NST February frugality and frolics

mothernerd

Sorry I'm late. Did try to post from the waiting room at the hospital but could not get a signal.

I am rewiring how I think, how I feel and how I exist in my body. I am not afraid to change. I welcome the new.

As the seasons change so do we. May we be aware we are sgifting just like the wind.

Like a welcome summer rain, humour may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.

Welcome the unexpected changes in life. Learn to bend with grace and humility. Grow through it all and never forget to take notice of the beauty change can bring.

I've been putting a lot of thought into it and I just don't think being an adult is going to work for me.

mothernerd

Went to advice and exercise session. Phoned for a taxi whilst I was still getting dressed as did not think I could walk there and was getting stressed. Session was good, very positive, 3 of us were new. Talk was on portion control and I may have talked a bit too much (but no-one was eye rolling or sighing so might get away with it).

'Leader' sounded bemused when I mentioned eating from a blue plate to help you not overeat. I am sure that there was some research done a while ago which established that since blue foods do not often appear in nature, blue makes us cautious and wary ('may be poisonous') and might help when you were trying not to overeat. i think the experiments included things like blue mashed potato.

She did agree with eating from a small plate and eating all your meals (and any snacks) from the same bowl - increases awareness of how much you are eating. they do a whole session on mindfulness and focusing on eating, without distractions (mum's of young children especially are prone to eating whilst standing up and doing other things - dishing out toast, making lunches, washing and tidying up).

Exercise was good, I opted to do some things sitting down but alternatives are provided if there is anything you can't manage. Went to order repeat prescription. Will be ready after 4pm. I said I was coming back in 2 weeks unless my mother deteriorated and I needed to come back sooner (one pill will run out in under 2 weeks but I have a larger dose pill I can cut in two). But it will be ready after 4pm. I said I had a sprained ankle and wasn't making extra trips. I had pulled a chair over to the desk to wait while she was finishing a phone call.

Caught the second little bus (had started to slump a bit by this time), bought an all day ticket and went all the way to Morries (bus turns round at infirmary and one stop after Morries), bought a load of stuff from the salad bar (cost about the same as a sandwich and I pack stuff in like there's no tomorrow), cheese for mum and some other bits including pills and vapour rub.

Pushed the trolley across the car park as far as the bus stop (bus stop is outside the car park), put the bags over the low barrier to take the trolley back, then two walks across the grass verge to put them by the bus stop pole and sat on the nearest bench (12 yards away) as the bus was not due for another 16 minutes. Bussed back as far as the nearest stop to mum's.

Bags were quite heavy so I was very slow and paused to sit on several low garden walls. had just passed the point where I was level with mum's (if they hadn't fenced off all the backs so there is no way through) and swapped to carrying one bag a little way down the pavement and coming back for the second one.

A woman came to her door and asked if I needed help. She let me into her little green car and went to pick up the other bag, drove us down her street and then back up mum's, carried my bags to the door and into the kitchen. I thanked her profusely. Sat for a while before unpacking/ eating/ getting a drink.

Put on a film mum wanted to watch and had a little nap on her bed. Made mum's requested tea and we watched a little tv. Back home our most regular visitor is installed (she has to have a course of treatment once a month and it can have nasty side effects so Beloved and DS3 look after her at those times). Said hello, then made my excuses and have come upstairs.

I have another box of salad, another small loaf and some ys sandwich filling. Think I will be aching tomorrow so plan to rest at first. Hoping to be up to preparing some of my own salads and dips by the time I have eaten these. A licensed refuse operator was advertising on the local selling pages and I was very tempted to have him collect some of the things that are already outside (large rolled up mattress, parts of an old fire surround, a broken chair) to keep the declutter momentum going but decided even getting those things together would be too much of a strain atm (it would have given me more safe space to weed and start moving things around into their planned positions).

I will catch up on domestic stuff and bin recycling and then plan the next stage.

Today I am grateful for a lovely day, helpful taxi drivers, pleasant and supportive staff and fellow participants and the lovely woman who gave me a lift.

Debtfreewannabme

Hello, please can I join. I haven't posted in what feels like forever but here now wanting to get my frugal groove on. Have made a start at switching accounts etc and made some savings. My spending was getting out of hand and I'm ready to refocus. I have some big savings goals that I'm desperate to meet..and I just won't get there if I live the way I have been living. It's not as bad as it was when I was in debt but not as great as it could be.
Already I am feeling very inspired by reading everyones posts, thank you for that xx

Lovelifeloveliving

Hi all

Speky Enjoy your break to Scotland

DebtFreeWannabme Welcome

F Food Expenditure. Decide on your food expenditure for the month - do not exceed it.
£200 per month. £85.53/£200 No change

E Excursions and entertainment should be planned before the month starts.
BF 50th birthday party 23/02/19
Concert - 2 night City break 24/02/19. Paid previously. Frugal efforts in February will provide spending money for the trip.

B Budgets should be set before the start of the month.
Spreadsheet updated with recent expenditure.

R Reduce your planned food expenditure in accordance with the table below. Will be tough, but will attempt it to keep as close to it as possible.
Reduced my food budget by £50 this month and will evulate at the end of February.

U Useful leftovers. If there is anything from last month or a previous challenge which you found useful, keep on doing it (tackling those frogs, ditching bad habits and replacing them with good ones). Small changes that last are preferable to dramatic ones that peter out.
Busy day at work. Dinner from the freezer.

Aim to take your lunch to work every day (unless you have a free
or heavily subsidised canteen. Similarly prepare for hospital appointments or days out by taking your own food and drink when possible.
4/12. Sandwich for lunch made from fridge finds.

R Remind yourself of what you have and be grateful. This is a tough challenge but I am not asking anyone to live on a bowl of rice a day. You can choose to add your gratitudes on here or to record them privately.
Grateful for DS making me a cup of tea after a busy day, hugs from my DD, an invitation to my sisters for lunch on Sunday and friends that always make me laugh.

Y You should pay to your debt or savings first and live on what is left. Ideally pay it on the first of the month/ payday. I appreciate that some of you have money coming in at different times and may need to accommodate existing standing orders/ direct debits.
Credit card payment made.

S Spend Free Days (SFDs).
Aiming for 18 SFDs.
9/18.

R Regular check ins are recommended, daily if possible.
I'm here.

V Turtles generally avoid the consumer fest of bad taste on the 14th of the month. If you and your significant other choose to celebrate, make it yourself. If there is no significant other, then celebrate your singledom in whatever way you choose - pampering, slothing, singing a la Bridget Jones or hiding under the bedclothes. Think I will be doing pampering. See when the day comes around.
Looking forward to a relaxing evening with DP.

I Indoors/outdoors. Regular exercise is important. Will try and go out for a walk each day.
Indoors - I mentioned being a hermit. I would like you to see this as a positive step. Spring may be around the corner but winter often has a sting in its tail. Nurture and protect yourself. Huddle by the fire, go to bed early, read, have hot drinks and comforting home made soup. Recharge your batteries. Rest and conserve your energy. Guard your mental health. Write down 10 things that help improve your mood and practice them regularly.
Too tried to go to the gym. I must try harder on the exercise front.

V Vending machines, coffee shops, takeaways (everything from an Indian banquet to a pastie or a bag of chips) are forbidden (except for those who have them as part of a budgeted family evening).
None

A Advance planning.
Meal planning and making meals from scratch (no food waste) are your friends.
Need to write a list of frogs I need to address. Still not completed.

Good night . Xx

mothernerd

DebtFreeWannabme you are in. As we are half way through this month, you could halve things like SFD targets or perhaps pick a few of the rules to start with. Some elements of the challenge are retained from month to month (Paying to debt or savings first, setting budgets, planning meals to make starting with the things you already have in, no coffee chains etc) but whoever is running that month's thread puts their own slant on it.

We have a holistic attitude, paying off debts and establishing sound financial habits is important but we also look at our physical and mental health and try to have lots of fun.

sashanut

Hi all :j

Very busy day garden wise, DH cut down 4 or 5 largeish trees that were growing actually in the wall in the 'wild' bit of the garden. They were getting to the stage where we'd have to get someone to come & fell them, at a cost, so very pleased we did this. DH did have to do it in 2 stages though..then later on I got rid of a huge pile of branches etc but think I did too much and am paying for it now.

F Food Expenditure Aiming for £225 for the month, down from about £275.. already done a bit of spending so no NSDs as yet. Shopping already spent £139.56/225 . Made some purchases today/yesterday so need to add those on. Still to do. No spends today.


E Excursions and entertainment should be planned. ...No excursions but planning a trip to Ireland before B-day but looks like they have changed the ferry crossings to make it vastly more inconvenient for us. However, DH is on the case & looking at alternative routes. Will be in March. Looks like we can make an alternative crossing & even though we need to stay overnight in a B&B it will be cheaper, so should book this week. Trip out planned for Monday to collect car.

B Budgets None set as yet - other than food - & all DDs already out.

U Useful leftovers Will also carry on with frogs. Need to make a list for DH also, there are plenty of things he can be doing. Garden frog started today, will probably do this every other day whilst the fine weather continues.

A Aim to take your lunch
Don't work outside the home other than volunteer at a CS but will aim to take snacks/lunch/etc when we go out. Didn't eat whilst out but waited till we got home, sandwich then. Will do.

R Remind yourself Great weather, peaceful time in the garden, very loud singing of birds (no idea which birds, but lots of different ones).

Y You should pay your debt or savings first Have no debt other than a cc paid off in full each month. However, savings needed for dental work & also for house renovations, so will take care of that. Paid back joint account for dental work again. Will make another payment after this post. Still to do.

S Spend Free Days SFDs now 8/18

U Use it up Keep using up what we have, have done some shopping already but should only need fresh F&V & bread, plus animals food/litter. DD donated some of a cooked chicken she bought so made risotto from that, still enough to make soup left.
Plus LO risotto so arancini to come later.

R Regular check ins Here

V Cards only .. in the nut household. Well it should have been but a plant mysteriously appeared with the card!

I Indoors/outdoors My only regular exercise is gardening, which I try to do most days. Walked a lot when away need to have slightly better weather to do much around here. Much time spent outdoors today.


Indoors - being a hermit. Some more of the complex knitting stuff done, just realised I made an error in the pattern (colour). Will just knit the other side to match (design feature).

V Vending machines etc Rarely use but do have the occasional takeaway as part of family meal. Maybe once a month, but no plans so far. Had family meal out yesterday, no plans for a takeaway AFAIK. none planned.

A Advance planning This is a problem for me, I don't plan in advance but decide what to have on an almost daily basis. I know I have to get more organised, so will inventory both fridges...as a starting point. Have not inventoried yet , will do tomorrow. Done Fridge one. Fridge 2 to go. Done fridge 2.....have a loongg list on my phone. Need to see if I can meal plan for this week now I have an idea of what we have. Wont need tomorrow as we should be eating out, but for rest of week. Still WIP. Friday will be inventory day & meal planning..there, I said it now. OK I lied, it was garden day instead.

Garden prep - up to today - has been going on apace, not with planting as the ground has been frozen but with pruning & some greenhouse stuff. No veg as yet but it's a bit early for here. Will go through seeds - I have loads - and see what I need if anything. Also have lots of pots of paint for projects inside & outside the house - once decluttered enough to decorate.. Mulching borders is in hand although it will take me forever. One more load done. Amazingly DH has offered to help...well he will cut down some stuff that is too big for my loppers to cut. Fills me with fear tbh...he's not handy! Scheduled for rest of week if fine, dependent on car viewings too. Looks like Friday..weather predicted to be fine so it will happen. It happened! But lots more need to happen, to keep the momentum going..

Go Turtles!!!

System

#11 checking in. I’m onto my 6th NSD as of yesterday. Earnt money on surveys, enjoyed the voucher meal and had a wonderful week. Hope all are ok. Mothernerd I think you’re amazing, I just wanted to say x (everyone’s amazing in some way, but your posts and strengths are an inspiration)

mothernerd

There are four things in this life that will change you. Love, music, art and loss. The first three will keep you wild and full of passion. May you allow the last to make you brave.

Fall in love with the process of becoming the very best version of yourself.

Remember if you lose a sock in the wash it comes back as a tupperware lid that doesn't fit any of your containers.

cuddlymarm

Good morning turtles
I haven’t checked in for a few days so here I am.
Not much to tell really. I’m on 10/18 NSDs and have extended my eating from the freezer and cupboards for another week. Any food money not spent is going into the holiday account.
I get paid on a Friday so all bills and saving sorted straight away. Then any money left will be transferred to the savings on Thursday night.
The weight loss is heading in the right direction and I am gradually filling
bags for the CS.
I’m grateful for the blue sky this morning but it not being as cold, for my eldest and his girlfriend visiting today and for a day off work.
It’s half term for the next week and the weather report is good so I think we will be busy at work so I plan on recharging my batteries as much as possible.
Anyway enough from me. Keep well and warm guys.
Cuddles

Shrewbie

I surprisingly managed an NSD yesterday, 5/18 Didn't fancy going out after work as I had a splitting headache. Today won't be, need to pop into shopping mall for some bits (no new clothes but a notepad for work and some incense) Then dinner with a friend later.

Mothernerd I was wondering where those socks went, thanks!!