NST October 2021: Fit for Purpose

ldee2111

Thanks apple. Impressed with how long you’ve all be involved! ❤️

ldee2111

What do you want from October? What‘s your goal/aim?

• health - increase fruit and veg to help my stomach heal after it being assaulted with antibiotics to clear infections
  
• wealth - underspend to be able to make a £120 overpayment to our mortgage and £80 towards our holiday to see Mickey. Overall underspend goal this month is £200. Any other underspends are a bonus that will go to OP mortgage.
  
• a life well-lived - I’ve taken the October week off work to spend quality time with DS. Planning to do some fun seasonal activities with him. And if OH can take time off we may go to caravan. 

Fun. 

Going to embrace the spooky season and the falling autumn leaves to have some fun with DS. We’ve also got a 1st birthday party to look forward to. And some good tv series to watch. 

Intellectual pursuit. 

Start the project management course I was meant to begin in September!

Thankfulness

Will keep up this important daily check in ❤️

Food

I’ve taken loads of antibiotics recently to deal with stomach and ear problems. I know antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria, so I need to help the goodies recover by eating healthy.

Overhaul

I want to overhaul my diet. I’m a relatively healthy eater already but I feel I’ve let things slip recently - a few little conveniences sneaking in here and there. I’m also going to do a no takeaway month. 

Read 

Finish the two books I have on the go before starting any new ones. I’m a painfully slow reader - always have been. Audiobooks help. 

Plan this month.

I’m going for 18 NSDs. Budgets for every month planned already thanks to MSE budget planner which I’ve been using for 5 years now. But can’t become complacent. 

Understand what brings you joy/makes you cross/improves your life.

Ignoring the news improves my life! Tidying and cleaning actually brings me a lot of joy. It makes me feel calm (a bit like exercise does for others) and it also makes me feel useful. Moral of the story is get cleaning 😂 Seriously though, keeping our house tidy and clean throughout winter will help with the old SAD syndrome. As well as taking walks, having baths, listening to radio/music/audiobooks, and checking in with turtles of course.

Rejoice in all the good things you have. Reduce the stuff that is not good for you. 

Sounds good to me 👍🏻 I need to reduce screen time and rest my eyes more. Have more quiet time. 

Plan for December and the winter months. 

Got a budget and a gift plan for ‘the day’. I don’t get on with the winter months but perhaps this year we can become friends if I focus on doing what brings me joy rather than mulling over what I dislike about the season. 

Outside please. You know it is good for you!

It absolutely is good for me. The tricky bit is motivating myself. The one thing that definitely motivates me to get out is DS but he’ll be at nursery most days. I’ll need to find another incentive.

Stop and simply be. 

I like the idea of just stopping. I’ll work that into my day - at least 10 minutes doing nothing but relaxing and looking out the window or sitting outside in the garden if the weather allows. 

Extend a hand. Will continue to donate to cs and give when i can. I will continue to be a supportive colleague and help out my team and others.

lcc86

Setting out my stall for October:

Fun. Visiting parents as of this evening, haven't seen them for a long time. Also Plan to visit a vintage clothing fair, and want to get back horse riding with confidence following my back procedure and struggling generally with my confidence.

Intellectual pursuit. Need to think about this one. Have some training at work, does that count?!

Thankfulness – will try and do this here. I also journal so record gratitude there so I'll have a record somewhere. 

Food – I lost a stone and a half since Christmas but August and September have been a bit more relaxed. Want to aim for 20 days of sticking to my allowances.

Overhaul currently trying to tidy up the kitchen and get rid of unused stuff. Also halfway through stripping my hallway wallpaper so aiming to finish that.

Read love reading, need to return some library books and take out some new ones.

Plan this month - budget spreadsheet updated, I know more or less what activities I have on so should be okay.

Understand what brings you joy/makes you cross/improves your life - getting better at this so need to carry on.

Rejoice in all the good things you have. Reduce the stuff that is not good for you - absolutely need to practice gratitude for everything I have, my kitchen declutter should help me reduce.

Plan for December and the winter months. Need to get my draught excluder out! I've started planning for THAT day as I like to be organised and I'll panic if I leave it much later.

Outside - I love getting out for walks and horse riding. Planning on walking and cycling to work where possible as well.

Stop and simply be. - not very good at this, it's something I can work on this month. Simplify. - ditto this.

Extend a hand. - got a couple of charities I want to donate to this month and stuff for the charity shop.

Let's go turtles! 🐢 

ditty1234

Love it please add me, I almost feel fit for purpose :-)

Thrifty_Taylor

Count me in please Apple, I'm definitely up for this!
Will have a spendy time whilst away, & DS3's birthday. Should have all his presents ordered now, & persuaded him to have s homemade cake, rather than a caramel doughnut cake!
Definitely need to spend more time on me, concentrating on relaxing thoughts, etc. Was doing so well, but lapsed the last couple of weeks. Starting to get sorted for the winter months, will set myself a new knitting challenge very soon too, to keep the old grey cells churning 😃

apple_muncher

October is go! (a bit like Thunderbirds, but without the music)

O

Opportunities. Make it a month of opportunities. To notice your habits. To be kind. To start new things. To finish up things. To look after yourself. To be the person you want to be. To stop and just be. To try new recipes. To laugh more.

Go, turtles, go!

f0xh0les

Pinch, punch first of the month and  we operate a no returns policy unless it  not S.A.D.F.A.R.T

apple_muncher

You're gonna have to explain that, f0xh0les...

ldee2111

One of Martin’s mantras to do with consumer rights on his website

ditty1234

Right will spend a few minutes here distracting myself and reflecting on things to come:

Fun:

I shall prioritise going out - meeting other people 1-2 times a month. It might not be free, but I will prioritise networking as opposed to entertainment. So this sort of encompass intellectual pursuits as well. I am trying to sign up for a reading seminar group, but it's expensive and I can just discuss with friends! 

I shall be thankful, I am thankful, ds1 is slowly finding his own feet again and even his limp hand is now showing signs of him being able to control it a bit. Thankful to the whole army of therapists looking after him. 

Food:

Ultra budget so lots of vege and healthy things. Need vitamins and energy.

Overhaul - my bedroom - it's a pit and need deepclean and decluttering. 

I now have a pile of books to read and will have to practice - it will be good for my concentration. 

At the moment I am struggling to plan  my finances as I'm almost a grand down on income and most of my savings are gone, so once ds2 is delivered to uni tomorrow I shall turn every pence 3 times before spending it. And hope some freelance invoices start getting paid. 

People I need more people in my life :-)

rejoice and reduce - one of my big projects will be to fix current bicycle and to save up for a new one as will be commuting on bike 3-4 days a week from January.

more physical activities, including making, creating and less digital activities, that is point no one paper over screen!

I will plan for the winter, but also plan one week at a time, as there is a lot of unknowns at the moment. 

Dont know what to do for gifts, but will start planning it in October. 

I want to be outside an hour a day, as a minimum, this will happen from january but I am struggling to make this happen with current work pattern. Although walk the dog is a great excuse!

Stop and be - I have a set of meditations that I will im to do once or twice a day going forwards, I think it will help my focus.

Most of my kindness is currently sprinkled on ds1 and 2 as we have all been in need of that and other people have been incredibly kind as well. Eventually I will want to expand that back out. I think my focus shall be refugees and girls education - as those are my main areas where focus is needed in the world.

And yes I shall be saving for a new couch as well. Although it will only really be me sitting in it going forwards, a but scary - becoming an empty nester.