NST DECEMBER Don't Be a Martyr for Christmas

apple_muncher

Hey, DrCarrie - please don't retreat. We are all in this together, so do take a deep breath, get a cup of tea or coffee, sit down and assess the spends. It is an extremely tricky time of the year so be kind to yourself.

mothernerd

I spent way too much on presents DrCarrie. Earlier in the year I set a budget of £20 (+ maybe a token gift) each for my sons and thersir partners. I already had the d-i-l and Beloved covered because I bought too much last year (buying pretty things on holiday) and have bought a couple of things during the year based on presents bought for them by other people. DS1 wanted a donation to charity last year (male victims of domestic violence). I might have spent more on DS3 because I'm still clothing him - just enough not to scare pizza delivery people. he had enough socks and underpants by last year (both special order because of his size - he's pretty much a youthful Hagrid complete with beard) but his t-shirts were wearing out (I offered him a new one for every 3 tatty ones for the rag bag). T-shirt company does lots of special offers and I had earmarked some that DS2 and DS1 would love (4 moles in a test tube - apparently DS2 did the how many moles in a mole test during his Chemistry degree and a sarcasm quote for DS1).

However DS3 couldn't find the presents I had bought (think he still using his childhood strategy where he looks out over a room and expects his shoes to jump out and line up neatly at his feet) except for candles and 2 triangle shaped tins. So I told him to let Beloved have the candles (she will probably use the tins for tea bags - she has a range of them and even used my tardis tin). I ended up sending them £50 each, and $50 each on behalf of mum, I've written ten cards (told everyone not to send me one) and anyone else who sends me one is getting one of the Oxfam unwrapped cards (my present but might as well use up the cards).

So wildly overspent but for the amount of time and effort, it was worth every penny. I might not have sent so much if it weren't for getting the £2700+ back from the Working Tax Credit people.

So as apple said, don't leave us, do what you can to salvage the situation and let it go (read about forgiving yourself). We all slip up from time to time but we carry on. 

Toni'sfriend

Don't give up, Dr Carrie. You're not the first to have blown the budget and you won't be the last, I'm sure. Keep plodding. 

Today I walked to the hairdressers, got my hair done, handed some things into the charity shop next door, bought bread from the corner shop, ordered my steak pie and sausages for New Year from the butcher, delivered the neighbours' Christmas cards, did a washing and made a cottage pie for dinner tomorrow. That was a busy day for me for a change and I really enjoyed all the activity.

Just about to put some garlicky potatoes in the oven to go with pork chops and roasted parsnips for dinner tonight.

Wish I could get back the motivation to be like this every day.

f0xh0les

People spend thousands on advertising experts to get us to spend more than we should in December @DrCarrie , they start planning in January - you did not.   Try and work out what triggered you off,  and be aware of it, don't hide from it,  or us! We would miss you.  Did you at least get something nice? or useful?

My car is in for its MOT tomorrow. I feel sick. I have never done it without a service before.

I found 2 flavours of Swed1sh Glace d/f ice cream in The Land of Pound, of all places (can you guess the price? ) When did they get freezers????  Only 2 more lunchboxes to pack and 3 kids will be off school!!!! 3 more alarm calls.  So I raided the sad looking fruit bowl, and poached 9 pears (they can have them with vanilla icecream) and we are having cauliflower cheeze and garlic bread for supper.  I have a plan. 

DrCarrie

Oh you guys, thank you. I am still here, its just this bloomin Christmas - old habits die hard. Just seem to have not stuck to the Christmas budget, and need to post some things. Robbing Peter to Pay Paul all over the place. New current goal is NO CREDIT CARD. I mean that would be amazing in and of its self to be honest. Given the dependency I have had in them. I haven't used one since lockdown, the first one, which is also amazing. Small steps, little wins.  But they are quite big really. 

ldee2111

Not a NSD - a few top-up shop bits. 1500ml of water AND I finally managed to get a decent walk of 30 minutes today which also meant 30 minutes of listening to my free audiobook from the library. Homemade soup for lunch from the batch I made last week - I tend to have soup on the days I don't have leftovers from dinner. Given that tonight's dinner is mushroom and halloumi burgers, it'll be soup again tomorrow. Blah! Tonight's burgers will be sandwiched in an 0lio bun - I do get genuine pleasure from using up food now (0lio or my own) and irritated when I have to throw anything out. 
Grateful today for a decent walk, dry weather with a winter sun, and having more energy than usual. 

 

mothernerd

The microwave and several other items arrived today. They weren't due until Friday but it's better to have them here now. mum asked if she had bought me - books, candle plates, alarm clock. I explained that I had been paying for the food deliveries on my bank card and then reclaiming it, as and when and then I told her how much she currently owed me. I did say it included the money sent to my dear sons and their partners on her behalf. Also that it was okay to do the present money for my brother and any other outstanding ones before paying me back. She had enough collected to put my brother's money in his card and all the others have been done. She has set aside the money to pay the roof man for the repair (if he comes back) so I can start being repaid, next.

 The food delivery is coming tomorrow (this is the Christmas food order) so I rounded up a mass of veg and set to, chopping and peeling. I have carrots - small ones for snacking/dips, coarse grated for coleslaw and fine grated for carrot cake, celery - sticks for dips and chopped up, cauli - cut into florets, broccoli - ditto, leeks -chunks, slices, bits, cucumber - sticks, slices and chunks and many many onions - sliced for salads, chopped for everything else.

Sweet potatoes have been topped and tailed, peeled, cut in chunks and cooked - will go to mash them in a minute. All the ends and peelings have gone into the green bin to be taken away for composting tomorrow. Still have a cabbage, a few potatoes (4 or 5 that wouldn't fit in the pan when I did the rest) and baking apples to tackle if I feel up to it. My plan for tomorrow is to make cauli cheese, veg curry and a couple of sauces for pasta and set aside small portions of each as fillings for vol-au-vents/ pasties/ not sausage rolls and if I have time I can make pigs in blankets, divide them and freeze (and apple crumbles with the bakers - mum pinched the last lot and made a pie when she knows I try not to eat pastry).

Put the other tree up for mum and she sat hanging cards on it whilst watching Christmas films - hall mark ones are driving me mad. One the other day had trees and decorations everywhere. I thought it was a shop selling the things but it was supposed to be the entrance lobby of an office building - totally over the top and just horrible and everyone was congratulating the girl who had 'designed it'.

Today I am grateful for progress (I really want to go outside and paint bits of raised beds), for a few more things having arrived  - I used to have lots of candlesticks including a pair each that belonged to my grandmothers, but as they broke/ burnt I did not replace them. I have mostly used 3 large white painted terracotta lanterns in recent years but they've broken in the last 15 months. For keeping mum occupied and cheerful. 

lcc86

Evening all. Yesterday big spend day as had some work done on the car. It could've waited but thought I'd better get it done. Put it on the cc so technically I didn't spend the money but obviously needs paying off! I get a backdated pay rise at the end of the month so will pay it with that. 

Today I ruined a NSD by needing a stamp! Should've bought it yesterday but at least it was a necessary spend.

Exercise and healthy eating are going well. Swam yesterday and today and been for a walk both days too. Other than that it's just more work and everything going mad! So looking forward to a break over Christmas despite the possibility of the rules being changed (frankly I think they should be but we'll see).

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for a break from work, for a really good session with my counsellor, for having pretty good routines in place, for doing a little bit of floor sweeping and clearing, for finishing my family of mini rainbow penguins.

facethemusic

Tuesday- NSD 8/15, yesterday I bought milk and bread, today nothing at all. I will need to buy batteries to add to a present that needs them so i can finish wrapping. So hopefully a low spend day. 
Not much else to report, feeling a little low tonight. Need to give myself a shake and get on with it. Tomorrow is a new day with a list to complete!