NST Joyful July

apple_muncher

Day 3 of shred done. I now ache and am stiff. But I'll not take a day off, instead I'll do a more thorough warm up and cool down than is on the dvd. I'm too old not to do it properly!

Today I am grateful for my workout, for my counselling session, for the sunshine, for the Tour, for my knitting, for being able still to knit (a few months ago I though I'd have to give it up as my hands were so painful), for my craft magazines to peruse, for a tax rebate (yippee! About £150!), for online shopping (it's only in my basket at the mo - going to wait 72hrs first, of course, but my walking shoes and sandals have both lost much of their sole, and are the only footwear I can wear until my toe decides to get better), for a good book.

PlaysNicely

:wave:
So, the important stuff, progress today:

1) NSDs: Achieved today, 4 / 16.

2) At least one store cupboard menu week this month: achieved today, hm humous for lunch, dinner of hm roast pepper, onion & garlic quiche with new pots & salad leaves, so run of 5 days. Will be spending tomorrow as no veg left in the house & there will be cheap veg at local market tomorrow. Aim is to budget £30 in total for food shopping tom & make that last till next Thursday to improve on 5 day run!

3) Try to up my own income in some way (legally, of course)! As yesterday, waiting to see what happens on Friday!

4) My NST health goal: 10,000 steps a day (as total of 70,000 across a week)!
Tried a short power walk first thing - have worked out a route that is 1.5 km round trip so starting off with that on as many mornings as possible. That and dog walk down to beach after work gives me 10,205 so far today, so happy with that. Overall 44,940 / 70,000.

5) No FleaBay shopping for the whole month - achieved again today = 5 / 31.

6) Frugal focus: sourcing instead of spending:
* Valance in progress
* Pattern for doggy glove puppet found - will knit two in colours to match our dogs as my niece (great-niece's mum) doesn't want great niece to be scared of animals, so this might help her to build confidence with them as she grows up!
* Have been needing shorts for a while so bought a pair of jeans from £1 rail in CS last month with specific aim of making into shorts. Remembered last night that I hadn't done it yet so cut off the legs, frayed the edges and wore them today! The ones in the market were £7 so happy with saving £6 there!

Simple pleasures:
Great walk on beach at low tide!
:T Our male dog who's been terrified of water for the whole of his 7 years actually went in the sea to cool off! I don't know who was more shocked, him, us or our female who usually has the waves / fetch game all to herself!
Green Woodpecker sitting on post when I was powerwalking this morning. Of course I didn't have my camera with me but it was still lovely to see his radiant greens and beautiful red skull cap, only ever seen them from a distance before. As I got closer to him it definitely sounded like he was laughing at my efforts in good old Woody Woodpecker fashion though!

Re: Fizzy water, I'd go with the idea that water is an essential for your body, so I wouldn't call it a treat but an essential if you can't otherwise drink tap water ... fizzy water's my cold drink of choice too but like you Mothernerd, I don't spend a fortune on it!

Hope everyone else has had a good day, apologies to those who've had the not so good weather, have told the sun it's your turn tomorrow! PN x

swimminginaseaofdebt

Mothernerd love the suggestion of a family newsletter, think I'll be stealing this idea for when my little one is older

Well I've had one of them days that passes quickly despite not having done much!

Took the little one to bookbug this morning and he fell asleep on the way back. Had a quick pit stop at home, then headed to the supermarket where I forgot to buy one of the items on my list (as per usual). Went straight from there to the pub where I met my friends for lunch at a cost of £10. Little one was still sleeping at this point so I got to eat a fresh, hot meal for a change. Result.

Oh I walked to and from all those places so that was my exercise for the day done.

Just sipping on my tea now and off to read a bit of my book before catching some sleep.

x_raphael_xx

mothernerd wrote: »

x-raphael-x I'm another non-tv person. I watch old films and tv series on Utoob (currently enjoying the second series of Fat Friends). I don't think I have much in that category that I can cut. I have bought a puzzle magazine for the last three months. Last time it just popped into my head that the new one was out that day.

I like to watch 'lets plays' people playing video games that I might or might not be interested in.
One guy I watch is doing a 'walkathon' in the game of Minecraft, he raises money for a charity that gives toys & games to kids in hospitals. So far he has raised $407,300! Just from walking in a game.

mothernerd wrote: »

I am still struggling with the question of whether fizzy water is a need or a want.

The Minimalists say we should only have things in our lives that we find joy in. If you enjoy it, and you can afford it, why not. You need to have little treats to make life worth living.
I, however, detest fizzy water

Fmess wrote: »

Thanks Raphael and mothernerd.
I never meet people dog walking, although I guess I generally only walk alone in my village and then I'm with friends if I go sonewhere unknown.

I don't like to talk to people out on my walkies. I like to listen to podcasts and march along. I'm a little antisocial :rotfl:

Body is drained today, so I didn't do my planned 3 mile run, tomorrow is supposted to be 8 miles, but I think I'll stick to a 5 mile route until my body catches up to my run schedule.

YOU If you don't like it, change it. Weight & Fitness. I gained 0.2lbs this week. While it's not a huge amount, it's in the wrong direction. Either I've gained water weight (I haven't been drinking as much water the last couple of days as I usually do - 800ml rather than 3ltrs) or I'm not eating enough calories for the exercise I'm doing and my body is compensating.

FRUGAL The Frugalwoods are having another Uber Frugal Month Challenge Bf has demanded a shopping list & menu plan, so I will rummage throu the cupboards tomorrow & see what I can come up with.

USE what you have. Chops were out defrosting, but I'm afraid we succombed to a takeaway. Bf's treat. We kept it relatively small thou, burger & chips. I ended up leaving some of mine, I can't pack it in like I used to, tummy has definately shrunk.

LOOK after you. Body feels tired so I'm resting it. Maybe a hit of greasy chicken burger will give me a boost too.

UNLESS you have a specific reason you should avoid takeaways etc Takeaway eaten. But bf paid

YOU will aim for 16 NO Spend Days 5/20 Doing good!

JOY Find 3 things to be grateful for at the end of each day.
1) Lazy day at work.

2) Hatched a new pokemon out on my walkies today (sad I know)
3) Calamari

misstara

Another NSD 2/16

Today I'm grateful for another sunny day, a lovely walk home from work, getting two loads of washing line dried after work, tacos for tea and leftovers for lunch tomorrow and a relaxing evening reading some of my new book.

mothernerd

thrifty yes the fizzy water is a change from tap water. I easily drink the minimum but sometimes need a change (or to celebrate). It is good that the UFM is making us question every expense.

I did the freezer leftovers lunch every Saturday for years. We live in the town centre so it was a convenient meeting place for the boys' friends. I would empty all the half empty packs and oddments, cook them and then put it all on a foil platter and it had to do, no matter how many there were.

FBO excellent exercise.

Toni'sfriend I think we must be related. All those life crisis events (deaths/ births/ moving etc) that are supposed to break you if 2 to 3 happen together - for years my life operated on a mimimum of 2.5. When I found out I was expecting DS1, my grandmother had just died (didn't stop to count missed periods until after she was buried and had spent weeks visiting hospital nearly every afternoon and running round collecting food for the miners when I didn't have another meeting), we had just moved back to my house (we stayed in the bf's with as much furniture as would fit whilst having a damp proof course and new floor + central heating put in mine - I also decorated his to prepare for selling) and then his mother came to visit. I refused to organise a weddding.

Look after yourself and keep telling yourself how great it will be when it's done.

abundant well done on taking prompt action on your low mood.

mothernerd

I am feeling the effect of all the chopping back and sawing in mum's garden - limbs are looser but feel it if I make the 'wrong' movement.

Took an electrical item (mum's) to donate to the hospice shop. Mum wanted bread, AA and AA batteries and for me to look out for a teapot stand (in black, white or 'stainless steel'). Wilco's only had a heart shaped slate placemat (beautiful but £6 - and I forgot to buy more 'takeaway' tubs, they have ones with coloured lids atm), tried a couple of charity shops, found a slate 'cheeseboard' for £3.99, Her*n for bread (+ 2 sorts of cheese to top up mum's selection), finally £ emporium for batteries and :j a slate placemat :j.

Three bags and a rucksack to mum's (she keeps giving me taxi money). Took the bins in, made lunch for us both and a sandwich with side salad, a ploughman's, and three slices of watermelon chopped into chunks ( one in a bowl, two in plastic bags) for her to have for tea today and lunch tomorrow. Left some things there for tomorrow, did the washing up, then took another taxi to crafts.

Very busy day at crafts. Most people were making cards. I had taken some small embroidered pieces that I wanted to make up into cards. I also took my rotary trimmer, some aperture cards, usual sewing threads and notions.

We got a garbled message about making this activity last two weeks and people should only make one card, not lots (someone has spent £18 mostly on pre-made embellishments and even if we all donate £1 we weren't covering the costs, the charity was).

However someone has donated two boxes of craft magazines so (I am never going to have a tidy house) I volunteered to bring some magazines home and all the pieces of card and paper that had been cut into, torn or damaged and will use them to cut patterns (for guitars, animals etc) for next week.

I don't like the idea of rationing what people do, especially when ideas are flowing and it is doing so much to raise spirits and release tension. I made cards for years before all these pre-packed items were available. So will probably spend the time at mum's tomorrow (I have a dispensation to phone up and say if I am too tired to go) making paper flowers and tiny origami hearts. There is an empty green bin to start filling too.

I have spent money this evening on a small shop (had no bread for days and used the last of the cooked meat and the yoghurt). Mixture of needs and wants will some ys and substitutions (all the fridges and freezers were malfunctioning so bought bananas for breakfast). Enjoying a cup of fizzy water.:beer:

Today I am grateful for finding what I needed in the shops at a reasonable price, for fun and laughter at crafts and quiet companionship at mum's.

mothernerd

"I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humilty, which keeps me from putting myself before others. be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men."
Lao Tzu

Jo_Blogs

Good morning everyone

Another great day yesterday - I'm really enoyng the frugalwood's e-mails and whats a great challenge it is! - Some fantastic tips and it's nice to read stuff which \i decided to do ages ago - like getting rid of a TV package. Did that years ago when I decided it was just all junk, and especially with not watching much TV at all ;). - Not to everyones taste, but it works for me .

Today is NSD No.6 here - enjoying living out of the cupboards and freezer again. Very simple and quick meals, so winning all round I find it much easier as I've got so many more important and interesting things to be doing rather than food shopping - which is one of my least favourite things :mad:. Will simply stock up at the end of the month and that'll be that :rotfl:

Wishing you all a fantastic NSDay!

apple_muncher

Jo Blogs - I'm the opposite. I love food shopping. We used to go with dad as kids to the market halls. He had his routine and we trotted along behind: first, the three fruit and veg stalls where he'd go to all three before buying anything, getting the best value from each one. We would then drop those bags back at the car before doing the other stuff, ending up at the bready/cakey place, where he always bought us a treat. I loved it and my sister loathed it! It taught me early on to know the different prices in various places.