NST December: Festive Fun

facethemusic

Friday was NSD 12/15, saturday was spendy but shouldn't buy anything else until after christmas (maybe diesel into the car but that's it). Was at a carol/festive concert by a local choir yesterday with my mum. My friend is in the choir and they were brilliant, in a stunning setting as well, have definitely got the festive feels now. Been riding, dog walking and generally on the go quite a lot. Don't plan on spending anything today so counting 13/15 today and will change of I need to.
Hope everyone who's struggling with poor health, sad times and bad memories of this time of year can make some good memories of just get through the next week in one piece.

abundant1972

Afternoon everyone!!!

Today = NSD number 9

Nice day yesterday with parents, but coffees out and ended up buying some gifts for the guys who work in the apartments I live in as a thank you. All come out of last months wages...

I have realised I suffer from over-use of my credit card! I have one that awards me nectar points but it is so easy to just put stuff on there, and pay later. So - I'm taking ALL credit cards out of my wallet and putting them in my locked filing box. I am taking out ALL store cards too. If I am to do planned shops on certain days, then I can take the relevant cards out for that day only. This may stop those impulse buys!!! The only thing I will have in my wallet is the cash I have drawn out for that week. Will see how that goes...

I've also not been throwing everything at my debt if truth be known... It's been a tad half-hearted and ended up buying stuff here and there that I don't really need... No more!!!

I'm going to be ruthless in 2020 and see if I can't fire up some of that NSK spirit again.

Have a good evening folks x

dolly84

Went to Haworth today. Had something to eat for lunch and a walk on the moors - it was really cold up there. Saw some lovely things in the shops in the village, one in particular was right up my street but I didn't actually buy anything.


Have a pot of hm spicy black bean soup bubbling away for tea, we'll have it with some garlic bread.

lcc86

Foodbank/charity donation - all donations now done.
Eat well - did have a sneaky choccy bar after volunteering with a cup of tea but other than that have been good.
Savings/debt repayment - done.
Treat yourself - went riding today, last one before Xmas.
Invitations - all done and under budget.
Very merry Christmas - we dressed the ponies up in Xmas gear today and had festive music on the go during our volunteering session which was lovely, the kids enjoyed themselves.
Exercise - short ride, everything is just under water at the moment so not really much in the way of exercise but nothing we can do about that right now. Also spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon walking around at RDA so will count that as exercise.

Fun - done, am tired now!
Understand what motivates you - I know I did this before but I'm reevaluating what I want from the next year. I'm not making any crazy commitments to myself, I'm going to take the first few months as they come and see what happens.
NSDs - Aim for 15 NSDs. Up to 12/15.

f0xh0les

Good Afternoon lovely turtles.
Today has been NSD 6, I have watched Paint your Wagon with dh, who squeaked all the way through it, he is not a fan of musicals anyway, but it was a jolly good romp and utterly non pc, and dh does an indignant squeal terribly well.

All food from stores, I am spending tomorrow, as it is ds4s birthday and we are going out to lunch, and I am doing dh's car insurance, and I want Mr A's Xmas veg (£5), but apart from that, if I have done my pantry inventory correctly, I should have enough in for another 14 main meals and breakfasts without having to shop again.

Paddington is on tonight, so we have made marmalade tarts to use up the leftover pastry in the fridge. The Xmas cake has been marzipaned. Bourbon biscuits have been dipped in chocolate and rolled in chopped hazlenuts, creme carmel packet used up and is in the fridge, soup made, 2 pizzas made from scratch for lunch, bottle of mulled wine ready for Paddington and the last of His Dark Materials. All presents wrapped. Cooking amaretto and hot chocolate powder at the ready.

Candles lit, heating on, just got to get through tomorrow's birthday and then the Fa-la-la-la-la is on!

mothernerd

Yesterday I let myself go back to sleep as my book kept going out of focus - 4 hours later. I did do some cooking and other stuff but took plenty of time to rest, read and watching episodes of Dinnerladies.


I'm not feeling festive and I think it's because I'm so tired. I've tried to arrange to do all the heavy stuff (mucky jobs too - wearing a weird assortment of clothes but they are only to keep me warm and cover me enough to be able to go to the bins). Hoping I can relax more on Monday and Tuesday, just gentle food prep (might not happen as mummy of twins is escaping to mum's on Monday with 2 ½ y o twins, plus 6yo and 9yo - I suspect mum will volunteer me to do crafts and/ or baking, I have thought of some easy things to do)


Today I've been doing the kitchen, mainly flat surfaces. Stove top, worktops both sides (honey/ dried on egg and lots of burnt bits of pasta, the odd chip and fry up splashes). Sink and worktop bits either side under the window. The worktop where it's been leaking is a mess but it's dry near the wall and there may be room for my spices under the row of utensils.


Nothing is perfectly clean (about 97%? perhaps) but the stove top alone took 3-4 rounds of spraying then scrubbing with steel wool then wiping and the extra 3% would possibly have been another 5 rounds. I've also strapped my ankle up as I needed to stand up for longer and it was swollen and sore after my Thursday night trek (d-i-l and Beloved were both amazed by how far I'd walked).



The kitchen is quite old so I'm settling for much improved ie I can see the worktops and all the major gunge has been shifted. The worktop at one corner of the sink insert is starting to bubble a bit and some of the marks at the tap bases and round the gas buttons is wear and tear not dirt. Just a bit more to do (one more go) and then I can start bringing back some of the kitchen stuff (several bags for life have been in the front room for months). I bagged up a lot of stuff so I could play around with the shelves and only some came back.


I will relax once things I'm at the bungalow but I also want here to be nice to come back to. Washer and dishwasher have been doing their jobs, I have moved more from 'my' couch including a games console and a pet basket. Went out for a quick trip to little Arseda for ingredients (looked through the delivery list, decided what I was making and needed a few things) plus a bag full of ys bread (20p wholemeal bun packs plus 2 tiger bread, 1 french stick and a rye sourdough) to fill the gaps in the freezer.


Today I am grateful for a more or less clean kitchen and usable worktops, for getting things done and for lots of rest breaks.

Toni'sfriend

Well, that's the Christmas food shopping done. Not really that difficult because there are only 2/3 of us. Himself and I having gammon on Christmas day (turkey would be far too big) so I'm going to make spiced red cabbage tomorrow to go with it. The Boy is spending Christmas Day with his Dad (as he's on his own) but he'll be here on Boxing Day.

My lovely nephew and his wife came over today with a big basket of Christmas goodies. I really appreciate it because I think they have enough to contend with just now. I was going to visit my sister in law tomorrow but they said she is sleeping most of the time so not to go as her brother in law is visiting and apart from tiring her out (if she is awake) it will take me a long time by public transport and the traffic in town is horrendous just now.

Himself seems to be on the mend . He can't remember what happened but at least he seems to be ok.

Hope you are all well and thank you once again for all your support. I can't stress how much I appreciate it. xxx

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for considerate drivers, for catching up with a friend, for making a friend's boy happy by handing over some leggo, for dh putting up the twinkly lights in dd's room - and they look fab, for a workout this morning, for my needlefelting, and of course, for WSM!

abundant1972

Hey again...

So I was looking back over some old challenges from 2014/2015 when Kat (a.k.a NSK) was around. Back then I was a hardcore debt buster and... well... I've decided I need to toughen up!

Back then she survived on £90 food spends and £40 misc... Last month I was living on a cushy £60 per week... and still going over!

So - I'm going to knuckle down and get serious about my debt busting again!!! I'm slashing my budget to £30 [£20 per week food and £10 spends/misc per week]. That'll net me this month (5 week month) another £150 off my debts. I remember it was tough - but I enjoyed it and the satisfaction I got from my debt coming down was great!!!...

So I'm off to tweak my budgets!!! May the odds be ever in your favour

apple_muncher

abundant1972 wrote: »

May the odds be ever in your favour

:T:T:TGo Abundant! :T:T:T

I love reading kat's old challenges too