What small DFW things will you do this week 08/02?

allydowd

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 😀

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 Makeover (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 February Frugalistas,

A blessed week. Was awake at 5.30am so have gotten up to tick a few things off my list.

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.

Lunch is batch cooked soup.

Discuss pay-to-view tv service with DW. We frequently switch between budget providers when online content gets stale.

Go for a free walk along the coast with DW.

Reconcile finances.

BlueJ94

Morning
Just making breakfast now, I'm all dressed ready for work just need to sort my face out aha!
Plan of action today 
Work until 4.30 get home at 5
Quick clean and a cuppa
Zoom call from 6pm until 7.30pm (£50)
Sort through underwear whatever I don't wear bin, see what I actually NEED not WANT!
See if I can earn anything from surveys 

So far today I've 

Put a load of washing on
Quickly swept the floor
Put the dishwasher on
Checked all tyres on the car before I head off to work. 

determined_new_ms

Morning thanks for starting the thread Ally! How's the snow so far up north? We were really affected by the storm yesterday but I'm sure it's small fry in comparison to your area! It has taken me all week to catch up wit last week's thread!

My plans look something like this:
* load of washing & hang on airer timer set for 4pm
* TOMM? I hope so
* madam doing home schooling online - final week before half term and we are all so exhausted with it!
* scan and upload all of last week's work (see previous point re exhaustion!)
* all meals from stores - I've been doing a few recipes from Pinch of Nom and I highly recommend!
* read free e-book
* some form of exercise - maybe a yoga class went for a 45 min walk
* do a meditation
* get the sewing machine out tonight. I haven't sewn very much throughout the whole of the last year and I'd like to get back in to it!
* sort out my interview for MA I've applied for. The providers seem really chaotic and disorganised!I got a letter saying I'd been invited to interview and to log on. I log on and there's no where to book it! I've called and left a message and emailed and still had no response!
* make a low cal cake. I've managed to get back to SW and have lost weight the last few weeks and want to keep it up  making rice pudding in the slow cooker

Ok hope you all have a good day/week x

Hey Karb! Lovely to see you. Hope life is treating you well x

allydowd

determined_new_ms said:

Morning thanks for starting the thread Ally! How's the snow so far up north?

It comes and goes.

mbaz79

Morning all
plan for this week-
sort shifts for new job starting next week as a COVID vaccinator 💪
once I know those shifts book two extra bank shifts per week
check online banking
update spreadsheets
if enough left make some extra payments towards credit cards 
plan meals for week minimising waste
apply for some focus groups 
hope everyone has a lovely week x

carrielovesfanta

Morning folks

You all sound very positive Must be something in the air because I feel like I need to give myself a shake today. I've called the drs to book an appointment as my ear/sinuses don't feel right after having covid - wondering if a minor secondary infection? 

LL emailed yesterday to say that someone is going to pop round to look at the washing machine. I'm kinda hopeful it's a quick fix as the leak isn't major and is coming from an odd place as opposed to the more catastrophic "puddle on floor" type of leak. 
Small part of me wonders if it occurred after the toilet fitter fiddled with the two stopcocks... poss increase in intake water pressure causing leak? If so, that's an easy adjustment I believe.

I've also emailed my coach to see if he can give me one nice low hanging fruit target for the week to try and get me back into some sort of shape other than lockdown blobfish. 

Small things today:
B/L/D from stores
Update payment card for veg box
NEBOSH
Hopefully do a wash later!

Have a good one all

clf x

ziggy2407

Good Morning everyone

Thanks for starting us off today @allydowd

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.

Todays plans

Check Bank & make PAD 
Exercise at home 
Swagbucks 
Purge a few emails 
Enter a few comps 
All meals from cupboards/fridge/freezer 
Check: Lucky Bob, PMP, WinaDinner 

Have a good day everyone. 

C x

Karb

Morning everyone. Thanks Ally for starting the thread. Snowing here in the Midlands, but only lightly. 

A combination of post Christmas lethargy and leftover food, coupled with my sister dying unexpectedly in mid-January, has caused me to feel particularly de-motivated and listless over the past few weeks. Other than to go shopping, I've barely left the house, and have been eating and drinking too much. I don't drink a lot in one go, no more than two beers, or two glasses of wine in an evening, but it has been pretty much every evening. It's a bit of a vicious circle, because I struggled to sleep in the immediate aftermath of my sister's death, so when I've finished work I feel exhausted, so I've been having a nap for an hour. Of course, this means I'm not tired in the evening, which then encourages me to have a drink in front of the telly, and when I drink, I snack. Then it's late when I go to bed, so when I finish work I'm shattered again, so I nap, and the circle starts again. 

Having spent most of Saturday either sleeping or vegging in front of the telly, I gave myself a real kick up the backside yesterday. I stripped the beds, did two loads of washing, cleaned the house from top to bottom, and braved the cold to go for a walk in the evening. 

Starting from yesterday, I've challenged myself to

• Make a point of going out for a walk each day
• Get through the day without a nap and go to bed earlier
• Not to have any alcohol if I've got work the next day. 

Day 1 complete.

This week, the plan is to walk for around 2 miles each day. I live at the top of a hill so, wherever I go, it's a nice easy walk out, but a nasty climb back. This morning, before breakfast, I did a circular walk of around 45 minutes, taking in my local station. I generally have a stash of old newspapers that I use for things like lining the cat's litter tray, or for stuffing wet shoes but, as I haven't picked up a newspaper since last March's lockdown began, this had dwindled dramatically, so I picked up a Metro while I was at the station. Will try to do this at least once a week until I build my stash back up.

I'm conscious that my freezer is full of random bits and bobs that I really need to start using up. When I cook curries, stews, bolognese etc, I make a big panful then freeze whatever is left, and I've got loads of tupperware pots just sitting taking up space in the freezer, so the aim is to use only what I already have in the house for main meals this week to create some space. I will need to shop for bread, milk and sandwich fillings at some point, but my aim is a maximum of £20 spend on groceries between Saturday and Friday, that's for me, DS2 and one cat. Both Sat and Sun were NSDs so I'm doing ok so far. DS3 will be coming up at the weekend, so I'll need to shop Saturday morning for him. 

Dinner (lunch) will be a piece of quiche I've rescued from the back of the freezer. Left it to defrost in the fridge overnight and I've got plenty of salad stuff to go with it. Tea will be chilli and rice.

Checked online banking this morning, and updated my spreadsheet. Heating was on first thing, but I turned it off when I got back from my walk, as I was more than warm enough from the exercise.

carrielovesfanta

@Karb - I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. It's such a shock to the system when it's unexpected. 

If it's any help to you or any readers - I have used a few apps to successfully cut down on my drinking over the years. I log my units in "drinkaware" daily but when I needed to go teetotal for a bit, I like "Sobriety Counter - Stop Drinking (East Quit)" as it shows you little milestones of how giving up helps your body. 
I also found Andrew Johnson's Stop Drinking meditation helpful. It also helped me when I was napping after work as it would almost give me a controlled nap, then wake me up at the end.