NST December: Festive Fun

f0xh0les

Still on NSD1.
Nothing really to report.
Today is the kids' school fair. Help!

abundant1972

Good morning!

Quick recap...

Wednesday 04th - spend day
Yesterday = NSD number 3

Day off today so am aiming for another gym session and another NSD. Got a few deliveries pending but otherwise a catch up day with chores. Just had my boiler serviced and all ok, so that's a relief...

Going to play around with credit cards this afternoon and transfer existing one to a longer 0% interest one.

I'll try and check in later today with an update.

:cool:

Calling14

Hi. It's Friday turtles woo hoo.:j:j:j



Busy day and rubbish weather, stayed in at lunchtime.

Yesterday Hairdressers plus xmas tip spend.
Bit more xmas tack, made a garland for my stairs looks so cute now.
Stayed in last night weather was disgusting.


Today think I may pop into Lidl for some fruit and milk on way home as tomorrow 2 Christmas fayres to go to. One with kids and one without.:D


Cancelled my hotel reservations for next weekend, will cut my costs and lose out on the ticket, tried selling it no joy. Would been an expensive weekend and this way I get to go to a Unicorn party gd's bday. I like being at home too much in this weather and a 5hr rail journey each way not grabbing me.



Grateful for
Boss remembering to pay me today.:D
Looking forward to hot bath and cider tonight, such a stiff neck.
Nearly Hometime :cool:

lcc86

Foodbank/charity donation - waiting for the second DD to go through, have done my charity donation to Crisis today.
Eat well - not eaten much today as still full of cold.
Savings/debt repayment - done.
Treat yourself - did have a bit of a lie in today as worked from home. Will have a bubble bath to try and perk up later. Cleaned our carpets this morning with a proper carpet cleaner, they've come up a treat.
Invitations - not accepted any more.
Very merry Christmas - ordered some paper bunting the other day which arrived today so I put it up.
Exercise - done nothing today as still full of cold. Have a class booked tomorrow that I really want to go to but will have to wait and see how I feel.

Fun - nothing much today, just catching up on work but that puts my mind at ease for the weekend which is good.
Understand what motivates you - already done.
NSDs - Aim for 15 NSDs. Still on 4/15, paid to hire the carpet cleaner today and also did my charity donation.

dolly84

Ran this morning and have spent the rest of the day charging about like a crazy person. Have got both Christmas trees and all the decorations out of the loft, both trees are now up with lights on but nothing else as yet. I need to buy a replacement short set of lights for a silhoutte tree that goes in my front doorway.


Forgot to defrost the pizza dough for my tea so I am having a chip butty instead.


Wanted to get DD a particular book for Christmas, I found a second hand copy on ebay for £4.17 but I decided I would wait and look in the charity shops, second shop I went in whilst waiting for the kids to come out of school had a copy for 49p. Also bought a mason jar for my coffee beans for £1.


Will decorate at least one tree tonight, clean up all the mess and then it's pj's and a glass of wine.

greent

Foodbank/charity donation - still need to do fbank donation - will aim to do this over weekend
Eat well - about 80% 'good'
Savings/debt repayment. oof! All CCs paid in full and some payments made in advance of next month's bills. Savings made by stos/ ddrs/ salary deduction. Some extra paid to BTL mtge - will see if I can manage any more. Small bits being added to hol fund - will add more at end of month is any money left! OH had delay repay - transferred it to hold fund
Treat yourself - Make sure you take time for yourself during December. Relax and read a book, have a bubble bath, light some candles, etc. - have been relaxing to series 1 of 'House' (got 30 days free trial of Amaz0n pr1me) had a nap after school run this afternoon....
Invitations - Accept a maximum of 2 invitations during December. - Had (wider) family lunch out this week - but I didn't pay. Still to come: family (the 6 of us) escape room experience in Twixmas and I'm going to the cathedral with friends to listen to a performance of The Messiah - and I've not had to pay for my ticket for that
Very merry Christmas - Don't get sucked into all the consumerism that surrounds Christmas, set your budgets for presents, food, etc and stick to them. - should be fine
Exercise - At this time of year, it can be difficult to motivate yourself to get out the house and exercise. Aim for at least 10 minutes outside, even just a short walk around the block. - really need to do this bit.....

Fun - Think of fun things to do during December, preferably free. - cathedral service, Xmas carol service (am not religious, but love a good carol service ), decorating the trees and rooms with the kids, some cheesy Xmas films and the escape rooms (family outing instead of panto. Plan some walks up the common too)
Understand what motivates you - Think about what you want to achieve next year and why. How will you achieve your goals? - need to give goals and plans some thought during the month. Florida being all paid for before we go is a definite. A good reduction on BTL another, increased pension contributions (want us both retired in 10 years) Oh - and we've vaguely planned a renovation project for 2 parts of the house - likely cost c £7-10K:eek:
NSDs - Aim for 15 NSDs. - 1/15 -I rarely achieve this - but also rarely bust budgets at the same time:p

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for waking up in time despite not setting an alarm, for not getting wet, for dd thoroughly enjoying her day, for dh bringing dd along to my sch fair, for a fun fair (and I made approx £55), for finding some items for my neighbour.

XSpender

Foodbank/charity donation - bought school raffle tickets and school now doing a food bank collection but DS class only to bring a certain item in

Eat well VEGAN DAYS 0/12 dreadful the last 2 days

Savings/debt repayment - biggest CC DD went out

Treat yourself - not had the time

Invitations - I don't usually go out much but December is an exception. Girls Christmas night out, Panto, Christmas NT event, Christmas Eve meal with friends - no extra invitations accepted

Very merry Christmas - still under control.

Exercise - this is dreadful too

Fun - Watched a Christmas movie with DS this afternoon while drinking hot choc with marshmallows

Understand what motivates you - I want to half our debt next year. I want more financial security and to have more options around our stressful jobs. I also have a few small jobs to do around the house and a garden makeover to do next spring!

NSDs - Aim for 15 NSDs 0/15 definitely not one today, I bought a replacement dishwasher!

delta13

Foodbank/charity donation - Well the toys I bought for the collection never arrived - chasing it up with the delivery company. But my team have all donated some ££ so we can go out to the shops and buy a bunch of toys.
Eat well - Had a healthy dinner last night and lunch today. Going to make a veggie pasta dish tonight for late dinner and enough for work tomorrow too.
Savings/debt repayment. - Paid off the CC that I used to pay for the drinks at the work party. All savings paid in. Had to use my CC today as I'd forgotten my debit card but money has already been transferred across to cover it.
Treat yourself - Gonna have a couple of chocolate biscuits later tonight with a cup of tea, after I've had a healthy dinner and a nice hot bath.
Invitations - Accept a maximum of 2 invitations during December. I'd already accepted more than 2, but I haven't accepted any extras!
Very merry Christmas - Not over spent on Christmas gifts so far and don't intend to! I am going to the markets next week on my day off, but don't intend to spend on anything other than gifts I have on my to get list!
Exercise - I've been walking to and from work everyday.
Fun - Today has not been fun - it's been a busy and stressful day at work! Hoping for a more chilled weekend.
Understand what motivates you - Think about what you want to achieve next year and why. How will you achieve your goals? - Already done this financially, but today had a few thoughts and reflections about my job, what I like about it and what I would like to do in the future. Arranged a meeting with my boss before the holidays to talk about it.
NSDs - Aim for 15 NSDs - I've set myself a lower target of 12, currently on 3/12! Hoping tomorrow and Sunday will be NSDs but will see!

mothernerd

Decided this morning that I would not go to the special showing of the new Ken Loach film this evening. Went on the little bus to the SM nearest to mum's, went round with two small trolleys and no idea if it was going to be a minimal shop or a large one.


They had the tubs of chocolates she wanted so large shop (she wanted 9 tubs assorted). A bit of salad stuff for us both, living herbs, two christmas rose plants (bought a hedgehog and a sheep on hoiday to put them in), yoghurt, drinks and basic cakes to dress up for the church fair, Worcestershire sauce and grain mustard. Will still need to have a delivery but made a start on things I could remember/ knew we needed (a pack of baby wipes as that's what she's been told to use for cleaning her new hearing aids).


Taxi to mum's (very close but we have to go a long way round) as couldn't do the bus with multiple heavy bags. The audiologist had warned mum about getting used to unfamiliar sounds - she didn't know her clock ticked, thought it was raining but worked out it was the noise of wind through the trees and the bird's chirrupings were a revelation. Tv has been turned way down.


I took the new table out of it's box - didn't understand why it needed such a large box and was checking to see that it was the right one. Mrs Builder messaged me last night to see if it could be put together next week as they had an old lady with no heating to rescue. I agreed and told her I need help with the drains - still getting gunge coming out and water not going down. Mrs Builder will hunt out the drain rods.


I had bought similar cakes to last year - mini battenbergs, swiss rols without chocolate and fairy cakes. sometime in the week mum has decided she didn't want the battenbergs or swiss rolls but did not tell me. She had made an attempt using cake she had in but th roll out icing was too dry and split when she tried to put it on the cake. I dreaded having to go back to the SM (or the chemist opposite as she thought glycerine would make the icing malleable again).


I picked out the icing colours that seemed to have some pliability and tried turning the swiss rolls into caterpillars (not christmassy apparently). Mum was standing next to me and kept glaring at the cakes - I knew she would throw them in the bin when my back was turned. She took a tray into the other room and started working on the fairy cakes and I tried a couple more things.


Eventually mum shouted me through and said we should give up. Her hands would not stop shaking and she could not do what she wanted (only icing the tops and putting sprinkles around the edge). It's a sad way for it to end but mum has already given up baking for the fair at least 3 times. I had to let her realise she cannot do it anymore. She made a 1st birthday cake a few weeks ago and although it was very simple she struggled and it wasn't great (I've been helping mum make wedding cakes since I was 3yo).



Quite a bit of food waste today but the waste was already there, today was just dealing with it. The rest of the 12 month old cake has gone (and the 3 week old stuff), I've thrown all the dried out icing (I bought it last year and it should have been used by March) and some desecrated coconut and pecans of antiquity (they moved to the bungalow with mum so that makes them over 4 yo).


I've asked for first dibs on any equipment she gets rid of. When she moved I spent hours packing two very large boxes with cake tins and other equipment (if she saw something she liked her partner would buy it for her, we've both had many years of doing without so it was a new experience). When I went to the bungalow a few days later, she'd let her partner's lot have their pick and I was left with one rusty tin and some broken plastic bits.


I think she wants to keep it in the cupboard a while longer, so that she can think she could still do it on a good day. So we cleared up the mess and that's the end of another chapter. I had a shower and washed my hair (didn't want to let the bathwater go this morning as the grid hadn't cleared).



We watched one of the interminable Christmas films (I went for a lie down to ease some of my aches and pains), I fed us both and then we watched tv.


No plans for the rest of the evening other than reading and relaxing.


Today I am grateful for ticking some things off the to do list, for mum accepting that she cannot ice cakes anymore (it was to be the last fair we did) and for lots of healthy salad.