NST November 2021: Turtle Strength

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NST November 2021: Turtle Strength

Welcome to November. We are the Ninja Saving Turtles and we set ourselves monthly challenges that stretch us and engage us and keep us moving forwards. Or sometimes sideways. Or round in circles. But never backwards because we are constantly learning about ourselves.

What do you want from November? Is it just a stop-gap month when you try desperately to get ahead for THAT DAY in December? Well, not no more it ain’t! It is a month all of its own with its own demands and character. Another fresh start.

It is the last month of autumn, but the beginning of a new adventure. It is time to take risks and to do the unexpected. We look towards our own adventures, not being side-tracked by what others may (or may not) think of us. We are simplifying our lives so that we can fly freely. (Now there’s a thought: flying turtles…)

It is a month when we are bombarded by advertising that tells us that we need to continuously spend more and more, to acquire more and more, in order to be better people. DO NOT BELIEVE THE LIES. Work out what you truly need and learn to separate your needs from your wants.

November is often the time when we want to hunker down, treat ourselves, reward ourselves, eat comfort food... But not the Turtles! We are here to bust our debts, hit our targets, reach out to others, and support each other all the time.

Breathe deep and reflect. What really matters? What brings you joy?

The challenge runs from 1st to 30th November 2021. Apologies now for re-hashing one from a couple of years ago. I have no spare brain cells to create a new one, and this one called to me!

-set your budgets for everything by planning ahead. Look at what the month ahead holds – appointments, meeting, kids’ activities, (ir)regular events. And start to plan what you will need for Cmas. And then simplify it: reduce the amount and variety of food you get in; reduce the amount of presents you ‘have’ to give; reduce the amount you spend on presents.

-pay to your debt or savings first. You will then live off the rest, as per your budget. You will not wait and see how much is left at the end.  Make do, mend, or do without.

-aim for at least 15 NSD – that means you can spend on alternate days (generous, huh?). An NSD will NOT be spoiled by purchasing Yellow Sticker / reduced items only, or medication, or travel or paying for regular children’s activities (when planned in advance and the monies put aside in an envelope).

-avoid any and every chain coffee shop and vending machine and corner shop. Support your local coffee shops and traders.

-take your lunch to work every single working day. Plan and cook a larger evening meal so you have leftovers to take with you.

-remove 60 items from your house (2 per day) – recycle them, give them to charity, pass on to a friend… Sorry but you cannot remove children…

-use up your toiletries and household cleaners before buying any more.

-go on 2 outings. Yep, 2. Choose wisely. Or go on one and save one to carry over for December…

-tread lightly on our planet and get out there and enjoy fresh air every day: breathe it in slowly and deeply and energise your body.

-donate £5 or items or time to a charity you support. Foodbanks are especially in need at this time of year. Look at http://www.trusselltrust.org/

-come on here every day and post three things you are grateful for. Don’t wait until the 4th Thursday in November to give thanks. Make every day a Thanksgiving day.

-reach out to help other people. Don't try to CHANGE people, just LOVE them. LOVE is what changes people.

-start 1 or 2 new habits this month, ones that are simple and will make you feel better (eg: drink a glass of water on waking, practise meditation…)

October was not a good month in the apple household, in many ways. And I did not keep up with my own October challenge. Oops. But I won’t let that define me. Life happens. S*** happens. So the following is totally applicable to me: ‘Stay strong and true to yourself one day at a time, no matter what happens, no matter what anyone else says, no matter how they act. Everything ends at some point. Good times AND bad. So persevere through the hard times knowing they will be over and you will get through them, and be present to enjoy the good times with as much gratitude as possible. Control what you can (your behaviours and thoughts), cope with what you can't (the behaviours of others), command your morning, conquer the chaos, and concentrate on what counts. Never give up on what is right for YOU.’

 

Who is with me?

 

 

apple_muncher

Reserved for Turtles:

1 apple_muncher

2 shabbychic12

3 ldee2111

4 leftatthetrafficlights

5 Kerry_Woman

6 f0xh0les

7 mothernerd

8 Buffythedebtslayer

9 cuddlymarm

10 PurpleJay

11 Betharooni

12 lcc86

13 DawnW

14 ditty1234

15 Thrifty_Taylor

16 Toni'sfriend

17 Deni_debt_free_dreamer

18 DrCarrie

19 Calling14

20 CEW

21 greent

22 Esmeralda2662

shabbychic12

Still lurking so please add me xx

ldee2111

Please add me too @apple_muncher

leftatthetrafficlights

I'm in! 😊 can't do the 'removing items' bit as I don't have any 'stuff' to remove as a minimalist  😉 but the rest is very doable- I follow a Buddhist philosophy anyway, am vegan and tread as lightly on the planet as I can; my budgets are always set in advance and any surplus is put to debt busting; my outings are planned around my grandbaby; my toiletries were bought some time ago and won't be added to; I work from home so lunches are always last night's leftovers.
 I don't do enough foodbank donations though so that's something to rectify  and November is a bit of a spiritual and physical journey for me (I have pagan leanings too so I celebrate samhain as my new year) so introducing 2 new routines will be helpful 😉 
Gratitudes- I definitely need to list- I have a wonderful life with strong connections to my family and environment- I never lose sight of that but should celebrate it it always! 😍

Kerry_Woman

Can you please add me to the list.

f0xh0les

Me too, please.  A nice high number.  I am being released back into the wild on 2nd November.  Cannot flippin' wait. 

mothernerd

I'm in. lots of things I need to do. Fighting the old triangle of poverty. depression and two many pounds (too many lbs, not enough ££).

Buffythedebtslayer

I am in, need all the help I can get after October! XX 

cuddlymarm

Can I  join again too please.

ldee2111

Up since the wee hours, so I’m setting out my stall early. NST 3’s plan for November: 

Budgets are set for the month, including Cmas. Thankful to have a small family and only a few people we give gifts to. DS’s gifts (games, books, jigsaws) all bought from CS over the past few months and cost less than £20 in total. 

Grateful to have no debt apart from the house. But life can change quickly and unexpectedly. OH went 8 months without a job last year into this year. It was hard living on just my wage but we managed. He’s working for himself now and much happier for it, but it means income isn’t consistent. Every month we pay ourselves first: emergency fund, mortgage overpayment, and budget for everything else. And I like to do a ‘Sunday sweep’ when I sweep anything that’s leftover in the food, transport, or leisure budgets into my savings goal for that month. For November, this goal is to underspend by £160 which will go into our holiday fund. 

Hitting at least 15 NSD is a must for us this month if we’re to hit that £160 target, as is avoiding all coffee shops and vending machines. 

Working from home has the big advantage of at-home lunches which are usually leftovers. When I used to work in the office, it was hard to resist nipping out to buy something. On my weakest days I could easily spend £10 on lunch. Shocking really.

I’m a minimalist but OH is certainly NOT! My challenge will be to sneak 60 items out the house 😂

The first of our 2 outings will be to the local fireworks display that I got tickets for. 

With COP happening on our doorstep and even coming into our house, it’s bringing treading lightly on our planet into sharp focus. OH is involved in COP through his work and we’re also providing a bed for a few nights to someone who’s coming up from England to work at COP events. 

It is a real challenge for me to motivate myself to get out every day, but I must do it. Stick on the audiobook and brave the wind and rain. I’ve got the waterproofs - so no excuse.

Donating £5 or items or time should be easy to achieve. I’m sure a good number of those 60 items I’m sneaking from the house will end up in the local CS. 

Sharing what I’m grateful for with fellow NST has become an important part of my daily routine. 

I will keep reaching out to help other people. If there’s something I aspire to be in life, it’s a good person. 

A habit I would really like to form is to get to bed 10pm sharp and to read my book, not faff on my phone. If I can crack that as a new habit, I’d be very pleased with myself.

So that’s that. Looking forward to starting November’s journey with fellow turtles by my side.