NST March 2020 Merriment

mothernerd

NST March

MARCH MERRIMENT

Welcome to the March Merriment. This is not about forced jollity but about choosing to be happy. Paying off debt or saving (to buy a house, improve, study, make life a little more comfortable) can be a long hard slog. Many of us have committments or events in our lives that were not of our choosing. Life is what happens to you when you are busy making plans. Some things cannot be changed but you always have a choice in how you deal with them. I live with long term fairly severe depression but I am happy every day.

The Turtles (Ninja Saving Turtles) are all about getting out of debt or saving (an emergency fund or long term plan) but we like to have fun whilst doing it. We want to be healthy and happy and we know that the best things in life are free (or relatively cheap or cobbled together from anything we have lying around). The rules are tough but we are always ready to offer help, support or advice. No Turtle Gets Left behind.

THE RULES

MARCH forward. The mistakes of the past should be left there. They were a lesson not a life sentence.

ARMOURY The turtles have lots of rules and it can be bewildering at first. Each one is a weapon in your fight against debt. The more weapons you can use, the faster you will pay off your debt or achieve your savings goals. Pay to DEBT or SAVINGS first, live off what is left.

REVIEW your shopping habits. Do you have any weak points? Can you avoid the pitfalls? Don't cut out absolutely everything you enjoy - just spend wisely.

CHECK out what you have in your cupboards, fridge and freezer. Use them as the basis for your meal plan and draw up your shopping list accordingly. Cooking from scratch is one of the best ways to reduce your spending. If you find this difficult try making double and freezing one for another day. Even having sandwiches, spare milk and bread in the freezer will help (bread is still one of the things that you can frequently get yellow stickered/ys at the SM - if you ever have to do an emergency defrost of the freezer it's a good cheap filler if you are short of money, replace with home cooked ready meals as you use it).

HAVE all your budgets in place before the start of the month. Food, Travel, Bills, Entertainment, any one off bills or family birthdays. Remember a budget is telling your money where to go rather than wondering where it went.

MIX IT UP Try new things and new ways of doing things. If something breaks or something is not working, think creatively about how to fix it/ how it could work better.

EXERCISE According to your current state of health and abilities. Ten minutes a day is better than nothing. Use what you have (swing baked bean tins around/ make a mini obstacle course indoors if it's too wet to go outside). Dance with your dog. Make it fun and make it regular.

REST AND RELAXATION. Good sleep is priceless. Read, meditate, do yoga. Switch off for ten minutes, especiallly if your life is hectic. Sit and watch the clouds or the trees.

REDUCE Tread lightly upon the earth. Reduce spending, screen time, clutter, stress, whatever you most need.

IGNORE the mass media, ads telling you their product will make your life complete, 'friends' posting about their perfect life on bookface (so fabulous they need to escape from it).

MUSIC Play happy songs. Dance. Sing (obviously depending on your voice you will choose the time and place but it helps get lots of lovely oxygen into your lungs and releases endorphins. Apparently sad music has benefits too so if you feel the need to hide under the bedclothes and listen to Leaonard Cohen, do it.

EVERY DAY check in is recommended, but not mandatory. However if you have slipped up, destroyed your budget or gone off the rails, don't hide away. Stay with us.

NO SPEND DAYS (NSDs) Try for 15 (low target) or 20 (high target). Petrol/ travel card, medicinal items and ys goods are exempt (milk exemption for Greent).

THREE things each day to be grateful for. Even on a very bad day there will be something, however small and it ends the day on a positive note. THERE is always someone worse off than you so give - time/ money/ goods to your local food bank or charity of your choice.

WHO Will Join The Challenge

mothernerd

March merriment Contenders

• 1   mothernerd
• 2   Deni-debt-free-dreamer
  
• 3   BadBookeeper
  
• 4   shabbychic12
  
• 5   misstara
  
• 6   dolly84
• 7   greent
• 8   Siebrie
• 9   PurpleFairy26
• 10  crazy-cat-lady
• 11  apple muncher
• 12  f0xh0les
• 13  SuperSavingD
• 14  DawnW
• 15  facethemusic
• 16  ditty1234
• 17  abundant
• 18  Midshollie
• 19  newbieNST
• 20  Calling14
• 21  MediumDino
  

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

I would like to join please mothernerd
"MARCH forward. The mistakes of the past should be left there. They were a lesson not a life sentence."
I love this sentence and very true
Dx

BadBookkeeper

I’d like to join please - thank you 😊 

shabbychic12

Still here plodding along. Please count me in for March x

misstara

Please count me in mothernerd.

dolly84

Thank you mothernerd.  I would like to join in.

greent

The mistakes of the past should be left there. They were a lesson not a life sentence.

Remember a budget is telling your money where to go rather than wondering where it went.

Count me in, please, mothernerd

Love the bits I've quoted above  

Siebrie

I'd like to join again, please.

PurpleFairy26

And me to join please 

mothernerd

All numberered up to here, thank you for joining.