NST August - AB's Amazingly Aware August Challenge

Calling14

Sorry been missing since Friday as well.

Friend called over Friday night so had a few wines and put world to rights.

Saturday new dog bed and lidl shop. Treated myself to some new perfume on offer. Blamed my hangover for spending.

Back pain disappeared with few drinks. Slippery slope.

Saturday had daughter and grandson here, then boyfriend over in evening. Apparently I have one now lol.

Sunday perfect day out in the most amazing place, stunning scenery and gorgeous lunch. I paid as feel bad he always pays for me and turns up bearing goodies all the time could get used to being spoilt x

Calling14

Read all your posts, comment and update my totals tomorrow, really hard work on this tablet. X

Fmess

Yay to your new boyfriend lCalling

stewby

Ooooh calling. Glad to hear you are being spoiled. You deserve it after the rough year you have had.


Loving the sound of your house becoming more you fmess. And great news about being able to speak nicely to your ex.


Hope you are beginning to feel better mothernerd. Hope that you are still finding lots of rainbows.
Hugs.

AcademiaBlues... can you not do something cheeky like a rocker or a WAG.
Rocker = ripped jeans, black t-shirt and if you have long hair then comb it back a bit to give extra volume. If able, get one of those cheap inflatable guitars.
WAG = short dress, heels, lots of jewellery, etc.
I suppose it would depend what you already have in your wardrobe. Hope that maybe gives you some ideas??
:undecided

Spendy day today. Ended up spending £16 of my treat money. Bought a coke for me and two beers for my dad plus two portions of chips at the pub. This is because he helped me get some paving slabs for our allotment and they were really heavy. It was a nice thank you.
The paving slabs were £20 all in but that is OH's money and nothing to do with me.


Hope everyone is doing okay. Keep turtling on.
Hugs to you all.

nannygladys

Hi everyone
Sorry not had time to read all the entries but been busy the last couple of days with family things. Had one sfd so up to 4 I think, which was today. Anyway next week should be better as I don't intend spending very much AT all (every time I put this down things seem to go awry)

Picked some more fruit and veggies from friends garden so have frozen quite a bit and also eaten some. I must get organised this week as life is flying by so quickly!!!

Hope everyone is OK
Nannyg

Bobarella

Good morning

Another week is beginning. Was up with the lark to make a PAD before I hit the road. Had the realisation yesterday, whilst chatting OH through what I am up to on the financial side, that when I hit £3,750 that's a whole £1,000 shifted in a month:eek::eek::T as he said ' how've we done that?' Answer? Rolling every available penny at THE DEBT & not thinking 'oh we've made the minimum payment let's see how we get on before paying off more'

Anyway 20 days to keep pushing forward with my goal to be debt free by the end of December. Each day has to count to do that.

Good luck with your own missions this week Turtles!

Bob

dolly84

The_Only_Girl wrote: »

Fmess sounds like you had lovely company for the weekend. Here's wishing you a nice week ahead. Any more renovation projects going? Welshkitty good luck on your complaints procedure. I do hope you get your money back. Dolly I am slightly jealous of your lovely time with your kids this summer holidays. Hubby and I are working long hours this summer doing the gazelle intensity to bring the DFD one month earlier. The boys said they understand why we're doing what we're doing and we'll make up for it after the DFD. Congrats on your NSD apple.

I have had to sacrifice a lot financially to be able to spend so much time with them, I am looking for a new job now but as I have no-one to help with childcare I am still very restricted in terms of hours.

academiablues wrote: »

Hi all. TOG, that's amazing and I agree, it can be very addictive! Dolly, you've been really active today!
Having a bit of a stress about a hen do I'm going to soon...already paid £160 for the weekend (cottage and food/drink) but got to get there myself (over 4hrs away by car, more by train and more expensive). Just been told to bring a bottle of wine, a yoga mat(!) and a fancy dress outfit!!! Had to tell the bridesmaids that I'll do my best but I won't be buying a yoga mat and I haven't got the money to spend on an elaborate fancy dress outfit. Makes me so mad...people aren't made of money - already going to cost me a fair bit to get to the wedding! Grr. Sorry, rant over.
Other than that, today has been a quiet day. Food shop done, then did some meditation earlier to try to quiet my anxious mind a little bit. Hope everyone has had a good day - first week of August done turtles!

These expensive hen nights are getting crazy. Hope you manage to get something sorted out without spending much more.

The_Only_Girl wrote: »

Hi academia, it is frustrating when other people have no concept of money and they impose on others a ridiculous amount just to have the event they want. Have you tried Freecycle? People sometimes give away yoga mats and outfits there. Can you car share with anyone to get there and split the cost?

We sometimes find ourselves isolated a little bit socially because a) we don't want to bore our friends with what we are so passionate nowadays - debt busting and cost-cutting (if I have a pound for every people who says they know all about saving money but never practices it, I'd be a millionaire now) b) my friends spend money like there's no tomorrow and I can't and won't keep up with them.

It's still a taboo subject to talk about cutting back but talking about the obscene amount of stuff you buy seems to be more than acceptable.

wishus

Hello everybody! I've been rushed off my feet as usual, and had a moment of unmindfulness this weekend, so I have ground to make back up.

Stewby, I've been like you, reading but not writing as I'm too tired at the end of a busy day!

I've found 4p in roadkill since last posting, and a pound in a bag I'd not used for a while, so they will all go in my holiday fund.

Aldi had a lot of fishing stuff in, so OH made an unplanned spend that really I don't know was a good idea. On the plus side, he has saved a bit of money on kit that he would have had to buy for more expensive prices elsewhere over the next few months.

OH is quite unfocused when it comes to leisure spending... becoming obsessed with one thing, spending lots on it, then moving on to something else and doing the same. I'm okay so long as he's getting something out of it, but I've had to ask him to think about this more deeply. We don't have money or space for everything unfortunately.

I can understand the 'current' obsession thing as mine is genealogy. Difference is, I've only just forked out for my grandparents' marriage certificate so I can trace my one great granddad's line better, and that was my first spend in 2 months of doing this - £9.25. With so many sites offering the service, you think it can cost a lot more, but you just need to do your research. I've managed to do the rest with free trials, speaking to relatives, people on genealogy forums and help from friends with subscriptions. I now have one line going back to 1666! Not many records for them, but I have uncovered so much along the way - an ancestor in Pulteney's regiment, who quashed the Jacobite uprising; ancestors killed in the 19th century's worst rail disaster; a great uncle who rotted in the workhouse, while his posh half-sister was setting up a lady's school and then emigrating to New York. It's great, and not dear at all!

Now, I thought fishing might be cheap...

My non-mindfulness came after I had completed my triathlon (didn't come last! :j) and OH wanted to treat me, and also go and support a friend who was playing guitar in a pub nearby. But I had one drink and it wasn't nice, so I switched to bottled cider, not realising the strength. Anyway, a band came on, and OH borrowed money off me to buy 3 of their albums and a t-shirt for £15. I'm not sure we even liked them that much! :eek:

So, yeah. Did my first triathlon, which was a special offer at £12 for newbies to give tris a go. Loved it - but I don't need to spend any more money on kit and that. Fine the way I am!

Academiablues... I am always feeling the pressure to dress up for things. I would suggest you go through your wardrobe and see if you have anything that might lend itself to an outfit. Hats are great for this: a wide brim straw or cowboy hat, boots, a bit of denim - cowgirl! A floaty dress that would look awesome by itself? Add some wings made from cardboard and covered in glitter to be a fairy princess? A beret, stripy Breton tee, and an eyeliner tash to make a dashing Frenchman - and if you're brave string some onions together to compete the look! New bin liners are also great for cutting and sticking and making into outfits. More ideas here. Oh, and the EASIEST outfit to put together has to be St. Trinians. I have some plain white George at Asda blouses I wear to work - add a thin tie, some kind of skirt, stockings, tights (more ladders the better) or knee-length socks, pigtails and makeup freckles, et voila!

apple_muncher

Wishus - congratulations on completing your first tri! Awesome :T:T:T

thriftylass

Reading all your posts with interest and looking fwd to rejoin next month.

academiablues wrote: »

Hi all. TOG, that's amazing and I agree, it can be very addictive! Dolly, you've been really active today!
Having a bit of a stress about a hen do I'm going to soon...already paid £160 for the weekend (cottage and food/drink) but got to get there myself (over 4hrs away by car, more by train and more expensive). Just been told to bring a bottle of wine, a yoga mat(!) and a fancy dress outfit!!! Had to tell the bridesmaids that I'll do my best but I won't be buying a yoga mat and I haven't got the money to spend on an elaborate fancy dress outfit. Makes me so mad...people aren't made of money - already going to cost me a fair bit to get to the wedding! Grr. Sorry, rant over.
Other than that, today has been a quiet day. Food shop done, then did some meditation earlier to try to quiet my anxious mind a little bit. Hope everyone has had a good day - first week of August done turtles!

Toatlly agree, some people just don't think. My bridesmaid organised my hen do but with clear instructions either just a night in my local (when do I get a chance for that nowadays with two kids and no babysitters) or anything else needs to be affordable and cleared with all hens. So we just went to the local fancy hotel (3 courses 50 quid including a few drinks) and then to the local.

Same with the wedding, we paid rooms for far away guest, people with jobs like bridesmaids, ushers etc and said please no presents as people already spend enough money on potential new outfits, travel etc.

As for fancy dress outfit I'd go with other suggestions before, just look through your wardrobe. When I met my now DH at a fancy dress party I did the Rock chic look (jeans, Doc MArtins, black tshirt, appropriate makeup and hair). Maybe ask one of the other hens or friends if they got a second yoga mat or even a camp mat (the ones for under the sleeping bag). Say you dropped the bottle of wine on the way in and it smashed