a serious case of cba-itis, can't it? I used to have January Blues, but I'm better as I've got older & don't really suffer with it now unless I get a new year lergy....which hasn't happened yet (touch wood!) A wise ex-colleague used to say that we all need to accept that now & again we have one of those days which we have to write off in terms of achievement. They're quite normal - sometimes we need to concentrate on treating ourselves kindly & accepting how we are feeling. It will pass.
Frugal things (yesterday & today):
*Updated budgets & did banking. I had got 4 cash budgets into such a muddle, entirely because I thought I'd remember what I'd done without writing it down. Oh hahaha! Finally sorted it all out, down to the exact penny, I might add, like a true Frugalista!
*Laundry, mostly on cheap tariff, all on heated airer, which has also been helping with keeping night time temperatures in the conservatory above freezing.
*My lovely bicycle developed a problem right next door to a bike repair shop. Decided to wheel it home (which was just about possible), as I'm hoping mr f can mend it with a bit of assistance from me, rather than pay someone else to do it. If we can't do it, I shall wheel it back & seek professional help. At least I didn't fall off.
*Renewed car insurance. It's £22 higher than last year, when I got a good new customer offer. I will shop around next year if there's a further increase, but things are still complicated with our car & I don't want to throw another issue into the mix if we end up having a different vehicle right on the cusp of our policy expiring.
*Sorted out huge box & 2 bin liners of stuff brought back from clearing out my parents' house. Useful items of bedding, lots of cleaning products & toiletries which had been opened but are still nearly full, an unopened box of washing powder, etc. It's so much easier to just chuck all this kind of stuff in the wheelie bin, but it seemed very wasteful, in terms of both product & plastic, so decided to use what we could. I have brought back sufficient conditioner to last me a year.
*Baked a wholemeal loaf.
*Fed sourdough jar ready for when we need out next loaf.
*Spicy home made lamb burgers from the freezer last night, batch cooked turkey chilli tonight.
*Dealt with our fresh fish order - all cut up into the portions we require & frozen. All trimmings put in separate box for making a fish pie at some point.
*Knitting - this big pair of hiking socks (Stash 2019 Project #1) almost finished, will defo be completed tonight & Project #2 cast on.
*Read charity shop novel.
*Last of some batch-cooked soup from freezer for lunch - courgette & watercress.
*Frozen fruit pot from freezer to help supplies of fresh fruit last longer.
*Jam jar cupboard tackled this morning (& 2 other cupboards) - have got jars ready for the garlic pickle mr f is hinting I need to make, & removed quite a few not very helpful shaped/sized ones to the bottle bank bag.
*Downstairs heating off until much later. I am intending to watch a bit of catch-up TV later, so will have a hot water bottle tucked up behind my back - that's so warm (until cat susses it's there & tries to thieve it!)
*Make packed lunch for tomorrow - mr f has taken soup today, which I made from leftover broccoli (Cranks recipe - v wholesome)
*Two baths from one lot of hot water.
I think that's all for today.
Love to all,
F x2025's challenges: 1) To fill our 10 Savings Pots to their healthiest level ever
2) To read 100 books (36/100) 3) The Shrinking of Foxgloves 5.9kg/30kg
"Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards" (Soren Kirkegaard 1813-55)0 -
Hi January Joy-Seekers,
Morning!:coffee: Trying to keep busy today.
Debt-Free-Nillionaire Continuity Plan Year Four:
* Check online banking. Done.
* Continue my Challenge 500 miles challenge to travel 500 miles for free before the end of 2019: walking, hiking, climbing, cycling, running and swimming. Will walk. Done. Total: 47.14 miles out of 500.
* Donate secondhand book back. Done.
* Read free magazine from charity I support.
* Make cheese. Done. Bought 4 pints of near-to-date YS milk for 65p. Used that to make a mozarella.
* Do shopping locally on foot. Done.
* Add to Joy Savings account. Done.
* Backup Finances spreadsheet in case of loss.Done.
* Look at 45% 0ff special offer on my ice-hockey team's match tickets tonight. Purchased.
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.”Debt-free day: 8th May 2015 "Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck," Dalai Llama0 -
Last years annual spend:
Food & Drink 5432.63
Savings & Financial 2640
Entertainment & Leisure 2635.17
Clothing & Grooming 2591.18
Household Bills & Utilities 2099.82
Cash Withdrawals 1511.41
Bank Payments & Transfers 937.75
Childcare & Education 613
Retail (Other) 470.01
Motoring Expenses 397.08
Home & Garden 291.38
Business & Donations 253.04
Healthcare 114.7
Holiday 55.83
Uncategorised 22.5
Public Transport 9.45
My challenges to reduce my spend:
1. Shop only in aldi, meal plan - Food & Drink
2. groupon for grooming, charity shop for clothes - Clothing & Grooming
3. Entertainment & Leisure- make more use of mc donalds as it is cheap
4. Household Bills & Utilities- find more wood for logs, shop around for best deal
5. Cash Withdrawals-less takeaways, cook more, nails- learn to do my own.
6. Childcare & Education- can't cut down
7. Retail (Other) use the tip Re-Use shop more rather than the expensive charity shops.
8. Motoring Expenses -tax, insurance can't cut down
9. Home & Garden - use the tip Re-Use shop more rather than the expensive charity shops.
If you could show me more ways to cut down I'd love to hear from you.
Cash Withdrawals- takeaways & nails don't accept contactless card so I have to do cash. I do contactless for everything as much as possible so that it is all automatically categorised so that I know where it is all going.0 -
Towser, your plan sounds great. Can't really think of what to add, when I first started with the small things I went back over weeks worth of posts (was a daily thread before) and picked up tips from there like using stardrops for cleaning, switching the iron off before doing the last item.
Sorry go to go as I'd not realised the time and I should be on my way to the bus stop!Sticking with the "Small things" thread to keep up us on the straight and narrow.
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:D:D:D I've just gone on to Rm and found out that I've won a £10 voucher in the daily prize draw
Sticking with the "Small things" thread to keep up us on the straight and narrow.
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Hi Towser - it looks like you have some great ideas! Please stick with us
I have added a couple of thoughts
Last years annual spend:
Food & Drink 5432.63
Savings & Financial 2640
Entertainment & Leisure 2635.17
Clothing & Grooming 2591.18
Household Bills & Utilities 2099.82
Cash Withdrawals 1511.41
Bank Payments & Transfers 937.75
Childcare & Education 613
Retail (Other) 470.01
Motoring Expenses 397.08
Home & Garden 291.38
Business & Donations 253.04
Healthcare 114.7
Holiday 55.83
Uncategorised 22.5
Public Transport 9.45
My challenges to reduce my spend:
1. Shop only in aldi, meal plan - Food & Drink
2. groupon for grooming, charity shop for clothes - Clothing & Grooming
3. Entertainment & Leisure- make more use of mc donalds as it is cheap
4. Household Bills & Utilities- find more wood for logs, shop around for best deal - sometimes people give away logs on freecycle/freegle
5. Cash Withdrawals-less takeaways, cook more, nails- learn to do my own. - I got my niece a little shellac/gel nails set including the UV lamp for about £23 for Christmas.
Also I'm sure there was a "fakeaway" thread on the old style board of how to make takeway dishes at home
6. Childcare & Education- can't cut down
7. Retail (Other) use the tip Re-Use shop more rather than the expensive charity shops.
8. Motoring Expenses -tax, insurance can't cut down
Did you see the bit in the weekly email about renewing your insurance 21 days before - apparently the price goes up if you renew later!
9. Home & Garden - use the tip Re-Use shop more rather than the expensive charity shops.
Do you compost? I'm guilty of buying compost and not doing enough to make my own!
If you could show me more ways to cut down I'd love to hear from you.
Cash Withdrawals- takeaways & nails don't accept contactless card so I have to do cash. I do contactless for everything as much as possible so that it is all automatically categorised so that I know where it is all going.LBM 11/06/2010: DFD 30/04/2013Total repaid: £10,490.310 -
1LuckyLady wrote: »
:D:D:D I've just gone on to Rm and found out that I've won a £10 voucher in the daily prize draw
whoop :j really pleased for your good luckDF as at 30/12/16
Wombling 2025: £87.12
NSD March: YTD: 35
Grocery spend challenge March £253.38/£285 £20/£70 Eating out
GC annual £449.80/£4500
Eating out budget: £55/£420
Extra cash earned 2025: £1950
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