NST April 2019 - Spring Forward

[Deleted User]

Hello everyone

I've broken up from work for a few days now so I can focus a bit more on the challenge. This is where I am at the moment.

Simplicity - think about the simple pleasures in your life which you really appreciate, friendship, family, cake. Focus on those this month as much as you can (maybe not too much cake though).
I'm finding this quite difficult, mostly because I don't seem to be finding much pleasure in anything at the moment, simple or otherwise. I seem to feel fed-up with just about everyone and everything. I'll keep trying.


Persevere - I know that trying to reach your goal can sometimes seem never ending but try to remember that each time you waste money/time it can take you further away from what you really want for the long term. I want to clear the debt; I am working on this but this is a good reminder to stay focused.


Reduce - I wouldn't be me if I wasn't asking you to reduce. Think about what you really need and what will be left at the end, is there a better way to consume. I am working on getting rid of the paperwork mountains and updating things to paperless.

Invest - in yourself, your family, your home - the things that really matter to you. Will do over this holiday.

New - new month, new beginning. Don't look back at past mistakes and failures, there is nothing that can be done about them, learn from them and move on. I'm finding this very difficult; I need to work much more on letting go of things from the past.

Grab - take life by the horns. Do something which takes you outside of your comfort zone at least once this month. Still thinking about this.

The non-negotiable rules.

We start at the start on 1st April and finish on 30th April


12 NSDs. for those with children as we have two weeks holiday this month and 15 for everyone else, more if you like. 4 NSDs so far.


Pay to your debt/savings first and move forward from there. I have bitten the bullet and paid a chunk off, cleared a debt and closed the account. I don't have much money left until payday but I'll manage and it does feel good to be another debt down.


Have a budget and stick to it. Still working on this.


NO spending in coffee shops, work canteens, vending machines. If you do it needs to be planned in advance and budgeted for. No spending on any of these.

dolly84

Have done my first day in the new job, induction all morning then in the area I am working all afternoon. Can't say I much enjoyed it, it was boiling hot due to all the computer equipment plus I seem to find that companies never have anything in place for new staff and just jump from one bitty piece of information to another so you have no idea what they are talking about.

DawnW

Hope your new job gets better Dolly.
NSD 9 / 15 for me today. A day of food prep - shredded cabbage, carrot and onion in the processor to make coleslaw. I find it keeps better in a tupperware without the mayo, and it is easy to take out what is needed and add the dressing and seasoning as you go. Also made BBQ sauce from storecupboard stuff. Finally rounded up most of the lurking veg in the fridge, together with some chicken thighs and Lidl chorizo, stock, a tin of tomatoes and another of chickpeas and made a big casserole. Tipped in the end of a bottle of white wine and added tarragon from the garden for flavouring We had some of this with jacket potatoes for dinner tonight, and are planning a BBQ at some point over the weekend (hence the coleslaw and bbq sauce). Will use meat from the freezer. The rest of the casserole is now in the fridge. Only minimal cooking needed over the weekend I think! Now need to wipe out and reline the veg drawers in the fridge, while they are relatively empty.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for all of us sleeping well last night, for a workout, for the dietitian being pleased with dd's progress (gf, vit d, height, weight) and congratulating her on getting in to the posh school, for bargainaceous wool, for dh going for a food shop and only spending £31, for 3-ply loo roll (it's all skinny 2-ply or even 1-ply over the pond!!) , for dd sorting through and discarding some dolls, for getting some sch prep done, for the sunshine.

mothernerd

Spent an hour doing mum's shopping (should have only been 3 things but they were spread out), totally worn out by the time I reached the taxi rank on the far side of the bus station. Should have been a non-spend day for me but wasn't and I've said I'll take the first class stamp book in lieu of money from mum.

After resting I made fishfingers and chips for me (wanted something bulky to make a space in mum's freezer), cooked a small chicken on the other oven shelf and later went back to make up a tandoori mix, coated both sides of 4 turkey steaks and put the whole lot in a marg tub in the small space I'd made in the freezer. Had asked mum what she wanted when I was putting the fishfingers in - she had some of the cooked meat I had just bought on a mountain of butties. Chose not to include cooked meat on the big delivery because I knew I could get more variety, better quality and value at the shop i went to today.

I'm not surprised about people not preparing for Easter shopping (or the resulting hordes). People always prepare for Christmas, putting a bit away each week (and it's still utter madness on Christmas Eve even at 6 am in the morning) but for some reason most of them don't think ahead for Easter. I always did. Probably because my husband was working 300 miles away and I didn't want to trail round the SM with 3 young boys, I was the one heading off to the SM after dropping them at the end of term disco while the other mothers went straight to the pub.

So my big delivery came Sunday and mum's on Tuesday.

Our regular visitor arrived today. I've asked DS2 to move the empty cube unit from my room downstairs as DS3 has had several weeks now and it's still not done. I have plans for the next 2 days including another large item purge. How co-operative everyone else will be I don't know, but I need things to happen (if I have to take things apart and drag them out one piece at a time, I will do). Checked the charity bin at the library today and it's 3/4 empty. Will also round up all the plastic bags and pass them onto the charity shop.

Today I am grateful for a lovely cooling breeze as the driver had the front window wound down (should we still say wound down - there is no longer any winding involved), for finding all the things I needed (including choc brazil nuts to make mum's egg) at this end of the town and for the chicken looking great (and taking up less space n the fridge cooked).

sashanut

Hi all :j


Dolly - hope that the job improves for you, if it's a role that you think you will eventually like.

Simplicity - think about the simple pleasures in your life which you really appreciate, friendship, family, cake. Focus on those this month as much as you can (maybe not too much cake though). Simple pleasure of a little shopping trip out with DD (so rarely happens) but she was chatting away about her day -and why she was so late back off shift yesterday :eek:

Persevere - I know that trying to reach your goal can sometimes seem never ending but try to remember that each time you waste money/time it can take you further away from what you really want for the long term. Got back with all the shopping - stocked up with items that I can only get in those shops. Forced myself to unpack everything & clear out the really big horrible fridge, thankfully now done. That is a big frog for me.

Reduce - I wouldn't be me if I wasn't asking you to reduce. Think about what you really need and what will be left at the end, is there a better way to consume. Did have to chuck out some stuff from big fridge - not recent purchases I hasten to add. Need to keep tabs on what's in there as well as the normal fridge.

Invest - in yourself, your family, your home - the things that really matter to you. It's still ongoing..

New - new month, new beginning. Don't look back at past mistakes and failures, there is nothing that can be done about them, learn from them and move on. Rarely look back - & when/if I do it's as if that stuff happened to someone else, which of course I was then. I'm stupidly optimistic..


Grab - take life by the horns. Do something which takes you outside of your comfort zone at least once this month. Now making a new sweater that is definitely out of my comfort zone. Let's see how that goes. So far so good, but only on the first sleeve. More challenges to come.

NSDs: still 9/15

NO spending in coffee shops, work canteens, vending machines. If you do it needs to be planned in advance and budgeted for. Never go in coffee shops, no canteen, don't use vending machines either. But I still waste money! Spends today & a planned small takeaway tomorrow (to go with the leftovers we already have). DH's idea & he will pay.

Go turtles!

dolly84

Morning all.


Had to throw some nectarines away yesterday as they were inedible and have been since I got them - not happy about that Tesco.


Groceries were delivered yesterday whilst I was at work so DH was in charge of that and we are now nicely stocked up but I do only have £47 left for next weeks shop.


Am taking the kids out for the day today, going to visit a pretty town, have a bit of lunch and a walk.

f0xh0les

Today should be NSD7 as I do not need anything.
My courgette seeds are thinking about doing something (bulge of soil, not yet made an appearance though) and I have teeny tiny foxglove seedlings. Just going to concentrate on getting on top of the cleaning and maybe sort a box of tat in the kitchen, and coping with hayfever - had to hit the painkillers yesterday.
Need to get passport photos for kids over the weekend, might as well get all the paperwork sorted while I have it all to hand.

Nothing out of comfort zone planned. Just going to improve my immediate environment a bit more.

dolly84

f0xh0les wrote: »

Today should be NSD7 as I do not need anything.
My courgette seeds are thinking about doing something (bulge of soil, not yet made an appearance though) and I have teeny tiny foxglove seedlings. Just going to concentrate on getting on top of the cleaning and maybe sort a box of tat in the kitchen, and coping with hayfever - had to hit the painkillers yesterday.
Need to get passport photos for kids over the weekend, might as well get all the paperwork sorted while I have it all to hand.

Nothing out of comfort zone planned. Just going to improve my immediate environment a bit more.

Sorry to hear that it is hayfever time again, I know you really suffer.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for dd's new specs looking fab, for finding things for dgs's bday in the £ emporium, for planting up a pot of bulbs for a friend's bday in June (ooh, it feels good to be planning that far ahead!), for dd sorting through more stuff for the ch shop, for dh having fun sorting out a laptop.