NST December 2018 – Exterminate the debt!

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 5/15. Only spend today was 55p on some throat sweets as my throat feels like I'm swallowing glass so still claiming a NSD

[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. On a late shift today so this morning I tidied and hovered the bedroom, prepared food to take to work plus prepped for tomorrow, did some ironing and wrapped a couple of presents.

[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. Tissues, throat sweets, hot drinks and a productive morning

[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. Nothing today.

[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 . No proper exercise but did manage 10,000 steps :T

[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 again 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 6 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. Had a look into it this morning but still need to actually donate.

mothernerd

Just lost a long complicated post because I fell asleep in the middle of writing it. Feel rough but thought if I just did one or two errands.


Lots of stuff out - good condition underwear (bras still had the wires and all their hooks and eyes) to go to a charity in Africa and many many sugar free lollies to the foodbank. Bought mum's throws (2nd round) on the way home plus 2 cs jigsaws, 2 small fluffy hot water bottle (one with unicorns, one with llamas).


Came home for a much needed rest (sweating this flu thing out by the bucket load). Did an on-line food order (big tin and storecupboard stock up plus healthy stuff for now) and watched a whole episode of my most recent tv series.


Decided I would go out again if it stopped raining. Second trip was even more exhausting but have ticked many things off both mine and my mother's lists.



Had to ask DS3 to carry a bag upstairs for me (one left downstairs as it's going to mum's tomorrow (today now). Grab and go food, utterly exhausted, laptop failed mid-post, plugged it in, fell asleep - 4 hours later.


Grateful for things gone from the house to were they are needed/ appreciated, lots of small token gifts sorted, grab and go food, feeling I've earned my aches and pains (it's much more debilitating and mood lowering when you are in pain which will not ease but haven't got anything done), for feeling peaceful, for making the bathroom less of a hazard (bed base is in my room and will be covered in fairy lights).

mothernerd

Victory - Beloved has just been in to tell me that, with the new bed and mattress, her back pain has disappeared.


Less successful on the freezer front. Cannot fudge it again, it's packed full of ice and 'snow' and is now defrosting. All the food is in two bags out in the yard. Meal plan for next few days lamb dinner with lots of veg, lamb stew, lamb curry and fish for me.


Shoulder and arm have loosened a lot but I'm still yelping (if they notice, it's bad). Will sloth when I get to mum's.

apple_muncher

:T:T:T Happy Debt Free Day x_rahael_xx!!:T:T:T

f0xh0les

crazy_cat_lady wrote: »

Plus work is more than a bit stressful at the moment, and we're not close enough to the end of term for me to see the end in sight just yet.

Today, you get to the wonderful milestone of being able to count on two hands how many days left, and this time next week, it will be one hand.:rotfl:

Congratulations!

i have the school fair -it is over 2 hours long:eek: I might ban the kids from buying raffle tickets, then we can duck out early...... with half a tonne of 'rescued' soft toys.

ho ho ho

laurenh1

Hi lovely turtles,


Debt free Date-- Dec 19. Got £100 worth of vouchers yesterday from work which I will save for January , as thats the longest month & the tightest in our budget (because car services are due actually not because of Christmas)
Organise- Budgets are set, we have 135 to last the next 2 weeks. However hub is still waiting to be paid for the extra work he did last weekend. He did come home with £10 last night left over from his works do, which I have added to my Butlins jar.
count- only on 2 NSDs need to do better.

What kind of month- one where I stick to budget
Chase joy- off to "paint a pot" with my kids tomorrow. I have budgeted for this.

Very grateful for-- hub working so hard to save towards our house , for only having 2 more weeks in work :j& for working for good people.
My little stock pile of food is coming on nicely. I am hoping that spending spare budget on food now will see us through any tighter months next year. It's a bit of an experiment, lets see

f0xh0les

Congratulations Raphael - no longer in debt !! so congratulations to Raphael's Mum too.

SpekySquarehead

Congratulations Raphael!! It was one of the best days of my life to be debt free, I'll never forget the feeling. Go you!!

Today will be NSD 5/15

Grateful for
- My gym membership and all it's classes
- Unlimited coffee in work
- My nice colleagues
- Podcasts. They provide me with constant motivation.

greent

Congratulations, raphael!! :T :T :T

greent

Debt-free/ MF/ Savings target date savings 08/2020. mtge 09/27 Xmas & bdays spending on CCs - to be repaid no later than Feb payday £20.45 cashed out from tcb and turned into a voucher towards lunch out for DD's 21st (16% bonus) and £25 transferred to holiday fund to cover that

Count up to 15 NSDsachieved 1 yesterday

Refrain from browsing your phone when nothing else is going on Mindfulness! I have been better than I was - but this is so hard!

Omm. Take care of your mental health. Do something every day this month that makes you feel good: Write down 4 gratitudes each day.ok OH and I played cards and listened to music last night when smalls had gone to bed. Thankful for finally managing to get a follow up GP appt, OH bringing me back some raw dark salted caramel choc (even better, it was a freebie from work!), my mum sitting and waiting for almost 45 mins to collect my son (bus was late - horrendous traffic), easy food from freezer for dinner

No entry to any sales. Likewise, no takeaways etc. No takeaways etc yesterday - not hard to achieve when you don't go anywhere!

Read fiction before bed. . Too tired last night - after cards/ chilling to music. Fell straight asleepExercise. Get 10,000 steps a day Move a little more. Embrace the outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. Over 10k steps. Had to go to 2 places yesterday - parked close to one and walked to the other and back from there (quite quickly, as it was raining!)
Exterminate one bad habit from your life for the first 10 days. Darn - looks like Candy Crush for me... success again yesterday (day 4)
Remember that you are blessed.will donate 2 bags dropped off at CS yesterday morning - kept Xmas related stuff separate and identified that to the staff so it could get turned around quickly