Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget.

Wednesday2000

Happy New year everyone.xxx:A

balabooberlies

Happy New Year to all

My word for this year is 'Gratitude'. Am going to start a diary.

I know it's not glamorous but I have so many things to change, so much work to do on myself. So, starting with a foundation of gratitude in the hope that it will give me a boost everyday just thinking about how lucky I am.

My champagne moments ............. took the slow train down to Kent to see my parents. Return tickets only £20.20.............

It was their anniversary and my Dad's birthday on the 27th......... so decided a few days before to surprise them. The look on my Dad's face when I walked in his shop will be my champagne moments for a lifetime. He is still working at 80 but looks to be retiring in the next month or 2. He has been unwell and I didn't like what I saw so will be going down often to help him pack up. We went with my sister and family to a restaurant in the evening and of course we paid the bill. Was worth every penny.

I hope you don't mind but I would like to start my journey of gratitude here. I am so very very grateful that I still have my parents. I love them both so much.

I would start a 'gratitude' thread but there is a '5 pleasures' thread and don't want to muddy the waters.

So thank you for bearing with me.

Happy 2020 to all

Bala
X

lessonlearned

hello again.......well so much for my best laid plans.....

Looks like I'm going down with a lurgy. Feeling a bit grim. :rotfl: so it's a sofa and movies day. Currently watching the original Thomas Crown Affair. It's a bit "60s" and somewhat dated but it's still very stylish. And of course Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway look fantastic.

Bala. I can recommend practising "gratitude". It certainly helps me keep positive and stops me feeling sorry for myself when life gets a bit stressy or when "widowhood" threatens to overwhelm me.

So although I don't feel well, I'm grateful I can stay home, nice and cosy and enjoy just resting and taking my time until I feel more like my old self.

There's nothing spoiling, the house is tidy and there's plenty of food, although I'm not particularly hungry today.

There are a lot of people worse off than me. Life is good.

Sun_Addict

Happy New Year everyone

Managed to get out for a New Year's lunch yesterday which was very enjoyable. Also booked a holiday to celebrate my 60th in August, something to look forward to

Took the Christmas decorations down today and put everything away which feels like a major achievement.

Hope you feel better soon lessonlearned xx

mrs_slapshot

Happy New Year everyone!

I was a bit of a bah humbug and stayed home last night - I'd been invited to a couple of 'do's, was due to go to a local club with my friend and a load of her family and friends and decided last minute I wasn't going. I just couldn't face a new year out with people. I know I let her down, and I can feel she's cross with me but hopefully she will understand. I am normally a very independent person, and I am used to going to places on my own, but literally everyone there was in a couple, and I just didn't want to feel like a spare part - plus I had a bit of a dodgy tummy (not sure whether I've mentioned this but I have ulcerative colitis - normally it's ok but can be a bit inconvenient and uncomfortable). So I stayed in, had a couple of glasses of wine, started watching 'The Good Place' (bit undecided whether to keep watching after the first three episodes..) and a film (Zombieland - Ok, nothing special) and went to bed at 11.30. Woke up with tummy cramps at 5, had coffee, read for a bit and went back to sleep, eventually getting up at 11!!

Today I've been for a walk, ordered myself a new Fitbit (my old one died..) and I'm about to tackle my finances. I use YNAB, and I need to update my spends for the last 8 weeks...not sure why I've been putting it off but I need to knuckle down!

In terms of resolutions/goals, I too have seen the 20 in 2020 thread and I've got a few ideas of what I'd like to do. I agree it can be overwhelming but I think some of it will be stuff I do anyway, and I will use it as a tracker. I will however be adding in some stuff that will stretch me - like 20 things to take me out of my comfort zone! I've also decided I am going to spend time every day working on my blog for the next 30 days - I haven't done anything on it for ages; again I need to knuckle down!

I weighed myself this morning and am not surprised to see I am tipping the scales at my previous heaviest weight - 10st 10. So healthy eating and exercise is also going to figure in my plans!! I would like to get down to 9st 7. I am also going to commit to moving daily - either yoga, weights, HIIT or a walk. Even if I only do 15 minutes, it is building a habit.

Right, off to start my finances!! Wish me luck.....

sillyvixen

Today we had our first free day out of the year!! We had a 3 hour steam train trip with my dad. When I was a child dad got involved with a project to preserve a local derelict old steam railway, and also was a part investor in a rusty heap of an old steam engine. Said engine took 25 years to restore and has now been running for 10 years. The steam engine is now due its 10 year inspection and boiler overhaul and will be out of service for most of this year! Today was her last trip before being overhauled, a reserved coach (1st class) was reserved for shareholders and their guests for the trip! Hubby and myself went with my dad for the trip - usually costing £20 per person for free - we had a great time:)

JuliaP

Happy New Year all.
I've read through the whole of the 2019 thread and felt really inspired by you all. I'd love to join you for 2020 if I may?
Unfortunately, I went down with the lurgy on Boxing Day and haven't actually been out since so as yet no champagne moments, just making lemonade with the lemsips:).

A tiny bit of background about me:
I retired in April from a humongously stressful job resulting in a massive cut in our monthly income (OH working ft at this point). July we made the huge decision to give up our (rented) house and buy (and live on) a narrowboat into which we invested every penny of our life savings. In September OH accepted a three day a week position (we've reached a time in our lives where we both feel that time is more precious to us than ££££'s). This move has, of course, reduced our income still further.
All that said, I'm not the kind of girl (much like yourself, LL), who likes to feel deprived, so finding this thread seems kinda serendipitous to me.

So that's all the blether out of the way, all that remains at this point, is to say 'Helloooo everyone, and a very Happy and Champaigny/Lemonady 2020 to you all.

JP

Wednesday2000

I felt like I was coming down with something yesterday as well. I felt like i had a chill as I couldn't warm up. I had a very early night last night and woke up feeling a lot better. I think it was just the combination of drinking too much alcohol over Christmas and then having a bad night's sleep a few days in a row from all the festive fireworks!

I woke up early today which was nice as I had forgotten how peaceful it is before my husband and my two dogs get up. I decided to tackle my house as it really is looking a bit of a state. The only housework I regularly keep up with is laundry and vacuuming.:o I am going to do a few tasks each day to keep up with some type of cleaning schedule.

I just cleaned out my under sink kitchen cabinet and will put everything away tidily. You would think with all the cleaning products I own that my home should be spotless.:rotfl:

I just went and scrubbed the paving stones outside in the back garden as well. It's so quiet out there. I suppose most people are still on their holiday break from work.

I need some things like lip balm and a new lipstick and I think I will order it from Superdrug as the online stock seems better than the shops. I always go into the store and cannot find the products I want!

I was reading about how to improve your life in easy ways. I think after my husband leaves for work I will lie down on my bed and listen to a mindfulness or meditation exercise. I might do a face mask at the same time to multi task.:)

https://www.themuse.com/advice/16-small-ways-you-can-improve-your-life-in-less-than-30-minutes

Prinzessilein

Morning all! And belated Happy New Year!

I had a lovely Christmas...plenty of 'champagne moments...but am somewhat glad to be getting back to what passes for 'normality' with me!

I am quietly looking out for the New Year offers ….hoping that Beanies Coffee will send me a discount eMail before long! (As I have mentioned before...I am more hankering for a 'good coffee' lifestyle than a 'champagne' one!)…

Signing up to receive companies eMails is a good way of getting deals and offers....I have been sent a link to Hotel Chocolat for their end of season sale, HUGE savings on Christmas chocs (no, Prinnzessilein, step AWAY from the chocolate!!!)

and Skinny Sauces have offered me a free box of 10 bags of rice-snacks which I might take advantage of (need to spend £10 with them online).

Busy morning planned...house needs a spot of cleaning...but then a quiet afternoon with a DVD and my knitting and/or colouring.

lessonlearned

Good morning everyone....

Lovely to see you all. Thanks for dropping by. And a big hello and welcome to Julia. Lovely to meet you, it's always nice to meet someone new isn't it. The more the merrier!!!

Well the Year to Change My Life Part 2 has officially begun. Such an unwieldy title, I need something a bit more snappy. My word for,this year is "Extraordinary", so I think I will give my challenge the title "Operation Extraordinary".

Actually.....as I start my challenge is does feel like something of a military operation. Ha ha. And, given that I'm not feeling too good - the lurgy is starting to bite. :rotfl: I think the next few days will be more about planning than actual execution. Going to have to get fighting fit first.

So where do I begin....I have decided to break the challenge down into 12 months, setting myself SMART goals, and interim targets so that I can monitor my progress. Each month will be broken down into weekly mini challenges.

So January's goals.......are all about "getting ready", losing weight, improving fitness, licking my errant finances into shape. I've made a good start. I've lost 1.5 lbs already and yesterday I did a budget for January and February:eek: :rotfl: I also started work on my ideas folder, writing down my goals and jotting down my ideas on how to achieve them.

So January's goals........lose 4lbs
Daily yoga and stretching
Walk or dance every day - preferably both
Reduce screen time - I think it disturbs my sleep

Week 1 - interim goal........better sleep and improve gut health, begin the road to fitness.

In bed by 11pm and no iPad after 6pm.
Daily probiotics and back to pure paleo
15 minutes yoga
15 minutes walk, weather permitting
15 minutes dancing

That's enough to be going on with.

Have a great day y'all.