Bonfires and fireworks - NST November challenge

sashanut

Hi all turtles :j

Checking in: 23/30

NSDs:11/15 still on 11spendy spendy day today

Organise: Not much organising done today as been out on treat day for my birthday...we were late leaving as (my fault) I left some bin bags in the hall last night with one of the dogs, these bags contained - I thought - just the offcuts of carpet from newly carpeted dining room. However I forgot that I cleared out the cupboards in there, leading to the dog eating last years (or even the year before's) bag of Christmas chestnuts in shells, at least 2 packets of OOD wasabi peanuts, some dried apricots that had turned black they were so old, and many & varied OOD cake decorations including the ones that look like carrots for decorating carrot cakes...............

Value for money - lots of shopping today but did use a lot of vouchers so much of the shopping was in essence free...

Exercise - loads and loads of walking


Mental health - Fine today

Be Christmas ready - included in the freebies were some presents that I had loyalty points collected for, things expensive in that shop - but nothing to pay :T

Eat well - Yes well....

Gratitudes - Very happy with my day out, also very little swearing from the chauffeur (DH), lovely bright day, pleasant shop staff & nice meal out, just fabulous window display & beautifully lit trees ...

laurenh1

Hi all

Still on NSD 13/16 because im off to beamish today. Will do better tomorrow hopefully!!

Value- taking our discount card to besmish and a picnic to save money. The pass lasts all year so Im hoping to make the most of it next year along with my English heritage and "the deep" pass.
Im also going to use vouchers I have to stock up on pet food as we pass the shop on our way:)

Organise- not doing loads today, will book a table in york for when were there next weekend

Healthy eating & excersize- seems unlikely haha

Christmas- Ive decided to hold fire on the final thing for my son as he usually gets money at xmas or people ask what he wants & I can ask them for this thing, not expensive either

Mental health- very tired but otherwise ok.

Grateful for- my cup of tea in bed, Christmas jumpers bought in the sale last year as all kids are wearing them today & getting them in jan has saved me ££ hub getting up with the kids

apple_muncher

Mothernerd - you have had you own cupcake wars. Wow! Hope it goes well today. And thank you for commenting - I'll get going on prepping Dec.

Ilovetea - 28 nsd is something to be proud of! Please loiter and keep reading.

Timetopullmysocksup - sounds like strict budgetting actually helps you, so it sounds to me like it is what you need to keep doing. Keep breathing - slowly!

laurenh1

timetopullmysocksup sorry you felt so anxious, I too can get a bit caught up in it all. Not going over budget for so many months is a great achievement so try & look at it as a whole you're clearly doing amazing.

I was upset last week as I had to dip into savings and I was traumatised but then I realised that such is life & over all I manage very well on what little spare cash I have.

Try and be as kind to yourself as you would be to others

Timetopullmysocksup

Morning,

thanks guys,

Apple, definitely plan on carrying on and don't know why I reacted like that, its not unreasonable to expect I am going to have to go over budget at some point, It is the festive season after all. This is the first year I have not bought presents throughout the year in preparation and that might have some bearing on why I feel overwhelmed. I didn't want to do Christmas as such this year anyway, I have accepted its not about what it should be about and I am not religious (sorry if that offends).
I have spoke to everyone who would normally receive a gift over the past month and it was agreed no one was to buy anyone this year, we had said any money would be better off spent in our own families be it paying off debt or stocking up our cupboards. Then someone tells someone else they're just buying so and so's kids and the next person says 'I got you the cutest thing, I just had to' and so on. Why???? I know I don't have to go down this route and I am a strong enough person to stand by what we have said but lo & behold I'm buying gifts. I have even had a text from a family member saying I know we all said no presents but if anyone does want to get us anything can we have euros please as we have just booked a holiday. It's ridiculous. Anyway rant over lol.

Lauren, it's a good mindset to be upset at touching your savings, its good it has that importance and not just seen as money. I hope to be like that when I start the saving side of my journey. Thank you for the kind words.

f0xh0les

Timetopullmysocksup wrote: »

Morning,

This is the first year I have not bought presents throughout the year in preparation and that might have some bearing on why I feel overwhelmed.


I d:mad:idn't want to do Christmas as such this year anyway, I have spoke to everyone who would normally receive a gift over the past month and it was agreed no one was to buy anyone this year, we had said any money would be better off spent in our own families be it paying off debt or stocking up our cupboards.

I don't have to go down this route and I am a strong enough person to stand by what we have said but lo & behold I'm buying gifts. I have even had a text from a family member saying I know we all said no presents but if anyone does want to get us anything can we have euros please as we have just booked a holiday. It's ridiculous. Anyway rant over lol.

Erm, that is not ridiculous, that is just downright RUDE:mad::mad::mad: I would not feel overwhelmed, I would be absolutely LIVID!!!! and then I would pull my FU hat firmly on my head, get out a really nice recipe for biscotti or something equally simple and they would get home made gifts that took time and thought rather than some shop bought tat or t'other that was designed to sparkle and catch the eye of muppets with a credit card balance higher than their IQ. This is marketing at its most dangerous. It is designed to make you feel terrible for not doing it.

I would rather get a £8 bottle of M&S creme brulee liqueur and a plate of home made mince pies that someone actually thought about what would be appropriate and appreciated, than a £40 box of tat that was designed to catch the magpie eye of a shopping junkie.

Maybe you would feel more in control if you secret santa'd yourself?? If you set yourself a 'less than a tenner' budget per adult who is refusing to play by the rules?

Or if you are local, send a text saying - as we agreed to not exchange gifts this year, I would like to offer babysitting services for an afternoon ( or even better, for a sleepover) so the parents can slip off and do whatever adults can't do with kids around the place.

The kids are getting nearly 3 weeks off at Xmas here. Someone offering to take them away would be a godsend.

I am not sure I would be having a panic attack, I would be having a NUCLEAR sized MELTDOWN!!!!

Toni'sfriend

I would rather get a £8 bottle of M&S creme brulee liqueur and a plate of home made mince pies that someone actually thought about what would be appropriate and appreciated, than a £40 box of tat that was designed to catch the magpie eye of a shopping junkie

Oh, how I agree - time to stop this madness!
I had a lovely day yesterday. Finished the Christmas shopping (and I have stuck to the sentiments expressed above, not spent a lot of money and thought about what I was buying) and C took me for lunch.
Still on NSD 8/12 - don't know if I can manage too many more.
Christmas shopping finished and some washing done. It's so difficult to get anything dried just now.
Walked around the shops (but not too many). It was too cold and snowy to do anything else.
Bought two dine in for two deals and used a gift card for one of them so £39.43 worth of goods for £10.00. Also cancelled the hotel we had booked in Paris in April and booked a such nicer one for less instead.
Hugs to everyone who's struggling a wee bit. Have a lovely weekend.

Timetopullmysocksup

lol @ edit note. f0xh0les that gave me a right laugh, bet no one would go back on what they said to you hahaha.

I feel a lot better this morning, I think writing it down and reading it back put things into perspective and reinforced that I do not need to succumb to pressure. I have redistributed the gifts I have already got more thinly to include more people and I will now settle with everyone getting a 'token' gift as opposed to a present as such. Thanks for listening and commenting, it's really nice of you.

greent

Late check in for yesterday - I just totally forgot!

Clear Out - Have listed 3 toys on fleabay and have a couple more ready to list - hopefully they might go in the run up to Xmas

NSDs -6 - Still only 6 - but I never expected Nov to have many!

Organise - set your budgets now, pay to your debt/savings first
Food - £294.161/ £400 - Sains shop today
Fuel (me) - £84.45/ £65 -
Social - £125.74/ £150 -
Toiletries - £2/ £10
Clothes - £115.48/£100 -
Gifts ( also have DD's birthday just before Xmas and DS2's just after) - £476.09 - bought last bit of DS1's present, some bits for DS2's present and also a big box of new jam jars (which will be mostly used for presents - I just re-use ones for me/ my mum)

Value for money -used tcb, reward points, collected more reward points and checked prices

Exercise -

Mental health - passable

Be Christmas ready -got some more bits

Eat well - yes. Used up some just-in-date dried noodles and made fakeaway chow mein-ish with chicken and loads of veggies. Yummy

Report/ Gratitudes -
* avoiding the takeaway OH wanted! :j
* heating
* DS1 stepping up and volunteering again at a school event in the evening
* Tesc0 emailing me about an almost ood clubcard voucher (expires 30th Nov) for £10 - have looked through deals and there's nothing I want to use it on, so have printed it out and will use it on shopping
* more money off vouchers from Sains - won't use them all, but will offer shop and plan my shopping to use at least 2 or 3 (at £12 off £60 - not a bad deal)
* avoiding booking a baking course I wanted to go on (@£60 - not sure I could justify that) and then receiving a loyalty voucher for it (have been on previous courses) so price is now £35 :j:j - may ask my mum to get me a voucher towards it too

f0xh0les

Timetopullmysocksup wrote: »

f0xh0les that gave me a right laugh, bet no one would go back on what they said to you hahaha.
.

Wish it were so, I seem to be in the role of buying gifts for DH's family - who want for nothing and need even less, but EXPECT, and are vocal about what they do not get. Considering I am the only one without an income, DH and FiL do not DO Xmas, but MiL insists.

For the last 4 years I have had size 10 clothing (I am a 16) for birthdays and xmas although I have told them I want nothing, I know she gives away whatever high end gf / d/f goodies I send her so she looks good to her friends with g/f d/f kids and everyone can say how GOOD she is.
Bah, but don't get me started, I got f-i-l a beautifully wrapped little box with nothing in it the year before last, because that is what he asked for and he was quite pleased with it. He was delighted with his £1 box of licorice pipes from the £shop last year.
They need nothing, whatever they want they buy themselves. They are financially secure.

Xmas is a much different beast than it was when they were born during the war.
Times have changed, but people are lonelier than ever, and sometimes turning up with a few mice pies and having a cup of tea with an older person and leaving a £1 box of chocs so they remember you have been there is much more appreciated than a jar of dead sea salt bath scrub and an exfoliating mitt .

Having said that I am not heading into DH's nest of vipers this yuletide.