NST: January 2021 – the Turtles do the Jitterbug

Thrifty_Taylor

Morning All, can I have my dance card stamped please Apple? I worked out my budgets new years eve & realised that I'm earning quite a bit less now that I've  changed jobs. So will need to tighten my belt a bit more. Explained things to hubby & he was quite shocked. I will be happier though, &  have more time at home, so determined to get lots done in the house & garden, plus earn more with my sewing job I do from home.
Since last Sunday, I've been decluttering for a couple of hours each day & have listed some things to sell locally or on the bay of E, so feel motivated. 1 NSD so far 😊

Lauralozzle

Janus -  Usually every new year I start with weight loss, and I fail at them. Something a bit a little different this year, plans to make one new recipe a week. Expand the culinary horizons!

Ideas - More cooking/baking/cleaning up after myself. Follow fly lady, perhaps.

Thriftiness - No food taste. Use what I have, buy well if I need something because it's not economical buying cheap and buying twice.

Time - I will make time for my workouts/running, even if that means waking up earlier.

Extras - workouts planned, at least 3 times a week.

Re-visit your budgets for the month - Grocery budget set, money sent to joint account for bills. New spreadsheet created.

Be yourself - Will try and look after myself, and be me.

Unburden yourself - as above.

Gratitude - Remember to be thankful.

Generosity - Help those in need, make food bank donations regularly.

Lauralozzle

Question to Reflect on the Year
What went well this year?
I bagged a new role at work covering maternity leave, more supervisory, this should help me move upwards at work and progress. 
What did not go well? 
Bathroom is still not finished, we've spent a year without finished floor.
What do I want to do the same next year? 
I explored our local area, found decent walks, I'd like to keep that up and see what we have local. Also started and graduated from couch to 5k, keep running, try some further distances.
What do I want to do differently? 
I want to make more time for my family. 
When did I feel most alive? 
I feel most alive outside exploring things. 
When did I feel most exhausted and drained?
Working from home since March, constant Groundhog Day. It's left me mental health in not a great place at times.
What did I say 'yes' to that I wish I'd said 'no' to? Vice versa.
Wish I'd said no more at work - at times I feel like I'm doin* my new job and my old job at the same time.
Year end Review
One word to describe the year
Boring
Best thing you did for someone else this year
Not sure... that's terrible, isn't it!
Most embarrassing moment of the year
Er, dunno
....

didn't post yesterday, spent the day having a nice long walk in countryside. Tier 4 won't stop our new year walk ritual! Yesterday was a NSD. Will update again later on today.

crazy_cat_lady

I am so pleased with myself this morning. It's only 1030 and I have already sent a parcel off to return, been for a 40 minute walk, completed my exam work, fed the cats and cleaned their trays and found time for two cups of tea.
I haven't ordered the wellies yet. Don't know what's putting me off - but it was snowing this morning and I walked just fine in my trainers, although was quite cold when I got home - heating is back on again.
Today's remaining turtle tasks are mainly to relax and look after myself. I have a meeting tomorrow so this is officially my last day 'off ' - or the rest of this day is. I'm trying to get a blanket finished - I have 7 rounds left to go, which sounds like nothing until you remember that there are over 1000 stitches per round. However, I like it and find it all very relaxing.
For some reason I only managed 4 hours of sleep last night as well so if I need to nap then I will, but hopefully not.
Have a good day all.

Shrewbie

apple_muncher said:

Ccl - just realised I'd missed you off the dance card. Whoops. But you're on there now!

If I've missed anyone else off, please holler!

Me please apple!

apple_muncher

Shrewbie said:

apple_muncher said:

Ccl - just realised I'd missed you off the dance card. Whoops. But you're on there now!

If I've missed anyone else off, please holler!

Me please apple!

Oops! You're on the list now, Shrewbie - no skiving off now...

apple_muncher

5-4-3-2-1

That's my approach to January (as well as JITTERBUG, of course!)

5 bottles of water per day (=3.5l if I manage it all) And if I'm not required in school every day, then I can stay near a loo!

4 veg at lunchtime

3 veg at tea time

2 choc bars (my 85% 25g ones form aldee) as puddings

1 exercise session

I admit now that I may swap over my 2+3 items... But an increase in veg can only be a good thing.

mothernerd

I'm not really up and running but didn't want to leave posting any longer. I spent New Year's Eve tidying and getting stuff out to the bins (I even went through cupboard ditching multipack outers on crisp and biscuits and top layers in gifted biscuits - mum ate most of them but then gave me the ones she didn't want). When it went too dark to get to the bins safely (only six feet, the snow was melting but it was nearly dark by the time I could walk as far as the fourth bin) I resorted to throwing any junk out of my bedroom window (4 apples in the bottom of a bag, gone yellow and soft, one nearly too mouldy to pick up, empty plastic bottles and tin cans - all of which I will put in appropriate bins/ shed when the snow clears enough for me to get that far and a missed bag of rubbish that I tried to get out but it looped itself over the handle for the window and hung there, like a weird decoration or a portent). All now dealt with (binned items but not the shed as near the house is safe but the yard is still clearing and I wouldn't risk taking the shed items). I still have various bags of cs items etc in my room - will be squeezed into the shed later in the week unless there's more snow (beast from the east on the horizon).

So I didn't get it all done but I'm not giving up and have continued to do 'little and often' yesterday and sometimes even a bit in the middle of the night. One of my main jobs has been paper waste. I have thrown away two old notebooks, including an A5 'page for a day' diary from 2018 which I have been using as a scribble pad - lots of puzzle workings and lists of food deliveries but odd bits of information which needed to be transferred to appropriate places/ or checked that it had been transferred before discarding. If someone gives me a phone number or other info when I'm on the phone I will write it down in whichever notebook is to hand and if I'm phoning someone 'official' I will write a list of things to ask and tick off/ scribble the answers down as I go. This has been especially true this year Even getting new batteries for mum's hearing aids had a complicated set of instructions (based at our local infirmary) which I then wrote down along with a map of where to go for the person who was doing the task for us.

Mothernerd tip - when I was very poor, I would buy a pile of the office type page for a day diaries. Our local stationer's would sell them off at 50p (A5 and A4) each before the end of January. You get an awful lot of notebook for 50p and can use a month for different subjects/ projects - January for meal planning, February for gardening etc. There is usually a double spread at the front which you can use as an index so if you keep a list of monthly meter readings, you can write in the page/ date is is on (March 12th if March is your budget month.

Back soon, going to check something in the oven.

mothernerd

So, in addition to discarding no longer needed pages (I'm averaging 3 bags a  day into the paper bin - only a tote bag not a bin bag) and transferring useful information I have been pondering this month's challenge and my aims/ strategy for this year. I'm using last year's desk diary (only two pages to a week so much slimmer) which didn't get much use. It has got garden notes (mainly seed orders and lists of seeds planted on various dates) so I want to keep it until I've done an audit of what seeds I still have - including a  few saved seeds. I'm up to March with various lists, musings and things to ponder so still a work in progress (aren't we all).

First thoughts. My (inspirational) word for the year will be 'Serenity' (like a swan with the legs paddling furiously below the surface). I will be kind. I will be patient. I've come to the conclusion that mum is my worst critic and is not generally good for my mental health or my weight loss goals. She's not going to change (this week she has been looking for things to complain about) so I'm going to ignore it, rewrite it as a funny story in my head and when all else fails retreat to my room until she gets over it (tempted to do a little reading on toddler tantrums). I need to get my polytunnel/ outdoor working space up and running asap. Buffy you always cautioned me about not moving in with mum, it wasn't something either of us wanted or was ready for but the pandemic made it inevitable (and due to national and local lockdowns and the dreaded tiers, I'm not even allowed back in my own house safely).

I think I was happiest this year at the start of the pandemic. I moved in with mum slightly ahead of the full lockdown, spent 4 days moving as much of my stuff as I could and informing various authorities of the change. As long-term readers will know my life has mostly lurched from crisis to crisis - I've been an adult since I was 3 yo and became full-on helpmeet (apparently helpmate is more modern, helpmeet is biblical), counsellor and crisis manager probably at about 8 yo. I expect disaster and chaos and I cope with it very well. 

When the full lock down ended (after 4 months) and I eventually ventured back into the outside world (a few weeks later because of the numerous pubs and takeaways in the short distance between mine and mum's houses) it was lovely. I returned my library books,I hacked back the jungle in my garden, visited a few shops with clear sight lines and only a few people about and ate a picnic sitting on one of my garden chairs. DS3 sat on a chair just inside the kitchen door (I had a mask, he didn't then). I could see a pleasant way forward with me still sleeping at mum's (too much hassle to move my CPAP machine and other medical necessities or have essential paperwork split between the two) but maybe spending a couple of days a week doing the bits of shopping that were difficult on-line (Will Co were emptied of garden stock and similar at the start, were helpful and reliable when they eventually got new stock but then when things settled they started to pick and choose which stock could be delivered and the other major hassle is ibuprofen - I'm used to being able to go round town at a quiet time and pick up packs in 5 - 8 shops, including 3 for a £1 in the £ emporium) and working in my own garden (very urban jungle currently) or taking a packed lunch and walking in the country park (lots of places to stop and rest until I get walking properly again). And then we were put back into a local lock down and my dreams evaporated.

Anyway being positive (nearly like DS2, rare blood group joke) which is another watchword for this year, I have a simple daily 'to do' list (including one chore, one act of self-care etc) I want to be happy, healthy, put my own needs first (I'll save the world afterwards). The dreaded cough and sore throat lurgy has been ramping up this week and today it's taken me this long to get my throat okay for swallowing my pills so I'm treating myself gently. I have a yoghurt for when I can manage more swallowing and mum has made a blancmange just for me so today's meals are sorted (I cooked chicken for her - I had plans to make her a batch of chicken curry and chicken in black bean sauce but still need to do more freezer tetris and I could cook them both later with the cooked chicken). I don't think mum was impressed with yesterday's lamb (had to get shoulder as no legs were available - will have to have a talk with her about eating what is available and being grateful for it this year) so I'll cube that and freeze it to make lamb curry and stew for me at a later date - last week's turkey stew was excellent and we both had several meals of it.

So for now I'll wish you a happy, healthy New Year, a life well-lived and lots of fun and laughter. If you have the choice, keep your children at home (I know it's not what you want to hear but the mutated virus has changed the situation from children being great carriers but least affected, greatest change is in the 10 19 yo group with under tens seeing the second greatest change - probably still less at risk than the most vulnerable but if it's your child). Universal Basic Income NOW - sorry for introducing politics but not sure I'm really sorry or if I should be.

Grateful for our wonderful NHS staff, doctors, nurses and all the ancilliary staff, the luxury of staying in bed (I have books, drinks, a jigsaw - made it up two years ago, wanted to do it last year and didn't get to -, games and old tv series on the laptop, a yoghurt for when I feel like eating, lots of drinksand chilled no alcohol wine in the fridge and still notebooks to sort to make me feel productive - it's the weekend isn't it) having goals and targets - today's is to feel well enough to toddle to the shed (there's always tomorrow if I don't make it).

Shrewbie

Here is my plan for January, thank you Apple!!

Ideas. 

Will think about cooking a new dish every week/every 2 weeks. Saturday night will be date night and me and the bf will cook for each other instead of going out. 

Thriftiness is a good thing. 

I’m not spending money in January. I don’t need any new clothes and I’ve received lovely books for Christmas. Also, I’m not drinking. (creak of pinocchio's nose)

Time with those you love

This is my NY resolution no1. Speak to my family more. It’s been a whole year since I saw them in the flesh, I need to do this. 

Extras. You need to incorporate 3 proper exercise sessions a week. 

This is the first Christmas holiday I’ve actually visited the gym, so I’ll keep it up next year. 

Re-visit your budgets for the month.  

I will be picking up more work hours in Jan and fingers crossed will be able to save some money, as long as I’m frugal. Budget will be pared down to say the least. All meals cooked at home apart from one or two in the month which will be cheap. 

Be yourself. What do you need to be yourself? What makes you happy? What do you want more of? And less of? 

More reading and writing and less TV during the week. Less drinking. Healthier eating.

Unburden yourself. Of regrets. Of toxicity. Of unloved items. Of negativity. 

Will do! I think meditation will help with this. Also I got a mindfulness journal for a secret santa gift, so I'll use that to record my thoughts. 

Gratitude. Let’s start the day with it and end the day with it. Generosity. Let’s share what we have.

Love this apple. Yes I will make a point of exercising my gratitude muscle! This christmas I've been grateful for new friends, for having an amazing family, and for irish coffees!

Wishing all the turtles a wonderful weekend