NST July 2022: A Turtle Triathlon

BadBookkeeper

@ldee2111 I’m having a similar dilemma with a friends big birthday, I’ve agreed one of the celebrations but more keep getting arranged that I feel bad saying no to.  On top of the group present, an individual present, money to get into the event & spends for food & drinks it all adds up.  I’m trying to stick to just one.

- Nothing unintentional bought today.
- No time, food or fuel wasted today
- No alcohol so now 12/31.  Ate healthy all day but scales aren’t budging much.
- Having a day off work made me smile today.
- Budgets lasted & payday tomorrow food shopping came in under budget
- Saved £16.31 by going to @ldi & t£sco instead of just t£sco.  Also saved £3.20 at swimming as heard person in front of me use a child goes free voucher so I asked receptionist where I can get one and she said she’d just apply it.  Had £20 to spend today, this covered swimming and ds new stationery items with £3 left over so putting that back in the holidays pot.
NSD still 12/16

Starting to think about August budgets as it’s pay day tomorrow.  Will be paying attention to fuel as I think this will be my danger area.  Did want to buy ds uniform today as there’s 25% off but typically nothing in his size! 

Thrifty_Taylor

Another sunny day, but a bit of a cool wind. Was up at a decent time, so we were out walking at 9.15 😃 did 6 miles today (including a stop at the post office to send another sold item). Decided to get my last sewing jobs done, was making great progress until I realised that the bottom bobbin in my machine was navy, not black, so had to unpick the hems of the VERY stretchy trousers & re-do them. Took over half an hour just to unpick them 😓 So that only left half an hour to 'snip' branches before getting ready to meet friends for tea. Had a lovely meal & catch up, just want to sleep now 😂

Grateful for a nice walk, watching the barley fields ripple in the wind, nice food & good company

weenancyinAmerica

You shouldn't blow your budget just for one day for someone else. I wouldn't go even if I was a bridesmaid.

Toni'sfriend

I don't know what I'm doing to myself these days. I woke up this morning and can't turn my head. Must have strained something in my neck. I've just taken a couple of painkillers and I'm sure it will ease shortly.

I had a lovely lunch with the lovely cousin. Lobster ravioli and a glass of white wine. Not great for the diet but a little treat never did anyone any harm. 

On the way back I got a couple of fuschia plants in Aldi. A very nice young man said he was just putting on the reduced stickers so if anyone wanted something dated 28th or 29th to let him know and he'd sticker them. A chocolate cake for Himself, fruit, salad veg and prawns for me. So glad I went in.

I don't think I'll do much today until the neck starts to improve but it's a gorgeous day again. so we'll see.

Have a lovely day.

f0xh0les

Only one payday   Was expecting two.  Oh well, I will get the other one on Monday, and my expenses on Tuesday.

DH has gone off camping with his mates, so I am the house grown up for the next 3 days

Need to buy butter and oil and oats, so a quick shopping trip in a minute, and then on with the day!

grandmanerd

Yesterday was very tiring but very satisfying. Ex s-i-l phoned to say she could pick me up from home but she was only 5 minutes away (this was at 8 am rather than the 10.30 am I was expecting. I was awake but had failed to persuade my body to get out of bed (went out in the yard again the previous night and set up the long boards across the 5 director's chairs for the lower row of plants). So quick wash, very skimpy morning routine, grabbed things I need as I thought of them, turned my room upside down looking for the bag I'd had on Tuesday (with my purse and keys in - my house and mum's) and presented myself at the front door as s-i-l arrived with the big white van (she went for the one with the tailgate lift).

Off to mum's. I insisted on sitting down, each of us having a drink and eating my breakfast yoghurt. She had phoned her daughter and daughter's bf and told them to get to the bungalow asap but they were both 'as drunk as monkeys'. S-i-l is having the nearly new single mattress (niece has persuaded my brother to take the 'hospital bed' but he bought a new single mattress last week so didn't need the mattress). Niece had given her mother strict instructions that she was not to ask for it but I'm happy for her to have it (younger niece had said I wouldn't mind).

I was going to take it to my house as I'm thinking about getting a day bed for the front room once I've moved DS3 and his Beloved on but atm I really don't have room for anything more in my house - it's getting harder to manoeuvre between all the bits although I've noticed that their room is getting clearer (my talk on if it's not worth the bother of packing and taking to a new location, get rid of it now obviously worked).

So we put the mattress in the van at the back but would let niece think it was going to mine (niece was trying to get out of making a contribution to the cost of the van). We made a start on the weeding which was much easier than I expected (I suggested s-i-l used it as therapy to take out her frustration) and tidied various other bits into keeping and rubbish. I harvested tiny carrots, small onions and spring onions (I planted rows of stuff after everything else was harvested last autumn hoping it would get along without me) and later cut a magnificent savoy cabbage with a nearly 2 ' leaf span).

Eventually niece and bf arrived and then found the bed was much harder to dismantle than they had first thought. That was all packed in the van and then the washing machine (also going to my brother's) then the wardrobes (niece's) and she chose which planters she wanted to take and they went in. I'd unscrewed the hook bracket which held the big ladders (already moved to nieces) and offered a lot of l-shaped connectors to the bf (originally bought when I was making raised beds for my allotment using old decking planks) so another couple of bags of stuff rehomed.

They set off in the van to drop off the wardrobes at nieces's house and take the  things to my brother's. Niece and bf stayed there to reassemble things and put them in there new locations. I'd also given niece another package of money for my brother and written a receipt for him to sign. Meanwhile I went to the little shop to buy some lunch and then moved various garden pots to the front of the house ready for bringing home. I asked s-i-l what were the chances of niece and bf returning to help us with the remaining work - less than zero.

So we packed my apple tree, s-i-l's rhubarb plant (it's in an old kitchen bin so too large to go in s-i-l's car, my chimney stack composter, an old bin (containing several 10 l metal pots and more seed trays), a 50 l pot containing snapdragons (it got missed when the other pots were transported), the small tv, medium (5 step ladders), the kettle, gave s-i-l the part box of tea bags, sugar was in an open container so that went in the bin, oddments from here, there and everywhere and finally mum's fridge-freezer (I was leaving it there in case the new people wanted it as it's narrower than normal to fit comfortably in the available space, but it's more than likely they won't want it and then I'd have the expense of moving it separately.

What's left is cleaning stuff and things to be collected by the waste wizards. S-i-l will come 2 days next week to help me with the cleaning (not much required but I'm terrified of standing in the shower to clean it when I don't have anyone with me) and the remaining weeding - will take gauntlets to tackle the nettles and the begonias I've grown on to fill the decorative pots and dwarf beans to fill up the raised beds. Need to tie in a climbing rose which is trailing across the footpath.

We also had a chat about s-i-l's husband (released from prison after 12 years of her campaigning) who's now blowing hot and cold about whether he wants to be married. I listened but didn't tell her what she should do. My life experience is completely different, I always wanted to live on my own - one tiny slip and I'm still trying to be 'on my own' 40 years later and my 'sewing/crafts/ reading room is going to morph into somewhere for my grand-daughter when she comes to stay. 

Came home, bags and small items into the house, enlisted the 'big boy' to help get the fridge freezer from the van into the house. We left the 5 large garden items on the front, to be moved at my convenience. I never changed out of my wellies into my boots so my legs are a mass of sore patches. DS3 was complaining that the fridge-freezer was stopping him getting to the front door for food deliveries so I stayed downstairs until that arrived (I also got him to order for me - nearly 6 pm by now. I did put my boots on later but only managed to move one item round to the back, the other 4 were moved between 6 am and 7 am this morning.

Found it difficult to lie or sleep comfortably because my legs were sore in so many places but managed with the aid of painkillers and bug coolant spray (couldn't find the antiseptic cream last night). I've showered, had my morning pills and something to eat and am planning some bed based activities for now. Film club is at 1 pm and again at 7.30 pm. If I feel up to a short walk I'll hunt down more antiseptic cream, new puzzle book came out yesterday and I'll haunt the sale rails for a couple of full length dresses that don't touch any of my sore bits.

I've brought photos back upstairs with me and will put together a selection for my younger niece. Lots of things made me smile - the predictability of young people, my own wonky and shuffling progress (we did it though, we did it), being able to produce tools and materials as required.

Did the meter readings too.

f0xh0les

What an amazing amount of progress @mothernerd and glad you had fun.

I will be attempting similar acts of madness next week in a similar bungalow in a land far(ish) away

BadBookkeeper

Happy Friday turtles.

Ive just updated my signature and I’ve paid 50% off my debt!!  I had my lightbulb moment 5 years ago but couldn’t really do much except stop using credit & pay minimums so really got stuck in January 2020 so happy with the last 2 and a half years progress with 28 months to go…….

- No unintended spends today
- Nothing wasted
- No alcohol today so now 13/31 alcohol free days and lost 3lb this week. Hoping for a loss of 1.5 next week.
- The scales made me smile & the extra in my pay due to NI limits.
- Budgets all topped up.  Everything allocated & leaves £29 miscellaneous.  This will probably be needed for fuel.  Days out & gifts allocated funds.
- Nothing money saving today really except budget planning.
- NSD claimed so now 13/16

beanielou

Wow @grandmanerd.  In awe. Just awe.

Well done @BadBookkeeper.  Be proud.

greent

Well done @BadBookkeeper! 👏👏

Thankful for sunny day, for paydays (Dh today (early due to w/e) and me yesterday), for my children, for a flebay sale, for DS2 doing some cleaning and tidying in his room - things even went in the bin/ recycling!, for DS1 driving me today as I didn't feel quite well enough!