NST May MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM 28 April at 12:49PM edited 29 April at 11:38AM in Debt-free wannabe challenges 436 replies 15.5K views

Thrifty_Taylor

NSD#1

Sending hugs to @mothernerd, @Suffolksue & @Fizz2015 sorry for your loss.

Thank you for the hugs @mothernerd, boy have I needed them this afternoon! DS1 discovered a note written by DS2 10 days ago, which sent huge alarm bells ringing & me worrying what to do. Phoned my boss to say I wouldn't be in tomorrow, thankfully her DH is a doctor & he gave me a number to phone to speak to someone about DS2's MH. DS2 seems happier this evening, but I'm going to make an appointment to see our local doctor tomorrow. He can't struggle on like this, it breaks my heart. Spent the afternoon crying & digging over some raised beds, then read more of my book & washed the dishes, before having a long soak in the bath & some pampering. Budgets sorted for this month.

Grateful for DS1 finding the note before it was too late, my boss being so understanding, that DS2 is feeling happier tonight

mothernerd

Hugs for you and your son Thrifty. It's a blessing he's still talking - so many boys and men just bottle it up and don't say anything. We all need to challenge this attitude and change it. 

mothernerd

Monday 2nd May 2022
Motivational Monday
Quote
This is your Monday morning reminder that you can handle anything life throws at you.

M   Mindset
O   Opportunity
N   Nourishment
D   Doable steps
A    Authenticity
Y    Yay
(Our mindful life)

Daily intentions (from Our Mindful Life)
Motivational Monday
Transformation Tuesday
Wellness Wednesday
Thankful Thursday (which idiot left gratitudes out of the challenge - I will be adding them in my posts)
Feel-good Friday
Social Saturday
Self-care Sunday
Other options are available. You may find it helpful to pick your own to support your goals - some on the declutter thread use Frog Friday to help tackle those icky sticky parts of their lives.

Men cry
Men break down
Men get anxiety
Men feel insecure
Men get abused
Men have emotions
Men have mental illnesses
      It's not 'unmanly' to struggle
      Let's support men
      Let's encourage men
      Don't belittle or silence men
      Men struggle too
the.mindsjournal.com

If you hate Mondays maybe your subconscious is telling you it's time for a change. As Kat said 'You can do anything you want to'. However it all comes down to how much you want that change. If you're stuck in a rut (work, a relationship, just life and a hundred different things weighing you down) you can change the situation, improve the situation, accept the situation, change the way you look at the situation (will explore Edward de Bono's 6 thinking hats another day). 
All of these may come with costs (loss of income if you change your job, cut your hours or return to study) but there will be benefits. A lot of us hate our rut, but it's less painful (or we haven't the energy to challenge things) to stay there than to make the changes.

End quote
Do epic stuff (censor elves). Unless you are too tired or it costs too much money, in which case Do affordable stuff and make time for naps. 

cuddlymarm

Hi Mothernerd
Can I join too please. I’ve fallen off the wagon recently due to me getting covid, too many hours at work (still ongoing due extreme staff shortage) and then OH and DS2 getting covid. 

So back with a vengeance.

Thanks and good luck guys
Cuddlymarm

greent

Sending massive hugs, Thrifty xx

ldee2111

Toni'sfriend said:

Himself has been banned from buying any more food (except for essential fruit and veg) until we use up what is in the freezers and store cupboard. No more freezing one left over Brussel sprout.   Yes, he has been known to do that.

The brussel sprout 🤣 

ldee2111

Suffolksue said:

please may I join ,I’ve read this thread for years and feel I know you all .
Last Thursday was the 1st anniversary of my very DH death ,I spent the week eating junk 
The last quote really resonated,thank you .
not sure how I’ll do but I’ll try ,need a challenge I think 

Welcome @Suffolksue. 

ldee2111

In life I want freedom and adventure. That’s getting rid of this mortgage and going on trips near and far with OH and DS. 

This month I’m testing out a saving challenge to boost our mortgage OP. I’ve not saved into the usual pots (like house maintenance and car), and I’ve slightly reduced our weekly food and leisure budgets. Instead, all of it has gone into a mortgage OP. This will be the first time I’ve tried this and if all goes well, I’ll aim to do another by the end of the year. 

May is going to be a spendy month with two trips to England planned. One is for a concert and the other is our friend’s wedding in London. The trips have been saved for so shouldn’t affect my savings challenge… as long as we stick to our budget! 

On that, today is not going to be a NSD. I’ve transferred money to our friends’ online wedding gift account - they’ve very politely asked for contributions to their honeymoon rather than physical gifts. They don’t actually have any space for gifts in their teeny tiny flat in London anyway. Plus I’m all for them having the adventure they want in South America! 

OH also wants to hire a kilt and all the other bits and bobs to wear to the wedding, so we’re going in search of that today. 

3 things that need my attention this month are my physical and mental health, and the house. In the last few months, I’ve let things slip a bit. I’ve felt lethargic and just can’t be bothered. I’ve been doing a little exercise, a little self-care, a little house tidying/cleaning, but all done a little half-a*sed. So the plan:

Physical health 

1. Go for a minimum 20 mins walk every day 
2. Eat 5 fruit and veg
3. Fill and drink my 700ml water bottle 
4. Take my vitamin D pill 
5. No looking at phone after 9pm

Mental health 

1. Do the above things
2. Remind myself that most things are temporary 
3. Pause and decatastrophise

House

1. Set a 20 minute timer for tidying each day  
2. Set a 20 minute timer for cleaning each day
3. Declutter 10 items from DS’s toy area, and 5 items each from his bedroom, our bedroom, and the kitchen. 
4. Remove winter clothing from my wardrobe and put into storage 

Good luck to fellow turtles in your goals this month xx

Toni'sfriend

Massive hugs from me as well, Thrifty

Money - First NSD 

Home - Gave two kitchen cupboards a real good clear out and disposed of some of Himself's useless/broken/ "keep it until later just in case" items and did a bit of cleaning that I've been avoiding/ignoring. I do so hate housework! So that's another thing I've added to my goals - to do at least one little thing that I've been putting off every day and to put everything away when it's finished with. The only problem is I keep seeing more and more that needs doing. I may be getting through to Himself. He gave me an old backpack to through in the bin. It was so torn and had so many holes it would be impossible to carry anything in it.

Sneaked a few unlabeled and decidedly old and unappetizing bags from the freezer. Himself doesn't know about that yet but I'm sure at some point he'll realize they're missing. Used some chicken and vegetables from the freezer to make soup and a curry.

Tidied up the communal back area and potted up a packet of free seeds that are supposed to attract bees and butterflies. My pots of petunias and pansies are starting to flower and the cornflowers and nasturtiums that planted a couple of weeks ago are starting to poke through. 

Me - I plucked up the courage to finally stand on the bathroom scales. Oh dear! I've been putting off actually weighing myself for ages so I guess that's one frog eaten. Well, that surely is not going to disappear overnight.  Still, if you only loose a pound a week that's a lot of stones in a year. I ate fairly healthily yesterday and drank lots of water so it's a start and the longest journeys start with the first step. 

Himself's just leaving to get a haircut so I'll be off now to see what I can dispose of when he's out.

cuddlymarm

Thanks for adding me Mothernerd
We only have a small flat but it gets cluttered very quickly and I’m a clutter bug which I need to work on. So I aim for 10 mins a day (not including food prep) cleaning and tidying.
I already have a ( constantly growing bucket list) and 2 holidays booked. One is a trip away for a friends 60th which is mainly paid for but we need spends so that is my target. Then a cruise in November.
I only have one birthday that requires a gift and 3 cards so that’s not too bad.
My NSDs will have to start tomorrow because we are taking DS1 and his partner out to lunch ( we’ve not seen them apart from on zoom since Xmas because it’s been cancelled due to flu and then 3 of us getting covid) They’re expecting our first grandchild and we haven’t seen the bump in person yet.
I’m doing more hours than my contract at the moment due to being really short staffed. It means I’m on my feet all day which is causing havoc with my ankles and knees. I’m 60 and getting creaky as it is. I try to walk to work and still will if I can so am allocating bus fare both ways and then if I don’t spend it will pop it straight in my savings.
This leads to the health aspect of the challenge. I go to SW and have 3 stones to lose so this I need to really concentrate on while keeping my food budget low.
Good luck guys