NST October ORGANISE OCTOBER

mothernerd

Life always offers a second chance - it's called tomorrow.

mothernerd

Kerry Woman relaxing and catching up are good.

determined new ms does the knitting help with the anxiety? Might not be 'me time' but you are taking steps to safeguard your wellbeing.

greent hope DD recovers quickly.

apple have fun on your trip.

moneysavingfamilycomp at least you know you are using things to the end of their natural life.

ilovetea lucky dip meals, what fun.

DawnW you did the right thing by making other necessary purchases on a spendy day. If it helps I would allocate a portion of the meat spend to next month's budget, as that is when it will be used. I also use this for odd items from shops I rarely visit - will buy 6 months or a year's worth then I don't have to keep making return visits for one item.

dizzyblnd I love apple crumble, mine's low sugar and oats in the crumble.

fruitloop04 Don't panic, some turtle tactics are harder to pick up and take a while. Alcohol free days and exercise looking good.

laurenh1 sounds like a good place to live with children.

bizzie lazy Sunday sounds fab.

sashanut good progress on the cellar. Sounds like you could 'live from the cupboards' for a while. Hope you can keep on top of it better from now on.

Fmess family time and so much achieved.

Mooloo I won't give you a number but feel free to post on progress or if you need support or advice.

Purplebonnie lovely hunger gap planting.

misstara toothache is dreadful.

Chasing Sunshine Happy new house.

Lauralozzle have a nice relaxing day. You haven't failed Stoptober - get back on track right NOW.

Toni'sfriend

Yesterday was not a good day. Both laptops decided to break down. One whilst I was paying for a holiday next year which prompted a text from the bank warning of fraudulent activity and suspending account. 30 minute phone call to an Indian call centre eventually convenced them that I was me but I'll now have to phone the holiday company with the payment details.
Two bulbs in sitting room went within 10 minutes of one another. Replaced one but the other has broken in the lamp. Will have to get the pliers out.

ORGANIZE: On the plus side all meals including Sunday lunch came from the freezer and I made soup for the boy's lunch

GET READY FOR WINTER: Still to do everything below.

Check medicine cupboard
Arrange flu jab
Check there are enough candles and matches and that the torches are working
Look out winter hat, scarf, gloves and boots
Look out tracks for covering shoes for walking in icy weather
Council are responsible for gritting path and lane but might buy some salt anyway.
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ALWAYS BE KIND: Failed. Shouted at C when he started asking questions about the failed technology (he has no practical skills and refuses to learn how to use anything that involves technology). I'll make it up to him today

NSD: 0/12. Needed some milk etc.

IMPROVISE: Always try to do this. I have a partner who can’t stand waste.

STOPTOBER: Didn't eat any rubbish but did resort to a G & T to relieve stress.

EXERCISE: Walked to shops and back. About an hour in total

ONE MORE TIME: See Stoptober. Did weigh myself but less said about that the better.

CHRISTMAS: Some ideas but nothing done yet

EXTRA INCOME: Couldn't do anything due to technology failure.

As you say, Mothernerd, tomorrow is another day.

mothernerd

Have just phoned mum to tell her I will be there as soon as I can.

Not a lot of sleep (what I had was good) and struggling a bit - hate going into a new week feeling like this. Hot bath helped and am easing into the day.

Not done everything I wanted to but have looked at the list (full of huge/ never ending/ undefined tasks) and have made progress on Washing (6 or 7 loads now), my bedroom, Christmas and Halloween crafting (prep for crafts + getting some of the stuff out of here) and more or less managed to keep up with you lot. Not much done on cooking (but kitchen is a lot tidier - so 'prep for cooking' and I have lots of clean pans - just hope Beloved doesn't use them all again before I get home tonight). Some important things not yet done, but more space to do them in and will be much easier to find phone numbers/ paperwork etc.

I found about £50 during tidying (the heap on the bedside table which avalanched off on Friday having reached crisis point) had a few extra socks (single but now reunited) under the 'important bits of paper' and scattering of pills. Underneath all the clutter was a bag of money - must have emptied my purse of all the change at one point. lots of £1 coins so came to about £34. Found an odd fiver and bits in odd corners (swept under drawers, the bit between the bedside drawers and the bed etc and found coins in with the buttons, curtain hooks, cut out bits of paper, some forks ans spoons etc.

A productive weekend especially as I have been tired and lacking any real inclination to do any of it - just plodding and telling myself I could still wash pots even if I was falling asleep.

Right positive head on - also found a recipt that said I had 600+ b**ts points so may treat myself. later turtles.

DebtFreeDuo

Love todays inspiration mothernerd, just what I needed to see.

greent

Organise/ Cook from Scratch/ Use things up - Breakfasts - cereals or toast (hm bread), Packed lunches for boys, hm rolls for OH & myself. Dinner will be something from freezer - possibly hm chilli or bolog

Pay debts/ savings - £5 transferred to BTL mtge. £10 transferred to kitchen fund

Budgets
* Food - 113.04/ 325 (stretch 290)
* Fuel 60/60
* Clothes 15/75
* Gifts 31/150 -
* Toiletries 0/10
* Social 70.50/200 (stretch 150)

NSD - 6/12 Cannot see any reason why tonight will incur a spend - most of it will be spent playing mum taxi!

Improvise -

Exercise
* Week 1 - 3/4
* Week 2 - 1/4

Jan Goals - "By the end of the year I want to have halved the (non mtge) debt we have and have lost 20lbs - and also get fitter along the way"
Debt at start of year more than halved.
Weight/ fitness = Finally weighed myself (thanks, apple, for the nudge! ) - am -2lb from start of year, which means I have put back on some of weight previously lost. But not all! :T

Extra income -none today

Christmas -

Get Ready Checklist
1 - Health - vitamins taken today so still 6/31
4 - Maintenance - need to contact plasterer & electrician by 10/10. (Have mentioned it to electrician's wife - mum at school - but need to do it properly) Have messaged plasterer (03/10) - no reply as yet and I phoned plumber (03/10)- no longer trading so now need to find a plumber....
Kitchen co contacted today. Will message plasterer in a bit. Have a suggestion yesterday of a plumbing co.

Gratitudes:
* dry weather
* line dried washing
* 30 mins snooze after school run this morning
* having (more than) enough

Apple - hope today wasn't *too* exhausting.....! xx

Lauralozzle

Thanks mothernerd. I'm back on it for stoptober right now.

Today has been spendy. Went out to get some more kitchen roll, kindling, 2 packs of Epsom salts and I might have treated myself to a new candle. It was only £2 from Home Bargains and smells of gingerbread. I get all excited over anything remotely Christmas-like.

I've got some sandwich stuff for the week, fruit and some bottled juices (might perk me up a bit) and I also got some frozen bits for days when can't be bothered (pizza and stuff). That should mean we avoid the lure of takeaway for the rest of the month.

I then went to the butchers to get some more chicken breasts as we only had two. Got ten chicken breasts and 24 sausages (lean slimming world friendly) for £20. Thinking sausage, mashed potatoes and veg for dinner with a Yorkshire pudding from the freezer and gravy.

I've cleaned the kitchen, put last loan of dirty dishes in dishwasher, tidied living room and dining room, sorted out my hen do bag (put dirty clothes in wash etc).

I now plan on doing very little! At least until dinner. I grabbed a sausage roll at the butchers so that was breakfast/lunch. To be honest, I'm not particularly hungry as my stomach feels a bit sore still.

moneysavingfamilycomp

a bit of a nothing day today as I have no motivation to do anything.
did walk the kids to school so thats 1/5 this week. had doctors appointment rearranged as doctor was ill :rotfl: supposed to be 9:30 but changed to 11:50 so I think that made me think not enough time to do much either side. a couple of loads of washing done and put on line including bedding and i'v dug out the flanelette sheet for our bed as its been chilly last couple of nights. heating still off. NSD so that was a bonus. must get stuff done tomorrow

NSD 5/15
winter prep: snuggly flanelette sheet

determined_new_ms

Hi guys everyone is doing so well!

mothernerd, not a lot was helping yesterday. I've been suffering with anxiety the last few weeks and then yesterday I had worries about my ds who has just split up with his gf....

today I managed a SFD 4/15

made a huge batch of barley, lentil & chard soup to use up chard picked a couple of days ago. It's blooming lovely as well! Will freeze 3 portions later on

Did 45 mins of walking & did an hours digging at the lottie

have worked out at the mid-way point I've only used 1/3 of my personal spends

That's all

Toni'sfriend

Well, today was much better than yesterday. I've fixed the older of the two laptops (no idea how I did it) and replaced the broken bulb. Contacted the holiday company and sorted out the payment.

ORGANIZE: All today's meals have come from freezer and I've made more soup for the boy's lunch. Curry for tomorrow's dinner using chicken breast from freezer is cooking as we speak. Must make a proper meal plan, though. Yesterday I made a long list of things I have to do this month. I've managed to tick quite a few off but, unfortunately, added even more. I suppose that's the way of lists.

GET READY FOR WINTER: Arranged the flu jab. Working on the others

Check medicine cupboard
Check there are enough candles and matches and that the torches are working
Look out winter hat, scarf, gloves and boots
Look out tracks for covering shoes for walking in icy weather
Council are responsible for gritting path and lane but might buy some salt anyway.
.
ALWAYS BE KIND: Was much better today. Haven't shouted or lost my temper.

NSD: 0/12. Still nothing but haven't spent much. Needed a few things for son's lunches. Must start the spending diary.

IMPROVISE: Always try to do this. I have a partner who can’t stand waste.

STOPTOBER:No rubbish and have avoided the G & T.

EXERCISE: Walked to shops and back again.

ONE MORE TIME: See Stoptober. Won't see how I'm doing till weigh in next week.

CHRISTMAS: Bought some lovely little boxes of chocolates in Aldi as part of my sister in law's present. Didn't cost much and her present will be actually be under budget.

EXTRA INCOME: Tried some surveys but got screened out again.

Off to do some of the ironing mountain.