Apple muncher's number crunching

apple_muncher

He would always have a stash of chocolate hidden in his robes, and possibly a dribble of chocolate on his chin...!

apple_muncher

Let me set out my (virtual) stall for December. Another NST challenge, by mothernerd. I've edited it to shorten it a little, but it's still an epic!

This month's challenge is based on one of my frequent sayings
Don't Be A Martyr For Christmas
Some of these are turtle rules (R) although I've added a couple of cheat if you need to bits. Everything else is ideas that help towards a happier life or reducing stress (optional - read them through and adopt any you find useful/ applicable) . We don't want any broken turtles, anyone reduced to tears (unless you want to have a little quiet cry in the corner - it can be very therapeutic) or having the screaming habdabs. That is not what Christmas/ your own celebration/ your life should be about EVER. I've also included an extra post giving some of the background and source materials for this challenge.
1)   D   DEBT OR SAVINGS (R) should be paid first, live on what is left.
2)   O   OVERVIEW (R) of the month ahead, any birthdays or social commitments. I would also like you to look ahead to 2021.
3)   N   NSDs (R) No spending days
4)   T   TIME (R) The challenge is for the whole of December
5)   B   BUDGETS (R) for the month should be set before the start of the month.
6)   E   EXERCISE and EATING (R). Eating well and moving your body
7)   A   ACCEPTANCE It's been a difficult year for most of us and the challenges just keep on. Many of us have restrictions. We can't do much about the situation so we have to change our attitude. You can spend the month brooding because you can't see particular friends or family members or sulk because you can't go to the pantomime, but it's better to accept the situation and make other plans. Find other ways of connecting with those you love.
8)   M   MAGIC Think about what makes Christmas special for you (for me it's fairy lights, candles, cinnamon, vanilla and the smell of Christmas spices, a comfy chair, a pile of new books, music, putting up the tree, a few flowers, going out for a brisk walk and then coming back into the warmth). Work out how to make the magic of Christmas for your children. Make some new traditions (do a Christmas light scavenger hunt, make handmade gifts or cards together, bake cakes or biscuits) for your family. 
9)   A   AVOID Chain coffee shops, fast food outlets, takeaways, vending machines etc (R).  I'm going to allow some freedom on this one, for this month.
10)  R   Be REALISTIC. Don't try to do everything. Accept all offers of help. Make the preparations a joint family effort. Have a plan B. Work out what is possible. Write it all down and then cut it down. Prioritise. Have a cut off point to stop (cleaning/ putting things away/ hiding stuff that's left over).
11)  T   Give THANKS. This isn't a turtle rule but it's a custom and is often included in challenges. Find three things at the end of each day to be grateful for.
12)  Y   YOU Need to Look After YOU. 
13)  R   REMOVE things that sap your happiness or your energy.  Remove clutter and things, people or activities that no longer fit in your life. Work on the person you want to be, not who you used to be.
14)  F   FORGIVE quickly.  If you are still stewing over an incident that happened years ago, the chances are that the only person being injured is you. The other person/ people have moved on and never think about it at all. Forgiveness is not forgetting (especially in cases of abuse), it's just getting the poison out of your head.
15)  O OUT WITH PERFECTION.  Your Christmas isn't going to look like the tv adverts. Your family isn't going to turn into the Waltons overnight (and you would probably hate it if they did). Things will go wrong. Laugh about them.
16)  R  REMEMBER OTHERS. (See post #3) This year more people will be living in poverty, not have enough food, be homeless or alone. Charities are struggling to cope. Do what you can, give money if you can, time if you have it. If you have nothing else to give, give a smile or greeting to people you pass in the street. Random Rule - get those RAKs (random acts of kindness) going.
17)  C   COOK FROM SCRATCH (R).  The food budget is one of the areas we have most control over.
18)  H   HOPE. Have something to look forward to. Plan for the future you want but be flexible as things may change.
19)  R   REMOVE yourself from the situation.  If things are getting too much for you (over the holidays, because of lockdown or just the way things are) take yourself to a quiet room and lie down/ cry/ have a time out.
20)  I   IN TOUCH. Listen to your body.  Spots and ulcers are signs of stress in your body. If you have MH problems you should be aware of your personal red flags and what you need to do.
21)  S  SIMPLIFY everything.  SIMPLIFY your life - work on eliminating or automating mundane tasks.
22)  T   TAKE ACTION towards a goal. It can be a baby step but work out what isn't okay in your life, work out where you want to be and then take one tiny step to take yourself nearer to your goal.
23)  M   MINDFULNESS Live in the present.
24)  A    ADVANCE PLANNING is your friend. If you are posting cards or presents send them as soon as possible as delivery and postal services are already stretched.
25)  S   STAY IN TOUCH (R) Reporting in regularly keeps you accountable. It's especially important when things are going wrong for you. Turtle hugs are awesome.

apple_muncher

So December is upon us.

Gifts for the overseas kids are all bought/made, and ready to be posted. As I type, I'm waiting for the parcel to Canada to be collected. We bought dgs a dino train set for liddle and the postage is more than the cost of the item. Eek. We won't be making that rookie error again... Still need to post the rest of the Canada items, and then 2 lots to Oz. It's my fault coz I said 'let's not just get them vouchers; let's get them real presents'. Sigh...

School ends on the 16th. Yay! Only 7 teaching days for me. Gosh, but that isn't much at all. Dd finishes the same day and dh goes on until the Friday.

In Nov, despite spending a lot of money (or so it felt) I seem to have almost half of my salary left. Now that was my goal to build up to for next May, so I hope I've not peaked too early... Gym DD, swim lesson DD, dance class payments will all come out this month - the first 2 were frozen for the 4 weeks of lockdown 2.

I have set myself a few challenges for the month along the lines of 500. Or 5. To burn an extra 500 cals per day through exercise or through eating less (I am rather a little piggie, so this is not going to take me anywhere down to even remotely near silly low numbers, even if I manage to achieve it!!). Or 5000 extra steps on top of my usual (current average for the last 2 months is about 8k daily). Or drinking 5 of my bottle of water (approx 3+ litres).

Dh should be back soon to parcel sit, and I'm off to meet dd + hopefully get some gf/df cornettos from icyland...

Karmacat

How lovely the challenge is!   And how wonderful that there were only 7 more teaching days at that stage  

apple_muncher

Only 6 now ...!

earthgirl2

Love the challenge and your homemade masks sound lovey.
I have to work till the 23rd eeek. Announcement tomorrow so hoping our holiday is brought forward a few days!
Enjoy your Christmas preparations!

apple_muncher

I know I'm very lucky to finish so early. And we get just shy of 3 weeks off, so a good chance to unwind. Sorry your holiday didn't get lengthened.

Today I have instigated the idea of arranging a flashmob for the last day of term. Sooo exciting!

I have also been back to the gym, which was good, and used the super-duper-weigh-and-measure-everything machine. I only download the results once I'm home though. Anyhow, I'm keeping track and there's not much difference between today and the last reading before lockdown. And that is a good thing!

Tomorrow I have an appt with an IFA, arranged and paid for by work, in relation to the pension shenanigans we're going through. However, I don't expect the IFA to be a TPS specialist, so need to come up with some useful questions for him, to make the most of the appt. And to work out how to make the most of the time between a) now + getting my first TPS pension at 60, and b) 60 and my state pension + 2nd TPS pension at 67. Also, dh gets his pension(s) at 64, so under 2 years for him. How does all that play out, eh...? Is the best thing for me to aim to save x% each month and simply build a savings pot to cover 60-67? Do I want/need to be working after 60 (I know many do) as dh is 10 yrs older and his pensions will considerably boost our current income! And if I work until 67, then dh will be 77, which frankly, is getting old! In fact, do I want to be working much once dh gets his pensions cos then he can stop working and have more free time...

But most of those ramblings aren't things to put to the IFA. And I don't want to be talked into signing up for an investment plan thingy. Our mortgage is as good as gone. We have savings. But we also have a young daughter who may want to go to uni (sadly, no longer does she wish to go and study fairies...), and dh's kids out in far-flung corners of the world (plus their kids ) to visit.

Okay. Enough wittering!

Karmacat

Those are great questions!  You have to have your own questions geared to your own needs when you get appointments like this, otherwise its either going to be incredibly generic, or factfinding.  Good for you.

apple_muncher

Thank you, karma! It was a good and interesting and useful 30mins, despite my wifi dropping out at 20 mins, and having to rejoin. One thing to research is the recentish McCloud (sp?) case that was won and means that, given my age, I benefit from it and therefore up to 7 yrs of my pension will move back into the final salary scheme. A winner!

Most of the qs I had/have are specific to the TPS and their website is really good. And a work colleague used to be an accountant and is a very useful friend to have!

I can feel yesterday's workout today so am taking it easy.

Dd has an othodontist appt later so I'll walk up to meet her and maybe have a mooch in the ch shops on the way.

Am finding it hard to shift off the sofa currently. I drove dd to sch, did a big liddle shop (and used a 5 off 40 voucher), cleared the rug by the back door and got it washed in prep for putting the tree on it, had my ifa appointment, rang a parent, had lots of lunch, packed some presents for sending far away and am fair worn out!

apple_muncher

Dd has found the original lost swim kit from 4 weeks ago. Yay! It was hanging up in the biology lab, of course... Just the other one to find now...

The ortho appt was smooth, and her braces were tightened a little. But no pain this time, phew.

I got a bundle for £6 from the ch shop: a lilac fleece jacket for mum; a bright orange exercise top for me; a 'dad elf' l/s tee for dh; a huuge star warz tee for dh (may dye it as it's quite off-white...); a blue checked blouse to cut up to make an elephant; a bracelet with multiple leather straps; a set of 5 poo-shaped but brightly coloured rubbers.

Tomorrow:

-gym?

-dance

-cut out aforementioned elephant

-re-sew the pig's ears to look less like a cat's ears...

-multiple rugby matches to watch

-marking

-possibly 2 bags to SA and buy a c00k voucher

-penguin felting?

-snowman felting?

-take dd to some ch shops