NST OCTOBER 2022: Autumn Leaves and Sloe Berries

beanielou

Great news on the higher level of PIP @grandmanerd.
Hope it was awarded for a decent amount of time.

apple_muncher

Thrifty!!!!!!!!! Whoop, whoop!!!!! You're back!!!!!! See you in November!!!!!!

Grandmanerd, that is such good news about the money, and that you might be able to finally relax a bit more about it. Enjoy planning how to spend it 🤣🤣🤣.

Beanie, how are you doing?

thriftylass

Kids must've known I had important stuff to do and went straight to sleep, so I was able to spend the last 2 hours going through my budgets, bank statements etc. and taking making a food inventory. And I also started another diary on here to keep track. Gosh, it feels so good to be back and take control again. I also mentioned in my diary that I'll be doing it completely independent of DH this time. Just not wasting anymore energy on trying to change him as I can only change myself. It's been proven futile time and time again and I kept bailing him out (see sig). He will see the light eventually or ...I don't know. I love him but there are quite a few aspects of our lives where he is a bad influence or I blame him for my failings or "dragging me down/leading me astray". Here is to NOvember 

f0xh0les

Well hello stranger!! Nice to have you back again.  All we need now is  @abundant1972 to resurface next month.

The fireworks are going off here, well, they have been all week to be honest, even last night, as soon as the thunder stopped.

Took the kids to school, then went into town to try and sort out lost kids bank accounts with the COOP.  The lady was laughing, as there is literally pence in their accounts. I can't close the accounts until they update our address (they had the address three houses ago!!) we did not live near a branch, so could not go in person, so it just keeps going round in circles.  This time I think I have managed it.

Went in for my 4 hour shift, which turned into an 8 hour shift because the person supposed to be taking over  from me called in sick.  So I stayed.  Oh well, more money coming at me.  I am knackered however, but as I did not take any food with me - what was the point for 4 hours? - I was starved when I came home and dh had made a stew and saved me a portion.  I might just treat this job as a way to keep my face out of the fridge.  I have cup soups, I hit my step count every day I work.  What could possibly go wrong?

Did not buy a thing today except petrol, as the yellow light of shame came on. £60 to fill my little M1cra.  This time next week will be payday.  Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming, just keep swimming......

Thrifty_Taylor

Welcome back @thriftylass.
Great news @grandmanerd 🎉🎉

Did yoga when I got up, woke DS2 & 3 for school & college. Walked in the rain to the village, posted letters & dropped off sold books. Stripped the chicken carcass to make stock, then soup for dinner. Head teacher phoned, I need to either get signed off work to continue being paid in full, or take leave of absence - carer's leave - which is unpaid. Waiting for the Dr to phone me back. DH walked to the hospital shop this morning. He's seen the physio & showed them he can walk up/down stairs & go a distance too. Was going to list some books in fleabag, then decided to put em on local selling page instead. Sold quickly, collected within half an hour.

Builder from up the road came to repoint our ridge tiles, while he was up there, he cleared all the moss off the whole roof! I nearly cried when I saw what he was doing (unasked as well). He said all the ridge tiles have split, so will need replacing in springtime, plus when we had the roof done @14 yes ago, the cowboy builders never overlapped the tiles enough, so that'll be why we're now getting leaks 😭 would need to redo the roof possibly when we get the extension done. When he told me how much per sq m an extension would be, we're not going to have enough money to get someone in to build it. Back to the drawing board.

Grateful for DH's progress, a kind builder, book sales

hazeldreams

Morning all,

Intended to post yesterday morning but I had to be in work mega early for an important meeting and I just ran out of time to catch up on posts and post myself.

@f0xh0les - love that you can afford to have principles now! This is nirvana for me! Its a big part of why I want to be rid of all debt and mortgage!

@Thrifty_Taylor so pleased that oH is doing so well and might be home soon!

@beanielou sending loads of hugs and positive vibes

@Toni'sfriend I wouldn't wait the 3 weeks for OH appointment. I'd call the doctors back over and over again until they see him. If that doesn't work, I'd go to an out of hours doctor or as a very last resort A&E. His health is too important to risk waiting.

@greent ..scissors to cut a pizza! Its a revelation! So going to be doing this next time!

@grandmanerd so good to hear you're up and about and a bit more mobile and great news on PIP! Also, thanks for doing November and @apple_muncher doing December. This thread is helping me enormously!

Wow, I had so much to catch up on!

Update for yesterday and plans for today;

Outside Didn't get out for a walk Sunday or Monday. Unlikely today either as at work again and back to back with meetings!

Inside Nope

Fun Nope

Food/Drink AF 15/31. Food wasn't the best. Out for lunch at work with colleagues - had a pizza

Read yes, listened to Dave Ramsey podcast on way to work

Plan 4 Dec Nothing.

Gratitudes Grateful for weekly counselling session (even though I hate it at the time), having a job and an income in these worrying times, this thread! Oh and last day of work for the week - 3 days annual leave! Hurrah!

Yoga/Meditation YES! Journaled as I went to bed last night and wrote out my plan for this morning. Didn't hit snooze. Up and out of bed as soon as I knew I was awake (5am) then straight downstairs and did 5 min yoga and 7 min meditation. Not a lot but hopefully it's broken my yoga/med drought!  

Spending 7/10 NSDs now. Same as last month, hoping for another today to beat the score.

Hazel x

f0xh0les

Morning all!  Up bright and early, lunch box sausage rolls baked, coffee and shake for breakfast consumed.

Tiny 1m square bit of kitchen worktop where the kettle and coffee maker are has been cleaned and tidied and the teabag tin collection checked and the peppermint tea is going to be gone by the weekend. That is my Mission Possible.

I feel like the house has got away from me, what with working away Thurs/Fri and working Sun/Mon (get me! actually back working!) so am going to do a speed clean of all 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and the living room before lunchtime. 

DH picked up the kids  yesterday and has written a list of all the things they used up after school - he is learning! so not an NSD as I will do a ram-raid drive-by smash and grab of just the essentials on the way home.  Washing is going on the line as tomorrow is more likely to rain, and if DH goes near it, he will just shove it in the dryer -' done is better than perfect' is his mantra. He does not pay the electric bill!

ldee2111

Monday was NSD 9. 

I got a few small bonuses: 

• £27 from TCashback finally payable (now cashed out)
• a few weeks ago I questioned the refund amount (£15) I received from the train company used for London trip with OH. The train home was not only delayed but it didn’t go to our stop (despite it being listed on the stops). Company emailed yesterday to say they’ll be refunding a further £45. 
• Signed up to do surveys on swagB. If I can earn 1000 in next 30 days, I will get bonus points via MSE link. Hopefully transfer to a £30 Amazon voucher. Don’t know how easy it’ll be to get to 1000 because I keep getting kicked off surveys and not getting the full # of points. It’s quite annoying and I think I’ll only stay on to to try and get the £30 voucher. 
  

Still no takers on DS’s bike on gummytree or Fb marketplace… maybe more interest at the end of the month/payday? Lots of interest in the two items of DS’s clothing I listed on Vinted (a lovely denim shirt and chinos from JL - sad he’s outgrown them) but no ones pressed the ‘buy’ button yet.  Again, maybe the pay day thing. 

Failing on doing regular exercise. I want to do YWA as part of my day. The intention is there but I’ve just not worked out how to make it a habit. I’ve been taking a quick walk after dropping DS at school if it’s dry. But I would like to do more. Enjoying the autumn colours and fallen leaves.

This week’s a busy one but fun: last night I visited my friend and we lost track of time so I didn’t leave hers until 11-ish, I’ll be volunteering at DS’s first school disco on Thursday, we have a light show in a park on Friday, and on Sunday we’re going to look for witches in an old house.

Grateful for friend inviting me over, for getting a slice of her delicious banana bread just out of the oven, for our lengthy good chats, for the Halloween decorations beginning to pop up, and for my family.

Toni'sfriend

Exactly that, Hazel. I've told him to take the appointment but phone every morning to ask if there is a cancellation because he is really not very well. Unfortunately our practice is very short staffed. Our GP retired due to ill health and they haven't been able to replace him yet and some of the practice nurses have been seconded by the local health authority to deal with the Covid/flu boosters. Not their fault so we try to understand how difficult it is for them.

Great news on the PIP, GN. I can't really understand why they didn't award it in the first place.

Hello, Triftylass, Nice to see you back.

Hope Abundant is OK

I spent most of yesterday afternoon trying to arrange a refund from Amazon for part of an order I didn't receive. They obviously can't do basic arithmetic. But after spelling it out in words of no more than one syllable (or more accurately number) I seem to have got it sorted it

Still plodding along. I am not going to stress my self out by doing too much at a time and feeling shattered afterwards.

Sausage and mash for tea, I am so glad I don't have to worry about where food is coming from. I was watching a lady on TV this morning who works in a community food bank and cooks meals for people who can't afford to have food in the house. She was in tears. I was in tears. If I'm grateful for just one thing today it's that I may not have a lot of money but I have enough to manage.

beanielou

Thrifty~~hope you got signed off ok.

Thank you everyone for your good wishes.  Appreciated.