NST - January. Bobs post bauble debt busting challenge

Calling14

Well done on your wombling finds folks.

Everyone seems flat at the moment, sun is out here today and hump day. Cheer up guys.

Got my 160 pounds off quidco today, 100 off cc1 and rest put into EF before I spend it.

SFD 10/13 feeling positive.

apple_muncher

I'm following a thread where someone has set themselves 16(!) challenges for the year and they comment on each one daily. Obviously, one cannot usually make progress on every single one of those challenges every day.

It is like that with the NSK/NST challenges - they are multi-faceted, and in the middle of the month, it can be hard to feel like we are progressing much. However, every single NSD, every single bargain buy, every single kind word/deed done, every penny found or made or not spent, every bit of tidying up, decluttering, cooking from stores, getting to bed early, reading a book and relaxing... that we do is progress.

Hang in there!

crazy_cat_lady

Thanks for the post and advice Catwoman - I am definitely tired. Always tired.... Just plodding on. Getting stressed about the budget and the fact we're still a fortnight from payday, and that dh still hasn't gone back to work so we'll be £700 a month worse off until he does.
Stressed about his health, and mine actually which has really dipped.
Stressed about work and the number of people off sick and the workload I have that I can't keep up with.
Moan, whinge moan.
No money = no spend day! Hooray :j
And I stayed at work late to help my Head of Dept do some organising because I feel a bit sorry for him = kind act of the day.

DawnW

Managed a 7th NSD
Looked after baby GD so that DD could work and not have to pay for child care

XSpender

3rd NSD whoop whoop! :j


Ate a free lunch and dinner provided by work


DS has been physically assaulted by another child at school and I am away tonight with work. He is OK about it but DH is furious so we need to go in to school and see what is going on. This isn't the first time it has happened:mad: He is only 5!!

mothernerd

Excellent post Catwoman, thank you so much.


I have finally read through all the thread. My comments may be a bit random as I started making notes at the bottom of a page and then started shoving them into gaps when I ran out of space.


I think I am winning the not watching tv challenge (I only have i-player on the laptop although I was watching old tv series on utube before christmas). I have watched the other 5 episodes of Christmas University Challenge and the special Call theMidwife. Still winning University Challenge overall – very pleased I knew all the angels questions and all the cross-dressing ones (in Shakespeare).


I was intending to look at courses starting in January (a bit more structure in my life and funding would be a welcome boost if I got it) but it feels like too much atm. Sorry so many are feeling down (doing better, having to work on my touch typing here). I think I only got through Christmas because DS3 went away and apart from the times I spent with mum and her partner, I could please myself and it didn't matter if I only ate a sandwich or celery and carrot sticks (less fuss, less mess, less calories) then slept and read. The cold wet grey weather doesn't help, it feels as though it isn't worth making the effort some days.


Traveller so sorry to hear about your son's attitude and again wonderful words from Catwoman. DS1 is being a bit off with me atm. I know he is worried that in March they will have redundancies. He thinks his job is safe but fears that they have not made his secondment permanent and will bump him back to old salary in March. I suspect his gf earns more than he does and that the plan to put aside £200 each per month have been put on hold. So I am the cat, to be kicked.


Must.try.harder you are not losing the battle. Keep dealing with each thing as it comes along and all the little things will help in the long run. Sometimes you just have to keep plodding. I have spent the best part of 3 years trying to get the other house ready for sale, am still taking a massive (to me) loss which is a blow but I have paid off my debts, bought mum the bungalow she needs and will have a small pot for security. Will still have to work on increasing my income but I have more than a lot of people and thankfully I don't need much.


Justforme I have never had home scales. Like someone else said, the Boots machine is enough (although I would have welcomed a tactful lie last time) and I always found it better to only weigh myself once month as weekly gains/losses can be down to water retention etc. Whether certain clothes fit/ feel good are also better indicators.


I have had a frustrating day. Went for a walk with a purpose but failed to find the place I wanted (phone hadn't worked so suspect they ave moved out of town). Had a list but didn't get any of the things for me (missed one shop as I was focussing on one particular item in a number of shops). By then my back was aching and I was too tired to backtrack. So a spend free day.


I have washed up again. Five people have used as many plates in 3 days as I did on my own in 3 weeks. X-raphael-x can you come and clean my house please? I loathe and detest cleaning and what with the shed stuff from the other house standing about in odd corners, I really don't know where to start. Can barely see the floors. I did well to get the rubbish out,especially as 2 of DS3's friends are sleeping in the front room. They've all bought their own snacks and drinks but I must have put out 4 wastebins of empty cans alone yesterday. I just kept diving at empty bits of floor when one came visible.


Today's attack on the dairy mountain included soft cheese with herbs on oatcakes and plain yoghurt with a teaspoon of mint sauce added to make a dip for the celery sticks (chopped whilst waiting for something else to cook). Today I am grateful for my lovely hyacinths, for books (hiding in my room leaving the young people downstairs and for feeling okay (far from great but just plodding along, doing what I can and trying not to overdo things).




Hugs crazy-cat-lady.

FunBrum

crazy_cat_lady wrote: »

Thanks for the post and advice Catwoman - I am definitely tired. Always tired.... Just plodding on. Getting stressed about the budget and the fact we're still a fortnight from payday, and that dh still hasn't gone back to work so we'll be £700 a month worse off until he does.
Stressed about his health, and mine actually which has really dipped.
Stressed about work and the number of people off sick and the workload I have that I can't keep up with.
Moan, whinge moan.
No money = no spend day! Hooray :j
And I stayed at work late to help my Head of Dept do some organising because I feel a bit sorry for him = kind act of the day.

All I can say hun, is I'm sure things will get better for you. Sometimes it's like everything is thrown at you all at once.:grouphug:

I think we all have days or even weeks when life is hard. It's at these times when we should seek out our friends either on here or in reality, and share. It's good to talk.:)

I'm in 'the smoke' at the moment. My sister and I were going to drive straight back after we dropped her daughter off but we decided to travel in the morning.
Another NSD, and have been scoffing my free granola and yoghurt for breakfast. I then did a fab 7 mile hike! I'm lucky enough to live 5mins from the countryside, so have lots of opportunity t get out in the fresh air. I found 2p on my walk which was nice. If I was collecting rubbish, I could have filled 5 bin bags! Why do people throw their litter down country lanes?:eek:

My sister bought me a maccys for lunch and my niece is treating me to a Chinese tonight! :pYum!:p

Keep Turtling..........:j

Bobarella

Hi All

NSD 8 here..and found 20p today. Now up to £7 for the month so far!

Mothernerd - hope your mum feels better soon.

FunBrum - well done on your hike. Sounds lovely.

X -Spender - that's terrible. What are the school doing to help?

Dawn - well done on your NSD count. And for looking after your DGD again. You and other hands on grandparents are amazing. I would be so grateful if I were your daughter.

Calling - well done on being at 66% paid off!

Only managed one act of kindness today. I was on the bus with the buggy. There is room for 2 buggies only and there was mine and another already when we reached the stop. A lady was waiting with her buggy. Before the driver could tell her no I quickly offered to get off as it was only 1 stop before mine so no skin off my nose. The lady was pleased. Nothing spectacular but I'd appreciate that if it were me.

Hugs to you CCL

Bobarella

dolly84 wrote: »

Bob - well done on finding £5.

I will be doing a grocery shop today but all within budget. Other than that the only spending is for kids activities which is all within budget too.

Thanks Dolly..

Bobarella

Catwoman_2015 wrote: »

Morning Turtles!

Sorry for not posting for the last couple of days (although it only feels like 1 as it still feels like Tuesday to me now I've finished my night shifts this month!!) :rotfl:

Am now on 10 NSD's but today (Wed) after I've had some sleep will be a planned spend day - lucky felines have their annual jabs at the vets this afternoon to keep them healthy. I'm sure I will be covered in protest scratch marks later! :eek: Am also going to need to purchase some new very thick socks, as since I got a new pair of boots for Xmas, I have been going through a pair a day as all mine end up with holes in the big toes where they are rubbing! The boots themselves are quite comfy already, so I hope this hole-creating phase they're having will, um, wear off (sorry, terrible pun, couldn't help myself) otherwise I'm going to have to figure out how to darn socks as I can't afford to buy a new pair for every day of the remaining winter months!!!

Justforme - thank you for your Amazon suggestion for cat litter, I never would've considered using them for that, even though I've ordered plenty of other obscure items from them before now.

Mothernerd - SO pleased for you being debt free. Well done. You are an inspiration to all us wannabes. :T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T

Fmess, Dizzy and anyone else feeling a bit blue - studies have shown that the 2nd week in January is said to be the most depressing time of year, which is why I think Bob's kind gestures challenge is fantastic and very appropriate.
I read an article a couple of days ago suggesting that we should live by the 60% rule. If a friendship, work project or relationship is 60% or above then it is doing well. Perfection is an illusion and at this time of year a lot of us put pressure on ourselves for our new year resolutions and if we don't adhere to them 100% of the time immediately we think we've failed. (Money saving, diet, exercise, keeping on top of the housework - the list is endless!) If we are kinder to ourselves and realise that doing more than half of something is still a whole heap better than feeling overwhelmed and doing nothing then our feelings of hopelessness start to shift.
The article also suggested using something called the HALT technique as a useful coping strategy when feeling stressed or burnt out after the Xmas period. If you feel like you are about to make things worse with a rash reaction to something, check if you are feeling one or more of the below:
Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. If you are any of those things, then pause to address your physical and emotional wellbeing before making yourself even more stressed by doing something impulsive. Hungry? Eat a banana. Lonely? Resist the urge to isolate yourself. Or as quite often is my curse, you are "Hangry" (hungry and angry) - I am very irritable if my tummy becomes empty, hence the need for snacks of the healthy variety always in my work bag and I try to have a stock piled freezer of batch cooked food to hand when I get in from a shift.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought it was important to share the above as I've found it's already helped me after I was getting into/under a bit of a dark cloud a few days ago. It's amazing how sensitive my mood is affected by what I eat, anyone else find that? Sugar = dark mood!!!:mad::eek:

Time for a well earned glass of wine now (2 days off and this is technically my "evening" after finishing at 6am this morning, that's my justification anyway!) :rotfl:

Hope you all have a good day and remember to show yourselves some self love and kindness too.

Catwoman x

Wow Catwoman. I hope no one minds if I nominate your post for best of the day. So uplifting! Thank you