NST March 2019: WINS against the debt

Maisie_M

Waste management:
- Food waste – I have planned my dinners but getting a bit fed up with sarnies for lunch so looking at new ideas.
- Plastics – will try
- Utilities – hopefully the weather will start getting better and I will be able to hang washing out
- Money – have a good stock of food in cupboards and freezer but I am trying to keep them well stocked at present as I just don’t know what will happen with the weather and the B word
Invest in yourself
- Happy – this kind of relates to the step forward. When I am eating well and losing weight I am happy so I will focus on this and also some pampering
- Steps forward – get back into my healthy eating and lose weight, use exercise bike every night
- Skill – must get my cross stitch out and do some each evening as I have big one I want to finish

Needs not wants
- will apply this everytime I go shopping
- Gratitudes – will do

Simplicity
- Routines – could do with these for the house so will make a plan
- Simplify your stuff – just gutted my linen cupboard and got rid of loads of old towels and bed linen
- Make space for yourself – really need to do this in our bedroom as it is becoming very cluttered
- Noise – will try.
- Be frugal in your needs – will try

Non-negotiables:

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]15 NSDs[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. 1/15
[/FONT]Budget – Grocery - £0/£250
NO spending in coffee shops, work canteens, vending machines – 1/31[FONT=&quot][/FONT]

mothernerd

Hugs Fmess.

Not a lot to report. Exercise class must be working because muscles I didn't know I had were aching yesterday. Had lots of sleep, each time i woke it had eased a little bit. Did not go as far as the bins, did not spend money.

Today I really wanted to get things done but not really feeling it. Cough is back and sore throat and I have been accused of making Beloved ill. I have done quite a bit (not that you can see it yet). Had to lie to myself to get downstairs a second time (told myself I only needed to fill and set off the washing machine and dishwasher).

I currently have nearly a dozen bags for life on the go. We each have a clean clothes bag (Beloved has two now). Paper sack has been emptied and restarted. We have two for bedding (mine and theirs) and one that says bathroom (1 flannel and multi packs of soap - was on the half price offers last home delivery). I have cleared most of the little sofa (washing was being whipped off the radiator and piled up on the sofa but they never took theirs away so it's a bit of a hotch potch) and part of the kitchen table.

Anything that needed washing went into a pile near the door to the kitchen (second load in now), recycling and green bin stuff have been done so need to start new bags for them. Two bags of pots plus the cutlery and utensils lying around on the worktop and the pans and steamers near the sink have gone in the dishwasher (not gone to look for any more atm).

I have to confess to some food waste. I knew I had a string bag with some potatoes and sweet potatoes in (from Christmas) but there was a second bag hidden behind it. It contained carrots and I think a cauli and a cabbage - they definitely weren't salvageable, barely recognisable so they have gone in the green bin (going to set up my own composting bin again but need some measure of order in the garden first).

I have been shopping and spent more than I expected (not sure how much as it's mine and mum's plus honey and lemon for Beloved) and I kindly bought her diabetic ice cream - I know she likes the diabetic ice cream because I bought some once before and did not see it again, only the empty tub.

I bought mum bread and milk and several packs of cheese as she only had feta left. I bought ice lollies (with ice cream in the middle), soft sandwich fillings and a couple of other easy to eat foods for me and stocked up with tuna, white vinegar, lemon juice and tomato puree. Could be argued that the soft food was a want not a need but the ice lolly really helped my throat. Bought some ys hot cross buns but they were only 10p (easy any time meal if I get worse)

When I was doing the recycling this morning I kept all the 2l bottles for my greenhouse/ vertical bottle garden and 3 of the water ones were refilled from the tap and are now in the freezer (grab and go - just need to make the pesky sandwiches now).

It's not much in the scheme of things but it has left me breathless so will just keep doing what I can (have some sitting in bed jobs I can do). Had to sit down when I was taking the pillowcases off as I went dizzy - it can only get better.

DS3 did empty the dishwasher (what hasn't already been taken out to use) and did put some of the next lot in and helped me bring in the shopping (I opened the door, shouted that I needed help with it, leant my forehead against the outside wall and waited).

I have brought everything I might need upstairs with me (forgot to bring a knife and spoon the first time). I can make a sandwich, eat a yoghurt, I have my drinking water bottle and even a couple of apples.

I want a bath/ shower, to make my bed and do a little more work then spend a couple of hours reading.

Today I am grateful for mum's spare walker (couldn't even have attempted the shopping without it - yesterday even the library was too far and I can see that without leaving the house), for the sun breaking through heavy cloud for a bit and for my lovely waterproof coat (took it off so that I could sit down on the church wall without getting wet).

apple_muncher

Dolly - are you going to actively look for a job, or enjoy not working for a bit?

Fmess -enjoy cudles with your eldest doggy.

Mothernerd - I'd consider your soft food a medical need. Not a want at all.

Today I am grateful for very generous friends, for some really easy company (in what, for me, was a not ideal set-up), for dd having a great time out, for the washing machine, for both fisiocrem and ibu gel, for my heated polar bear, for time to enjoy some peace and quiet.

misstara

NSDs today and yesterday so 2/15

Meals all from the planner, on a late shift tomorrow so will pop to the shop in the morning to get lunch supplies for during the week.

Went to a kettlebells class on Friday and a spin class yesterday so exercise is going well. Got another class booked for tomorrow.

£2.57 paid to the debt yesterday and £1 today

GlendaSugarbean

Thank you Apple for the tips on recycling stuff for seedlings - have made a DIY propagator with some leftover plastic packaging. Now have tomatoes, chillis and some flower seeds on the go. Beetroot planted at the allotment.

Decided against building the mini greenhouse, as it would have been blown away! Need to think about how to anchor it.

Still on 2 NSDs, hoping for another today.

apple_muncher

Every time you find humour in a difficult situation, you win.

Enjoy your Monday, turtles!

SpekySquarehead

Morning turtles,

Yesterday was my first NSD of the month. I would have got Friday too but my boss and colleagues all decided to go out for lunch (which I had to pay for myself). Anyway, my week ahead should all be accounted for, although I do need to buy a new jacket pretty quickly as my last one got caught in a door and tore beyond repair.

I've a busy month with various visits from friends and family, plus 2 potential trips away with work, so I need to make sure I have everything accounted for from an expense perspective too.

This month is going to be tough, but I'll get through it.

XSpender

Hugs Fmess x We are seeing our 14 year old JRT age quite quickly now and it's heart breaking


Waste

Food - Used up a lot of freezer items including a pack of GF pastry to make some coconut tarts but there was so much of it I made 12 mini quiches and 24 tarts in total 12 coconut and 12 using up a jar of mincemeat and some frozen crumble topping
Plastics - recycled everything I could. Becoming very aware of the amount of plastic wrappers on everything
Money - Nothing spent outside budget and night out came way under plan, got a lift, only had 4 drinks and didn't succumb to takeaway on way home. Went for an amalgam filling instead of a white one
Utilities - dried 5 lots of washing on line clothes horse, didn't put heating on during the day until I came downstairs to find DH had put the fire on :mad:

Invest in Yourself

Happy - a rare night out with DH
Steps Forward - received CB today and put most of it towards holiday spends. Decided I am not in the right mindset to lose weight at the moment, too many other things to focus on.

New Skill - not started yoga practice yet 0/20

Needs not Wants

Gratitudes - 1) Making new friends 2) DS trying cabbage and loving it 3) Where I live

Planned Expenditure - Come under budget in a few areas this month so far including dentist and night out and only spent £57 of food budget

Simplicity

Routines - DH did all the ironing. Downstairs cleaned. Will do another 45 minutes today.
Simplify your Stuff - Filling a box of donations for friends charity shop this week
Make Space - no progress
Cut out noise - no TV last night, we both read. Usage down on phone.

NSDs - 0/12
DFD - Feb 2022, aiming for Dec 2021
Budget - done in YNAB and all up to date

dolly84

apple - I will be looking for a new job, the problem is finding part time work, I want to do 3 days rather than 5 part days and some part time jobs are 35 hours which to me is full time. The temping job was in a respite centre for people with mental health issues so this has added a lot of new buzz words to my cv.


Will be catching up on cleaning today, dog walking and school runs.

mothernerd

Having a real frog day - had to unblock the toilet first thing, not found the humour in it but I'm smiling now that it's done. Good job reducing toilet paper usage wasn't on the list.

So far I have turned off more than a dozen light switches (some multi bulb) and switched the ch off once, but as Beloved was ill yesterday DS3 did put it on again as part of his solicitous hovering. I passed on the vapour rub last night as Beloved's coughing was stopping us both from sleeping. Also mentioned the sugar free cough medicine in the bathroom (has been used).

Not sure if it counts as reducing waste but I recently bought a large tube of antiseptic cream and have been looking for more. It must take nearly the same resources to manufacture a large tube as a small one and each small one must have a bit you can't get out at the end (even if you attack it with a rolling pin). Saw a recipe yesterday for hm calendula salve but think being able to see the floor is a priority.

Have started the labelled bags in my room now - currently have 7 - food, recycling, paper, charity shop (3 items), light and dark washing and rubbish. Just a convenient way of bulk carrying stuff to the room/ bin where it belongs.

Not had a great night's sleep but managed to find a strange but fairly comfortable half lying position for reading and the odd nap. Killer headache has gone and my eyes hurt a lot less (will be bathing them with cold tea when I get to mum's). 10p cross buns were wonderful, soft and chewy and helped my pills go down.

Today I am grateful for a good book, a sunny day and renewed determination to keep going with the declutter. Yesterday I was a little despondent, struggling with multiple illnesses, sick of feeling not well and worried that each time I am below par, I slip further back into the muddy ditch of clutter and each time it's harder to pull myself out again. Happy smile and positive head on now. Love today's quote - luckily I can usually find the humour in any situation. Sometimes it's all I've got.