NST December 2018 – Exterminate the debt!

apple_muncher

Sleep well mothernerd x

misstara

Congratulations raphael :T

[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. £1.37 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 6/15. Will def need to spend tomorrow though as out of bread, potatoes, etc and just enough milk left for OH's morning cup of tea.

[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? I'd like to enjoy December and not feel exhausted by the time we get to the end of the year. Catch up with friends and family, spend time with OH Went round to see my friend after work, got fed and dropped off a present for her wee boy.

[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. Barely been at home today as not long home from my friends, however, did a few dishes and put away clothes.

[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? This definitely fits in well with the kind of month I want.

[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 seeing my friend and her wee boy.

[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 7 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.

sashanut

Hi all:j


Congratulations on being DF Raphael - that's amazing!!:j:j:j


Sorry for not posting but I have been reading along, with you in spirit as you all turtle along...


Have been and still am preparing for party on Sunday, still seems loads to do but am not stressing (yet). One tree is up and mostly decorated, other one should go up tomorrow. Cleaned carpets in 3 rooms & stairs (bottom of). Some cooking done, plenty more to do. Trifle bowl went missing but has now turned up, thank goodness. Made some stuff to go in hampers (3 hampers needed) and have nearly finished all knitted gifts...just need to find aunts' finished item......put away safely somewhere no doubt.

DH was not needed in court today so took me to get all the shopping - 3 shops - and should have everything in now bar a few bits to be got on Sunday morning. Full on day tomorrow, then hopefully mostly done.


Spend day today so now on: 2/15 NSDs


Gratitudes today: Bright & sunny weather so could finish front door at last, DH feeling better, cake order coming on time, eating half an Advent Fat Rascal..





Go Turtles!!

The_Only_Girl

Hi all! Late check on again tonight.

Congratulations Raphael for reaching your goal of being debt free! Fantastic feeling isn't it? Congratulations to all who achieved their target number of NSD this week and all the other goals set for this fantastic Doctor Who challenge.

Spend day today so I'm still on NSD number 4.

4 things I am thankful for today:
1. The weekend has come at last. It has been quite a challenging working week for me. I have had to do a lot of advanced "firefighting" at work, dealing with stuff that some might consider somewhat above my pay grade. I think my professional age has gone up a few notches. Im not at complaining, just feels very mature. Receive a lot of pats on a back from my line manager so it's worth all the wrinkles and the gray hairs that I gained this week.

2. Time away with my hubby. He booked a one-night stay to allow me to chill and spend some quality time with him. I was slightly disappointed with our room because my over-sensitive sense of smell detected a hint of damp in the room. I was going to make do but in the end I decided to tell the hotel staff of my predicament and to my delight they apologised and offered us a complementary room upgrade l. As they say in my neck of the woods, "shy bairns get nowt."

3. Hubby also treated me to a nice evening meal in a Lebanese restaurant. It was our first visit to this restaurant and we were pleasantly surprised. Modestly prized but generous portion sizes (we had a LARGE mixed grill of various meat, salad, unlimited supply of sauces and dips, unlimited supply of freshly made flatbread which were absolutely scrumptious which threw my low carb diet out of the window, unlimited soft drinks, and dessert and tea on the house) only for £34. We will definitely visit again with the kids.

4. Loving memories of my parents. Mum passed away 12 years ago and dad nearly 3 months ago. I miss them so much particularly today, it hurts so much but it also made me feel grateful for the time we got to spend together. I am also grateful for my friends who had been so supportive during my difficult moments.

Things I wish I could have done better: 1. didn't get to attend my zumba class on Wednesday night as my BFF and I were both nursing a nasty cold.
2. I wish I could have done a lot more of my uni work. I have a big assignment due in two weeks and many short non graded assignments in between.

Happy weekend everyone!

apple_muncher

So, having mentioned this as part of the challenge, I figured it was time I gave you the lowdown...




[FONT=&quot]Think about 1000 days. Try to picture it. It’s a long time, isn’t it? Almost three years. A lot can happen in 1000 days. Why, in 1000 days, a person could accomplish any number of things. Yep. There’s almost no limit to what you can do. People can achieve incredible things in 1000 days. If you really think about it, you can reach just about any goal – or at least make a huge amount of progress toward it — in 1000 days. And yet, in the grand scheme of things, in the lifespan of the average human being, 1000 days is a blip. It’s not that long. You get comfortable, allow your existence to grow staid, and dutifully punch the clock on whatever life you’ve fallen into and those 1000 days just slip right on by. They bleed into each other. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Furthermore, 1000 days is enough time to accomplish almost anything but not so much time that your entire life is wasted if you fail. You can bounce back and learn from your mistakes. “Well, that didn’t work. What’s next?” [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]All those hopes, those aspirations, those late night conversations about what-could-be? They don’t morph into anything resembling tangible reality all by themselves. If you don’t actually start the process, your dreams will remain fun thought experiments that elicit brief sensations of excitement. That’s not good enough for you, nor for anyone. Luckily, you’ve got 1000 days to get going. To get somewhere.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Put a big fat X on September 27th, 2021 [/FONT][FONT=&quot](if you start this on Jan 1st - though I may not be 100% accurate with that date!) (or set an alarm on your phone, arrange an email alert, etc)[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. That’s 1000 days from now. What are you going to complete by that date? What will you change, learn, become? Who will you be? Where will you be? What have you always wanted to accomplish but have yet to even begin approaching?[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Tha[/FONT][FONT=&quot]t business idea that you’ve mulled over for months now, the one that gives you the butterflies every time you allow yourself the luxury of imagining it? For that brief moment, your brain is convinced you’re actually living it. You’ve tricked yourself into treating the fantasy as reality. Then it comes crashing down. Felt good, right? Get on it. You’ve got a 1000 days.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]So you’re 100 pounds overweight, nothing fits, you can’t handle the mirror[/FONT][FONT=&quot], [/FONT][FONT=&quot]and a single flight of stairs is a conditioning [/FONT][FONT=&quot]workout. It’s hard, but get over it. Start today. People have been there. People have made it out[/FONT][FONT=&quot] in less than 1000 days. Be another.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]You hate your job, or maybe you just know you’d be happier doing something else. Only problem is you need a specific type of training to shift careers. Maybe it’s a course. Maybe it’s a 2-year degree. Maybe it’s an apprenticeship or a certification[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. Maybe it’s simply a matter of buying a few books, perusing a few websites, and really buckling down to teach yourself. The point is that you know what needs doing, so use these 1000 days to do it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]That fitness goal. You know, that one that always seemed possible (because so many others can do it) but complex and difficult enough that you never got around to seriously trying, let alone mastering it. Is it a handstand pushup[/FONT][FONT=&quot]? A twice bodyweight[/FONT][FONT=&quot] squat? Hiking the Pennine Wayl?[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Forget the “ten year plan,” or the “five year plan.” Downsize those puppies down to 1000 days. (Or, if you’re really driven, you can lisen to PayPal founder Peter Thiel and condense them down to six months :eek:.)[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Lots of goals will be more open-ended or less rigorously defined. “Be happier.” Or “live life.” That’s fine. You can still work toward an amorphous goal like “be happier” by doing things that make you happy.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]It could be all or none of those things. We all have something, though. Shake yourself from reverie and seize the (1000) day(s). It’s plenty of time but only if you use it.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]However, this is not supposed to add stress to anybody's life, so if you don't fancy doing this, you don't have to [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

greent

Fab sales at the fayre, apple - well done to both you and DD! :T :T

1000 days - hmmm..... I have some ideas. Jan 1st is less than 450 days to my 50th birthday - and there are some things I want to achieve by then, so that's in the same vein
x

f0xh0les

Quick check in!
NSD6 yesterday - the kids spent all their own money at the school fair!! yay!

Also managed to only be there for one hour, rather than two and a half like last year.

So that is my major 'yeuch!' over for the year.

Today is food shopping and furtive wrapping and eating my first mice pie not made by me. It was made by Mr Greggs and surprisingly everybody likes mice pies this year! Well, everybody likes them this week, it may all change by payday! Who knows.

Still got two supermarket to do, but came home for lunch rather than eating out with DS1 who wanted to get his Xmas shopping done, but could find nothing he wanted to buy.
Unlike DS3 who did all his shopping at the school fair and had it gift wrapped as well - all from the 50p an item stall. It is the thought that counts, and raising money for the school.

Right, onwards!!!!! will ponder my 1000 days.

crazy_cat_lady

Hello :wave:
1000 days... I have so many things I want to do. I definitely want to be debt free again but hoping for less time than that, as with losing weight. But I will ponder it and see what I come up with. Apple - I think if 1000 days is almost 3 years then it may be September 2021 rather than 2020. The two things in life I always struggle with are weight and money so it seems a good place to start.
Today has been busy. Caught up briefly with bestie this morning before tutoring work, then met dd at the hairdressers to discuss hair colouring. It was almost 2pm when I got home so grabbed a quick almost out of date chicken steak for lunch.
Have spent the afternoon writing Christmas cards and wrapping presents. Have to confess that it felt like more of a chore than anything else this year, but it is mostly done now.
Today I am grateful for:
My tutoring topping up my income for me
DD being sensible about what she wants with her hair
A cup of tea and a catch up with bestie
Saturday night tv

Kerry_Woman

NSD today - 5/15.
Walked to and from a free event which was a certain boy wizard and his magic school theme. Some of the things you had to pay, but what I did was free. Did the free children's trail which was fun. At least there was another lady who was a little bit older than me was doing it. We finished off the last few clues between us. Did get a free packet of sweets on completion and name/mobile to be entered into a prize draw.
Did bring my own refreshments.
Done some care.
Will be lighting the candle and be reading a book after I have watched the 1st part of the original film about the empire/jedi. I prefer the first 3 films that were made.
Grateful for:
Free local event.
Having a vary chilled out day/evening.
A brilliant film to watch tonight on tv.
Meeting nice people at the event.

apple_muncher

crazy_cat_lady wrote: »

Hello :wave:
1000 days... I have so many things I want to do. I definitely want to be debt free again but hoping for less time than that, as with losing weight. But I will ponder it and see what I come up with. Apple - I think if 1000 days is almost 3 years then it may be September 2021 rather than 2020.

You are so right - thank you! :T


The date should be Sept 27th 2021, so I'll sidle off and go and edit the post...