Bonfires and fireworks - NST November challenge

DebtFreeDuo

I can't believe that I didn't notice this before!

applemuncher exercise, eat well, extra income, I'm not sure who will be eating well over the festive period but its not impossible. I'm sure there are others we could come up with if we put our minds to it, I've just taken these ones from this month. Ooh what about 'Explore' - try something new.

misstara

NSDs - 14/18, NSD yesterday as couldn't be bothered going to the supermarket after work.

Organise - Meal plan done for next week, list made and went to the supermarket today. Started work on December's budget.

Value for money - got a few YS items in food shop today.

Exercise - went to the gym

Mental health - all good

Be Christmas ready - nothing to add here.

Eat well - moving swiftly on.

Report - 20/30, grateful for a win at the rugby , managing a wee nap (on night shift tonight so will hopefully see me through), pizza for tea and a good chat with my dad.

f0xh0les

Exterminate, exterminate!
Expunge
Eliminate
Exit stage left, pursued by a bear
Escalate
Elucidate
Exciting stuff to plan for yourself.
Exfoliate (central heating, don't you know)
Evaluate !!

sashanut

Hi all turtles :j

Checking in: 24/30

NSDs:12/15

Organise: Not a lot done today as very poor sleep last night - that always means I have not much energy. No idea why as I walked so much at the show & felt pretty tired, but was probably overtired & past it LOL. Did do some more in the dining room, LHS cupboard is now clean, reorganised & full of useful items. Still have to finish the RHS one & then can put the furniture back in & retrieve the contents from all over the house...

Value for money - Not really as I didn't spend anything, but made food from what we had in. It was not especially healthy but not too bad.

Exercise - none today

Mental health - Fine today other than being tired.

Be Christmas ready - Finally pinned DD down to give us her shifts & times off so can now plan trip away & family get together to fit in before Christmas. Suddenly realised it has sneaked up on me & is nearer than I thought!! EEk..Like a few people on here I don't buy lots of expensive gifts for people - tbf I don't have many to buy for, but I put together a hamper of HM stuff for them. This was done out of necessity originally a few years ago, as we were broke. I was quite worried about doing it, but everyone now seems to look forward to it, the only thing is I sometimes put pressure on myself to make/knit items & have been known to be up knitting late into the night....


Eat well - Not too bad but could do better....

Gratitudes - Pleased to have got the dates for Christmas sorted, started on of the last pairs of socks for gifting, warm bed a & good nights sleep hopefully!!

DebtFreeDuo

Lots of great E's there f0xh0les, definitely enough to cover December.

greent

Clear Out - nope - in fact the opposite - my mum has had (yet another) clothes clear out, so I have 2 HUGE bags to go through - there are definitely some items in there I will have. The rest will go to charity. I will also try and remove some items from my clothes to compensate. I did, thinking about it, pour most of a cream caramel liqueur away - although kept in the fridge, it had gone lumpy. Lovely bottle, though - so I will reuse that

NSDs -6 - Still only 6

Organise - set your budgets now, pay to your debt/savings first
Food - £320.24/ £400 - Had to go to Tesc0 for medical items (mouth ulcer gel for Ds2 and ear drops for oh, who has blocked ears) and scored nicely on mega reduced YS items
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 - left to do = my mum, an aunt (usually an Oxfam goat type present), a cousin (likely to be bottle of wine from stash), DD + DS2 to finish off (they need 'double' re their birthdays) - and at least 8 jars of strawberry and prosecco jam to make!

Value for money -lots of YS fruit & veg items

Exercise -

Mental health - passable

Be Christmas ready -

Eat well - yes.

Report/ Gratitudes -
* not having to go out, so I stayed in the warm!
* new to me clothes from my mum
* heating
* fluffy blankets
* thicker duvets
* fluffy socks
* HM lemon cake - fancied cake, so made one (using a lemon brought back from Portugal last month - still in perfect condition)

laurenh1

foxholestimetopullmysocksup and everyone else, I feel your pain. I have so so many people to buy for, I start in Jan sales and love the boots 70% off, a lot of my gifts cost 5 pound or less and I concentrate on the kids in the family. Those that are of my kind of mind set, I have spoken to & we have agreed token gifts or nothing at all. My mum is buying me a sandwich toaster and my hub is getting me some much needed trainers I bought in the sale with cash back. He feels bad I dont have much to open but in truth Id rather have more money in the bank to have a nice time in c parcs with the kids. My best mate made me home made bath salts etc a few years ago for my bday and I loved it so much. I love thoughtful gifts and like every one has said, token gifts can go a long way!! My cousin just bought my boy a musical book for his bday and apologised it wasn't much- which is daft its so kind she got him anything

Its all about being together, family and thr kids. And my children dont get half the budget some of their mates get but they're happy

apple_muncher

DebtFreeDuo wrote: »

I can't believe that I didn't notice this before!

applemuncher exercise, eat well, extra income, I'm not sure who will be eating well over the festive period but its not impossible. I'm sure there are others we could come up with if we put our minds to it, I've just taken these ones from this month. Ooh what about 'Explore' - try something new.

f0xh0les wrote: »

Exterminate, exterminate!
Expunge
Eliminate
Exit stage left, pursued by a bear
Escalate
Elucidate
Exciting stuff to plan for yourself.
Exfoliate (central heating, don't you know)
Evaluate !!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:thank you both!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:No excuse not to use the initisls now...

mothernerd

apple_muncher wrote: »

DFD -you'll be ok next month as december's challenge probably won't spell anything - too many 'e's!!!

I do it the other way round. I scribble a list of all the things I would like to include and all the regular rules (starting and finishing, pay to debt first, setting budgets ) plus the random rule Kat asked us to include. I pair up any obvious matches, then tweak the others to fill in the gaps. Sometimes makes the wording slightly awkwardbut mostly okay - things like budgets can be split up if you have lots of letters, just expand on some of the things.

By the way, it isn't mandatory to use the letters, it's just fun. I can't manage abundant's glorious rainbow paragraphs.

You also don't have to use the month. You could have
Celebrate Christmas (your way)/ (the MSE way)/ (any way you like)/ (alternative winter festivities). Most of the 'Christian' traditions pre-date Christianity, some are pagan, some just 'human' (back to the caveman sitting by the fire, hoping/ belieing that some day the big fire in the sky would return and the earth would be fruitful again).

I am also planning (well thinking about) reverse advent calendars (where you give something away each day) both for decluttering and donating (tins for the FB, socks and toothbrushes for the homeless, not huge amounts, but enough to focus my mind on the things I have).

I also like the the RAK (random acts of kindness) advent calendars, both for adults and children (though not going along with the killjoys who have decided to substitute it for the 'elf on the shelf' who they think is too naughty (or adults who cba to think up more tricks). I disapprove of 'American' things in general but I realise I have slipped into saying Santa instead of Father Christmas (I know Santa has legitimate polyglot origins) but I quite like the elf on the shelf (HM not commercial packages).

I still remember when we had the big tree on the town hall, decorated only with light bulbs (lighted streets were strictly for the big cities). On our twice weekly trips to grandma's (mum couldn't afford to feed us all week on the money dad gave her) we would go the 'tree' way round an dstop to look up through the tree at the lights. I can still recall the feeling I used to get then and that is the 'magic' and 'spirit' of Christmas I tried to recreate for my children.

I want quiet at Christmas. Some candles and a big pile of books to read. It will be slightly different this year as Beloved is not going to be at her parents. I may be spending it with my mother, depending on whether she gets invited to one of her partner's grand-daughters. (She is in a bit of a huff because she was not invited to a recent 40th wedding anniversary party).

However I spend it, I will be okay. I let myself play the Pogues last night.

laurenh1

Just checking in-.

NSD 14/16. Might make 18 if I spend nothing until thr 1st. Hmmm lol.

Organise- not loads tp do today, at some point in the week I want to sort our medicine cabinet out and get restocked and sort our photos out.

Value- not spending

Excersize and healthy eating- i am trying but I still feel unwell. Just cant shake it

Christmas- nothing today. Christmas markets next weekend.

Mental health- fine just need to shake this dreaded cold.

Greatful for- the lovely santa at beamish yesterday. My aunt picking me up some savaloys and for somewhere warm to come back to. It was so bitter my hands were numb & I couldn't help but think that not everyone has a warm home and a fire to snuggle up on front of