Eager Elephant's Effective Everyday Excursion ...

Eager_Elephant

This weeks challenge:




WEEK 1 challenge-Your health to start each Friday (tomorrow!!!!)


I weighed myself yikes 13st ( not expecting you to disclose your weight) if you want to look fab for summer just state weight you want to lose this month 7lbs for me. I will be weighing myself this weekend in preparation of my new way of eating which starts next week. I will post when I know, it isn’t going to be great though – I am guessing 11stone (or more). I want to lose at least 7lb as well.

In this section we get to grips with all those regular check ups we have been avoiding. e.g. Opticians, Dentists, Find out if you are due for any general screenings or vaccinations. Regular check ups are important could save your life. I need to get myself to the GP for some o/s gynae issues but have been putting it off. I must get an appointment booked this week. My dental appt is overdue, they cancelled back in Feb and I said I would call to rebook and haven’t bothered.

Eating habits can you do better? Vegetables/fruit are cheap at moment with supermarket wars. Aim to eat at least 5 a day. Cut out sugary foods, save money and have perfect looking skin. Have you enough Iron, minerals in your diet? I am going to start the 5:2 diet this week so will up my fruit and veg intake on my normal days.

Exercise If you able join in I am aiming to walk at least 1hr a day, can't afford gyms, exercise classes. Do want you feel comfortable doing, we don't want wounded turtles clogging up the naughty step. Will see if I can do more than my usual.

Have a pamper session at home pay attention to those feet, exfoliate use all the xmas pressies up. Skin will be on show soon. My feet are so bad in winter so I have started moisturising daily to try and improve them.

Keep your mind active, jigsaws, reading, quizzing, chatting to new people, join local interest groups, whatever works for you. Will have to find something to do.

Finally I apologize now, I haven't gone mad with this challenge I want us able and ready to cope with everything life throws at us.We want you fighting fit for the financial challenges in the weeks ahead. Thanks calling!!

Eager_Elephant

Sorry not posting much at the moment - still joining in with the Ninja Saving Turtles - they really make me think about my spend days - usually I just buy as and when I need things but now I note down what is needed and buy everything on one day.


My sofas have arrived:j - only 4 weeks from order to delivery. They are gorgeous, we picked our 2 colours from 100's of different ones so our sofas really are bespoke as I doubt anyone would have picked the same as us. They go lovely with the patchwork chair I got.


I paid the deposit on the credit card (for the protection) and then paid the balance using DH's savings account for his truck which will need to be replaced asap as his truck won't start (it doesn't like cold weather) and we are sick of it so will have to sell as spares or repairs and then see if we can cobble together enough money from various pots.


DH has been off sick all week, his head pain is back:mad: - he has not been able to go to work all week. He says he does not know how he managed for 4.5yrs. I am hoping it is connected to his cold (which I gave him:mad:, I have had this blocked nose/sore throat combo for 3 weeks and seem to have given it to DH). I have started him on 4000mg of garlic and hopefully this will get rid of it quickly. I'm thinking the pressure build up is making things inflamed hence a blood vessel is touching the nerve and causing the pain. Once his cold has gone the pain should go. If not we will go back to consultant.
DH is hoping to go back to work tomorrow - fingers crossed.


We have brought our piggies for this year, they arrived last weekend - we have 2 boys this year and they are very vocal when they want food:rotfl:


Not much else is going on except after 15 years I have finally created a housework rota - I have been full time since 2012 and have always done the majority of the housework. Weekdays I would cook tea and wash up and hopefully do some washing and weekends were spent cleaning all the rooms and doing more washing while DH watched TV and the DC's played on their computers. Then I would go back to work and it would all start again.
So from 1/4 I created a washing up rota (daily) and a weekend rota where we take it in turns to do a room each - it's not going too badly although I did have to threaten removal of internet access if the DC's did not start their rooms by 2pm.
I will still do the washing of clothes as no one else can be trusted with that job:rotfl:


So I should have loads more time at weekend doing what I want to do rather than just doing housework and begrudging everyone.

Savvy_sewing

Hope you can stick to the housework routine EE.
I can never manage too.
DGD is 8 1/2 now and so I intend to get her doing more around the house when we get back home. We fly back tonight and will be very tired tomorrow, but both of us have work to do, school for DGD and the shop for me. Then on Wednesday the housing association are coming to fix the mould downstairs. Etc
Hope DH is better soon.

Eager_Elephant

Things are going quite well in the Elephant household even though I have had shingles and DH has been off sick from work again.


The housework rota is going well although DD says she can't cope with washing up due to the smell??? so we have agreed that she has to feed the pigs every evening so the rota for May washing up will not include DD. Also DS and his GF alternate Weds - Fri at each others house so best that he does not do the washing up on those days.


I do seem to have more time at weekends, at the moment this time is being spent on other things - last weekend we had a charity event which was all afternoon and evening, yesterday we helped my brother move. Next Sat I have another charity event in the later afternoon/early evening then the following weekend I am away with the girls.


At least the housework gets done even when I am busy - any spare time I get I am trying to sort the bedroom out as it has become a dumping ground and not relaxing at all.


Fell behind with YNAB and as a result the budget has gone out of the window and I don't have any savings to pay off the c/c in 18mths time.
I am going to redo the budget this weekend and make sure that on payday I put my savings in first and some to debt and then the rest on bills etc.
Just need to make sure I sort the bills before the 1st of each month and make sure money has been moved around.


Have been keeping up with the Ninja Saving Turtles and managed 17 NSD's last month - this months target is 16 so should be doable.


Need to get on top of surveys, am only doing a few but trying to do Yougov - am 90p away from claiming my £50!!!


Hope everyone is well.

beanielou

Only 400 points to go on YG for me!

Eager_Elephant

Just did a survey for 150 points and have managed to redeem £50 from YouGov.


Checked back and I last redeemed in Feb 2015 - if I had done all the surveys it might have been quicker. Will try to do as many as I can and see if I can redeem before Xmas.


If anyone wants my referral link just let me know - someone kindly used my link earlier this year and I got 400 points - usually amount is 200 points.

beanielou

:j :j
Wont be far behind you I hope!!

pennywisepoundstupid

Well done on the payout :j, I average about 2 payouts a year from them.

Savvy_sewing

I have been trying to do the yougov surveys but a very long way away from getting any money.
Hope you can get to the bottom of DHs illness, and that you have recovered from the shingles.

Eager_Elephant

YouGov money hit my account quite quickly but will be spending this at the weekend as leaving shortly for girls weekend in Bognor!!!


I am all healed up from my shingles and DH's head is still hurting but not so bad that he needs time off work. He has a cold/sinus thing which seems to have affected his head pain - I am hoping once this has cleared up his head pain will go completely again.
He did ring the GP in case he had a sinus infection and to get antibiotics but the GP said he can't comment on his head pain as he is not a specialist and instead they are testing him for thyroid issues - in a way I hope he does have an underactive thyroid as this would explain everything he has suffered with for the last 15+years but I know life is not that simple and it won't be it and it just so happens he has various conditions.


I redid my budget for May and have printed out my spreadsheet even though I use YNAB as well so I can tick off money in savings as I go - I just can't get on with flicking between screens on the computer, I like to see it written down in front of me.
Just £40 to go in June until I have paid my son back the money I borrowed from him for my car, still got about £400 to pay back to DH - then I will pay down my c/c which is on 0% for ages, I hate seeing a balance there and just want it gone, I was supposed to be putting money aside in a savings acc to earn interest until the 0% expires but I would like to see that paid off and I haven't put any money aside.


Once that c/c has gone I need to sort my defaulted c/c which has a balance of £8k - will need to save ready to offer a full and final.


Not sure what DH is doing about his debts apart from paying token payments - I'm thinking he should consider bankruptcy and then we can just move on with our lives but we want to buy this property and then hopefully get a farm and that may hinder us. maybe he needs to look at full and finals as well????


Am still with the Ninja Saving Turtles but not posted for ages - life has been so busy at the moment and evenings are taken up with various things.


Need to get back to it when I am back next week - still had loads of NSD's so should hopefully make the challenge!!


Have a good weekend everyone!!