NST;September Squirrels

luckystarr

Hello All

Today I have managed two SFD in a row WOO HOO :j:j:j and i have done two lots of exercise. So things are on the Up.

I have had a bit of reflective time as had a lot going off recently. I have a lot of confidence/emotional/family issues (which I wont bore you with). So me and the OH sat down and had a good chat and Oh made me realise that I need to concentrate on Us and stop worrying about everyone else and there lives. Having this chat has helped as I have a OCD planning so my new motto (with the help of my OH) Is "what am I doing today,what am I doing tomorrow" so that is as far as I am going to "plan". It's going to take some time .

Hope all that are feeling a little down feel better soon ... try and take each day as it comes.

Tomorrow will be a spend day as need to get some food and OH prescription . list has been written and meals have been planned as i am on SW and need to loose some timber

Hope everyone has had a nice weekend.. here is to a new week.

Onwards and upwards squirrels xx

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for an unexpected phone call from my mum, for my mower, for dd's wonderful imagination, for clean bed linen, for lovely neighbour being able to do tomorrow's school runs.

PheoniX

Hi gang :wave:

My SFD run seems to have ground to a halt Naughty spends today on coffee and cake after a lovely walk and also on a chicken and ys lettuce from Te$c. Couldnt believe that the 'large' ready cooked chicken was £6.50! I can remember a time when they were under £4

Calling Sorry to hear you are still suffering with your tummy, you must be worn out with it all

Luckystarr A mindful meditation book I once read mentioned that we spend most of our time thinking or worrying about the past or the future and very rarely focus on the moment. I find that practicing mm in things I do helps focus the mind on the here and now and stops overthinking. One day at a time is the way to go

Applemuncher Hope dd is doing ok and the wet flannel did the job!

Mothernerd You are doing a grand job of leading! :T

Everyone Thanks for your reassurance about my decision to pull out of the flat.. Feeling a lot happier that I did the right thing now

Like you Nanny g, I have showered and washed hair and am tucked up in bed ready to sleep.. Sweet dreams all

Night night

:wave:

Caeraugirl

Quick update for me - bagged another NSD and had a lovely relaxing day with DH and kids. Very chilled now, glass of wine, large bar of Galaxy and a movie while I plan how I'm gonna lose weight..... Everybody knows diets always start tomorrow! Hope all struggling with illness and other issues are now on the up.

[Deleted User]

Quick update from me too...had to skim read so apologies for not commenting back on issues raised...except, Mothernerd thanks for consistently putting effort into keeping us all on track at the same time as you have so much going on, and I'm so sorry that you had such a horrible experience when DS3 was young, and even sorrier that it rattled around and kept coming back to hurt you. The ability to reflect and reconsider our actions can be so painful - and so easy to judge in hindsight. It sounds to me like you were incredibly brave - this does not surprise me one iota - you still are!

Not a NSD here. £15 in food (to be added to sig) getting ahead for this week, plus some things DD wanted. Cooked up a big Shepherds Pie to her delight - about 6 portions left! Went food shopping after extra paying guest confirmed tomorrow night. Means I will be sleeping on the pull out in DD's room, as a guest on the futon (one we know very well and like a lot) plus two in my room. Futon guest now just brings a bag of groceries instead of paying (she eats with us in evening too) - its more like having a friend stay really.

Got a really big work event on on Friday so all effort is towards that. In prep lots of travelling next few days. May not check in but will be saving pennies wherever I can!

Just spent evening ironing while DD watched another amazon free movie. Shattered so despite having a long list of things to do, I'm heading to bed, and will be setting alarm extra early to get up for chores (yuk!). Nighty night folk xx

PS forgot to say, someone scraped my car but did leave a note with contact details. We are now trying to sort out outside of insurance (their request, but they did give me policy details as a back up). Feel pretty glad that they left details and were so apologetic as it wasnt an overlooked place and would have had no way of finding them. This is obviously better for them with impact on claims etc, and it really does seem like a superficial scrape. I thought if I got a written quote and asked them for the cash before the repair is done? Anybody done this before? What to watch out for? Another blooming thing to do though!

Fmess

Evening all

Sorry about your car crazy

Enjoy your holiday nanny g

Sorry to hear you are still poorly calling

I am the same luckystarr and also need to learn to not over plan or worry about things so much.

Thank you for all the mattress advice. I have currently stuffed a beach towel over the worst springs and it is much more comfy Hoping to use your advice to keep this mattress going until I can afford a new one (maybe end of November).

SFD number 4 here. Stayed in all day although claiming an exercise session today as walked the dogs for 40 minutes which I was quite impressed with after 48 hours in bed with the lurgy.

Night all

stewby

I have wonderful mental images of you (well, an imaginary person in my head) running around with a dog under their arm.
:rotfl:

I am sorry to hear your doggy is unwell. A friend of mine's dog is unwell and it is just heartbreaking.


Reflective time is certainly happening. Due to some work issues, I have basically been spending a lot of time thinking stuff through. Sadly, it is not relaxing. Sorry mothernerd, I think I am going to fail this one.
:sad:

Dolly... I don't know if you will have one near you but we have a place called magpie (no relation to the website thing). It has like second hand stuff (I got a wardrobe from there) but they were really cheaply priced as it is like a place for people just starting out or with low incomes. There might be a place like that near you?? Our one has beds as well.

Oh... today was a spendy day. £5.00 in total but I felt it was needed. One of my bosses is retiring so it went into her retirement pot. I think it is only fair as she is lovely. Sorry.

mothernerd

Planning and Preparation Week 2

CHRISTMAS
(Also Diwali, Eid-Ul-Adha, Hanukkah and Bodhi Day)

Getting in before Martin's reminder, this week we hit the 100 days to Christmas mark. Some of you are already well ahead with your preparations, some don't want to talk about it yet. So just a few ideas to start off.

Cutting back (because times are hard for everyone). It's a good time to introduce the topic of' 'no gift' deals or 'just buying for the children' or possibly a 'family present' (box of biscuits or a board game). If you want your workplace/ church/ community group to have a central display with one card for everyone (and money saved donated to charity), then now is the time.

Making presents If you are planning to make presents either from yourself or from your children (another new thing to learn if you haven't picked anything yet), work out what you are doing, how long it takes and make a note of anything which might get in the way (busy work weeks/ exams/ couple of under par weeks). I have had enough years frantically finishing something on Christmas Eve (once made up a cushion for my mil on the train one Mother's Day- phoned to say I was on my way, finished the trim on the journey, met in-laws in the pub by the railway station, one drink and back on the return train).

Food as presents or as usual - making everything from scratch saves money. Decide what makes Christmas for you - you don't need to be eating large tins of sweets from now until Easter and you don't need so much food you stagger from the table. I have been enjoying this thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5045717 over the last few days particularly the wartime recipes and and using green decorations, preserves and skittles vodka should be started now. If you are making your own Christmas cake or making them as gifts (including mini ones in baked bean tins) work out your ingredients now because Ald* and L*dl soon sell out (and you don't want to be asking what to do with 3 tubs of glace cherries in mid January because you didn't know what you needed).

Think about the cost of delivering gifts as well as the actual gift. We often bought large hb books as presents but postage can add ££. I well remember the year 1986, heavily pregnant with DS2, standing at a the bus stop with DS1surrounded by bags full of presents, our clothes, the pushchair, the nappy bag ready for the bus and train trek to North Wales to visit OH's parents, trying to ignore OH (who had been dj- ing and drinking at the office party all day and was holding onto the bus stop post to stand up. We finally arrived to find that all OH's family had left our presents at his mother's and we were expected to carry twice as much home with us. The following year I was prepared. We got married (oh dear) in September. I had all their presents wrapped (+ October, November and December birthday cards and gifts) and labelled and a full dinner service for the brother who was getting married the year after. Saved an absolute fortune in posting stuff or lugging it by hand and made for a relatively stress-free Christmas.

I'll leave it there. I am sure you all have ideas to contribute. There are other Christmas threads - for the craftspeople, for those who want to talk about it all year, probably one for the bah humbugs too. Try them, they may not be your thing but the first few posts have a host of links from printing labels to attach to home made goodies, recipes, general organisation, elf magic and resources for a polar express party.

The Christmas we get is the Christmas we deserve.

apple_muncher

Ooooooh! I'd forgotten we were having mini-challenges this month!! Yay!!

I always do the central card thing at work. Am making bunnies for 17 presents so far (done 4 completely, and have several bodies needing arms and legs!).

Food is simple - we only have the 3 of us to feed and 2 of us are coeliac, so number 3 (dh) also eats g-free! Dh cannot resist buying those big tubs. Or not so big now. Pointless purchases! He tries to justify it, by saying he got the g-free ones, but forgets I'm avoiding sugar!

And I've subscribed to a couple of the Cmas threads already!

Thanks for the push on this mothernerd! Always needed!

speakingofart

I know it's a good idea to be prepared (and on principle, I have all my presents by the end of november so that I don't have to deal with shops in December) but I can't believe it's time to talk about Christmas again already.....

Some great ideas there mother nerd!