A Frog A Week Equals A Special Treat 2022

leftatthetrafficlights

I found this thread while mooching through the forum:  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3449661/a-frog-a-week-equals-a-special-treat/p1

It struck me as great idea and something which may help to keep me (and hopefully others) motivated so have decided to 'revive' it ! 😁 

I'm going to make a list of tasks and categorise them into: 

Frogs - things that will take a weekend/few days to complete;

Froglets - things that will take a full day/most of a day to complete; 

Tadpoles - things that will take an hour / couple of hours to complete 

Frogspawn - quick win things that can be done in less than an hour

I also need to make a list of 'treats' to reward myself for completing the tasks - these need to be as mse as possible so I'm thinking of things like a new book from a charity shop, a walk on the beach, a picnic etc...

I'll be back later to add my lists! 

EDITED - MY FROG LISTS! 

FROGS 

Complete pond
Sort compost bins 
Install tap in front garden
Remove piping from old tap in garden
Weed front garden beds
Sort cracked plaster in bedrooms 
Sort boards for under windowsills 
Lower fireplace

FROGLETS 

Dig out bog garden
Make 2nd framework for veg bed netting 
Clean grout in hallway 
Sort understair cupboard 

TADPOLES 

Sort hanging baskets 
Weed small flower beds
Move snowdrops
Plant bog garden
Plant castor oil and canna plants
Clean bathroom radiator 
Sort doorbell
Descale shower head
Sort wine

SPAWN 

Move greenhouse plants to coldframe
Raise lemons off the ground 
Replace shower hose
Repot butterfly Plant
Repot orchid
Feed houseplants
Move artwork from office to bedrooms
Hang photos in office

Rosa_Damascena

I have tasks that have been sitting around for the past 6 months. What do we name them?

leftatthetrafficlights

Rosa_Damascena said:

I have tasks that have been sitting around for the past 6 months. What do we name them?

Mutant frogs!! 🤣 

In all honesty, some of mine have been outstanding for a considerable period of time - it's just my lack of motivation that has prevented me from starting/ doing them! 

If its an enormous task, it's best to break it down to manageable chunks - for instance, clearing a wardrobe can be broken down into: Frog 1 - clear 1st drawer; Frog 2 - clear 1st shelf etc....

However you want to do it is fine - it's just about getting it done and feeling that sense of achievement and relief! 😉

Rosetta92

I really like this idea. And I have a whole family of frogs and tadpoles. 

leftatthetrafficlights

It will be nice to have you along @Rosetta92😁

Frog lists have been added to first post 😁 thinking about the Treat side of things will take a bit longer but I'll add them once I've thought of them. 

To be honest, just getting the jobs down on a list and knowing what I need to get done is a bit of a treat in itself! 🤣 It's a relief to have the stuff out of my head and onto a tangible list that I can work through! 

OrkneyStar

As a knitter, a 'frog' means to rip something back because you don't like it or have made a mistake (rip it, rip it...ribbit ribbit), so initially I was confused. I think that if naming something works for you then go for it, I'd end up wasting more time listing and making lists with all sorts of amphibian names......ha ha maybe electric eels need to be on there, as something that keep slipping out of your grasp but can also cause damage, so needs to be done? No? Ha ha, Good luck with the froggies!

Blackcats

Great idea leftatthetrafficlights - I was inspired to deal with a tadpole today.  I sorted out a wardrobe - 5 carrier bags for the charity shop and a very organised wardrobe.
there's another wardrobe waiting until next weekend.
dealt with some paperwork too (frog spawn) - filled the shredder ready for bin collection on Wednesday.
It's funny how both me and the house somehow feel a bit lighter having shed some clutter.

leftatthetrafficlights

Welcome @Blackcats! It certainly does make you feel lighter when you sort stuff out! 😉 

So, yesterday was very productive- sorted a few spawn jobs and started on a major frog! 🙌 

My dd & sil dug a pond out for us back in September 2020 - it has been a combination of a fire pit and general hole in the ground ever since 🤦‍♀️ However, yesterday we took up some patio slabs for the electrics, put the sand, underlay and liner in and started to fill it!! 🙌 We still have to dig the trench in the garden for the cabling, finish the waterfall and the edging but we will do that at the weekend- today we're going to buy the pond plants and go out for lunch as a treat (not very mse but we're on holiday until Thursday and planned on doing something anyway 😉) 

So, lists now: 

FROGS 

Complete pond
Sort compost bins 
Install tap in front garden
Remove piping from old tap in garden
Weed front garden beds
Sort cracked plaster in bedrooms 
Sort boards for under windowsills 
Lower fireplace

FROGLETS 
Dig out bog garden
Make 2nd framework for veg bed netting 
Clean grout in hallway 
Sort understair cupboard 

TADPOLES 

Sort hanging baskets 
Weed small flower beds
Move snowdrops
Plant bog garden
Plant castor oil and canna plants
Clean bathroom radiator 
Sort doorbell
Descale shower head
Sort wine

SPAWN 

Move greenhouse plants to coldframe
Raise lemons off the ground 
Replace shower hose
Repot butterfly Plant
Repot orchid
Feed houseplants
Move artwork from office to bedrooms
Hang photos in office

Stuff in bold italics achieved!! 😁

leftatthetrafficlights

A week on - update time! 😁 

FROGS 

Complete pond
Sort compost bins 
Install tap in front garden
Remove piping from old tap in garden
Weed front garden beds
Sort cracked plaster in bedrooms 
Sort boards for under windowsills 
Lower fireplace

FROGLETS 
Dig out bog garden
Make 2nd framework for veg bed netting 
Clean grout in hallway 
Sort understair cupboard 

TADPOLES 

Sort hanging baskets 
Weed small flower beds
Move snowdrops
Plant bog garden
Plant castor oil and canna plants
Clean bathroom radiator 
Sort doorbell
Descale shower head
Sort wine

SPAWN 

Move greenhouse plants to coldframe
Raise lemons off the ground 
Replace shower hose
Repot butterfly Plant
Repot orchid
Feed houseplants
Move artwork from office to bedrooms
Hang photos in office

Stuff in bold italics achieved!! 😁

Lots to do still but getting there! 😉 I  decided to treat myself by buying what I wanted for the garden - not very mse but worth it in the long run - we can now use and enjoy the garden in the way we want and it's lovely having the garden sanctuary that we've dreamt of for many years 😍

Spendless

I like this. We need to embark (already started) on a major de-clutter/sort out of house as come the Autumn there may be 2, 3,4 or 5 adults living here depending on whether DD gets into her desired HE course or if DS and fiancee end up living back here as his degree finishes soon. I am delaying returning to work until all this is done, so the sooner it is the better for our finances.

Frogs - things that will take a weekend/few days to complete;

Froglets - things that will take a full day/most of a day to complete; 

Tadpoles - things that will take an hour / couple of hours to complete 

Frogspawn - quick win things that can be done in less than an hour

FROGS

Clear/Tidy up conservatory (We started this yesterday) 

Sort out corner of doom (where all our paperwork ends up!)


Froglets 

Go through with teenage daughter her clothes to keep/sell/charity/recycle.
Find a home/keep/discard her items from when she lived away from home for a short while

Tadpoles

Sort out/Tidy our bedroom.
Go through large floor to ceiling cupboard in kitchen/diner

Frogspawn
Go through items in telephone cupboard in hallway
Sort through discard coats hung up
Put away items on landing window from hols 

leftatthetrafficlights

Welcome aboard @Spendless! 😁 

I must admit that since doing the list I've felt much more motivated to get things done and I feel much better mentally not having the thought of these frogs swimming around in my head! 

Today we will be hopefully completing a few more things off the list  - we're looking to get the veg bed frame sorted and weed the small flower beds- fingers crossed that the weather holds!