NST Jolly Joyful July

Toni'sfriend

Welcome, Georgiana. The joke made me laugh. I'm hopeless at telling jokes.

July already Where is the time going?

My goals for this month.

• Continue with healthy eating/no alcohol plan. Not just to lose weight but to make me feel better as well. I'm eating lots of fruit and veg and have really cut down on the sugar and "bad" fats.
• Start looking after my skin/hair/etc. It's gone to pot during lockdown
• Get out in the fresh air. Walk lots and enjoy nature. It's so good for both mental and physical health.
• Continue cleaning and decluttering the house. 
• Get organised. The notebook for lists is at the ready.
• Aim for 15 NSDs

So all the normal monthly things have been completed. Banking and budget done, donations to charity made, meter readings submitted, birthday book consulted. Just Himself's birthday this month and I have his card and all of his presents. Most of them wrapped already. No social engagements (not that that is anything unusual. That's something I should really look at).

Today has not been a NSD. The Boy has asked if I could make some meals for his freezer as he is working really hard and feels he has neither the time or motivation to cook properly for himself. I don't mind. I love cooking and I know he'll be eating properly then. So Himself and I got up early, walked to the shops and bought some mince and chicken to make a couple of bolognese sauces and curries for him. We picked up some YS items for us as well. Maybe first thing in the morning is a good time to go.

It's a beautiful day so I'm glad we've been for a walk even if it wasn't very far. Another tomorrow - slightly further. I'm feeling positive and raring to go.

f0xh0les

Today was NSD1, all the dd bills went out. Shunted money to mortgage. Did volunteery thing, Made people happy. 

Science joke:

What weighs less,  water or butane?

Butane - as it's just a lighter fluid......

greent

Quick post as I've tried posting on laptop 3x and it keeps freeing and then losing it all so will set out my stall tomorrow.

Thankful for avoiding a takeaway that Dh said he wanted (on the way home from Sainz with bags of food shopping... 🙄), for a lovely boss, for sunny weather. X

DrCarrie

Evening all. Alas, no jokes from me. 

Had a quiet day, dressmaking, and it's been a while. Slow going, but a very mediative process. NSD today. 😇 There won't be any until Monday at least. 

Gratitudes:
- Yoga
- Loving-kindness meditation, and a great poem to follow
- chilli from the freezer

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for dd's wonderful consultant ridding us of a pesky headache-inducing situation, for time with dd, for friendly people at the gym, for my garden.

Thrifty_Taylor

Had a small spend today, took a boat trip with a friend, to a nearby island & walked to the highest peak in Orkney, 479m. A glorious day, with a light breeze. 29,000 steps altogether, so definitely earned an ice cream before catching the boat back, less than £7 altogether, so a great day out! Only blips were me sliding on my bum & scraping my arm, & fending off 6 Bonxies, trying to dive bomb us & my friend's dog, as we must've been close to their nests

Grateful for lots of laughs, exploring somewhere new, watching the variety of butterflies & all the beautiful wildflowers

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

hi all

A good start to the month with a NSD.  Also had an interview for a temp job, 2 hours a week, 6 meetings a year, mostly WfH and I'm delighted that I got it!!  

Going to work out a proper budget later and think about the challenges so will post about those soon.

gratitudes - tea with DD1; washing dry on the line; good support from senior staff at FT job; almost Friday

love Deni

mothernerd

I've decided to stick with last month's budget figures £400 for food, £100 DIY, £100 miscellaneous and £35 travel. This is a theoretical budget - I have no money. My carer's allowance goes into the bank and nearly covers all the direct debits on my house (Council tax, gas and electric, internet). DS3 puts his contribution into my account which normally covers food and everything else. However he has already paid me up until August (so my savings are already banked) so atm there is a slight deficit each month (was £4.50 but dd amounts have increased).

I am living with mum atm (she's getting 24/7 cover) so there is enough money ( I'm in charge of ordering food and everything else and getting it into the house, she pays). Last month I set these budgets because I need to set some limits, be aware of what money is being spent and discipline myself. 

I have already spent some of this month's budget (mum had run out of a couple of things and of course forgets to mention it until there is none), did have it written down but will say £60 of the food budget has gone and £20 miscellaneous (watering spikes, rack thing for mum's brushes and mop). Today the washer repair man came, so that is another £30 and no NSD, milk money has gone in the jar £6.40. Going to set £100 aside for takeaways. Mum is mostly eating tinned soup, fruit and rice pudding (she's had a cough for the past two weeks and is feeling run down) but occasionally asks for something special. We recently had some takeaways (she did this regularly with her partner until his dementia meant he could no longer handle money) and it seems like she wants it to be a regular thing. I won't prompt her but we will have one if she asks (she has made by me curry and chicken in black bean sauce in the freezer). If we don't have takeaways, the money can go back in the general food budget.

So food £92/ £300 (including milk money for 5 weeks, set aside)  
Takeaways £0/ £100 (only at mum's request)
Miscellaneous £30/ £100 (washer repair)
DIY £33.50/ £100 (garden stuff £20, 3 weeks window cleaning money x £4.50)
Travel £0/ £35
It's going to be a tight month.
There are some things that need doing at my house but think I will leave those for now (garden gate, extreme cleaner, kitchen ceiling).

I had already decided to strap up my ankle this morning. went across the room to get a support bandage and there was no way it was going to fit. I do have a selection of sizes in the drawer but couldn't face going back across the room so just used a crepe bandage (not tight but enough to give support and stability). When I went  across the room later on, I had to hold onto thing or lean against things to get back so several things dropped off my to do list.

I have done more digging/ filling the second half of the raised bed. Sitting down and one or two half buckets at a time. It's much less stressful than previously. I'm working in an area about 4 feet across, digging/hacking soil out at one side, scraping/ brushing it to directly in front of me, putting it through the sieve and then tipping the half filled bucket into the raised bed. Came in as soon as I started to wilt in the sun. However the bed has been filled (plants in place but not put in), have space to put in the next metre of containers at the back and the two largest rose bushes are ready to move. I also did a wash load after the repair man had been and line dried it.

This is getting quite lengthy so will report on my plans for the month tomorrow.

Grateful for hot showers (2), hot flannels for wiping, good chat with the repair man (he's the s-i-l of one of my heroes), getting something done in challenging circumstances, easy food (cheese triangles and 2 apples for breakfast), not getting my dress filthy (both sets of painting clothes washed).

DrCarrie

I woke up to a dead phone. Completely died. It lasted a good few months after being dropped in the loo. Resurrected an older one, but the battery - well it is not lasting long at all. Very annoying. Off budget purchase may be needed and if I can't make it work reasonably the EF might have to be raided. But I guess that is why it is there. 

Gratitudes
- I have an old phone 
- going to see my daughter
- good cry at yoga 

mothernerd

Friday 2nd July 2021

The next time you judge someone using a food bank (I know most turtles wouldn't but it's a useful counter argument to use), I do my nails myself, my phone was my C'mas present from my dad for the past 3 years, my car belongs to my mum, my son's brand name clothes are from the charity shop and I work two jobs. Forgive me for not looking 'poor enough' for your stereotypical view of poverty, I forgot that I'm required to dress in rags in order to appease your prejudice (adapted from an American version).

Joyful Movement
*   Centres on pleasure and what feels good
*   Is not a moral obligation
*   Emphasises mindfulness and embodiment 
*   Promotes physical and mental health
*   Does not value one type of movement over another

50 Joyful Movement ideas free of shoulds, rules and comparisons (not going to put down all 50, I have grouped some) 
*   Turn on your favourite song and dance like no-one's watching (because they're not - obviously never lived on a main road). Zumba, ballroom, swing, clubbing, capoeira (African/ Brazilian martial Arts form but done as a dance - so Bruce Lee moves but not hitting one another)
*    U tube yoga/ exercise video (suitable level).
*    Go for a walk in your neighbourhood
*    Stretch (love this, when I'm bedridden I sometimes pretend I'm a cat and work out all the ways I can move)
*    Swimming, riding, roller blading
*    Run up and down stairs (I used to do this in the advert breaks, I've also done exercise lying on my side during the programmes), skipping, mini trampoline
*     Clean your house, clean the car, mowing, weeding, garden stuff
*     apple's favourite climb a tree, other possibles (for some) pole dancing, kick boxing, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding.
Please add your own suggestions (hey my digging counts).

Have a fabulous Friday, spreading rays of sunshine, love and kindness to all. If you're reading this right now I hope something great happens to you today.