NST A Gentle Jog Through July

Toni'sfriend

Me too. please, Mothernerd

shabbychic12

Please count me in. Terrible spends month here July needs to be better for my own sanity.

f0xh0les

Can I be added please. After last month, you may need to reinstate the naughty step! I love that vanilla ice creams and hammocks are celebrated on the same day, not so happy that beans and disobedience are on the same day, so DS4 can legitimately refuse to eat them.

Roll on July, I was rubbish in June - although some was beyond my control, and some were once in a decade expenses (passports). Onwards !!!

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Hi everyone, I would like to join in for July please - I love this challenge! Deni x

greent

Adventure - do something that scares you, just a bit. - need to give this thought

Get creative in the kitchen. -now that the exam season is (almost) over I have more time to do this - which is something I like doing

Eat Beans Day is on the 3rd July. - 2 of my 4 DC don't eat beans/ pulses of any kind! :eek: And OH will be staying away in a hotel - so his may be limited to beans with his cooked breakfast - am sure the other 3 of us can manage this, though

NSDs Low target 3 per week (12/13 for the month)

Take care in the sun - as someone who was born a bright ginger this is something I'm very aware of July 3rd is 'Stay out of the Sun Day' as well as eating beans. It is also 'Disobedience Day' so you can have a free pass to break one rule then

Live on what is left after paying towards your debt or savings. - all CCS paid off in full on Fri after payday (with the exception of the 0% one - I could pay it off but I'm choosing to reduce it by £100/ mth to keep the money in savings) All invigilation money transferred to hol savings already. Have sto and ddr to monthly savings acct and s&s ISA. Will transfer rent money from BTL to mtge as an OP when it arrives (around the 6th)

Exercise - take advantage of the long days to pack more in. - have gardening (although some lighter stuff for me - still suffering slightly with back so will not risk digging) inc mowing and pruning to do. Also lots of housework required and will use home gym stuff at least 2x/ week

July food days abound Fried Chicken (6th), French Fries (13th), Hot Dogs and Peach Ice Cream (17th), Fresh Spinach Day (16th) and Vanilla Ice Cream (23rd). - will see what we can incorporate (have removed non-starters)

O (H2)O Water fun. - ok.

Geeks Unite. July 13th is Embrace Your Geekness Day. July 8th is Video Games Day. - every day in this house is a geek day or video games day for 2 of my boys!!!!

Think of those who are ill. - currently have 1 family member very poorly after a stroke (early 40s) and 1 with advancing dementia

Help those in need. International Day of Friendship is on July 30th. 'Cheer up the lonely Day' is on the 11th. Be a good friend/ work colleague/ neighbour and lend an ear to those whom you know are suffering.

Relax. Take time out and remember your children need downtime too.- end of term frantic-ness coming up for DS3 and DS2. DS1 and DD home from uni for Summer, so they can help. I have 2 shifts left at work and then I am finished for the Summer :T - the 3 of us can blitz house/ garage/ garden as much as poss before school breaks so then we can all take time out.

Our Bodies Our Selves. Bikini Day (5th) and Compliment Your Mirror Day (3rd). eat well, move more Include a pamper day this month, make it weekly if you can.

Useless and ugly objects need to leave your home. Keep up the clutter clearing. - definitely!

Get out and about. Explore your neighbourhood. Do you have a local town trail and have you been on it? Do any local churches or civic buildings have open days. What exhibitions and activities are on?- we will be signing up to 'Beat the Street' in aid of DS3's school

Half Year Review. Have you any family birthdays or significant events to celebrate in the next 3 months? Look again at where you want to be in one year/ 5 years - are you on track or do you need to make changes. - will need to re-visit goals/ targets from Jan.

Just a couple more ideas for the holidays "Build a Scarecrow Day " is on the 7th and "Tedddy Bear's Picnic day is on the 9th

YoU should take your lunch to work each day and take appropriate refreshments on days out - lunch to work n/a for me this month (2 half days only) - do have DD's graduation, so celebratory lunch that day!

Look at each purchase to determine if it is a genuine need or just a want. - gosh - most purchases are a want.... the celebratory lunch for DD, the 2 tonne of top soil I want to buy for the garden, the repairs on OH's car (cosmetic accident damage, as opposed to engine/ structure), the professional jetwash clean of the patio (will take the guy about an hour as opposed to OH 2 days and will look better!) (not been done at all in around 8 years), 2 passport renewals....

You should check in daily

mothernerd

I thought it was a bit haphazard when I finished writing but I wasn't going to start from scratch. Many of the ideas are just suggestions or inspiration. You don't have to do anything on a prescribed day and feel free to ignore any that don't work for your family - f0xh0les, this is your plan for the month, you don't need to tell the children it's disobedience day.

I know many of you are already vegan or vegetarian. For the rest of us including more beans and plant based meals is this month's version of healthy eating like having meatless Mondays.

I am aware that the school holidays are nearly upon us. Usually I'd ask people to share any free / inexpensive ideas for holiday fun but I quite liked some of these ideas and thought they made a good starting point for summer activities. Feel free to adapt/ ignore them as you will to suit your own circumstances.

As always the aim is to improve our circumstances - our finances, our health (mental and physical) and to have fun doing so.

Toni'sfriend

After last month's holiday when I spent more than I really meant to I'm intending to have a superfrugal next three months before we go away again. Bills were all paid on Friday so these are my goals for this month.

1 12/13 NSDs but more if it can be managed. I've trimmed the household/food budget down to as little as possible. Money will be taken out of account weekly and only cash used. Did I tell you my bank card was cloned last month? Luckily my bank realised that I didn't normally use it for taxis or pizzas at midnight and contacted me straight away. No money lost to me but what a pain as the card had to frozen the day I went on holiday.

2 Need to look after my health. Remember to take medication, loose some weight (aiming for 7 pounds), cut down on the alcohol (drank far too much last month) and get a bit of fresh air and exercise

3 Pamper Day every week. Love this. Have all the lotions and potions. Just have to get into the routine.

4 Love cooking. Freezers are full of food and cupboards are full of exotic jars and packets of goodness knows what that Himself has bought and never been opened. Shall try some new recipes using them up. Unfortunately they are also full of lots of sweet things which will not help with the weight loss.

5 Have free bus pass. will travel. We will go somewhere different at least once a week. Free if possible but certainly cheap. Maybe a healthy lunch thrown in as a treat.

6 Doing something scary and decluttering this house amount to the same thing.

7. Himself's birthday on the 7th. Presents all bought. Just books and chocolate but that's what he likes. Friends' Ruby anniversary on 20th. A party but they have specifically said they don't want presents so we'll take some nice wine that everyone can enjoy. We already have some in stock and it'll help with the decluttering.

Thank that's enough to be going on with at the moment. Off to make some soup now for the Boy's lunches.

indigowarrior

Count me in, please!

I will write longer post after I have had my dinner.

Karmacat

I'm in, please - its good to have this sort of challenge, thank you!

Karmacat

mothernerd wrote: »

We are now half way through 2019 so it's time to pause for reflection. Are you where you should be, has life sent you on a detour or do you need to refine or redefine your goals. Is everything going swimmingly or are you plodding through wet sand.

Oh, I like this

I thought about various aspects of holidays (adventure, exploring new places and different food, unwinding on a beach with a good book, swimming, visiting places of interest, pampering) and have tried to incorporate them into this challenge.

I like this too!

A Adventure - do something that scares you, just a bit. Can be physical like white water rafting or just being more sociable.

G Get creative in the kitchen. Make something that reminds you of a holiday or spice up your salads with all the available fresh produce. Plan your meals, put some things in the freezer for days when you don't feel like cooking ('the heat, the heat) and think of a few things to take on a day out (frozen sandwiches or a bottle of diluted cordial frozen overnight will keep everything in your rucksack cool and fresh)
My brain just fuzzed - this one is important for me.

E Eat Beans Day is on the 3rd July.
Plus peach ice cream on 17th, blueberries on 8th, vanilla on 23rd (I don't do cow dairy - I know, I've just ordered some soy yogurt, I'll throw some vanilla essence in there).

T Take care in the sun especially if you know you have problems.
Use the Factor 50 I just bought, I don't do it every day. And with the number of cases of skin cancer in my family, I really should.

E Exercise - take advantage of the long days to pack more in. Gardening and outdoor diy jobs count.

O (H2)O Water fun.
Erm, I'll keep the birdbath full :rotfl:

G Geeks Unite. July 13th is Embrace Your Geekness Day. July 8th is Video Games Day. So have a trekkie or Red Dwarf marathon, cosplay your favourite game character or craft some Whovian goodies.
Trekker. On the World That Was, that was the name, and we still call it that here on Persephone
**blinks wistfully at Malcolm Reynolds**
You said I could be a geek! You said!

H Help those in need. International Day of Friendship is on July 30th. 'Cheer up the lonely Day' is on the 11th. Be a good friend/ work colleague/ neighbour and lend an ear to those whom you know are suffering.
Ooh. I'll work on this.

R Relax.
I'll work on this too

O Our Bodies Our Selves.
Oh, that was a good book. Lifechanging. Will pay attention.

U Useless and ugly objects need to leave your home. Keep up the clutter clearing.
Absolutely.


G Get out and about. Explore your neighbourhood. Do you have a local town trail and have you been on it?
Also "absolutely" - working hard at this.

H Half Year Review. Have you any family birthdays or significant events to celebrate in the next 3 months?
Brilliant idea to put this in here, thank you! I need to update and re-hang my birthday calendar, as well as check where my finances are and get a new sim contract.

L Look at each purchase to determine if it is a genuine need or just a want.
Am researching a two seat sofa, and an armchair. Both genuinely necessary.

Y You should check in daily, if possible (especially when things go wrong).
I'm baaaad at that, but I do whiz by, I promise.