What small dfw things will you do this wk 24th August

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 😀

determined_new_ms

Morning I came to post my list and there wasn't a thread so started us off. Feels a little cheeky after being away for months!

Today I am meeting dd and madam to pick her up. We are going for lunch. I will look at shoes for madam if it doesn't look too heaving. I will also return a pair of jeans I bought and I grabbed the wrong size - must dig out receipt

Also today I will:
* TOMM
* los for dinner - have some fish pie that needs using up
* continue with altering the dress I want to wear at the weekend. I got my dress form I made down from the loft yesterday, had to jiggle around with the stuffing to make the proportions to my measurements. Happy with it, just need to work out how I can have it hanging. I think somehow I need to add a hook to it and hang it.... I recently sold my store bought dress form because being petite the measurements just didn't quite work
* I'm debating whether to go to the allotment. If I do it will be only for an hour
* cut and freeze runner beans
* sort out the fridge. It's really disorganised and if I'm not care things will start to perish! 
* finish cutting fabric and sewing together last 3 cores for pads. Ready to start sewing when the thread comes tomorrow

Yesterday I processed so much fresh produce - I made jam, ratatouille, stewed apples, made apple crumble and froze half, cut and froze runner beans, made tomato and cucumber salad. I need to do a bit more but not as much!

Ok those are my plans, now really need to make the decision about the allotment! 

storybookgirl

Can I join in this week please? I'm feeling a bit disheartened over doing small things after a bad weekend so I'm hoping that joining in here will keep me motivated.

determined_new_ms said:

Yesterday I processed so much fresh produce - I made jam, ratatouille, stewed apples, made apple crumble and froze half, cut and froze runner beans, made tomato and cucumber salad. I need to do a bit more but not as much!

I would love to have the motivation to do this!  Maybe I'll start with something small when there's a bargain offer on something on market day!

Today I will:
*Get out of the house for a walk through the park with my toddler
*Stick to my (secret) meal plan for meals
*I want to try and give the fridge a clean and a clear out today
*Keep Prolific on when the laptop is on to catch those surveys!  1 done today already!
*Log in to banking to pay for September club
*Send husband to shop with a list and enough money for items on the list
*Freelance work, start making moves to expand it this evening
*Try and be mindful of the little things in the house
*Clear out a few bits for eBay for husband to log - this is now his job
*Make oat bars for toddler snacks instead of buying readymade

carrielovesfanta

Morning folks

Thanks to @determined_new_ms for starting us off and nice to "see" you
Welcome @storybookgirl

I meant to post yesterday but seemed to get busy and not let up. OH was awake and up at the unheard of hour of 9.30am! So we decided to beat the bad weather and nipped up to local seaside town where we know that we can get blackberries. Picked a good pound or so and then also discovered sloes. I'm not sure how we missed them last year as we went blackberrying at the same spot, although it was around the time that I was starting to get ill so I obviously wasn't looking very hard!

Came home and munched a lot of sweet potato cake (can recommend). Had fish finger butties for lunch then pottered about a did some crochet. OH went for a nap at 4 so I went to the allotment and ended up doing a ton of weeding. Knackered when I got back and OH hadn't had the presence of mind to cook anything so just had bits out the fridge and some pittas. 

Today I'm in work although after the last few busy weeks, I don't have a lot on my plate. Just reminding myself about something that I haven't done since uni!

Today's small things:
  6am gym session ticked off. Horrible today but survived! - done
  B/L/D from stores - done
Cook up apples and some raspberries and strain overnight for jelly - done
Crochet other mitten from set promised to friend for his LO - almost finished
Pick some more blackberries by work - not done

Have a good one all

clf x 

Betharooni

Morning all

Am feeling very dizzy today so will try to not overdo it, but am hoping to achieve the following things:

- sort out making curry in slow cooker for tonight’s dinner✅
- spend about an hour in garden with mum, potting up fruit trees and chucking some weeds into brown bin, with intention to put brown bin out this week for bin men to empty✅
- print out opticians voucher ahead of appointment tomorrow✅
- sign up for Prolific✅
- take photos of a couple of items and put on Facebook Marketplace to sell
- finish writing out to do list✅
- write cancellation letter for gym 
- do some knitting/crocheting✅

B x

ziggy2407

Good Morning everyone

Hi to all of the regulars and a BIG welcome to all the newbies, this is a really FAB thread with so many lovely, caring, considerate and supportive people.

Thanks for starting us off today @determined_new_ms

Warm and sunny here but apparently its not going to last, lots of my jobs ran over from last week 

Checked Bank & made PAD
Put away Mr T delivery
Couple of bits from Mr M and Poundl*nd
Upload receipts
Curry prepped for tea

Later:
Ironing - Done
Wrap Bday pressies ready to distribute - Done
Wrap Ebay sale to post tomorrow - Done, DH and Ds took it to Post Office today
Exercise
Craft
Swagbucks - Done (Swago board showing)
Purge a few emails - Done
Enter a few comps - Done a few
All meals from cupboards/fridge/freezer - Done
Check: Lucky Bob, PMP, WinaDinner - Done
Read or knit - maybe later, watching a film with DH

Have a good day everyone.

C x 

determined_new_ms

storybookgirl said:

determined_new_ms said:

Yesterday I processed so much fresh produce - I made jam, ratatouille, stewed apples, made apple crumble and froze half, cut and froze runner beans, made tomato and cucumber salad. I need to do a bit more but not as much!

I would love to have the motivation to do this!  Maybe I'll start with something small when there's a bargain offer on something on market day!

I have an allotment storybookgirl  so my motivation is I don't want to waste the fruits of my labour! This time of year there is an abundance

DawnW

Evening all

Thanks for starting us off DNMS

Today I have done the following: 

Early morning dog walk

Hoovered and dusted first floor (except for OH's junk room, and I don't go in there!)

Sent a reminder to an ebay buyer to pay up - I have a feeling this one isn't going to, so have offered the option of cancelling to save all the faffing about opening cases

Cleaned the sticky gunk off of some jam jars that DD gave me, then washed them to get rid of the white spirit smell. Now in the dishwasher for hopefully a final clean.

The jars that I ordered from Ama*on arrived this afternoon, so I have plenty ... for now!

OH had leftovers for lunch, I had a cheese and cucumber sandwich, which made a tiny dent in our cucumber pile

Worked in the shop where I rent my storage unit for a few hours this afternoon. It was busy, sold loads but sadly nothing of mine      

Dinner was pasta with a bolognese type sauce that I made yesterday. There is enough left for enchilladas for tomorrow, if I pep it up with a bit of chilli jam.

I ought to think about roasting some tomatoes to make sauce....

And making sure everything in the garden is secure because apparently another storm is heading our way     

allydowd

MONEY MAKING AND SAVING SITES AS OFTEN MENTIONED IN THIS FORUM:

• Benefits check-up (Link)
• Birthday Freebies (Link)
  
• Coupon Shop Forum list of money-off coupons (Link)
• Cooking On A Bootstrap, cheap recipes. (Link)
  
• eBid (Link)
• Freecycle (Link)
• Freegle (Link)
  
• FreeStuff (Link)
• FreeUKStuff ( Link )
  
• Income Tax Calculator (Link)
• i-Say Surveys (Link)
• Jobseekers Railcard (Link)
  
• List of online newspapers. At bottom of the linked page. (Link)
  
• Marriage Tax Allowance (Link)
• Martin Lewis' Weekly List of Deals and Tips (Link)
• MSE Bank Charges Comparison Tool (Link)
  
• MSE Boost Your Income page. Gateway to lots of money-making links. (Link)
• MSE Budget Planner (Link)
  
• MSE Abbreviations Explained (Link)
  
• MSE Deals and Vouchers (Link)
• MSE Demotivator Tool (Link)
• MSE Credit Card Minimum Repayment Calculator (Link)
• MSE Money Makover (Link)
• MSE Piggybank Budgeting (Link)
• MSE Stoozing Guide (Link)
  
• MSE Wow Offers (Link)
  
• NHS Minor Ailment Service article (Link)
• My Supermarket (Link)
  
• NHS Free Prescription Checker (Link)
• OnePoll (Link)
• Parcel2Go: compare postage prices (Link)
  
• Parkopedia: compare parking charges (Link)
  
• Pick My Postcode Lottery ( Link )
  
• Quidco (Link)
  
• Reclaim Packaged Bank Account fees at no cost to yourself without using a claims company.(Link)
• Reclaim phone credit (Link)
  
• Resolver tool. Helps you draft a letter, send it, monitor replies and then escalate it to an Ombudsman or key complaint body if it's not sorted. (Link)
• SayNoTo0870 cheap phone number finder (Link)
• Split Ticketing (Link)
  
• Start Rescue Breakdown Cover (Link)
• Super Saver Amazon Delivery Tool (Link)
  
• Survey sites that pay for your opinions (Link)
  
• Swagbucks (Link)
  
• Swapit (Link)
  
• Tickety Split cheap train tickets (Link) Site closed
  
• Toluna (Link)
  
• TopCashBack (Link)
• Wombling Guide (Link)
• You Need A Budget site and App (Link)

If any of the links are broken, let me know.

allydowd

Hi August Austerity Fans,

A blessed, sunny day off.

Debt-Free-Nillionaire Continuity Plan Year Six:

Checked online banking.

Alarm clock off at the wall during day time.

Turn off Wifi box when not using it.

Do some online voluntary work.

Leftover soup from yesterday for lunch.

Batch cooked coconut curry for the freezer.

Caught the local ferry to the wee island 10 mins offshore, £3.50 return. Photographed the local Harbour Porpoises on the way back.

Eyed up some bramble bushes for blackberry foraging in a couple of weeks time.

Apple and rhubard crumble from the garden.

Used discount courtesy of my new employer to buy a shiny new thing that wasn't a necessity, but had I saved for as a gift to myself. £4.50 off a £189 spend. 😬

Sip some Spanish brandy we bought a year ago and we've still 1/3 of the bottle left.

Met with a group I contribute to via Zoom.

Betharooni

Morning all

Had a productive day yesterday with only two items carried over. Things to do today are:

• Take brown bin round to the front of the house for bin men to empty✅
• Opticians appt 11am✅
• Get missed points added to Boots card✅
• Get sticky off car window✅
• Put new residents permit in car✅
• Strip and remake bed
• Tidy bedroom
• Ask brother to put stuff on high shelves in bedroom
• Look for SW card 
• Write cancellation letter for gym
• Sort out meal plan with mum and brother
• Do something with raspberries and blackberries before they go off
• Take photos of a couple of items and put on Facebook Marketplace to sell
• Find printed freezer and cupboard stocktake lists
• Swagbucks/Prolific
• Do some knitting/crocheting✅

Fingers crossed that I can get the majority of this cleared today 🤞🏻

B x