NST OCTOBER 2022: Autumn Leaves and Sloe Berries

hazeldreams

Morning!

Outside I must break the wfh day up with a walk outside today. Planned this in for 11.00.

Inside Worked out why there are a ton of mini flies on my cheese plant. Apparently, its fungus gnat. Ewww. I've bought some yellow sticky things to get the bigger flies to stick to it and some gravel mulch which apparently prevents re-infestation. Hope it works, they're in my office and driving me crazy while I work. 

Fun nothing happening yesterday or today.

Food/Drink Didn't manage to make the soup as unbelievably, the washing machine broke yesterday as I put an early wash on to make the most of the dry day. I was completely devastated especially after last months emergencies, however my Dad came to the rescue and got it working again temporarily while we source a replacement part. Oh well, hopefully that's my 3 things now and the rest of the year will be uneventful. Still AF. Just had a small Aldi treat size choc bar as a treat yesterday. I' going to try no choc/sugar today.

Read Listened to "Solve for Happy" by Mo Gawdat and a Dave Ramsey podcast episode. Spent lots of time reading posts on this forum too.

Plan 4 Dec still can't think about this yet...

Gratitudes journalling, Yoga, meditation

Yoga/Meditation didn't make it to yoga yesterday due to the washing machine catastrophe and I really missed it. Made up for it this morning though with a YWA Yoga for "self care" and meditation for "self love". Both were lovely.

Spending Nope. NSD 1/10.

Have a great day all!

Hazel x

Toni'sfriend

Glad you enjoyed Brian Cox, Idee. The Boy is going to see the show tomorrow.

Yesterday's walk was a bit longer than the day before and quite hilly. It was sunny with a cool breeze and there were lots of seabirds flying around. By the time we got back Himself was shattered. I remember that, not so long ago, he could have walked four times that distance without a second thought. I had a long chat with him and he has conceded that he really does have to see a doctor about his aches and pains. He's actually finding it difficult to pick up cups, etc and the joints on his fingers are looking very swollen. All I have to do now is try to get an appointment at the Health Centre which is easier said than done these days.

So, he's going to have a quiet day in. I think I'll try to get a short walk in or at least sit outside in the garden reading when the sun comes out. It's a bit cloudy just now.

I'm glad to see everyone is making soup. You all know how I love making a pot of soup. All that stirring and chopping is so therapeutic.  Planning to make lots over the winter.

I'm off with my coffee now to catch up with the news.

ldee2111

Checking in quickly as I'll be logging off soon to go to an ENT appointment and will be visiting a friend this evening. 

Today is NSD 1/15. 

Grateful for a fairly easy day at work, for seeing a friend this evening, and for a tasty lunch of oats, tinned peaches and yoghurt. 

CMD79

Hell everybody!

It's lovely reading through what everyone is doing to keep themselves going, and I'm taking a lot of inspiration from all of you! I didn't have a clue what this challenge was, but I've quickly realised how helpful it is to be mindful and grateful and contemplative.

My food budget has never been too bad, but one thing I mentioned a couple of days ago was that I wanted to reduce my waste. I've never though about it before as it being a cost, because it's already paid for. But actually, I'm going to start adding it up each week so that I try to improve on it.

I've delayed my Sainsbury's shop by 4 days, which will help in reducing the number of shops I do this month to just 3, rather than the usual 4 (or 5 in a 5 week month). I used a load of stuff from the bottom of the fridge yesterday in a curry that I wouldn't usually put in a curry, so we got our 5 a day, I put on only a handful of rice because it had some potatoes in it, and for the first time in my adult life, I'm just about to eat the final items in the veg section (except some garlic and chilli and ginger which I'll continue to use into the month). This feels like quite an achievement, though I perhaps shouldn't be praising myself too much, rather than acknowledging, that my previous, wasteful attitude is very bad.

I've been looking at soup recipes this afternoon, so the carrots that I usually end up with buying then most going in the bin, are definitely getting eaten in October! I really like carrots, and I really like carrot soup, so why this is a new thing, I have no idea!

The other thing I really need to work on, is my tea habit. I rarely drink alcohol, but 10-12 + teas per day is probably worse for me than 4 pints! I don't think I'll ever really address it, but if I can aim to half it, that will at least be something. I've bought some cheap herbal teas, so each time I boil the kettle for my tea, I'm filling up a flask and having 2 herbal teas (using 1 bag) before I'm allowed my next tea. We'll see how it goes!

Anyhoo....thanks for all the ideas and hope you all enjoy a nice Autumn evening with or without your thermals on! (I'm boiling myself and have had to crack a window, so!)

xx

lcc86

Bit of a spendy day but planned spends. Took blind bunny to the vet for a check up, all budgeted and paid for. Good job he lives indoors so I can keep an eye on him. And it's an even better thing that he still knows where his litter box is despite being blind!

I bought some more candles for cheapy December day gifts, everyone will be having a very scented Xmas from me!

Managed to get a refund on my oyster card when they accidentally charged me a full day's fare last week, £9.50 coming back to me shortly. 

Ticked off a couple of other small frogs today as well while WFH, which is good as I'm in the office every other day this week.

I've also managed an hour's walk outside this morning, yoga at lunchtime and a quick kettlebell workout just now as well. Not sure I'll be able to fit anything in tomorrow so did a bit extra today.

f0xh0les

CMD79 said:

 This feels like quite an achievement, though I perhaps shouldn't be praising myself too much, rather than acknowledging, that my previous, wasteful attitude is very bad.

You recognised your previous attitude was not helpful to your debt-busting aims, so you changed your behaviour, and you will achieve financial security faster. That deserves praise, if you had noticed the waste and gone, 'meh!  I waste so much food! I am so wasteful! This is just wrong!' and carried on doing it, that would be a bad attitude. 

Turtles celebrate every victory.  The media is telling us we are to put bread in the fridge, and keep the veg in its plastic prison so it goes off faster, and that we are to sweep the contents of the fridge into the bin on a Friday morning with gay abandon,  and go buy NEW! and SHINY! and FRESH! when we have perfectly good food that needs to be used. 

They spend millions on these budgets, and you saw through it all on your own.  You got there. How you got there does not matter. You are there.

Thrifty_Taylor

NSD#1

Thank you for the autumnal picture, I love conkers!! Unfortunately, there are no mature horse chestnut trees on our island to forage under, but we have a baby tree growing in our garden, so maybe in the future we will have some Yes @Esmeralda2662 I do have a store cupboard, just in case the boat doesn't come in for the shops to restock their shelves. Glad your scan went ok @greent

Sorry I've been AWOL, there has been so much happening that I'm feeling extremely overwhelmed & exhausted!  On Saturday (after staying the night at my mum's) I did my big monthly shop, this was even more important this month, as I'm away to hospital on Tuesday, & DH doesn't drive, so will have to make do with what's in the cupboards.  After putting it all away, I completed a sewing commission, then after tea made some lavender fish.  DS3 helped for a little while, but then I was up until 11.30pm filling them & sewing up their tails.

Sunday I was at a craft fayre all day.  Spent some of the time sewing eyes on the lavender fish.  Was quite disheartening as I only sold 1 item at 3.30pm (since opening at 11am), which didn't even cover the cost of my stall!  Went for a lovely walk to clear my head a bi when I got home.  Saw a pheasant & lots of flying geese en route.  Stopped at a friend's house to collect some shampoo I'd ordered for my mum for Sproutmas, & discovered a few extra items to thank me for sharing her page & posts on FB, so a lovely surprise.  Balanced budgets after tea, but eyes were too tired to put money into envelopes.

Today I knew when I woke up that I had been overdoing things, sore eyes & head, & tension in my neck & shoulders.  To put myself first for a change, I did a short YWA neck & shoulders routine, which has helped a little.  Was looking forward to a morning of mostly sitting down with a pupil, but another member of staff was off sick, so instead I had to run round after an extremely energetic 5 year old!!  The afternoon was better.  Chatted with a colleague at the end of the day, she could see in my face that I was exhausted.

Tonight's plan, now that I've caught up on reading all your inspiring posts, is to pack away my warm weather clothes & shoes, make sample items for tomorrow night's sewing class, pack my bag for going to hospital (have to leave straight after my class tomorrow night, stay at mum's in town, then catch an early bus then flight to Aberdeen Wed morning) & if I get chance, put money in the envelopes!

Grateful for nice walks, catch ups with friends, a supportive family, surprise smellies, it nearly being Wednesday night, when I can relax & recharge my batteries, & you lot

BadBookkeeper

Nothing much to report from me today.

Outside - Took the dog we’re looking after for a walk this morning, it’s a lovely day but it did feel like another chore.

Inside - Cleaned the kitchen windows.  One of those jobs that I wanted to get done didn’t take long at all.

Fun - Will watch another episode of tv series we’re into at the moment.  Or the footy.

Food/Alcohol - No alcohol today.  Had healthy meals today.  Cereal, homemade soup and roast chicken & veg.  Having mini easy peeler oranges for something sweet. Waiting for satsumas to come out!

Read - Nothing read today. 

December - Had a chat with ds about his birthday & Christmas presents.  I am allocating a Wednesday evening every week as my December events time to get organised before 1st Dec so I can enjoy the festive season without panic buying.

NSD 3/15 It won’t be one tomorrow as I’m buying my cards for the month and I plan to buy a few other bits I need.

My MSE thing(s) of today was using a portion of my homemade soup, drying clothes indoors & also keeping heating down as long as possible.  I’m also looking into whether I should look for a long balance transfer deal as I won’t have paid off my debt within my current deal & not sure they’ll be any 0% when my current deal ends the way things are at the moment. 

Grateful for - DS doing his homework without me nagging, good meals, a dry day & wfh. 

f0xh0les

BadBookkeeper said:

  I’m also looking into whether I should look for a long balance transfer deal as I won’t have paid off my debt within my current deal & not sure they’ll be any 0% when my current deal ends the way things are at the moment.

That is really good forward planning @BadBookkeeper , if I were you -  and you could get a 18 month or longer @ 0% I would go for it.  There is too much uncertainty about

f0xh0les

I just heard one of my kids coughing upstairs.  The Attack of the "Other People's Kids' Dirty Germs" seems to have begun.  They were all complaining about stuffy noses and sore throats this morning.  Plague-Pit-Secondary-High-School strikes again.  DH will no doubt catch it next, and we don't even have the comforting Sip-of-Lem anymore as they stuck lactose in it. Boo!  Might have to go hunt down and squeeze some lemons...... We finished the soups for lunch today,  so at least we have had 3 days of vitamin boosting meals to combat the lurgy.  Saw my first Celeriac in the shops today (it was tiny, a little baby celeriac), and also saw my first Poinsettia (they are weird furry creatures that do not enter my house).

This week in Turtle-Moneysaving-News, I am going to pay off my mortgage with my inheritance cheque.  I will be MF at 48 and 1/4 years old.