NST April 2021: Diamonds and Daisies

Kerry_Woman

Income enhancement: Have extra shifts at work already booked for next month.

Achievements and Aims: Will look into this.

Morning motivation: Meditation.

Organised: Got list for a few things that need to be done on a few days.

NSDs: Want to aim for 20 nsd’s this month.

Determined: Will look into this.

Set out your stall: Will look into this.

Delight: Will do.

April:  Will do.

 Inner-peace: Will do.

Stay safe, and stay sassy! Will do.

Inspiration: Will try.

Exercise: will try.

Share: Will do.

Will spend more time at some point to look into things as to what I want to achieve in April.

ldee2111

Hi turtles!
Here goes...
Debts first:
Grateful to be debt free except the mortgage. Still on one income at the moment and only able to save a little from weekly underspends. 

Income enhancement: 

I’m always trying to stretch income by meal planning, using up food, eating leftovers, limiting takeaways, and trying to control impulse spends. I’ve added ‘NSDs’ to my calendar in bright orange as a very visible reminder to myself. They work most of the time. I’ll continue to do these things and be on the lookout for more ways to stretch our money.

I also submitted a salary review request over a month ago so I think it’s time to follow up. I’ll do this next week. 

Achievements and Aims:

I’m aiming to save £100 in underspends in April. I’ll add this to my signature to keep me on track. I’m also aiming to finish the course and the book I said I’d finish in March...🤔In fairness, I did do a good amount of the course in March - an achievement! As well as other courses - all work-related. 

Morning motivation:

I will get my work equipment set up while waiting on my early morning tea brewing and before DS wakes up. 

Organised:

Meal-planning although I’ll need to alter our usual cycle. OH and I go off things like bangers and mash in the Spring/Summer. In April I’ll plan in some meal swaps.

NSDs: 

Going for the 16! 

Determined: 

To underspend by £100 this month. 

Set out your stall:

I will underspend by £100.

I will update our meal plan.

I will set up my work equipment every morning before DS is up.

I will finish my course and book.

And 

I will clean a different room every day using the 25-minute pomodoro technique

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Daisies 

Delight: 

April is going to be a good month with the lighter nights, lockdown easing, the 4 day weekend, birthdays, cake!, nature blooming, and a haircut! Lots to enjoy and be grateful for. 

April: What treasures can you open up to this April? 

All if the above and more! Most definitely laundry dried on the line! 😂

Inner-peace: find space for you. 

I will. It’s needed. 

Stay safe, stay sassy.

A must! 

Inspiration: Take some time to bring some freshness to your approach. Share it with us too.

I will. Here’s one I’ve been trying the last few weeks to tackle procrastination. It’s called the pomodoro technique. The method involves doing tasks in 25 minute bursts. I’ve started using this in my work, as well as on things like tidying and cleaning around the house. It helps to motivate me.

Exercise: keep your body moving and amp it up a little. 

I will aim to keep up walks.

Share: a smile, a kind word, whatever you can give, lift people up.

Always striving to be a better person. 

apple_muncher

ldee- I do a similar thing to the pomodoro technique, but never knew it had a name! I do 20 mins on and 20 mins off. I started it when my hands were playing up and got soo achey and painful when I did too much in the garden. So now I pace myself better. I also use to to do school prep as it forces me to take a break rather than try to p!ough on and then be worn out. Thinking about it, I do it for a whole bunch of things!

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Here goes with my April:

Diamonds 

Debts first: first month of not paying to debt - still over the moon about that!  Now trying to save and would like to overpay the mortgage too.  May need to buy a new shower ......

Income enhancement: don't have the opportunity to earn more except when there are elections (roll on May) but I've been doing Pr0lific surveys and i'm going to reduce my spending on food now it's just me at home (plus cats).  

Achievements and Aims: where is your arrow pointed this month? It's pointed firmly at my qualification which i have to complete by May.  

Morning motivation: Start with good actions, not just intentions. Stop mindless scrolling on Fb; will aim for a walk first thing 3 times a week.

Organised: will spend some time over the Easter break looking at meal plans and budgeting any extra spends - got 2 birthdays to buy presents for

NSDs: Lets aim for 16 this month Turtles. Yes!

Determined: no excuses got to submit the majority of the submissions for my qual; also need to eat better - will only eat when sitting down and will reduce treats

Set out your stall: here it is

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Daisies 

Delight: will enjoy simple pleasures like the smell of line dried washing & hearing the birds sing; also feeling happy in my work (after being very unhappy 2 years ago). 

April:  meaning "to open” making an effort to contact people and not hide away.

Inner-peace: be still and focus on my senses, switch off my busy mind for a little while .

Stay safe, and stay sassy! Keep to the restriction rules, will be mostly staying at home but will be dancing to music in the kitchen on my own while singing loudly (ensuring the window is shut of course) .

Inspiration: i like the 20 minute idea others have mentioned and will use that for doing house chores (which i'm very lax about)

Exercise: will try to exercise more regularly.

Share: will donate to the Foodbank at the SM

Thank you DrCarrie for this challenge

Deni x

DrCarrie

Welcome to April! The Diamonds and Daisies challenge! 

DrCarrie

Here is my stall!

Diamonds 

Debts first: All budgeted and paid this morning. I will continue with my snowball throughout the month - I pay £5 off when it appears in my change pot from roundups. 

Income enhancement: So far I have doubled my round ups, I am going to think about this a bit more. I have stopped my yoga online and saved some money there. 

Achievements and Aims: I am so proud that I woke up to my debts and have an eye on the near and far future. I am hoping that this month I will have paid off 25% of the debt, by hook or by crook!

Morning motivation: I am going to go for a  morning walk, after I have checked my M0nz0 account. 

Organised: I just ordered the meat from the butchers for the month and have sainsbobs coming tomorrow. Now just need to get done to finalising the details of the food plan week by week. I always batch cook and get some stuff in the freezer for busy workdays (erm all workdays!)

NSDs: Aiming for 16, hoping for 18.

Determined: totally determined this month, even more than before. But I am a lot more realistic than I was 16 months ago and taking a broader view. I am determined to achieve as many NSDs as possible and get that debt done by 25% this month. 

Set out your stall: Here it is!

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Daisies 

Delight: So happy the evenings are lighter and I have 4 days off...I am taking a moment to notice the changes in the park each day.

April: I am opening up to the fact that this debt journey is going to take longer than I hoped. It is my Birthday in a month and I ha wanted the debt to be gone in 13 months. This is really unrealistic! I am opening up to the journey and all the lessons along the way. 

Inner-peace: My morning lap of the park is really important to me right now, as well as my first coffee. Really want to endeavor to talk to myself kindly this month about the debt, as I get really cross with myself, it's not helpful!.

Stay safe, and stay sassy! Always sassy will endeavor to be safe, but it gets very busy in Brighton...

Inspiration: I often look at the 'old Style board' and thinking of joining another challenge. I am also going to look more at boosting income on the website and around the boards. Looking forward to the charity shops being open...as long as they are not too bust!

Exercise: I am doing a challenge with work colleagues 'walk the walk' so a walk every day is super important. Plus for stress relief I have been putting on a 'disco' track and having a dance while my tea is brewing in my breaks. Will probably do some yoga independently too. 

Share: I often talk to people from the homeless community in Brighton, and get them some food and occasionally give cash. 

apple_muncher

Pinch, punch, first of the month!

No returns!

(Especially f0xh0les...!)

f0xh0les

Pooh! 

mothernerd

April - Setting Out My Stall
No debt but nothing available for savings either (currently running at £4.50 pcm deficit until DS3 recommences his contribution to the household budget at the end of May). Will go all out for not spending anything (Spend day if I spend on mum's behalf) but may do a binge spend when the charity shops reopen. Income stretching April is use up (will reduce winter food stores), make it myself or do without
Achievements Does not strangling mum count?
Aims
1   Finishing off - several embroidery projects in need of completion (boring sewing bit). If done I could get rid of a lot of bits - threads back to box, finished articles posted off to their permanent homes.
2    Complete back bed (in garden) project. Get polytunnel up and running. Sort shed.
3    Fit inside my box. Will imagine this one room as a canal boat or gypsy caravan and turn it into a tidy organised haven. 
Motivation Use the time before mum gets up. Get outside early.
Organise Everything Batch cooking, household tasks, write it down so I don't forget but don't have it taking up head space. More proactive, less fire fighting. Daily, weekly and monthly task lists
16 NSDs
Determination and Discipline.  Zero Tolerance This is the ideal - absolutely No xyz. Being realistic, I will be thrilled if I do something 7 out of 10 times and hoping to achieve consistency and improvements. Build good habits, exorcise the 'bad'.
Setting out my stall I COMMIT
Delight in everything. Outside more (with suncream) Inside escape with books, retreat to my room when necessary.
Inner peace Cultivate calm
Stay safe, stay sassy Aiming for obstrocolous (grandma word - think she meant obstreperous and obstructive). Mum has been isolated with me acting as guardian/ gatekeeper/ watchdog. She can't understand that when she says 'Oh, let them in', it's not just 2 people, it's everyone they live with, everyone they work with and anyone they have interacted with. She's not good at mask compliance and distancing and keeps unlocking the gate (may hide the keys and they're certainly not going back in the key safe).
Inspiration  Every day I find a new way of doing difficult things
Exercise More walking, more water, some dancing, lots of little 'add ons' (exercises or tasks attached to a particular action or location - wiping the bathroom sink after I brush my teeth, doing modified squats using the towel rail).
Share always.
Little Extras
Health  Lots of minor problems which are complicated by other factors and can become problematic if not controlled. Using the eyedrops regularly rather than when I notice the problem (stabby eye pain) has helped enormously. I have very dry skin but not allowed to put cream/ lipgloss on when using my CPAP mask so will add deep moisturise to waking routine (along with lots of water, medication, eyedrops, hayfever tablet), moisturise after shower (get the sun cream out now), moisturise after gardening and after my evening meal (instead of night-time). Made notes of things that worked well last month and things that need extra work or scheduling regularly.
Declutter  and downtime  Make a list of activities/ tasks which can be done whilst watching a tv programme (embroidery now there are more hours of good daylight, chopping veg - makes putting a meal or batch cooking easier) and means I am relaxing without 'guilt'. Extra bag of clutter to the bin. Will pack up my 'winter' clothes (two packs of thick velour joggers and 2 heavy jumpers) and prepare stuff to go to the charity shops.
Gratitudes 

apple_muncher

Don't put winter away just yet, mothernerd!