NST: August Adventures

PheoniX

Hi all,

Yesterday was a spend day as I bought 2 more birthday cards, paid for postage and also did a small shop. These small shops seem to be a regular thing and often leads to unneccesary purchases. What I should do is eat whats already stored in the fridge, freezer and cupboards and plan ahead to minimise spending. I will be on a serious economy drive after next week's pay, so am going to get the money book out and sort out the cash flow for the next month.:T

Thanks Deni, me and fur baby are bonding well even though the last few nights have been eventful! :eek: Fmess he is silvery grey with tabby markings :happyhear

Laters :wave:

crazy_cat_lady

Oops. I am not doing well.
I have sinned and bought a new sofa :eek: I have been on the lookout for a new second sofa for some time (the one I currently have is a massive reminder of my ex and I'm desperate to get rid of it). Anyway - I just walked past a shop, fell in love, it was reduced in the sale and then another 10% off. Checked my exam fund and went in and bought it.
Plus an emergency vet trip. My ginger ninja has a UTI - £85 excess but the insurance will cover everything else up to £4000. Hopefully it won't get that far but it's over £200 already for one appointment.
Couple of planned spends as well. Got my brows and lashes tinted today, and dd got her nails done. Reminds me why I work so hard during exam season (2 days to go :eek:)
So much for my frugal ways.

apple_muncher

Toni'sfriend - hope the Boy's arm gets better quickly.


Ccl - you've wanted a new sofa for a long time; you had the money; so you're not consigned to the naughty chaise longue. Instead you can kick back on your sofa and tell us how good it makes you feel.


Today I am grateful for doing my workout on the beach, for exploring, for shell hunting, for dd having so much fun on the trampolines and bouncy slide, for peace and quiet, for time outside in the sunshine.

mothernerd

Hugs and sympathy for those with injuries (ouch f0xh0les). ccl I second apple. After I got divorced I bought myself a fairly expensive new bed on the grounds that getting a good night's sleep would help me cope with everything else.

In my defense I had spent several months sleeping on a wardrobe (laid flat) with a board and a quilt on top. I moved out of the small bedroom and left my pre-ex alone in there. A friend pointed out that that was my first mistake - he'd have gone quicker if I'd made him sleep at the end of the landing.

This was followed by several months sleeping on the mattress on the floor as I ditched the botttom of the bed (another cheap one he'd picked). This had replaced the first cheap one he'd picked which gave me a bad back during my second pregnancy. Once I'd had the baby I removed the mattress (he'd refused to do it, saying pregnant women imagine things) to find that the bed was basically a thick piece of cardboard supported by three wooden struts and the middle one was broken in two. I'd been sleeping on a thick piece of cardboard that was sagging in the middle.

Not doing well on NSDs and been berating myself for lack of activity/ progress. However I've done some shopping for mum both days, have continued to use up odd veg drowned in curry (used the remains of a bag of sprouts from the freezer yesterday) and munch raw veg and fruit in addition.

Yesterday I moved a chimneypot for mum ('walked' it to new position I stress), we had a lovely visit from her male cousin (we've volunteered for dog-minding when he goes on holiday) and had a successful visit to the doctor. Mum has damaged a tendon in her arm (so exercises to do and will be referred for a scan and we filled in a self-referral form and left it at the physio reception desk), we obtained a prescription for the pills that had not been delivered in yesterday's package (the ones in the drawer run out next Thursday) and there is very little he can do about the warts (not the infectious type so he's allowed to cut off three providing they are in places where clothing will rub and irritate). Will carry on with the cider vinegar poultices, so had a chat with the pharmacy assistant and she found me 6 of the stick on dressings (mum complains of smelling of vinegar and last week I had to bind it with a bandage so it seeped through onto her clothes).

For yesterday, I am grateful that the chimney pot went under the safety rail at the side of mum's front path (alternative would have been 'walking' it down the path and back up again on the outside of the rail over rough ground), for satisfactorily sorting mum's minor health problems, so grateful that our doctor's surgery is in the same building as many other services, grateful that mum decide to pay for the whole of my accommodation and train travel 'but NOT food' (ha ha took my own mostly) rather than just half the accommodation.

Her reasoning was that I was her representative, if she had been able to go it would have cost twice as much and would have been infinitely more complicated.

On Monday I dealt with a lot of 'bitty' paperwork, scraps torn from old notebooks now safely transferred into my diary and address book - which also holds passwords and 'collections' - all the holiday firms details together, a page of mum's and my health issues and dates of diagnosis/ operations.

Yesterday I formalised some of my weight loss goals and made a squares chart and reviewed the rest of the year. So I did more than I thought I had and it was roughly prioritised ie i did the things that most needed to be done rather than frittering away the time doing 'make work' tasks.

I also love my new spectacles so it was worth using a NSD day for them.

f0xh0les

:hello:Hello!!:hello:

Today will be NSD 12 as I am waiting on the sofa for DS1s GCSE results tomorrow. As everyone knows, staying very still and quiet helps with positive exam results:rotfl:. The school has not even told the kids what time they can get their results or where from. So spent the morning trying to find out, with no end result.

So in 22 hours I will know if DS1 is at college or not.

He is happily asleep, I am a stressed out nervous nut-job. Happy Wednesday Turtles!

Calling14

Apologies for not posting, I have been reading but not got around to posting .

My week so far


Sat was a SFD:j


Sunday - I was very naughty, bought a new tv.:oHangs my head in shame. No excuse really could managed without one. Mine is still working but I wanted a smart one. Picture so much better than my 12 year old as well. Love having you tube on it, and it will keep gkids happy. Put on cc. Hopefully clear end of next month.Will use other tv upstairs with dvds, nice to have in winter. Going in spare bedroom, which I might rent out. :money:

Monday- SFD:j

Tuesday - rebought a ticket to a gig, sold it last week, changed my mind :rotfl:

I want to go and bought train tickets. Big birthday in October and nothing planned so this will be something to look forward to.

Weds - needed some tins of tuna and salad stuff. Arranged to go to ghost story telling tonight. Hopefully just a few drinks I am driving anyway.


Tomorrow will be a SFD - determined:D


Friday - Funeral friends husband so small spend collection. Seeing a band at night, no silly drinking as kids staying over the weekend.:D

mothernerd

Keep spending folks (sorry apple), you're making me feel so much better - seem to not have stopped spending this month but mostly needs, necessary or long time wants (have been hinting for a metal garden sieve for several years, had to buy mum an ordinary kitchen one and a plastic thing).

It's going to be a very lazy day for me, I am a wreck. Everything hurts. I have had a wash - sitting down on a stool and nearly cried over washing my feet. I tried dropping the flannel onto my feet and rubbing one foot against the other and then sat with my arms on the edge of the sink and my head resting on my arms until I felt strong enough to get back to my bed. If I go out i need ibruprofen spray. I have pills and gel but the spray is better for difficult to reach places. I may need a special dispensation to buy chocolate (it's a want/ craving and I'm just feeling sorry for myself).

No NSD as I asked Beloved to put a shopping list together (so they don't starve whilst I'm away next week) and she wrote it on her computer so just had the usual fun trying to change email and password details. Too much spent (it added part of my last order in and I decided to let some of the stock up items stay - tinned tuna offer is very good). It will go on next month's budget. Beloved thinks it is for a week, I want it to last most of the month.

DS2 owes me a fortune and I don't think I will ever get back the money DS1 borrowed last year (he was made redundant two days before the paying me back payday - I didn't want to make things worse by reminding him and it's taken him a while to find another job and get up to dqate with his mortgage. So if I'm helping DS3 and Beloved out by buying them food (and keeping them from the takeaway) I'll live with it. I bought food for DS2 when he was ill and my circumstances were much worse then.

I only have between 2 and 4 NSDs for this month so can't salvage that. I have been generous - donations to food bank, Help for Heroes (in memory of my aunt), Oxfam (added a tenner for disaster fund onto the festive card purchases). Thought of something else to be grateful for - the atm had run out of 5s and 20s so it gave me all £10 notes which meant mum could carry on writing cards (£10 per each of her partner's great-grandchildren - all 17 of them). At least I've persuaded her to drop a generation ie if you are paying to great-grandchildren, grandchildren stop getting money in their cards. She stopped giving money to his siblings, nephews and neices as soon as he became ill enough not to do them himself.

f0xh0les it isn't the end of the world if he fails his exams (it just feels like it at the time). DS3 did badly (totally trashed them and failed his English - his best friend was dyslexic and he didn't want him to feel left out), did not come home to tell me, went off to Wigan with his friend who was signing up for bricklaying. I had to go to the arranged interview alone (think he had phoned me in the meantime but was still in Wigan) ended up venting to one of my tutors (I was mid environmental degree) who said there would be something he could do.

DS3 did BTEC media studies (cameras/ arts/ editing - he could have got a job at media city), switched to art (his media tutors pestered the BTEC arts people) and finally business (another of my old tutors) for 2 years before going to Salford to do a Business foundation degree.

He taught himself to draw by practising constantly (he was getting through a drawing pad a week in high school) taught himself all the programming he needed to turn his drawings into games (he's also done t-shirt, badge and keyring designs and some work for other people)and had the necessary business skills. He earns more than me but not enough to live independently yet.

His brothers haven't given up trying to shove him into a mould yet (the more they push the more resistant he is, just like them). I'd learnt not to try to coerce them before they started school, especially DS2 (he insisted on walking down to theatre for an operation when he was only 3yo, no way was he going on the trolley). He hasn't changed much - at DS1's wedding he started to say that he didn't need to go back to work, he might fly to Mexico instead. The ex and myself said nothing, knowing that to do so would just make him more 'obstrocolous' (one of my grandma's words).

Toni'sfriend

NSD No 15

My plans all went awry today, Himself didn't go out today as his friend was ill again. Poor man. He retired two years ago and has just had one illness after another. Not things like colds but more serious things that have landed him in hospital. Hope this isn't anything too serious.

In addition I got a call from the local newspaper asking to give them an interview about my objections to some planning permission. Apparently one of my neighbours told them to speak to me. I kind of think I'm being roped in as spokesperson and I'm not sure I'm very good at it. Feel a little bit uncomfortable about it to be honest.

Apple - Thanks. The Boy was back at hospital today and the arm is healing OK. He has a lighter bandage now so it's more comfortable and he's able to drive again.

apple_muncher

For anyone not getting 'enough' nsds, please do not worry about it. For the first time, I think, since joining these challenges several years ago, I have not bothered keeping count myself. It was originally a quiet month, with 1 week away in Buxton. Then step dd told us she was spending 2 weeks at the end of aug on the IOW with her mum, so we booked an airbnb place for as long as we could in Ryde - another 6 days away. And in between those 2, I was up in bham - 2 more days away. A total of 16 days away/travelling.


Toni'sfriend - wow! to being the spokesperson. Hope you feel okay with that and are able to find the words to say. Maybe write them down first, so they are clear in your head?


Today I am grateful for a better night's sleep, for doing my workout barefoot on the beach, for getting the right bus to see step dd, for ending up spending all day there, for dd coping v well with a full-on and very noisy duracell-battery-fuelled nephew, for good chats, for plenty of steps, for the peace and quiet of being back in our accommodation.

sashanut

Hi all:j

Sorry all have been awol, taking friend out & about for the last 5 days. Taken her to the airport this evening (airport trip no 5, 6th & last will be tomorrow night to pick up DH)

Had lots of adventures out & about; some places I had been to before but some new to me as well as her. Think she had a good time, lots of chatting & laughter.

Like others I am very short of NSDs this month. May get one tomorrow. May go to local knitting club, have not decided yet though.

Donated some hand knitted socks to raise money for the rescue & they would like lots more, so that's a plus. Feral cat is much bolder & is eating a couple of times per day. Will not be able to get near her though. Friend thinks its a female.

Have done virtually no housework since friend arrived, but it's my holiday too.

Weather pants today but the rest of the time has been good.

Hope it's good news tomorrow foxholes. Good health to the people who are unwell.

Checking in when I can. Hello turtles!