NST June 2021: Jolly simple

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for getting to see some friends, for my morning walk, for a call from CAHMS, for starting on making an elephant, for 95% choc..

Kerry_Woman

Was a big spend day.  Spent a little over £200.  Ordered somethings online(things I needed/wanted), did forgot to put on a small discount on one of my orders but not going to get stressed as overall did save some money. Also did not order some items. Three of the orders are coming tomorrow. Did cancel one item as it was going to be delivered on Saturday, am out and about on Saturday.  That item can wait for another time.
Grateful for:
Seeing a robin on my way to work.
Trying a new place of work.
Getting support from my line manager from my last place of work who was at where I worked today.

mothernerd

The month so far. Tuesday was a bit of a wash out - I did a lot of soil shifting. The bag containers need to move to a new location, where they will be used to grow brassicas again but need a change of soil, so working on:
emptying bags/drying them out so they are ready to use
sifting cabbage soil to remove rubbish, stones and weeds/ tree roots 
sifting new soil to refill the containers
digging out the space where the containers are to go (levelling it)
all at the same time so everywhere looks a mess.

Have been despairing at times because I have been working hard but not much visible progress. Mum has decided I do not need the extra raised beds her cousin was going to make and I can use the ones I had been working on (so add that to my urgent list rather than the can do later list). Don't think I'm going to get help with the digging either so plodding on with that. I don't 'do' despair but I'm aware that things aren't 'right' atm (lots of 'run down' signs and not able to get on top of minor health issues that are becoming a cumulative major headache).

Yesterday we went to mum's podiatrist appointment. I was going to go the the little cafe to buy lunch (they have lovely baked potatoes) but in the end I phoned for a taxi back here. I just made myself two tuna butties and drinks and ice lollies for us both, then went for a lie down. Don't know if it was the work I'd done, too much sun or a few poor sleep nights but suddenly thought a siesta was a good idea - too hot to go outside. Well I slept and read all through the afternoon and evening so obviously sleep deficit was part of my problem. Still slept well last night.

Woke at 8.30 am and was outside by 9 am. It's very cloudy but no rain (sun came out at lunchtime but still lots of cloud cover). Warm enough to work but not as oppressively hot as it has been. Food order was due between 10am and noon so I worked where I could see the gate. Came at 11.30am, put the stuff away and made us a bung it in the oven lunch (mum hasn't been eating much but is quite enthusiastic about something with chips). Stopped for about an hour for lunch and a shorter break for tea and mum came and told me to come in at 7 pm (I had been sitting next to a bucket of soil which needed moving for about 15 minutes). I have done lots of work sitting down - when I stand up all the aching bits complain, I can only move slowly and have nearly fallen several times.

However the 3 wooden and one metal raised beds are now planted up, as are the two ex- kitchen bins (although I want some sweet peas in the prominent one). All the small spaces between the back of the beds and the fence are filled and there are lots of little watering stations between plants. I have lots of buckets full of sifted soil and it really looks and feels like I am getting somewhere .

I did set budgets before the start of the month but realised after I'd had my shower that I've left my notebook at the bottom of the yard, when I drew a plan of what was planted where - no way can I put clothes back on, unlock and go and get it. Think I've budgeted £400 for food, £1000 each for DIY and Miscellaneous and did a calculation for travel based on one trip to town each week. I spent £7.99 miscellaneous on Tuesday and £63 something on food yesterday. The food order includes quite a bit of 'bung it in the oven' stuff (so much to do and I need to keep on making the most of this weather so taking a short cut and will have lots of raw veg to keep healthy) lots of ice lollies and ice cream on a stick for both of us and some items that didn't come on last week's order. In addition I want a new back gate at my house and we still need the 'extreme cleaners' to come. The last back gate I bought cost £90 so I'm guessing that will be about £200 now. I am expecting DS3 and Beloved to pay for the cleaners but I will probably share the cost (or even book them and pay upfront) and it may take more than this month to get the house ready to let cleaners in.

I also have a 3 month plan. The August BH weekend coincides with mum's birthday. Three months is enough to make visible changes and I have lots to work on including my weight, more exercise, embroidery wip to complete/ deliver, doing more of the things I want to and having a running buffet for any visitors who drop in over the BH weekend.

Gratitudes 
wore my mountain climbing trainers yesterday and they felt so good (wearing wellies too much)
slapped on moisturiser/ handcream several times and finally got all the soil and blue paint from under my fingernails
being able to see my plan for the garden coming alive.

apple_muncher

Good to hear from you mothernerd. I was starting to plans search party! The chaise longue is all yours for a sit down and some R+R.

Thrifty_Taylor

Glad you're surviving @mothernerd, a bit of reading & sleep will recharge your batteries no end ☺️
Another small spend today. Had a hospital appointment this morning for a pre-op assessment, & hubby was getting his second vaccine. We popped into a local hardware shop with the intention of buying some mesh to put between posts for the peas, etc to grow up. Changed our minds when we saw the price! Was tossing up whether to buy the weekly paper from there or nip to l*DL & get a point on my app. Decided to buy it at the hardware shop, was pleased I did, as the cashier offered me a free copy of the updated local phone book, which would normally be £5. Very pleased as we've had an old one for @10 years!
Work went well, finished hand sewing the bear, have 3 now ready to advertise for Father's Day. Had a big sort out of the large chest freezer, ready to do the monthly shop at the weekend. Started watching a new series, I'm hooked already!
Grateful for my pre-op going well, being told my BMI is perfect, organising the freezer (at least 8 part bags of broc & cauli!!), good TV, a beautiful sunset

ldee2111

A nice surprise in bank account this morning - £23.59 payment from a cashback site I regularly use when buying online. 

After seeing the leap in energy costs, I’m now on a mission to reduce our usage. After listening to me rabbiting on about the cost of energy, OH (not frugal but sometimes dips his toe into the frugal fun) found a website which calculates how much it costs to boil your kettle. For our two morning cups, it costs us 1p to boil the kettle. I’ll never give up my beloved cuppa to save pennies, but it was just interesting to know. Apparently, on average 6% of people’s electric bills is from boiling the kettle! This really surprised me, but then I thought of my FIL and how often he boils a full kettle for a cup of coffee. 

This month, I’m going to keep a running list of frugal wins to keep me motivated after poor performance the last couple. Here goes. Frugal wins this month so far:

- NSDs 2

- got a good deal on home insurance plus £45 cashback

- taken new fibre broadband contract (£2 less than what we would be paying with current)

- £23.59 cashback for online purchases 

Grateful for a walk with OH this evening (DS staying with grandparents), OH tidying and cleaning the kitchen after dinner, and having the TV all to myself to watch the Outlander series. 

DrCarrie

Morning Turtles...
Yesterday was ok, it was exDGF's birthday and was dithering about whether to message her to send wishes, I didn't in the end. Phew. Went out for dinner, with friends who I hadn't seen since first lockdown. Was lovely. But means spend day. 

Gratitudes for yesterday
- little meditation in the moring
- good day at work
- seeing friends and the beach
- 

Toni'sfriend

NSD No 3

I didn't get all my jobs done yesterday but I did do some so that's a plus. I spent ages on the phone trying to find out what had happened to my repeat prescription. Apparently it was processed and posted two weeks ago. I guess that it's been lost in the post again. All sorted anyway. The nice receptionist is arranging for it to be put into the pharmacy today.

I've just had some fruit for breakfast. After I finish my tea I must get Himself out of bed. I want to go for a walk and he's coming with me. Part of my cunning plan to get him fit.

Buffythedebtslayer

Hello Turtles. 
Mothernerd, I love your posts, I really do. I mean I love reading this whole thread but I think because you are also avec Mama some of the stuff you say resonates with me and you do a much better of it all! I have employed a gardener who so far is fab. I am doing "my" bit myself, but the rest of it is up to him. 
I have knackered myself moneywise this month, I overspent last month, paid off the cc with this month's money and was just going to be a bit short, however the bank took my regular (not normally needed) CC direct debit so now I have a credit balance on the CC and 40 quid in my bank! Luckily can pay the gardener  with Paypal. 
My plan for the rest of the month is to buy as little as possible, banned myself from Amazon, can only buy kindle books under a fiver once a week, going to have to get creative with lunch.... 
I am off to the tip now. The excitement is palpable. 

ditty1234

Hi Buffy, I just made an exemption from my general Amazon ban and I ordered a copy of the creative practice work book I have been revisiting almost daily for the last year, I want to do an other 12 week run through this summer, but I am sick of my laptop and I decided I want a paper copy. Since it is a bit of an investment and the book exists in about 500 different versions I have bought 2 copies an expensive one and a cheap one. It is primarily an American book, so I haven't really seen any used copies. And I shall be looking forwards to using it and abusing it and writing all over it. And obviously I will be returning one of the books, hopefully the expensive one. 
I have been incredibly sad all week, because finally the May half term week fell on my sisters B'day and (if we could travel) I could have gone, I miss my family to the point where I could just make myself cry right now - so I have been sluggish and introvert. 
I do have a record breaking 3 NSD days so far though. And I am grateful for a spot of rain today, to keep me focussed and my trees lush. I am grateful for an actual day of annual leave where I can roam mentally without feeling guilty.  Happy weekend turtles.
Forgot to say I'm grateful for vaccinations - even my youngest have now had his first, so 8 more weeks and we will be as good as it gets (at the moment).