NST October 2021: Fit for Purpose

apple_muncher

Welcome, leftatthetrafficlights, to the turtle gang!

cybertortoise

Yesterday was a spend but under £10. Today I will need to buy shampoo, shower gel, etc as no one tells me we need more until they've run out.

Yesterday I was grateful for dinner being ready to reheat with no effort, my electric fire so I stayed warm without using the heating, and the rainbow we saw on the way home from the shops.

I'll post today's gratitude before bed.

f0xh0les

So glad to hear DS1 is getting more mobile with his stick.  That is such good news  @ditty1234 .

By my reckoning, after last month's energy bill goes out, I am still going to be £200 in credit, but as soon as DH starts to feel the cold then the heating takes a battering.  I have just got his working hours this weekend, so I can plan for when to set the heat to come on during the day .   I put the washing out  on the line at 7am and it was so cold  out there, it will not be long until the first frost (psychic f0xh0les  the weather witch) if my feet were anything to go by.  

After October Half Term I tend to set the heating for 10 minutes before the kids get up, and to go off 15 minutes before we leave the house, then it comes on 5 minutes before they get in from school, and goes off when they go to bed. 

Just tested the last hot water bottle for leaks, and the fluffy blankets are deployed on the newly changed beds.

DS1 is well enough to go back to his rooms, I think he would love to stay for a few more meals, but it will be kinder to send him off on his way before he gets too comfortable.  His cough is much better, he has slept a lot, had hot baths, and has lemon-flavoured-paracetamol-based-hot-drink-powders (TM) to take away with him. I think he got a bit frightened feeling so awful so quickly and being on his own. Hopefully Freshers Flu is over for him now.  He has been told to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables.

Today is NSD1

leftatthetrafficlights

Thanks for the welcome @apple_muncher! 😊 

So, my plans: 

Fun. Spending time with my grandbaby is my main source of fun! 😍 I have him once a week and one weekend a month so I'll make sure that we go to the park, feed the ducks and go on exploring walks 😊

Intellectual pursuit. I've got a lot of research papers to go through so I'll start doing one of those every evening until I can think of something else 😂

Thankfulness – I've got so many things I'm grateful for, I'm incredibly lucky! Today, I'm grateful for the autumn sunshine, loving where I live and my video chat with my grandbaby this morning 😍

Food – I'm starting on a health kick so have written a healthy meal plan - I've cooked today's dinner; chickpeas with red pepper &  coriander, chargrilled butternut squash slices, fennel and orange salad

Overhaul - routines- I need some! 🙈 I have decided on my new ones and need to stick to them!

Read - I'll need to go to the library but I do have one unread book to start on 😊

Plan this month – NSD's 20/ AFD's 10/ Menu plan 

Understand - being healthier and fitter makes me happy, procrastination makes me miserable- they are the areas I need to work on this month 

Rejoice - I'm grateful that I'm well enough to start to improve my health

Reduce - Alcohol and being lazy! 🙈

Plan for December and the winter months. Already sorted- I've been preparing for winter for a while and have the money saved for solstice

Outside - I need to do a daily walk at lunchtime 

Stop and simply be. I've started yoga - I'm including some mindfulness in this. Simplify. I am a minimalist by nature but I need to keep working through my food stores - it's the only thing I hoard! 

Extend a hand. I need to donate to a foodbank - I keep forgetting! 

ldee2111

Remaining on NSD 1. OH popped into the shop to get his lunch  🤦🏼‍♀️ Honest to goodness. It irritates me something awful. 

‘We have a weekly food budget’ I reminded him. But he says he doesn’t know what he wants for lunch the next week. It’s a fair point. I mostly eat to live but OH lives to eat.  He should have been a chef. I should have been a panda.

Fun and Outside 

Other than OH trashing my NSD, I’ve  had a good Sunday. We sat in the spectator area watching DS at his swimming lesson. This afternoon we walked to Mum’s for a wee visit. Mum took DS to local park for half an hour and I took 40 winks 👍🏻

Food

Eaten well. I had porridge with blueberries and toast and banana again this morning, homemade mushroom soup and oatcakes for lunch, and OH has made his delicious Indian curry for tonight’s dinner. 

And thankfully he’s made a big pot of chicken and rice soup for some of his lunches this week. 😂

Thanks 

Grateful for OH’s love for food because without it, I’m sure I’d live on rice and beans, for family time, for a dinner table and eating together. 

lcc86

NSD number 2 today. Up early and out horse riding with a friend, managed an hour with not much back pain so things are hopefully looking good. Then went for a swim just to loosen everything up.

Had to pop to Boots for some IBS meds as I'm having a flareup for the first time in years. Counted as a medical spend. I remember suffering really badly with IBS when I used to be heavily in debt and couldn't afford the meds, it wasn't the best time of my life that's for certain!

Stripped some more hallway wallpaper. Will definitely need to get it skimmed after, the paper was hiding a multitude of sins!

Going to settle in under my blanket for a read and pop a scented candle on, simple pleasures for me at the end of the weekend!

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for making really good headway helping a friend do some clearing out, for sorting out the stuff so that a fair chunk could be recycled, for having a warm dry house, for 85% chocolate, for still getting fresh rasps off the canes.

CEW

Today was a spend day as I needed milk so went to Mr Marks and Mr Spencer for a small shop. Bought a couple of YS items but a few little treats as well.

Had quite a lazy day today just pottering about. Couldn’t get motivated to do much so didn’t.

Grateful today for good coffee, YS food and a lovely chat with Dad.

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Evening
NSD #1.  Have been ill in bed all day, nose was streaming all night and i couldn't sleep till 6am.  Woke up before 9am.  Have managed to do some work on my laptop and had a short walk.  Had a date at the cinema to see JB but was too ill to go, gutted Oh well, will try again next weekend.   DD2's boyfr ran the London marathon !
Gratitudes - hot water bottles, hot baths, marathon on TV
Deni x

Thrifty_Taylor

Get well soon @Deni_debt-free_dreamer.
Great news on your son @ditty1234.
Hadn't thought of doing themed bears @foxholes, worth bearing in mind.
A VERY windy day here in the north east islands. Dropped a couple of bears off at the bookshop, they want a third of the selling price, so I'm kind of hoping they don't sell many!! Went for a walk with hubby, the wind was so strong my lungs hurt. Had a nap after lunch, then did some cleaning & sorted some things out. Feel better now they're done. Facetime with my brother, looking forward to seeing him & his family in 2 weeks. Haven't been together for 3 years. A long bath after tea with my book.
Grateful for it staying dry on our walk, beautiful scenery, some me time