NST April 2018: April Fool's Challenge

Kerry_Woman

A - 5/15 Managed an NSD.
P - Done.
R - Done.
I - Read my book(making good progress, hoping to finish the book this week), wordsearch and mindfulness colouring
L - Put some perfume on today.
F - Walked to friend's flat.
O - Done.
O - Still ongoing.
L - Did not spend as much time on social media.
S - Grateful for:
Went round friend's for afternoon and part of evening.
Making plans with friend to go out over the summer, mostly free activities in London. Also planning to bring our own lunch out.
Getting the bus back home as it was raining.

Dorastar

Aim for at least 15 NSDs - Big food shop today as fridge only had cheese left in it
Pay to your debt or savings first - Savings added together in one pot £3710
Report in - waves hello
Interests - reading today
Love yourself - had a drive and tootle round a garden centre for ideas

Find time to get outside - oops
Overpay - weekly
Organise your month - menu planned before food shop
Lose one bad habit - phone off as much as possible
Sign off - grateful that I have a job that has paid holidays atm.

greent

Aim for at least 15 NSDs. Usual exceptions apply, - 4/15 - will have one today - too wet to go anywhere and dinner all from stores
Pay to your debt or savings first and live off the rest. - ok (done)
Report in every day. ok
Interests -- am going to ease myself back into fitness this month and read more -running total -2 walks, 3 books
Love yourself - using up face creams etc (micellar water, serums) on a daily basis - hoping my skin will benefit -

Find time to get outside. - - wet, wet, wet
Overpay - aim to pay 20% extra to your debt or savings. - 6 items listed on flebay to help with this. Put an extra £250 to the savings acct for final pymt on OH's car - 2 things on fleabay have bids (should net £40)
Organise your month. - DS1's 18th birthday mid month - that's gonna cost......
Lose one bad habit. - a certain game which I've spent waaay too much time on in March.... - not touched it today (this has gone very well)
Sign off your daily post with a list of gratitudes. - yes
Today I am grateful for:
* DS3 carrying on sorting out in his room - and getting rid of heaps of stuff
* leftovers being used up on lunches
* dinners all from stores (various items for the 7 of us here to make sure some things are used up)
* a lie in - OH got up with DS3, as he was wfh

Budgets:
Food 128.02/450 (a little ahead of myself, but fridge, cupboards & freezer are groaning)
Travel £75
Gifts 6.75/£150
Toiletries 6/£10
Cleaning 10.70/ £10 (stocked up on dwasher tabs)
Social £150
Clothing 114.60/ £75:o (OH 2 x boots, 1 x coat)

Fmess

Evening all,

Sorry for not posting yesterday. I came home from holiday, was overly tired and got upset thanks to a real idiot of a friend (no longer on my friend list ) I only slept 4 hours last night so Im pretty shattered now I!!!8217;m straight back to work.

Today was SFD number 7.

I am grateful for my friend being pregnant, my job, my sisters, my boys (dogs and cat), the lighter evenings, cheese onion and potato pie and good friends.

swimminginaseaofdebt

Evening everyone,

Took my sister to Tony Macaronis for her birthday lunch, mum decided she wasn't coming so saved myself some money there . Had a chicken breast in mushroom sauce with chips and a sundae for dessert, was all very yummy.

Online shop arrived this evening, earlier than expected but the timing worked well for me as I'd just put the little one down for the night. The cost of the shop and my lunch has brought my spends to £167.50/£350.

Bus didn't show up this morning so walked the 40 mins to the childminders. Thankfully it was dry.

Tax credits are in and I've transeferred the £24.82 increase to my full and final settlement fund which now stands at £29.65/£2100.

Did a bit of studying and read my book today.

Today I'm grateful for friendly delivery drivers.

laurenh1

Hi all.

Really quick one tonight.

Still on 5 NSDs due to an impromptu picnic down by the river. Lots of fun though. Getting outside & spending time with my boys is always a win. Took them for a walk this morning as well. My eldest went on his electric car &seems to have mastered it so hoping I can get it out more often for him now.
I was meant to go for a meeting at the Neonatal Unit I volunteer for but it was cancelled so parking cash went into the family coin jar. We are yet to decide what it is going towards.
Really excited for our weekend away this weekend-although it will affect spending. However hub then goes away for a 3 weeks & I can really reign it in.

Lots to be grateful for today; the sunshine making us all happier & more sociable. My baby boy having a go at skimming stones & not even getting them in the water & for strawberries & cream

mothernerd

Very tired so have slept for most of the day. It's frustrating to lose most of a lovely day but I am learning to be patient and this is the cost of a slightly hectic but mostly fun weekend. I need to let my body recover.

I have a small list of essential tasks for tomorrow (with a shortcut or two built in). Today I have phoned mum to check on her (stayed in bed until lunch, feeling better than yesterday, still resting with extra cushions - she could walk to the bathroom and kitchen yesterday evening or I wouldn't have left her).

Put the duvet cover over the line to dry - it promptly snapped, thought I was going to fall but pulled myself back, stood swaying back and forth for a minute or two with the duvet bundled in my arms. Spread the duvet over two garden chairs and the path.

About six o'clock I tried to have a bath (wasn't getting in unless I was sure I could get out again). It was stone cold. Went downstairs to check on the boiler, DS3 said there had been a power surge, that's why the light was out. I explained that what we were experiencing was a power cut (youth of today!).

Lost an NSD (and broke rules) as I was cold be this time and if I couldn't get my bath, I wanted hot food. Tried the chip shop but all the lights were out on that side of the main street (puzzled shop owners standing in doorways) and had to hobble as far as McDs (very very sorry) for food - actually getting there and back was an achievement (have to count what I have achieved during the day) though not good on any level other than warming me up. Duvet cover was sagging so scooped it up and got it mostly over one shoulder - will put it over a door to finish drying.

DS3's laptop ran out of battery shortly afterwards so he came upstairs to explain how meaningless his life was without internet access and muse on whether cars could detect changes in electro magnetic emissions - did not buy my explanation that it was probably shop alarms rather than car alarms and they had been triggered when the power signal cut out. I told him it was the future and to stock up on candles and start reading the prepper columns.

About 7pm he heard a click and I told him to try the lightswitch as it was probably the power coming back on (and the central heating boiler starting up). It was so he joyfully went back to work (everything he does is work - even when playing other people's games he's looking at what works and what doesn't and how they have done certain effects.

I reran the bath (blissful), found a few odds and ends of antiseptic cream and moisturisers in a difficult to reach drawer (have used up other bits over the weekend). Thanks to whoever mentioned anti histamines (f0xh0les?)- have sneezed afew times over the weekend so restarted those. Read for a bit and fell asleep again. McDs and pills don't help with staying awake.

Decided the job which would make the biggest contribution atm would be putting the winter quilt away (will only fit under the bed). So dragged it onto the bed, used a roll of wrapping paper to get stuff out from under the bed and bagged up rubbish, pots and recycling (+ clothes that need washing) until I was ready to fall over. Will do more in a bit. Need to ask for help bringing up the big bag (clothes from weekend plus reading book, diary anything non-essential for the journey back).

Today I am grateful for not having 'normal' work, for mum being better and resting as she has been told to, for my lovely bed, for the bath and still being able to have baths, for enough food (brought up pasta salad and a large yoghurt earlier, would have put something in the oven except for the power cut), for being able to move and walk (within limits), for painkillers and antihistamines (even if they make me sleep more) for all the lovely young children and their antics (one little boy refused to hold his spoon but looked just like a baby bird opening his mouth for his dad to feed him), for finding alternative solutions, for feeling clean and being warm enough.

sashanut

Hi all :j

Aim for at least 15 NSDs. Usual exceptions apply, you won't lose a NSD for ys items, petrol or medical expenses. Shopped today so still 4/15 NSDs & will be the same tomorrow....


Pay to your debt or savings first and live off the rest. Added up March's expenses - horrifying is the word. Still need to split up cc spends to see what went where. Now have cc statement ready to total. Will need to use savings to pay for hols..in 10 days time! Have had to move cash around again as promised funds not in bank, what a pain. Have made a note of money transferred, but rarely put it back in (my) account..


Report in every day. The daily support from this thread will keep you on track Here again..9/30


Interests - is there any hobbies that you'd like to take up or perhaps an old hobby that you'd like to start again. This is the month to do it, let us know what you plan to do Have 2 so far - collecting hobby I have & someone got in touch to buy something connected to it - 4 years ago!! She got back in touch 2 weeks ago, have emailed her today & will attempt to find the item she wants...it's win-win as it will be money for savings too. Also, have Fairisle cushion to finish, usually do mindless knitting in front of TV, this doesn't come under that so never gets done. Finally retrieved fairisle cushion from back of chair where it was stuffed; realise to my shame haven't touched it in 18 months..despite that managed to find my place in the pattern & actually do a couple of rows. Bless highlighter tape!! Finally managed to identify all the different colours of the wool - hard when they are called irrelevant names & are missing the ball bands - only to realise I am missing a colour. Shan't need it until almost the end, might just use what I have left over. Still not looked for item, must do tomorrow. Looked for item in room of Doom but still not located it/them. Will keep trying,

Love yourself, do something to make yourself feel fab - wear a bright scarf, get your eyebrows done, have a bath, put on your fave perfume. Perfume & makeup for visit to various lesser shops, feeling rather smug till DD informed me I had food on my t-shirt...oh well.


Find time to get outside. Lighter nights are now here so get out in the garden, go for a walk. Fresh air is good for everyone. Out into garden this morning as lovely day up till this evening. Border no 3 now looking almost done. DH in war of attrition with dog who considers Dalek compost bin her own personal party bucket. She's now broken the sliding door, which he wedged shut with bricks. Then bricks & a big bit of wood. Now stones bricks & blocked off access entirely with wood. Dog 3 - DH 0.


Overpay - aim to pay 20% extra to your debt or savings. It's up to you how you do this - overtime at work, saving money on the food bill, selling items. Will deffo try, will be in the form of selling collectibles or ebaying. Looked for items but so far no joy.


Organise your month. Check your cupboards, make a meal plan and stick to your food budget. Plan any social events and budget for them, ideally come up with free alternatives. Will do, need to reduce freezer stocks. Meals from items we had in, a few more bits bought today & weekly small shop tomorrow.


[/COLOR]Lose one bad habit. Mine's is a food related one but it can be anything you like. No snacking between meals. No snacking today.

Sign off your daily post with a list of gratitudes. Grateful for: Time out in garden & progress made, trip with DD & very little arguing, tasty meal, bruised ribs feeling better, heated duvet.

f0xh0les

Aim for at least 15 NSDs - 5
Pay to your debt or savings first - Threw £88 at the mortgage after 'tidying' the other accounts - Spring cleaning?
Report in - wotcha!
Interests - reading and tidying - 2 boxes of tat thrown, or reaquainted with their boxes / cases / owners. I found a whole table under it! No longer need the table or the chairs, will get on with that
Love yourself -Improved my environment, waiting in on the tumble man to fix it.

Find time to get outside -took the kids to school. Stood in the rain. I don't think it will make me grow
Overpay - overpaid mortgage. Not quite 20% of the monthly dd, but not far off.
Organise your month -dentist appts put in the diary (oh the glamour!)
Lose one bad habit - not had a biscuit (might have tidied away an easter egg, into my face)
S'Gratitudes-we are all healthy and happy.
That DS1 & 2 did not get sent home from school on the first day back for not being in correct uniform - met 4 mums on the playground who had their older kids returned to them - new term authoritariansim.
Tea, (Earl Grey, Hot )
Enough soup left over for my lunch today - how MSE is that!

laurenh1

Hi all -

A- today is a spend day. big shop tonight. aiming to be on 8 by Monday, 5 so far and then tomorrow, Thur & Sunday. Seems unlikely I will get any more as we are going on our hols.
P- will be looking at budgets tonight, house savings still in place & no debts other than our car which we will double payments on in due course.
R-Hi
I- no baking today, at work
L- another Harry Potter tonight. The best thing i can do for myself is take time out to relax. I am not very good at this but I have been much better at this lately and feel better for it.

F- nipping up town is probably the best I will get for going outside. However I am camping this weekend so I shall make up for it.
o- I haven't overpaid anything but I have saved a little extra in my change jar.
o- I have done my shopping list for the week and I am wrapping tonight for LO turning a big 3 on Friday.
L-I have kept my phone away most of the day and done a better days work for it.
S- grateful for- a short working week, my hub putting my LOS train track together and cuddles off my baby yesterday ( he is 18months and will not usually sit still long enough to cuddle me)