Time for a sparkly new Tenner Week. Yes, we’re going to get going with our big thrifty old Spring Clean. Let’s do this!

First up we have our day-by-day schedule for the week, and then there’s an optional Sunday Stocktake for anyone who wants to give themselves a handy head start.

Tenner Week Spring Clean schedule

We’re going to do some old fashioned house cleaning mixed in with some decluttering, and a little organising too. With the cleaning, let’s take advantage of gravity and work from the top down. Also, the activities during the week will be quicker and easier, as most of us have less free time on weekdays.

Here goes…

• Monday: Ceilings and lights
• Tuesday: Pictures, mirrors or windows
• Wednesday: Bills or bank statements
• Thursday: Tackle the junk drawer
• Friday: Door handles
• Saturday: Skirting boards and floors
• Sunday: Fridge, freezer or oven

As you can see, some of the days have more than one option so that you can tailor it more to your personal situation. And the Friday activity is really, really quick – in case you’ve had a long working week.

There’s also an optional TV Diet: if you want to do this, simply ration your telly time to a total of four hours over the next four days. If you go out to watch something at the cinema that doesn’t count, nor does TV you watch at the gym.

The Sunday Stocktake

Get organised with this quick activity if you want to make your Tenner Week challenge just a tiny bit easier.

As it’s a Spring Clean theme, start by looking out for anything you have around that could be pressed into use, such as:

• Dusters and cloths
• Broom, mop, dustpan and brush, carpet beater, vacuum cleaner
• Bicarbonate of soda, spirit vinegar, lemon juice, old newspaper
• General cleaning products: surface cleaner, polish, window cleaner, etc
• Descaler, anti-bac, oven cleaner
• Files, boxes, dividers, labels, organiser apps etc

Then make a note of all your food stocks, such as:

• Contents of fridge, freezer and cupboards
• Bread bin and cake box
• Worktop canisters
• Fruit bowl
• Wine rack or drinks cupboard
• Biscuit tin etc

Once you’ve noted this down, have a quick think about ways to get through the week without buying too much extra food. The idea is to use things up efficiently, and to try to avoid food waste too if possible.

Now all you have to do is take out your £10 budget in cash, and get ready for a good old scrub and polish. Ahem. See you on Monday.