NST November: battening down the hatches!

Aphidgirl

Enjoy the sofa Coffee! Like you said if you're having lots of nights in to save money then you need to be nice and comfortable

NSD 8 today. Made a nice chilli con carne for dinner and cooked up all the mince so got loads left over for dinners over the next few days. To drink: a Romanian lager given to me by my housemate - tastes good!

Hope everyone else is doing well, happy debt busting/saving

apple_muncher

I can add another NSD to my total. Tomorrow is food shopping day - my fabourite day! Once again, i'm pretty sure the food budget will go over. Hmmm. Some analysis rewuired, methinks.


Anyhoo, today I am grateful for the sunshine, for lovely neighbour looking after dd, for dinner being leftovers and thus easy for the brain to organise, for catching up with my sister, for dd already being asleep as I type!!

LoveaDove

Hi all,

So first day back at work after a several day break and I leave an hour and a half into the shift to go back home to bed. I felt really nauseous last night on the final leg of my trip home- an hour and a half on a local bus. All the swinging round corners, whilst sat at the back of the bus, whilst it's dark outside left me feeling really travel sick. I haven't had travel sickness in years! I got home and felt the same when I went to bed, and the same when I got up and drove to work this morning. Bleurgh. Am feeling much less nauseous now and eating ok, so hoping it has past! Not feeling so great about losing 6.5 hours of pay though!

I haven't accumulated any more SFD's today as I have continued with Christmas shopping online and have pre-booked my own and OH's cinema tickets for the Hobbit in December, for OH's Birthday. So at least have partaken in something semi-productive, making purchases from allocated pots albeit still spending moolah. Hoping to nab a SFD tomorrow..they seem to be harder to collect the closer it gets to Christmas!

Hope you're all keeping warm and wrapped up during these chilly/rainy days (and nights)!

Fmess

Evening all

On my phone so it'll be a short one.

SFDS number 9 and LTW. Also went swimming tonight so another exercise session done. Looking forward to tomorrow night when I'll have some tutoring money to throw at the debt

Night all

Samiszel

NSD number 10 for me today :j

Ordered a "few" (10?) potential dresses on Sunday to wear to SIL wedding in 3 weeks time, but haven't added the total to my budget as I (of course) won't be keeping all of them and just hoping that even one fits nicely!! In fact, DH suggested I pay from joint account anyway as it's 'necessary' I look good :rotfl: Luckily he will be wearing morning suit with the grooms men, so no cost there. My only worry is whether he actually still fits into the suit he tried on a couple of months back...

Felt peckish this evening so baked some choc croissants. I coated them in far too much egg, so instead of having a nice glaze, they came out as semi-omlettes! Still tasted good though, and I have some left over to take to work for snack tomorrow.

Sorry to hear Jelly not well, Lilt. And hope Mothernerd doing ok.

liltdiddylilt

Calling I just re-read... private dentist :eek: - I feel for you. I hope it is not as bad as you think! xx

C&S I am a firm believer in quality sofa's. It has always been my one thing. Where I will beg, steal or borrow 90% of my furniture, get it from charity shops, or super cheap online stores... I have owned 2 sofas in my life and both of them cost over £1500. So please do not feel bad about your sofa. And argue the toss with Argos. You have consumer rights. Sale of Goods Act etc etc. You are entitled to a full refund if you find the product lacking within the first FOUR MONTHS of purchase. At any time after that it is up to you to prove it wasn't your own misuse. SO I would personally get back to that store, get hopping mad and get my refund. Arm yourself with information, refuse to speak to anyone except the manager, and if you do it over the phone, then do the same thing. Argos can offer you other options, including fixing the product, but that is all it is. An OFFER. Don't be made to feel like you have to go through that process in order to get your refund. You aren't happy with the goods. They don't do what you wanted. The end.

apple another one here reworking my grocery budget a bit. Not for this challenge mind you. I will say I failed miserably this month.

Defo a SFD. Tomorrow need milk for Him to bathe in whilst I am at work or whatever he does with it. Will get bread whilst I am at it and then covered until Sunday probably!

Night all xx

mothernerd

Thanks for missing me and for all your good wishes. Not in much pain atm - main problem is cramp in the foot of my operated leg which is difficult to tackle given the number of prohibited movements I have to observe in order to avoid any stress which might cause my lovely new hip to 'POP' out and start the whole process again.. Finally got home from hospital at 5pm this evening and after dealing with a few chores have been alternating catch ing with your posts and stopping to fend off cramp.

Just added another six NSD as haven't spent a bean (relative who took me to hospital forestalled the necessity of paying car parking by dropping my and my rucksack at the main entrance, leaving me to wander down darkened corridors (traffic was so good I was actually there at 1/4 to 7am, had to wait for the staff to finish their morning drink before anyone came to deal with me, they just pointed at a door and told me to stand by the reception desk).

The day before my operation I added to my miscellaneous spends with £12 on some men's slippers in a size 9/10 (sort of wooly ankle boots with a good tread on the sole) which were excellent for the couple of days I used them (better than up to £70 trainers/ boots/slippers I had despairingly tried) and a small tray with legs (£19.99) which is proving very useful for using the laptop without any pressure on my legs.

Other day before activities included 4 hours cleaning at the old house with any oddments bagged and moved into the vestibule (had bought DS3 a weekly bus ticket to transport all this back in stages but plans involving Ds3 gang a-gley faster than those involving mice and men), quite a bit knocking my bedroom into shape, less time in the front room and kitchen and throwing stands of Christmas lights in various places. Originally I hoped my last day would go the way of my best Christmas Eves - everywhere straight and just putting up decorations and calmly enjoying it all (now on crutches until at least Christmas Day and banned movements - no twisting, turning, bending or body shapes more acute than 90 degrees/ L shape - will make that a challenge). Could try threading decs on lengths of tinsel or just artfully throwing/ draping them. But I have lights.

The pattern of nothing going to plan went all the way through till bedtime - picked up the alarm clock and the wheel for setting the alarm time was missing. Sometimes the clock one will slip off and can be moved to where required - no dice. So had to settle for getting up when it wasn't safe to snooze further, which turned out to be 4.30am. So made a few useful improvements to the kitchen - more worktop space, the microwave where I wanted it, two shelf units side by side, floor clearer - after bathing and packing and set off.

The computer threw a wobbly over my change of address, my blood sugar was dangerously low and I was allowed a hot chocolate. However the end result was that at 2.30pm only 3 of us were left and I was the ultimate victor, arriving at pre-op at 3.30pm and waking in recovery at 5.30pm. The epidural wasn't as scary as it might have been, since we were sedated beforehand and then through the operation (see above).

All the staff were wonderful and although the first few days were a bit of an ordeal I am more confident on my crutches.

Was sure I was going to get out yesterday, had passed the stairs test and had meds sorted before dinner (knew 4 possibly 5 of us were to go home but wasn't sure where I might be on the list). We stalled on x-rays, porters were called away to other jobs. Finally just before 7pm (after another visit from my lovely consultant) a lone porter returned to see if anyone still hadn't been so I was squeezed in - but no ride home.

Just hope not to mess anything up now. It's harder now that there is so much movement in the leg but have to wait until all the surrounding tissue has healed.

So home where DS3 is so far not proving to be a tower of strength. He did wait for the internet man but failed to collect the telephone from the old house first (or put the full to the brim bin out when he did) so we can make outgoing calls but not receive any atm. He freely admits he is not up to looking after me (not helped by DS2, who still has a key, bursting in drunk in the early hours at the weekend, looking for a fight) but I am not wanting a great deal from him - although doing the tasks I had listed by his cordial bottle (adapted from leaving messages for his father in front of the kettle) or sent home with visitors would have helped.

Apparently his gf did stay at weekend and he has had no time to do anything else (and when I phoned from the hospital, I sounded so out of it that he did not know if it was me, so it's my fault). But he has put the bin out here, fed us both (but chip shop rather than put one of the ready meals in the microwave) and done a couple of other essential tasks, so we will have to try again tomorrow. We seem to be ok now - earlier he retreated into his room but we're talking again now.

So tonight I am grateful for my own bed, for the NHS and my wonderful new hip (please let me not mess it up) and for DS3, despite his limitations.































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Caeraugirl

Mothernerd so glad op went well, now hopefully if those DS's of yours help out you'll be like a new woman once you've recovered. Take it gently - sounds like you're looking after yourself and that new hip!

Haven't been posting as often as I should, sorry. Have been busy with work, teaching application, kids' activities, etc, but sadly not too busy not to spend. Still, Xmas shopping almost complete, just need some stocking fillers and should be done.

Have been up since 5.30 with a stinking cold, lying in bed trying to get back off for an hour before that so finally gave up and made myself a cuppa. Rest of th house stirring now so going to hop in the shower before the bathroom is commandeered. Glad I have cold now, in my working week, as hopefully means I'll be over it before my weekend away.

And I too have completely blown my food budget this month, must be all the comfort food - and that would explain the lack of weight loss too lol! The week's almost half way through, yay!

speakingofart

coffeeandstitches - no naughty steps here! At the end of the day, if you needed to make that decision then the best thing to do is sit on your nice comfy sofa (I must admit, I might have made a similar decision ) and plot your new plan of attack!

lilt - hope jelly's feeling better, seems like everyone is ill at the moment! We need some nice frosty weather to kill all the germs...

stewby - I'd love to go to download, very jealous! Will have to put it on my saving list!

mothernerd - that sounds like quite an ordeal! Good to hear from you and I'm so pleased everything is going well - even racking up NSDs!

NSD for me yesterday, felt quite productive. Need to crack on with my essay tonight when I get home from work, so hopefully will be another NSD today.

£33.00/ £150 groceries till 15th December
£40.85/£60 petrol till 15th December
£28.75/ £36.70 spending money till 15th December
NSDs 7/20 (till 30th November)
10/20 exercise sessions (lunchtime walks, till 30th November)

thriftylass

Welcome back mothernerd I wish you a speedy recovery!

NSD number 12 today, doing great at the NSD front , might make the 20 target as I don't spend during the week. Wish weekends were easier to avoid .

Hope everybody with the lurgy is feeling better soon. Seems to be making the rounds here too and it's s strange one, it lingers for ages.

Reinstated my buss pass account because it's still the cheapest option and the service/time table has improved recently. Guess enough people complained. If now the nursery would let me know if they made a mistake and we do need to pay for DD this month (as expected) or if we're in credit (one can hope) I could sort the rest of this month's finances out. And my gas and leccy provider asked for a reading (although I give them one every 4 weeks) to see if my DD amount is still alright.