I have lost my OS ways, help!

aklmatthews

Hi i have read the forums on and off for years but only posted occasionally and not for a long time. I used to be very good and planning every thing sticking to a budget and saving money everywhere i could but over the last couple of years for lots of reasons i have lost my way. we now have no emergency money put away and most months go into our overdraft my house has never been so untidy and it is all really getting me stressed so i need to get everything sorted and just to top it all off i am trying to lose some weight. there is just me and OH at home most of the time but oldest daughter is home a few months in winter and youngest daughter and granddaughter are her a couple of times a week for meals. i think this trend is just what i need.

ostaragirl

aklmatthews wrote: »

Hi i have read the forums on and off for years but only posted occasionally and not for a long time. I used to be very good and planning every thing sticking to a budget and saving money everywhere i could but over the last couple of years for lots of reasons i have lost my way. we now have no emergency money put away and most months go into our overdraft my house has never been so untidy and it is all really getting me stressed so i need to get everything sorted and just to top it all off i am trying to lose some weight. there is just me and OH at home most of the time but oldest daughter is home a few months in winter and youngest daughter and granddaughter are her a couple of times a week for meals. i think this trend is just what i need.

The house I can identify with mine is overloaded with stuff from my manic buying sprees but I've taken the first step, had a day off today so made a huge pile of clothes to get rid of and put them on selling sites.

ostaragirl

Made a start today with putting some clothes up for sale esp the ones with tags on, feel better for even doing that.

I have next few days off so making a start on organising this house, it's doing my head in....maybe a clean slate will help me to focus

Got really annoyed today with a family member so sitting here doing breathing exercises lol:mad:

Caterina

Hello everybody,

How many new posters, I have started a movement, am feeling a bit like Danny Wallace of Join Me! Here is an explanation link: http://www.join-me.co.uk/about/

Anyway, a warm welcome to Ginnyknit, wondercollie, ostaragirl, giblet1979, princess loki and aklmatthews! We are an army!

In a way it is a pity because the growing number of joiners of this thread mean that a lot of us feel that we have slipped away from the OS way of life, but at the same time it is great that we are so many and can give each other a hand up with our support, sharing experiences and tips.

Today I am going to be OS by default, just go through my day as if OS was the only way to be, no great gestures or actions, probably doing a bit if tidying and cleaning, might go to the allotment to water the plants, tidy the front garden and maybe even the back (nightmare to do after the builders have been for 2 months), if possible today might even be a NSD, which means I have to get up now to make DH's packed lunch.

I find it easy to be OS in the sunshine, the weather is really helping.

Have a good day everybody.

jlhmd666

Caterina I think the sunshine does help. I seem more motivated to OS now than I did a few months ago.

I have a mental plan to get the house sorted by Christmas. Not sure how that will work as I suffer with Fibromyalgia and am often exhausted or in pain but I'm trying to do little bits each day, a bit more when I have more energy. The house was really neglected when I first started suffering from it, even before diagnosis but it's time to try and get back on track

Good luck on your journey

mardatha

But of course- OS is the only way to be!!

villagelife

Can I join

Have recently purchased part of a field behind our garden and am spending time clearing that but feel as I'm not getting anywhere with it - just piles of rubbish - metal, glass, plastic and general rubbish.
Eventually will have vegetable garden and fruit trees but at moment just rubbish and rabbits galore! Have to be careful where walk in parts due to rabbit burrows.
The task seems endless and the house is now looking a mess and neglected and not muct time to cook etc.

So need motivation to get back on track.

ginnyknit

Villagelife - big job you have taken on but it is do-able. maybe you should mark it out into sections and work one area at a time until you have it under control. Look at it as a long term project so you dont get overwhelmed.

Can you cover a small area with old carpet/ cardboard weighted down to clear it? I am reclaiming an area of garden the landlord uncovered when he re - instated the boundary on my land by removing 2 fences the council had put up. Mines much smaller than your obviously but I have almost cleared it and have filled the cleared bits with layers of cardboard with compost on some (hm) and tubs full of flowers and veg on others.

I have apple tree's up there now and perennials in clumps that a friend let me dig up. Am aiming for a cottage garden with perennial flowers then veggies in between.

aklmatthews

jlhmd666 wrote: »

Caterina I think the sunshine does help. I seem more motivated to OS now than I did a few months ago.

I have a mental plan to get the house sorted by Christmas. Not sure how that will work as I suffer with Fibromyalgia and am often exhausted or in pain but I'm trying to do little bits each day, a bit more when I have more energy. The house was really neglected when I first started suffering from it, even before diagnosis but it's time to try and get back on track

Good luck on your journey

i like your plan to have the house sorted by christmas it gives something to aim for but without trying to do it over night. i have lots of things half finished like the dining room has had one coat of paint about 2 months ago but is still waiting for the second walls on stairs and landing have been painted but all the doors need doing. i will have all these things done and everything organised and tidy by christmas. then next years challenge will be to keep it all like that.

Caterina

Hello villagelife, good luck with clearing the field. Can you shoot/trap the rabbits for meat? Sorry, spoken like a true vegetarian and animal lover LOL but seriously, if there are lots of rabbit, can you not make them your first "harvest"?

So much for NSD, I forgot I had to pay for the next lot of bootcamp, mind you it is so heavily discounted because 50% of it I have paid in kind by babysitting. I could have done it all babysitting but I have had so little time lately with builders etc.

And speaking of builders, I just got the credit card bill, loaded with building items, it is a frightening amount. But I shall pay it as late as possible so I don't lose interest on the money dedicated to the kitchen (I have opened one of those 3% accounts, the 123, for the kitchen budget, even a bit of interest helps).

But these are budgeted expenses at least. My NSD is more of the "not popping to the shops for a pint of milk and coming back with £20 less in the purse" type.

I have a little challenge for myself: I have £45 in my purse today, payment from my other babysitting job. I owe someone £10 that they had advanced me for something, it will be paid back. The leftover £35 will have to make do for DH and me until 30th July, I have looked in the diary and there are no events that require a big expense. But I know DH will want to do something at the weekend, maybe go to the pub or something. He works so hard I cannot deny him the odd treat!

On 30th July I have a £60 planned expense, it is the last day that sainsbugs will give a 10p off fuel voucher on a £60 shopping. It will be a good day to stock up on tinned and frozen stuff and as DH is going up North the following week it will be good to fill up the tank, which is nearly empty now.

The big extra expense that is out of our control is to pay the builder, but as I said this is from a separate budget and I don't count it in my day to day budget.

Sometimes when I look at all these financial acrobatics I can see why one can lose the OS way, it is like always on the alert, always chasing the penny, forever scrimping...it gets tiring. Just as well I have this little corner of the world where to share. If I speak about these things with my acquaintances they roll their eyes send say life's too short!