NST Muddy March Marathon

swimminginaseaofdebt

U: Use it or Lose it - I started reading one of my library books today then realised it was a sequel and I didn't understand what was going on in parts so I've given up on it and will return it when I pick up others. My T.V. provider also kindly emailed me to say they've given me a free months pass to sky cinema (including sky on demand) so I'll try and watch a few things on it before it gets taken away again.
Debt free date - Spent some time doing some surveys to help me achieve my debt free date.
H: Health - Ate a bag of Kettle Chips for lunch. Oooopps.
O: Outside - Took the little one to the park. Was nice because he is now old enough to not just sleep through it all and actually participate. He had his first shot on the swings/wee slide and then I took him to the pond to look at the ducks. We also had a wander along to the parks waterfall which he was very fascinated by. Hope the weather picks up soon so we can have more of these types of trips.
N: NSDs - Up to NSD 2 now.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for bumping into a friend in the c00p and having a quick chat, for getting the bits and bobs of shopping and no more, for more library books, for being able to make an Alice in Wonderland dress for a Bui1d a Bear that met dd's stringent standards for a bday present for tomorrow, for spotting a few clumps of fat white croci, for playing monopoly with dd, for planning out a rather complicated next 12 days with dh, for getting a workout done, for a good coat in the wind and rain, for a chat with my mum.

Mothernerd, I nearly cried the other day when you said you had enjoyed being with your mum. Since dad died in the summer, I would say that we 'lost' mum too and we are looking after her as her memory issues deteriorate. She is no longer 'mum'. Hmm, that probably sounds all weird and messed up. It was just so lovely that you appreciate your mum and make such an effort to spend time with her and do so much for her. Thank you.

Fmess

Hi all,

Didn't get on here yesterday but SFD yesterday and today. So 3 SFDs

Today I am grateful for:-
- my pets and their company
- my lovely home
- my job which enables me to keep my home and pets
- a lovely chat with my mum
- my washing machine keeping going even though it sounds like it is dying
- working with one of my best friends
- friendly colleagues (mostly)
- some students being enthusiastic about revising
- losing weight on slimming world
- my school having a charity night tomorrow which I'm really looking forward to

Bobarella

Hi Turtles

Sorry I seem to have not found my way in yet this month

Mothernerd your comment about the possible date possibly not being single made me laugh. Teal Le Cruset ha ha

So far this month I'm doing ok.

Just saying hi really

Bob

mothernerd

Swimminginaseaofdebt I love freshh air rushing through the house (getting into DS3's room as far as the window is difficult). I think lego is my favourite toy, well done on th savings. So glad your little one enjoyed the park.


F0xh0les I love making extra shelf space. Did something similar for DS2 once with house bricks wrapped in wallpaper (his choice lime green with purple splodges) and odd bits of wood.


SkintTeacher hope your son is recovering.


Mrshubbard loving the baby clothes talk. I bought gender neutral stuff where possible and bought dungarees/ jog pants for my nieces (thought it was so cruel to make them wear dresses when they were crawling). Wonderful meal planning and thinking ahead. Yay to mortgage payment news.


Thrifty I think blue for girls and pink for boys was also the rule in Scandinavian countries.


Toni'sfriend laughing at the handbag and shoe tales. When I moved my mother last year (she moved with the furniture, it took me 7 weeks to sort the rest) we nearly came to blows. She insisted on keeping a red handbag because she 'didn't have a red one' (or any red shoes or clothes). The extensive list of which shoes to keep/ send to the charity shop only applied to the collection in the wardrobe, not the ones downstairs and in odd corners.


crazy_cat_lady sometimes plodding and keeping going is all we can do.


Abundant no buttons on any clothes, wow. DS3's extensive cosplay collection features all sorts of buttons (and other embellishments). His favourite full length coat is edged all the way round with fake fur held on with tiny buttons and elastic loops.


Tog an excellent ys haul and yes you get to keep your NSD. Lovely quotes.


Apple I have decided to enjoy whatever time I have left with mum. This is not maudlin, we both said we hadn't expected her to outlive the aunt who died recently and she has been happpily making a list of who I should telephone when she does die (as well as changing the music for the crematorium, again).


It's easier now that her partner is at day care, we can talk or sit in companionable silence without having to watch him all the time. I was worried that she has invested so much in her partner's family since they have been together and neglected her own. I wondered how much time they would spend with her once he had gone and how she would fill the 'lonely' gap (other than by deciding I should dance atendance constantly).


Will live in the nere and now – as I said when writing my goals, there are too many unknowns, just have to deal with each stage as it arises.


Hi Bob I love le creus*t, especially the teal (maybe that's what's attractive, not him. I do have a couple of pans, in green, bought greatly reduced when our Co-op department store was closing and I have a teal mug which DS2 brought back when he went to his friend's wedding in the USA last year. DS2 has the pans at the moment and I am glad. I realise that going forward the weight of them with be increasingly difficult to manage.


Yes his picture still keeps popping up and it's definitely a 'Welsh dresser' (although very clean modern lines) with plates on display and little apothecary drawers underneath. I have male friends who cook and they would splash out on equipment (they always have to have the 'right tool' don't they) but they wouldn't display plates.

mothernerd

You are all doing excellently (I think excellent is going to be my most used word this month but all the 'excellents' are well deserved) and I am plodding along at the back.

I didn't have cough medicine last night but couldn't sleep properly because of it. Slept propped up on pillows and dozed off now and then. I have tried doing 15 minutes work and then resting so some work done including two loads of washing but I slumped around 7pm.

No NSD because I have been out to buy soft foods including ice cream and 2 ready salads (have eaten the prawns and ham I already had). I also bought the giant pack of toilet rolls and some toilet cleaner (splashed it round the bowl so it can do most of the work for me) so am prepared for all eventualities.

I have 2 portions of onions soup and 2 of a different kind in the freezer, bought one soft bun to have instead of crispbread and yoghurt (breakfasts sorted) so if I am the same or worse tomorrow, I have enough to get through the weekend.

If I feel better for all or part of tomorrow I will continue plodding with the domestic stuff and make cauli/brocc cheese (put extra cheese sauce away). I also have embroidery and plain sewing (linings for DS3's curtains) to do so no time wasted even if I feel weak as a kitten.

I don't have to be anywhere until Tuesday so will pace myself. Planning to add extra exercise by doing side taps when washing up (improvise, improvise, work with what you have). Had a quick walk outside (lashing rain) - it was just enough.

Today I am grateful for the freezer, the central heating and the internet.

mothernerd

Morning turtles. Briefly awake - I doze off and then the coughing wakes me up. Just had cough medicine and have (a tiny amount) of ice cream. Opened the curtains so that later I can enjoy the real life soap opera 'Life on a Busy Car Park'.

Day Four
Use it or Lose It
So we can all sew (a button on) and have (very) basic diy skills. What other 'basic' (as rare as common sense these days) skills do you find useful (cooking/ survival?) and what would you like to develop. Some preppers and OS poster extol the virtues of sock darning but that is one I will pass on (belongs in superwoman's 'life is too short to stuff a mushroom' category for me). I can see the sense in darning expensive wool hiking socks.

Wellbeing
Call someone you love.

Just in Case No one Told You Today
-You're beautiful
-You're loved
-You're needed
-You're alive for a reason
-You're stronger than you think
-You're going to get through this
I'm glad you're alive
-Don't give up

See you later turtles.

indigowarrior

Today is looking to be a spend day. We are going holiday on wednesday and will need steriliser bags and pack up things. However I still have £26 left of my weeks food budget so will try not going over that.

misstara

Right I've finally had some time to properly read Mothernerd's first post and get my action plan sorted for March.

M - I'm up for the challenge no matter what March throws at me
U - I try to do this every month. I run a thread called Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017 on the OS board which is very much along these lines.
D - I want to be debt free by 31.12.17. In order to achieve this I need to pay £250.23 a month.
D - Due to a wedding at the end of the month I have only been able to pay £100 towards the debt from my monthly wage. So far in March, I have added £12.59 because a direct debit was much less than expected and also £10.90 yesterday from pay from 2nd job so will continue adding what I can over the month.
Y - All budgets have been set for the month.

M - I really need to step up my training for the 10k as I haven't done any recently. I plan to go out running this weekend and see how far I get.
A - I always take my lunch to work. I've got plans to meet my friend for lunch next week so will suggest an independent cafe for this.
R - I recently attended a volunteering open day and will start volunteering for a local charity this month, just waiting for the PVG check to come back.
C - Meal planning went really well last month so will continue this month. I've got a weeks holiday from work so plan to do a lot of batch cooking this week.
H - Will yell for help if I need it

M - I used to be bad for thinking oh well I've blown the budget now so who cares about a few extra spends but I've worked hard to improve.
A - I'm generally ok with this.
R - Me and OH have made a list of all the wee jobs around the flat that need done and will be working our way through the list over the month.
A - Will try and post daily.
T - Will also try to follow all the rules and stick to my action plan
H - My health hasn't been great recently. I've been to the doctor 3 times in the last 6 weeks and usually I can go months if not years without going. The last time I got a really good doctor who actually listened and we came up with a plan as to how I can improve my health. I'm been following her advice and am due to go back to see her in 10 days time to see what else can be done. Exercise (other than walking to work) and healthy eating have fallen by the wayside so will do more this month.
O - I walk to and from work every day but plan to go out more walks. There's a lovely park and beach 10 minutes away so will go there.
N - I will aim for 15 NSDs this month.

Well being
#1 This flat does not have a bath so was unable to do this one
#2 Additional gratitudes for Thursday - last day of work before holiday, OH leaving the outside light on and doing a hot water bottle for me when I was working late, feeling slightly better, a nice day.
#3 I walked to and from a shift for 2nd job yesterday and then to and from a friend's house so plenty of walking outside
#4 Today I plan to give my parents a call as it's been a couple of weeks since I last spoke to them.

Yesterday was a NSD and I plan to have a day in the flat doing some cooking and baking so today should be NSD 3/15

crazy_cat_lady

TOG - what an interesting thing. My sister is a 1 in 75000 (and she's not a Linda - no )
Hoping for a quiet day today, catching up with people I love.
As far as basic skills go - I will try anything. I can do basic DIY, change light switches etc and have repaired the toilet before. I wish I was a bit more confident in my abilities though. I love that I can knit and crochet. I just wish I could enjoy cooking a little bit more. I can do it but I don't like it at all. And I wish I could get into gardening - I really hate that.