NST June Challenge

Bobarella

thriftylass wrote: »

Well, that all sounds like a good start to the month.

Quick question. Today is an especially bad day in terms of feeling bleu, overwhelmed and stuck in a hamster wheel. Plus the thought of going home from work doesn't cheer me up either as it just means kids, lunches, dinner, washing etc.
Now I usually go to bed at 10pm, habit from when DD would wake up during the night to ensure I got enough sleep. Now she often sleeps through or I get at least 8-9 hours which i almost think is too much and adds to the feeling "there aren't enough hours in the day" as I sleep too many of them.

How many hours sleep do you get (because you want to, have no other option etc) and is it enough?

Interestingly just found an article on BBc that says the ideal number of hours is 7.

Thanks

I have always been a bad sleeper to be honest. So cant blame bubs conpletely.

Dizzy_Imp

Whoo hoo - NSD number one here. Haven't gone out and not intending to now

Half-term is messing with my head though - I've forgotten a doctor's appointment and to take Tiny to nursery already this week. I must remember to collect the skids from the train station tomorrow!

thriftylass wrote: »

How many hours sleep do you get (because you want to, have no other option etc) and is it enough?

Interestingly just found an article on BBc that says the ideal number of hours is 7.

Thanks

I want 12 hours each night. I need 10 hours. I get 6... if I'm lucky... I always wake up at 5am, which is supremely annoying, but I have been known to nod off on the sofa during the day

Bobarella

How's that for jammy. Popped into the £ shop to get bleach and loo roll and spotted a fiver on the floor at the till! Get in.

XSpender

Hello Turtles

Please may I come back in this month. I enrolled last month and was never seen again:rotfl: We move house in 9 days and DH and I were a bit overwhelmed with all the stress of it but it should be smooth sailing from here on in. Fingers crossed! Remind me never to move again!

My pledges for June:

Back to basics with the rules

• This will commence at 00:01 on the 01/05/2016 and complete at 23:59 on the 31/05/2016

• Minimum of 20 NSDs. (It’s a long month) This challenge does NOT include rent / mortgage/ DD payments/preplanned regular spending like afterschool club or medicine. - I am going to try and get as many as I can this month by avoiding silly spending but won't hit 20 if I include house stuff as I will be paying out every day I expect

* Pay your debt first and budget with the rest. - DDs gone out and I will be making an overpayment once we have moved in and got final figures

• All monetary outgoings are to be accounted for prior to the start of the month. This includes anything from direct debits and standing orders to a basic amount for dinner dates that have already been planned. - New budget worked out in YNAB as new bill payments this month plus DH has got a new wage/promotion

• Utilise any random food left in cupboards / freezers etc and get creative, think twice before going out for a food shop. Only need milk and bread, stick to that. Make a list for a bigger shop and don’t go shopping hungry - Not much left after the use it, don't move it mission of the last few weeks but will only replace items needed with clean eating ones

• Batch cooking is encouraged- meals that require individual or specialised ingredients are not unless you already have them. - Going to commit to batch cook soups, spag bol, chicken curry, lasagna, and some sorts of stew. - Our house sellers have left us an upright freezer so I am determined to fill it with clean eating RM to avoid the spends below

• No foods are to be purchased at work canteens / cafes etc. If you are having a family day out take packed lunches. (this will be hard with a non-MSE DH like mine) - I get an allowance for lunch from work but DH is a nightmare, unless it is made for him or a shop bought RM he spends a fortune!

• Only supermarket own brands are encouraged unless there is really sth you despise like the coffee and can’t live without the brand (like my DH). Get it delivered to prevent impulse buys… the delivery charge will outweigh impulse buys and any green-eyed monster issues you make incur. Use Aldi and LIDL, if you haven’t tried them yet you might be positively surprised. - I am going to go back to shopping at Aldi and will try Lidl if I can find one close as the closest has just been demolished! I will also be using H&B and amazon to avoid the SM.

• No non-essential beauty items are to be purchased. Use up everything you have in the house before ANY purchases. - think we just need shampoo, conditioner, hair dye and hand wash this month

• Beauty purchases are to remain under £5 for the month if you are truly out of resources. Challenge yourself (Tesco/Lidl/Aldi sell shampoo and conditioner for 75p or less each by the way) - If I can find my tweezers I wont be buying anything but the items above.

• Try and eat at least one frog this month, a giant one (for the uninitiated it means dealing with sth that you have been putting of for ages for various reasons) See frog list below

• And last but not least: Combat overwhelmed-ness : There just aren’t enough hours in the day, right? I’m guilty myself of easily being overwhelmed. This is so me and I will tackle one thing every night even if it is just unloading and reloading the dishwasher or putting something away or unpacking a box.. I am moving from a tiny house to a big house that needs a lot of TLC and am worried about feeling overwhelmed by the amount we have to do on our budget

And finally, blossom, enjoy life, there is too much negativity pumped into us through the media etc. Slow down. It’s nearly half way through the year and it just passed me by. Do sth everyday that makes you happy, even the smallest thing counts…..

Frog List
1) Assignment 1
2) Assignment 2
3) Update tax office with car details
4) Finalise childcare for June and July

greent

thriftylass wrote: »

How many hours sleep do you get (because you want to, have no other option etc) and is it enough?

Interestingly just found an article on BBc that says the ideal number of hours is 7.

Thanks

Week days, term time I average 6 hours according to my fitbit stats. Outside of term time I sleep for about 7hours + 10 mins - I find I wake up by myself with this amount of sleep (if DS3 doesn't get to me first!) Oh - and I find that I sleep less in lighter months and want to hibernate more in Winter x

XSpender wrote: »

Hello Turtles

Please may I come back in this month. I enrolled last month and was never seen again:rotfl: We move house in 9 days and DH and I were a bit overwhelmed with all the stress of it but it should be smooth sailing from here on in. Fingers crossed! Remind me never to move again!

Hope the move goes well


NSD 1 today. OH might take small ones to cinema tomorrow, but will take drinks and snacks and we already have some prepaid codes to use there, so no spends required.

Things today making me happy - building a toy DS3 got for his bday. Was literally making me swear (to myself) at the time - but he likes it. Also having a laugh at the dinner table with the teenagers and some slightly risqu! topics (teens being horrified in the standard way at what parents know! :rotfl:)

Overwhelmedness - did VAT return. Sorted paperwork ready to get accounts straight for accountant. Deleted over 600 emails

x

thriftylass

Welcome back xspender. What does RM mean? Enjoy your new house

greent

thriftylass wrote: »

Welcome back xspender. What does RM mean? Enjoy your new house

ready meal x

Fmess

thrifty I need 8 hours, anywhere less than 7 and I am in an awful mood. At weekends I sometimes have a 2 or 3 hour nap in the morning after having slept 8 hours at night.

Spend day today although way less than budgeted for. Had two social events and has budgeted £30 but due to a lovely friend treating me I spent £7.50 :j

I am in a permanently overwhelmed state at the moment as I am trying to cram in all my first batch of exam marking into half term but have also planned lots of activities to make the most of being off work, hence feeling overwhelmed all the time. I need to chill out, I'm annoying myself and it's only Wednesday!

thriftylass

Oh Fmess, sorry to hear you feel like that. But you're definitely not alone.

greent well done on getting that much paperwork etc done

Came home today in a foul mood, an overwhelmed feeling being stuck in a hamster wheel. Hence the no smoking part of my challenge was out of the window. Slowly crawled my way out of it and managed to turn the evening around. Got my everyday chores done and two extra things. The hallway coat/shoe cupboard is decluttered and tidied and so are my wardrobe and jewelry boxes. Now I just need to relax and not focus on the other things my mind tells me I should have done.

Night night

The_Only_Girl

Please can I join. In too and I promise to stay with you til the end.