NST DECEMBER Don't Be a Martyr for Christmas

f0xh0les

NSD # 2 for me!!   Honestly! Only the second one this month so far.  I am a shocker!

Today I kept a promise,  the Xmas puddings were made and are now steaming happily - DS4 has a Xmas baking competition going on at school, so he wants to be involved in EVERYTHING which is really cute, and totally annoying in equal measures. But I promised he could help, and he did (kind of). I think Ninjabread men may be on the cards for tomorrow.  He wants to take something in for his class.

About  2 months ago I bought a child size armchair, from The House of Swede, which I put together after lunch, it is quite a bit smaller than I thought it would be (the box was HUGE) but DS4 (10)  is sat in it watching  BabyY0da series 1 to try and catch up to where the rest of us are in series 2.

It appears I  was possessed by demons yesterday, so 4/5's of the house has been cleaned and hoovered and was sparkly and ready for the weekend.  Did some more this morning when I got up and nobody else was around, but now I am knackered so I have done all the laundry and now I am having a nice cup of tea and a mice pie. Went to a charity shop, bought nothing, posted a letter with a stamp I had in my purse. No plans to go outside again today.    I have a list of jobs I want to have done by Monday morning, and I am steaming (ha ha!) my way through them,  so ridiculously excited that next week is the last school run of the year, I cannot wait until I can turn off my alarm clock - I will still be up before 7am, but that will be my choice, not because I have to. That makes all the difference

Happy Saturday Turtles!

Kerry_Woman

Hugs to those in need of them.
Was a spend day as I had to do a food shop - 2 shops, one I had to use cash the other vouchers and a tiny bit of money and treated myself to 2 bath bombs.  Hopefully I do not have to get any more food shop for the rest of the year, only if I run out of basics things like bread.
Grateful for:
Using vouchers for most of the food I wanted to get in my favourite shop for Christmas.  Only had to pay a small amount towards the shop.
Getting a lovely poinsettia from my favourite shop. (Used a voucher so free).
Having a chilled out afternoon.

Toni'sfriend

NSD No 9

And the stress continues. Amazon have sent another item that he ordered and the parcel contains the wrong things. If I hadn’t given up drinking until Christmas I’d be reaching for the gin bottle.

ldee2111

Still on 5/20 NSDs.

Managed to get the weekly grocery shop under £40 this week. And got a further £1.30 refund because they had to make a substitute. 

Still dining out on two 0liO whole meal loafs which I got over a week ago and froze. We have toast almost every day so been using them for that. Really tempted to become an 0liO food hero but not sure I can make the commitment. Do any other NSTs do it - any advice? 

Had my 1500ml water today. No walk but I did get some tidying and batch cooking done - arrabiatta sauce and lentil soup. 

Meal plans always run from a on Saturday to a Friday  in line with our grocery delivery. Tonight’s dinner was homemade katsu curry (apart from the packet sauce). Always in need of dinner ideas - I’ve had the same 20 or so dishes on rotation for the last few years and it gets a bit boring.

Got to spend some time chatting with MIL in garden thanks to the dry weather today - DS is away to his grandparent’s tonight so the OH and I are about to settle in for a film and a ‘wee’ bit of chocolate. Giddy.

Grateful for a mostly dry day with some winter sun, and our family.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for a morning run, for taking dd to some ch shops, for getting the tree in (greent - your robovac would be busy here already with all the needles that have already fallen off...), for helping my neighbour, for finding a book in a series that I hadn't realised I hadn't read.

facethemusic

Saturday- I am failing at not spending money! Today is still 6/15 NSDs, yesterday I bought food, today I bought more food 😱 and Christmas presents and paint and I don't even know what else 🙈. However I "think" I have bought everything I need for Christmas other than - you guessed it- even more food! I need to get into the loft when DD isn't about to check on stocking fillers, but I think I'm done. DD had been promised new curtains to go with her new decorated room, if I track down ones I want before that day, they can be wrapped and stuck under the tree, if not she can get them in January. My bank balance is now very sad, so next week HAS to be minimal/no spend, my budgets would look OK if we had less month left 🤣, so the aim is to get to next Saturday only spending what's in my purse (less than £5). If I can do that it might all balance out in the end 🤞. 
Must sort car insurance, but money for that is in a different account so not an issue. 
Gratitudes- that I'm in  a position to "have" money to juggle between accounts if I have to- in the past there would have been no option other than a CC, at least now if i fail at sticking to a budget it means a savings account is slightly reduced but it's all my own money I'm shifting about, it's not an increase in money I owe, a plan to start painting another room (in all the masses of free time that I have 🤣), Christmas light spotting while out and about. 

f0xh0les

Toni'sfriend said:

And the stress continues. Amazon have sent another item that he ordered and the parcel contains the wrong things. If I hadn’t given up drinking until Christmas I’d be reaching for the gin bottle.

It is not just you @Toni'sfriend  my DH has had the wrong things sent to him a couple of times lately from 'The Big River Shop' they are having a total mare at the minute from the sounds of it.  Don't stress!   Just think, the person who has your order is probably totally confused right now wondering who has sent them that, and ringing round people asking who sent the ______ ? and who the ______ is for?

Nearly half way through the month Turtles! Two weeks today and it is all over and we can relax and just enjoy it.

lcc86

Evening all. NSD number 6 yesterday, did my volunteering in the morning, down to 2 out of 6 kids as the rest are self-isolating but we did some christmassy games with the ponies which they enjoyed. Work was a nightmare yesterday pm (take one morning off and one of "my" kids gets excluded from school, one is wanted by police and another gets made homeless! - you couldn't make it up!) So spent the afternoon sorting all of that out before a lovely virtual quiz at another volunteering place, which we won!

Today I went riding first thing this morning - facethemusic any tips for managing a pony who tries to grab a mouthful of grass mid-trot?! He nearly had me flying off over his head today! Also got a few Christmas foody bits my mum asked for plus a few extras, so no NSD today. Washed my car and then fell asleep! Tomorrow should be a NSD, weather looks terrible but will try to get out for a walk.

mothernerd

The tree is up. I have had my exercise for the day because hunting down the baubles meant moving furniture in mum's room and then climbing up a medium ladder and or onto and off the bed (with a twist in between) to squeeze in the space behind each cupboard door (15" - 16" wide. Some odd bits need to be put back in the cupboards - random stuff like a mac and a pair of metal curtain tie backs stored on the top shelves.

Grateful for simple food, doing a couple of prepare ahead things for Christmas, entertaining easy reads. 

ldee2111

NSD 6/20.

My optimistic self set the target of 20 NSDs in December. Bah aha! Tomorrow there’s only 18 days until the end of the year - doubt I’ll only spend on 4 of those! I’ll try for 15. 

1500ml water but no walk again!  Just more day-to-day jobs around the house, took a bath, listened to the radio, gave myself a wee pedicure since DS wasn’t at home running around and pulling out everything his little hands can reach in his toy box. I felt a bit without purpose, a bit lazy but it was also quite nice.

I also looked more into becoming an 0lio FWH but decided I can’t commit to it right now. I have a habit of taking on too many things - something I really want to sort in myself. 

Grateful for a little peace and stillness today, a soak in the bath, music.