NST December 2018 – Exterminate the debt!

pinkypig

Hello Turtles :wave:

Just a quick one tonight as I've just got back from an evening with Dad and I need to turn my tech off soon :rotfl:

I'm trying to be turtle focused and today I've managed to :

Stick to the meal plan and consequently the budget

4/15 nsd

Took breakfast and lunch to work and had Batch cooked curry from the freezer for dinner. There's also a enough lo for lunch tomorrow.

Bad habit kept under control - two reasonably sized healthy snacks between meals and kept my mits out of dad's goody cupboard:)

Got up a little earlier but read and drank coffee before leaving for work rather than cramming in extra chores.

Avoided some real drainers during an 'all hands on deck' moment at work.

Today I'm grateful for a meeting finishing on time so I was able to get to Dad at my usual time, a great piece of news from my DD - so chuffed for her not to mention proud of her, a phone chat with my lovely sister, an ongoing spell of good sleep.


Keep smiling and swimming :)

PP xx

misstara

[FONT=&quot]D[/FONT]ebt-free date / Mortgage-free date / Savings target date. What’s yours? Currently August 2021 but hope to bring this forward quite a bit. Nothing paid today

[FONT=&quot]O[/FONT][FONT=&quot]rganise your outgoings. Budget for the month. For e v e r y t h i n g. Write it down. And stick to it. Plan your meals – avoid waste.[/FONT] YNAB updated with budget for the month. Meal plan completed for this week. Stuck to meal plan again plus no snacking

[FONT=&quot]C[/FONT][FONT=&quot]ount up to 15. Fifteen No Spend Days.[/FONT] Now on 4/15. No spends today

[FONT=&quot]R[/FONT]efrain from browsing your phone when nothing else is going on for the duration of the challenge. Be present in the moment. Be okay with “boredom.” Shall do my best. No aimless browsing today.

[FONT=&quot]W[/FONT]hat kind of month do you want for yourself? Take a moment and really ask. What activities do I want to enjoy? What seasonal foods do I want to take advantage of? What do I want to have the energy to take on? Where can I build more leisure into my week? How can I be outside as much as possible? Need to have a good think about this one. Still need to think more about this.

[FONT=&quot]H[/FONT]ere’s a space to make up your own rule for the month. Please share it! Home - make the most of the time I spend at home instead of just slumping on the sofa. Tidied, dusted and hoovered the living room, cleaned the oven, did a wool wash, made 4 Christmas cards and some gift tags

[FONT=&quot]O[/FONT]utings. Drop one. Decide which one, inform those who need to know and enjoy the time and money you have just given yourself. Decided to drop my work's Christmas do and feel very relieved for doing so .

[FONT=&quot]S[/FONT]low living this month. In a month of manicness, make a clear intention to keep your schedule and pace in check. Because, really, does anyone want a hectic December? Always struggle with this but will try.

[FONT=&quot]O[/FONT]mm. Take care of your mental health. Do something every day this month that makes you feel good: gym, reading, time with family, favourite tv programme, meditation, building a snowman. NOT spending, of course!! Write down 4 gratitudes each day. Getting away from work on time, a compliment from a colleague, having a roof over my head and a NSD.

[FONT=&quot]N[/FONT]o entry to any sales. Unless you have a planned budget and have been saving for a specific item PLEASE do not go to the Boxing Day Sales. Or any sales. Anywhere. It’s temptation you can’t handle to buy tat you really don’t need. STAY AT HOME! Likewise, no takeaways, canteen meals (unless free), coffee shop or corner shop visits. Ok.

[FONT=&quot]C[/FONT]andles - Switch to candles and firelight after dark (or the high-tech adjustable hue bulb equivalents). Love this rule and have a huge supply of candles to use up. Had a christmassy scented candle burning again tonight

[FONT=&quot]C[/FONT]hase down more awe and joy. Go after it with a purpose. Go and enjoy the sparkly lights. Take a tour of your neighbourhood to look at other people’s outdoor decorations – and be smug about how you are not wasting your money like that. Go and seek Santa’s sleigh in the sky on Christmas Eve. Will do.

[FONT=&quot]E[/FONT]xercise. Get 10,000 steps a day (or set your own target). Move a little more. Embrace the outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. Aiming for 16 days exercise this month, currently on 3/16 . None today unless vigorous hoovering counts :rotfl:

[FONT=&quot]“D[/FONT]on’t give up. Not ever. Not for one single day. Be safe if you can be. But always be amazing.” Pop on here every day and tell us what you’re up to. Not just the good stuff, but also the bad and the ugly too. Will do my best. I'm here

[FONT=&quot]I[/FONT]dentify activities and people who drain you. Give yourself permission to take a break from them for 21 days (or as many days as possible) if you can. Just maybe this is a gift you should’ve given yourself a long time ago…? Unfortunately I can't quit my job just to get a break from people who drain me :rotfl: but will continue to avoid as much as possible. A good day today

[FONT=&quot]V[/FONT]isit your local area. Find new footpaths, see where a road or path takes you. Explore new horizons. Boldly go where no one has gone before. Oops, mixing my sci-fi….! Will do.

[FONT=&quot]E[/FONT]xterminate (see, we can learn from the DALEKS…) one bad habit from your life for the first 10 days. This is NOT about food. I shall be renouncing a particular game I play on my tablet that just sucks me in and takes hours of my time. And I have recently moved up a level, so it’s even harder to put down…! I shall not play a particular game on my tablet, not played for 5 days.

[FONT=&quot]R[/FONT]emember that you are blessed. Count your blessings daily. Be grateful for what you have. And remember those that have less – donate money, food, non-perishables, blankets to a charity that you want to support. Relish life, one day at a time. Had a conversation with my dad over the weekend about various charities and have one in mind that I want to look into donating to. Still need to look into this.

thriftylass

Good morning,

Up bright and early. Wrote down my gratitudes, had a coffee, stuck a Xmas incent on and wrote a food inventory and meal plan for two weeks. Just love this hour to myself before anyone else gets up.

Can't wait to get a kids up as we do St Nikolaus today. Kids have to polish a boot, leave it the door and St Nikolaus will leave a little present or coal depending on behaviour. It's a mainland Europe thing.

Tonight I will make another batch of fudge and finish the Xmas presents they're making with the kids

SFD and back to the gym today

Have a nice day

f0xh0les

Yesterday was NSD4 so doing quite well really...

All food from stores, same again today.

Spent most of yesterday under a fluffy blanket on the sofa with 2 hot water bottles. just got cold and achy and could not do it anymore. Had already made a dozen mice pies and prepped supper so it was all quite easy after I did the school run.

However, the kitchen looks like a bomb has hit it, so today is school run,speed house tidying, kitchen cleaning and trying to think more festively.... ho ho ho. Which is not as easy as it sounds when you live with The Grinch!!

SpekySquarehead

x_raphael_xx wrote: »

I have a saxophone lesson once a week, and I go to boxing on a Wed, I count these as 'Bills' as they are regular spends.
To me a 'Spend' is something you could have done without but bought it anyway. I don't count groceries as I budget those, unless I buy a treat like a bottle of wine etc.
Essentially you make up your own rules If your football is essential spending, like my music lesson, I wouldn't count it as a spend

Well I think I just exemplified that this morning...

I have a sweet tooth, I'd argue sweeter than anyone you know. I'd rather have 3 x desserts instead of starter, main and dessert. I once accidently ate 23 Krispy Kreme doughnuts in 48 hours. I would happily have a bar a of chocolate for breakfast. etc etc.

Well this morning I craaaaaved something sweet with my morning coffee. I was tight on time for work so couldn't have anything in the house. There is a Greggs around the corner from my office and I thought..."I could just nip in there and get a cake or a cookie....it'll only cost £1 or so.....that's not a lot of money......nobody has to know" BUT NO!!! I want my NSD. So I walked straight into the office and I'm now happily at my desk with another coffee.

My own little sugary example of how the NSD challenge works for me.

Oh, and today will be NSD 4/15 for me. :money:

laurenh1

Good morning lovelies,

lavanderbee I feel for you on the sleepless nights! Make sure you are resting up, house work etc can wait xx

Debt Free & Budgets- Things are actually (touch wood) looking fairly good for 2019. I have a few things paid for earlier than expected which has freed a bit of cash up and which means there will be no problem at all repaying my car loan by the end of the year(2019). Nothing really to be gained from repaying early and so I will probably just save any extra cash that comes in. I am on track to have 17k by the end of next year but I would like this to be closer to 20 so this will have be done with bonuses etc & Hub going away.
I went YS shopping last night, I didn't get loads but I did get a bit of bread to shove in the freezer. I need to start going again as it saves us a lot of money. I am aiming for 2x per week.
No fun to be had today as I always do my house work after work on thursday, so I can spend all my time with my boys on a weekend.

Boss is here- better cut away. have a good day all. xx

dolly84

Lavender - hope baby bee gets better soon.


Speky - well done resisting temptation but :eek: to 23 doughnuts, think of the diabetes.


Day off today, may cycle later on if it stays dry, all beds stripped, one load of sheets in the wash and another waiting to go in, 2 new mattresses rotated, another load of washing in the drier and on the airer, going to fill the new freezer this morning as it is at the right temp. Listed my chair I have for sale on neighbourhood selling page.


Having a coffee then will start tackling more jobs.

XSpender

Debt-free date / Mortgage-free date / Savings target date - 2021/2030/2020. Debt and mortgage will tick along this year as we build up our savings against job loss. I am hoping to pay off my smallest debt a year early and by the end of next year.
- nothing paid to savings/debt today (see below)

Organise your outgoings – I couldn't work out why the budget was looking so tight yesterday until I realised that we were expecting the refund from DH gym later in the month which we are not going to get. DH has lost over a stone but is not going to reach the required target to get a refund. I will be doing what I can to bridge the gap.

Count up to 15 – still on 3/15 as ordered a bedroom blind and bought stamps yesterday

Treat yourself well – I’m guilty of putting myself last so will make a conscious effort this month to look after me too I need to make more of an effort with this one

One thousand days – Intrigued and pleased its GF

Refrain from browsing your phone – looked at it far too much yesterday

What kind of month do you want for yourself? Family focussed, stress free, joyful, fun and within budget! I don’t want to start January with a financial hangover from Christmas/overspending and having to use the credit card to get through. We shouldn’t have to if I can rein DH in! Keeping an eye on the budget

My Rule – complete my 19 before 2019 to do list! - realistically a lot of the admin things will be done when I break up from work as I have nearly 2 weeks off

Outings. Drop one – DONE

Omm – do something every day to make you feel good – hangry DH on his diet plan isn't making this one easy

4 Gratitude – today I am grateful for:

1) Rooibos earl grey
2) Getting most of my Christmas cards written
3) DS enjoying the elf
4) Healthy and happy parents/step parents

No entry to any sales, no takeaways, canteen meals – I hate sales shopping although it would be useful to pick up some cards and wrapping paper for next year and a winter coat for work as mine is starting to look scruffy. 2 events will require food out, but this is budgeted for. I will plan well to avoid all other spends. No takeaways etc consumed

“I am and always will be the optimist” – Me too, even with redundancy looming and a mortgage payment the size of a small T Rex Should find out about the job situation tomorrow

Candles. And switch off your tech an hour before going to bed please – didn't look at the lap top last night but candles have still not been lit

“Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It’s not the time that matters. It’s the person.” “We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one.” – Love this

Chase down more awe and joy – making family memories this month. DH and I have agreed to do a family activity on Saturday afternoon as December will be over before we know it! Ralph at the cinema or ice skating. We have 2 free tickets for the adults at the cinema

Read fiction before bed – Read a little last night

Exercise – aiming to go for a walk everyday and 1 park run or a run around the streets as a minimum the rain is putting me off walking so still only 1 done

What’s the point of being grown up if you can’t be childish sometimes – hoping for lots of fun this month Christmas activities planned with DS tonight

Don’t give up – aiming to post everyday the budget will be a struggle this month now I am £200 short but will keep it in check and cut back where I can

Refuse to get sucked into guilt spending – I have enough and so do DH and DS. Again, will rein in DH when he wants to buy DS just one more thing and yet more Christmas decorations! No guilt spending here

Visit your local area – planning to use out NT membership this month as we are lucky to have several great properties on our doorstep. Also planning a visit to the local outdoor ice rink. Planning something over the next 2 weekends

Exterminate one bad habit from your life for the first 10 days – my bad habit is not eating 3 proper meals a day and picking at rubbish or missing meals altogether Not great yesterday, dinner was 2 pieces of GF toast and a cookie

Remember that you are blessed. Donate – have a few bits to donate to a friend’s charity shop and the one in the village and will buy raffle tickets for DS school fundraiser. We bought Christmas lunches for the homeless last year and will see if they are doing it again this year Donations to be made on my next spend day

greent

So today will be better than yesterday - I have decided 0- and I've written it here, so no going back!

I can see no reason why today won't be NSD - have already dropped off at CS and made follow up appt at GPs and can post RM survey items later by school so no shops need visiting I will bake a seeded wholemeal loaf later and - like f0xh0les - much of my day will be spent on cleaning (argh!) And I even have some ironing I can also do to soothe me later on

Food also needs to be better than yesterday - whole large bag of popcorn whilst watching tv last night (v tired and slightly bored and wanted smalls to get to sleep before I could head to bed) More veggies needed

SLept well last night, so am going to make another cuppa and get that kitchen and downstairs loo cleaned before 'rewarding' myself with 40-45 mins of ironing to catch up SVU on tv

BAck later - have a good Thursday, turtles xx

LavenderBee

Thank you for get well soons for baby bee Turtles X

Thrifty I love the sound of the st Nikolas boot tradition - if I remember in a few years time I'd love to do that

Lauren I'm taking time out when baby bee falls asleep on me. She needs her sleep so I'm not going to quibble with her about where. I make sure I have the TV remote and catch up on what I missed the evening before

Planning an NSD today as I think we're staying in. Will not buy any baby clothes on eBay.

Gratitudes:
- DD got good sleep last night, so did I
- A chance to wash my hair!
- An opportunity to read some fiction last night
- Having a home