NST May 2018: May the odds be ever in your favour!

Robi90

Was so close to being a NSD but I ended up going for last minute leaving drinks as it was a colleague's last day. I only had one drink though. :beer:

I have also made a £5 donation to the Samaritans and I'm grateful for the two potted plants I got for free from the colleague who left today.

crazy_cat_lady

Hi everyone - thanks for welcoming me back.
I have had a huge spend today, which was planned and saved for before I became a single parent. I handed over £400 cash to our neighbours who are organising to have the fences between our properties replaced. It's a bargain, because there's a lot of fence, and the cheapest quote I managed to get was a little over £2000... but it was hard handing that over. Still, it's done now, and will be worth it when we have a lovely new fence in.
Other than that massive blip it was a nsd. I'm off work this week - doctor's orders - to sort my head out. It's going well. I've gone from being a total mess this time last week to feeling quite positive and missing my job, so I'm definitely going back on Tuesday. I'm trying to get back into the habit of cooking again (rather than takeaways and sandwiches), and have started decluttering the house as well. Plenty of me time watching Grey's Anatomy and catching up on some crochet while the kids were at school.

misstara

NSDs - 2/19
Money - nothing spent today, £2.72 paid to the debt
Move - went for a 7 mile walk after work
Me time - fresh air on the walk, plenty of time to think
Arm yourself - 1 hour overtime today
You - grateful for my walk, OH making tea, only one more day until my holiday

swimminginaseaofdebt

• 12 NSDs - 2/12
• Budgets - £250 food and £100 social - £36.78 food
• Continue batch cooking for the little one (remembering to include a larger variety of meals) - planning to make some veggie omelettes and a veggie lasagna at the weekend to pop in the freezer
• Make an extra £93 through surveys - £29.25 made
• Continue building the full and final fund - £21.36 added
• I'm making up Christmas gift boxes for local disadvantaged children. So far I've done two teenage boys and started on a boy 9-12 months but still more to get for him so I'll continue with that
• Plans - safari park and dinner/new avengers movie. Will also allow for a visit to soft play and I need to take the little one swimming as we're holidaying in June and he's never been in a pool - safari park cancelled as my sister remembered she has tickets to a football match on the day we were planning to go
• Read as much as possible - 1 book in progress, 1 book finished
• Finish my final OU essay for this module

thriftylass

crazy_cat_lady good to see you back and take your time. As others have said, big change but you'll get there. Although we're all only virtual "friends" we're always here for support.

littleskintdragon sorry to hear about the loss of your grandparents.



Hats off to you marathon runners littleskintdragon and x_raphael_xx. We'll done. Unfortunately, I'm not a runner as much as I'd like to be. But my running fitness dissappears so quickly and then it's hard to build up again. That's why I started triathlons. Shorter runs and cycling and swimming mixed in which I'm better at. Have you always run? I only started tris in my mid thirties. Sorry for going off topic.

Back to my crochet

bizzie

Made a start on working through my (never-ending) shopping list so still on NSD 2/19.

Thoughts with those who are having a tough time at the moment.

Grateful for getting out and about in the sunshine, having time to catch up with friends and the smell of freshly cut grass.

mothernerd

Hugs indigowarrior. It's those pesky life changes again. You have made some very tough decisions recently and have done the very best you could in the circumstances. Treat yourself kindly and let yourself adjust. Congratulate yourself on every single thing you manage to do.

Welcome back ccl and much of the above applies to you as well.

Yesterday was a (low) spend day and today wasn't (only mum's money).
Scores are quilt 0 mothernerd 1 but old bedcover 1 mothernerd 0.
Quilt is now under the bed - used a brush instead of having to get down on the floor.

More washing in and out. Put old cover into the machine and it did not drain properly. Dragged it outside, held it up to the line, which promptly broke. Luckily had let go or it would have taken me down with it. Picked it up and did my best at spreading it over a garden chair.

Could not turn the thing to drain the machine. DS3 affected bewilderment and confusion. Asked the visitor who managed with pliers. Sent her back to put her food order in and squatted to release water a bit at a time (used a baking tray to catch water). Nearly had to call for help as could not work out how to get back up - finally opened the back door and put one hand on the outside wall to pull myself forward as well as up. DS3 and the visitor dealt with the tray and mess whilst the day visitor (home from China) dished out the food - only because DS3 was more afraid of standing in it than doing the work. Still need to do more work before trying the machine. Fell asleep before posting.

Craft session was good, finally put together the 'basket' and arranged all the flowers that were made several weeks ago (before easter) plus used up lots of bits that were hanging around. End result was admired by other participants (not done their's yet as they were busy on other projects) and by people going into a meeting.

Was very foolish. I was asked if I 'fancied' doing more blankets. I said I didn't but I would (no no no, was high stress and lots more mess in the house last time and I promised myself I would say no). It's for the street children - tiny tiny street children. Don't even know if my shoulder can take it. Need to add saying no practice to the long list of things to do (and put together a strategy for dealing with blanket bits sooner rather than later).

Today I went shopping for mum. Settled for heron rather than Ff or Icyland and took some things from my freezer (will replace when I have time to get to Icyland). Added to things I bought last weekend and earlier in the week. Five heavy bags of shopping. Taxi to mum's and booked one for this afternoon, to go back to the doctor's.

Mum's wound is looking good, no infection, doctor has replaced dressing. I have to try to get the district nurses to come out and change it, probably Tuesday (had forgotten the bank hol and only by chance turned the laptop on this am to do something for mum or would have forgotten to vote as well). Otherwise I have to drag mum to walk in centre to have dressing changed again (she's already said she's not going).

Day off tomorrow as a swap for today but have a list as long as my arm - actually have several lists and lots of little reminders that I need to get tied down and all in one place to stop the mental chatter (was heading for paralysed by fear this morning but stopped, did some breathing and let it go (don't sing).

Today I am grateful for our doctor, for sunshine, for improvisation, for blessed sleep. for my bed, for slow progress, for creativity, for the library (another large item gone from the house yesterday and a couple on Monday), for charity shops, for a plan for mum's garden, for good reading material and for all turtles.

sashanut

Hi all:j


Motivation: what is your personal motivation for joining in with the turtles? My motivation is to cut down on the unnecessary spending and pay for some renovations to this property. In order to do this I think we need to be saving money by doing any jobs we can realistically (!) do ourselves. Given DH is completely un-handy, this may prove a challenge. Have started by trying to do the gardening myself; saving the £100 per day that it used to cost us. To be fair, for that he worked non-stop from 7.30-16.30 with not even a break for lunch. And this from a chap who was over 70...I used to go out at least 3 times to take him a drink & a couple of biscuits - I was afraid I would find him facedown in the rockery!! However, that's not a schedule I can follow, but at least make progress most days. And DH is willing to do something as well, which is amazing, and to be encouraged..

Money: know your income and outgoings. All DD bills should have gone out by now and I am going to add up our income, that won't take very long.. so far have done one grocery shop, have receipt for that to hand.

Me time: look after yourself. Get enough sleep; eat well; move; do things you enjoy. Had to get makeup on etc as medical appointment & a few other things to do, none of which involved spending today.


Move: being active benefits your body and your mind. You know that. Now do it. Out in garden as weather decent, made progress & enjoy it.


Activation: what spurs you on to keep on the path? Have not done much decluttering but have identified some items to sell to a fellow collector. Just need to find out how to price, which will be tricky as rare items & not available so need to research somehow.

Arm yourself : you have chosen to follow a path that many mock and despise - that of ridding yourself of debt and financial constrictions in order to be free; free to choose what to do with your money and time, not enslaved to repaying or to other people. Find this hard not to buy things but am gradually weaning myself off the impulse purchases..


You. Are you happy in yourself? Know what brings you joy, what cheers your heart, what makes you pause and wonder. Don’t just stop and smell the coffee in the morning; practise stopping and looking around throughout the day. Appreciate what you have. Be grateful. Appreciate all the good things about living here,
peace & tranquillity in the garden, bird song, flowers coming out & everything looking so green.


NSD s 2/19 so far

Check ins: 3/31

f0xh0les

Star Wars Day!!!

Today will be NSD2 as I am stopping myself from buying paint until tomorrow.
Tomorrow is painting fresh plaster and buying DS3 & 4 slippers and dressing gowns day. DS3 is off on school journey...sorry, residential educational placement (?????) all next week and slippers are an essential piece of kit (apparently) for a 10 year old. Who knew?

So I am going back up my ladder and putting up shelves today. Which will get all the neatly stacked DVDs and Xbox games off the floor, and will get the TV onto a shelf and the tv unit can be turned into something else in a different room. (See - almost a plan)

That is my MOVE, ACTIVATE, ME TIME and ARM (well, armed with my drill)

No one else is going to do it. No one else seems to mind.

I mind, I can, I will

Welcome back CCL!!!

laurenh1

Good morning

I am hoping today will be a NSD but cars in the garage for its MOT at 11. I have asked hub to take it. Not expecting it to fail but nervous none the less. If all goes to plan this will be #3.

I think I have £164 spends left for the month. Providing I'm sensible & nothing crops up, we will be fine with that. Fuel money is put to one side too.

Off YS shopping tonight. Taking a friend who I think is struggling a bit with finances at the moment.

Free baby group this morning looking forward to that.

Not much else to report. May the 4th be with you all ...