NST January: Health, Wealth and a Life Well Lived

Fmess

Hugs EE, hope you, OH and family are ok.

Welcome back NSK I feel the pressure to be good again!

Spend day as went to slimming world and paid my fee. I also bought a last minute train ticket to London for Saturday. One of my oldest and bestest friends had her first baby on Monday and she’s feeling scared and overwhelmed having brought her home today. Her family aren’t anywhere nearby and aren’t visit for a couple of weeks! She has a lovely husband but she’s usually the one who sorts everything. She asked when I could visit and was delighted that I could come on Saturday which is my first day off work. It’ll blow the budget but I’ll try recoup it the rest of the month. £55 for the train, then I’ll need tube travel for the day and car parking at the station but I want to be with her and I think it’s important.

1SmallStep

It is important Fmess, and it will always be special for her that you visit now! I was in a similar position with my DD and 16 years on now I still cherish her early visitors who helped me feel 'I wasn't going crazy, it is totally surreal' and puzzled with me over how this beautiful loud new alien being operated!

NSD yesterday, not a NSD today - had to purchase a few bits for paying guests, supplemented by YS fruit/chocolate/trifle sponges (my guilty pleasure which I usually indulge in around Xmas time only. Hate trifles, love snacking on trifle sponges!). Also withdrew a tenner to pay back a friend for something, managed to scoop up the rest of what was needed in shrapnel.

Have had a little flurry of bookings from paying guests which will help with frugal January. House needs to pay its way if I'm going to tackle a bit more building work soon. Mixed blessing though... It's kind of nice when it's just us here! I want more of that time. Sure it will be OK when they arrive, like many things it's often worse in anticipation, and I do enjoy doing it really! Having sorted a lot of stuff over Xmas it should be reasonably easy to prep the rooms. First guest arrived tonight. Easy!
Up super early tomorrow to clean ahead of work ahead of a work trip in the evening with big boss. So won't loiter but will catch up with all news 2mrw from posh hotel room (maxing out their hot water, toiletries etc!).

thriftylass

Eager_Elephant sorry to hear about your loss.

foxholes what a lovely deed.

I just started running again and am back down to barely managing 2mi without walking inbetween. Biking and swimming is ok but my running fitness drops incredibly fast after a break.

Busy night. Ragu in slow cooker, chicken pie prepared. Kitchen and bathroom cleaned, hoovered. Tried to mend the kids winter hats but they just disintegrated. So in the bin they went.

Have adjust my SFDs down as i lost one today. Forgot to buy DS new plimsoles for PE yesterday and picked up a couple of YS items including a indoor mini rosebush to cheer me up.

1SmallStep

EE, didn't want to read and run, I'm sorry for your loss. Do take care.
NSK! Welcome back to the nest of turtles.. Mothernerd we're all standing ready, apple is already whipping us into shape by posing all these searching questions! X

sashanut

Hi all turtles :j

Ilovetea LOL to no temptation because of the sizes...I daren't buy any clothes but the books & other handy bits...my downfall. Although, I do take the books back once read now...

Janus So this is a time to look forwards - where do you want to be in 12 months from now? I would like to have the house much clearer. Slow progress but small steps.. 5 years? House completely clear & clutter free, DD settled in her own home. 10 years? Spending half the year in Ireland, half here

Activity. This is a BOGOF one. Take up a new hobby or resurrect a new one. Decided to curate & catalogue a collection that we have, that needs info written down so that whoever had to sort it knows what it is - did some more of the TV knitting stuff, funnily enough whilst watching TV:rotfl:


ALSO, be active. Keep moving. Active all morning packing & sorting stuff, in the garden in the afternoon for a while.

Non-negotiables:
-18 NSDs (if not, why not?) 5/18

-your budgets are set by the start of the month and are fixed. Nearly - think I will say £250 for us & all animals, should not need near this amount so all saved will go to another project. Filling in book with receipts, found most of them. Kept receipts from shopping, will fill in book later. Still to do..


-£5 to foodbank / charity Finally managed to do this!

-pay money to your debts FIRST - do not wait to see how much is left at the end - and live within your budget Do not have debt but have a cc paid off in full each month, which gives vouchers I use at Christmas. Has been a v spendy month, will cut down as much as possible. Will be prepping to start selling some of this stuff ASAP.

-meal plan Lunch was HM pea & ham soup using the last of the cooked gammon joint. Supper (chosen by DD after an away overnight stay & a fair bit to drink) was French bread pizza & chips, all from stores, plus black forest trifle..

Unabashed, unambiguous, unconditional, undaunted, undivided, unerring, unshakeable devotion to your goal(s). [more on this later] Do not exercise as was - like many people - put off at school. And I was also rubbish! Put off swimming by being pushed into the deep end (by the swimming teacher!) which instead of having the desired effect of getting me swimming, actually nearly drowned me..


Always plan your meals; always take a shopping list; always take your lunch to work and drink + snacks when out and about; avoid all coffee shops, vending machines, work canteens... Making shopping list for tomorrow now, don't work outside the home but do a bit of voluntary work. Deviated a bit from shopping list, but not much, took fruit to work & get free brews..Don't drink coffee & never go in coffee shops..will try & take snacks, drink when out & about..


Reduce, re-use, repair, re-gift, recycle, recover, refuse! And read. Got more books from CS to add to the stash but will return once read. Only read when in bed so takes awhile to get through. Now have 2 books on the go..

You are the key to reducing your debt, living modestly, keeping as fit and well as you can. So look after yourself - physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Determined to look after myself & pamper a little each week, have already had a face pack yesterday, need to do things for myself instead of being a in constant rush doing stuff for family In garden for only about half an hour today. Making a difference in the greenhouse, which was dire. Aim to get some seeds in this week. Thriftylass I have not yet decided what seeds - usually I wait until much later as it's so cold here in the north, also depends what seeds I have/still viable/not eaten by rodents. Thought of some flowers (sweet peas?), chillis, toms & beans maybe..


I want to re-introduce Bob's s t r e t c h challenge for January: how much extra can you earn / save off your food shop / move / remove.NO sign yet of said shoe but will keep identifying items to sell. Have realised that we have a ton of food still to eat, that's before we start on the 2 chest freezers (& little one inside fridge). There's only 2 of us (but often 3)..

Would joining the 1% thread help you? Or the MFW for 2018? Or the pay off all your debts by xmas18? Does reading mrmoneymustache or frugalwoods inspire you? Have joined Frugalwoods challenge already & will be interested to see how it pans out. Have been on MMM & introduced his philosophy to DH, applied the principles so we are now MF - wish we had done it years ago, wasted so much time/money etc. in the past..

mummylewis

I'm so very sorry for your loss E_E. My prayers are with you and your family.

Just a quick update from me, just climbed in bed silently as I've just got in from work. Tiring night tonight but it should be worth it tomorrow when my boss gives our bigger bosses a good impression of our venue.

It was a super spendy day so we remain on 6 NSDs. Did the weekly food shop (made a meal plan and stuck to a list! Although rookie error, should have fed DH before we went, he wanted every biscuit and chocolate bar in sight!!) Also got my Costco top ups and a few bits for DD. Foresee at least 4 NSDs now providing I don't run out of milk! (Does petrol ruin an NSD?)

Will check in tomorrow, night turtles!

thriftylass

Morning,

mummylewis , depends, need to ask the boss. But i would see petrol like bus fares or clubs, recurrent spends that can't be avoided or you could make an envelope at the start of the month with the budgeted money in? Some take it very serious (older challenges had it as a rule), to run on fumes to the next SD as an incentive to drive more economically. Not entirely sure, in my case DH pays and is not part of this

f0xh0les

EE - sorry for your loss

NSK - welcome back!

Right, let's try this again.

Today will be NSD 7

Planned and prepped, I think.

How do I approach my goals?
I kind of sneak up on them and attack, and then retreat behind a bush, then leap on them when they think they can get away. I am surrounded by saboteurs. But I know where they are, and their MO. I get things done while they are out of the way, or things won't get done. Oooh, yes, Furtively. I approach my goals furtively.

apple_muncher

Fuel does not lose you an nsd. Don't want you stranded in the middle of nowhere!

dolly84

E_E - sorry to hear your news.

Lauralozzle - have a look online at the price of your dog tablets, if they are a regular purchase you may be able to get them much cheaper. The vets totally rip you off, they have a massive mark up.

Did a grocery shop last night, did quite well with YS items, if we had gone later a lot of things would have probably been reduced again but I was happy with what I got. Booked a holiday last night and paid the deposit, we have the money already for it and the balance, we holiday in the UK so not a massive spend but it is quite pricey still. I am going to purchase a rail card today as we plan to go to Edinburgh by train this year and the saving using the card is big.

My ebay buyer paid plus I have another item ending today which has a bid. I am going to use the money to buy an Eco Egg, which is an egg shaped thing with beads in it which you use in place of laundry detergent, much better for the environment and one more step towards our low waste lifestyle. I am also going to buy a tea strainer so we can switch to loose leaf tea instead of teabags, even though the bags are made with paper they have plastic fibres in which do not compost or break down.