NST January 2023 Best Possible Me

ditty1234

Happy Friday, lots of NSD days this week. Paid extra into savings and things today with my cover job. Am trying to live for the rest of the month - on very little. Am grateful for good colleagues. 

lcc86

Evening turtles

I took my bike to work today, cycled partway at both ends. Had a doctor's appointment first thing so took a quick detour there beforehand.

Work kept me busy, I managed another NSD and ate healthily. I also popped to the post office to pay in some Christmas cash (is it just me who hates having cash?!) which has been on my to do list all week. I've also closed all my old savings accounts now that my new ones are set up.

Have had a nice unintentionally vegan curry for dinner and am just about to jump in the bath. I have had a cheeky glass of wine to finish a bottle but it's Friday so why not!

NSD's - 6

Healthy food days - 9

Workouts this week - 5

DawnW

NSD # 9 (I think!!)

Gentle ((hugs)) to @grandmanerd, hope you feel better soon. My horrible bug has now departed, hope yours soon does too, and that the house sale completes without any further dramas. And to @Toni'sfriend, hope that you soon feel more like your usual busy,  enthusiastic self after your recent health flare up, but take it gently and be kind to yourself

Grateful today for a relatively calm day at work, selling quite a large item, freeing up some space and making some money, and OH cooking a very nice dinner

greent

Thankful for an overall good week at work with lots achieved, for lemon cake at work today, yummy leftovers for lunch, the kids all being in great moods.

Our gas/ elec bill for 23/11 - 23/12 was approx £636 and some pence.... 😱😱 it wasn't on 24/7 and we weren't going around in tshirts 😩

ldee2111

Dropped car at garage for MOT and then walked DS to school where I stayed for a couple of hours to do paired reading with some of the pupils… it was lovely to see them and to hear about their Christmas holidays, and hear them reading too (they all did very well and were really trying their best). I am really loving this wee bit of volunteering and am so thankful to have the free time to do it.

After school I walked to Mum’s (about a mile) and had a cuppa and a chat. Then I walked home (another mile or so).

Car MOT was all fine so only had the cost of the MOT itself. OH and I walked the 2 miles back to the garage to collect the car, then picked up DS from school. 

So a decent amount of walking for us today… more than our usual. OH has signed up to do a charity walking challenge next month which might spur me on too. 

Grocery order is in for delivery tomorrow… I’ve been ordering via the River Retailer / Morris partnership to use up the vouchers we got from radio station last month, and just been transferring the cash amount from our usual grocery budget into our savings. And currently there’s a £10 off code for your first 3 orders which I’ve been using too. Missing the lovely Saneberries delivery drivers and using their superior APP, but want to use up the vouchers and get the free £30 of groceries! 

Grateful today for car getting a clean bill of health, for walk with OH (and the rain staying off for most of the way), and for getting to play card games with DS and OH (it’s more fun now that DS is of an age he can play and give us a decent challenge!)

facethemusic

13/1 still 7NSDs as I was in the town of "ever so slightly cheaper diesel" so I filled up again. 
greent- 😱😱😱 to that power bill- thankfully ours is nowhere near that! 
I did clear out the kitchen drawer last night- a few small things binned or recycled, more replaced to their rightful home and a much tidier drawer! 
Bedtime very soon as its an early start for work tomorrow, happy weekend 🐢 🐢 if you have a weekend work-free! 

apple_muncher

facethemusic, fuel doesn't lose you an NSD. Claim it!!!

Shrewbie

Morning turtles

I’m also very shocked at some of your elec bills, it is really horrendous. I hope this doesn’t continue for too long. 

Yesterday bf and I went on a jaunt around the barrio, ate €2.50 pizza slices and then picked up some pasteles de nata from a cafe to eat later. Bf is a chatty type tending to make friends everywhere he goes (especially when he’s had a drink) and managed to wangle us two extra pasteles for free. 

Still only on 1 NSD. This is down to multiple top-up shops throughout the week as BF works from home so it is easier for him to pop out and do a small shop during the day with our joint cc and I have no control over this. (edit> this is a lie. I do have control, he always asks me! it is down to bad planning) So from now on I will limit him to two per week and judge whether I consider specific shops to be my spends. I have just updated spends for the week and see that we are still within budget for food however I upped the budget as prices are noticeably higher. Added the trains to Seville into the travel budget. 

I’m doing pretty well so far with the daily goals. I ate no sweets or chocolate Mon-Thur, I meditated and wrote every day and managed to finish a non-fiction book for the first time in probably years… went to the gym 4 times and walked for an hour one lunchtime. Splits challenge 2/5 days done. I will start this properly on Monday. I have not drunk any booze since Saturday. 

I have not looked at social media once this week apart from linked1n for work (which took me about 10min) and this forum of course.

Things to improve next week - Plan shops better. Prepare brekkie and clothes for work the night before work days so I’m not rushing in the morning. Ideally I want time to write and drink coffee and not think about anything else. Continue with batch cooking lunches at weekend and start the splits challenge properly. 

Grateful for a friend sending me podcast recommendations r.e. no booze, for feeling motivated to meet up with friends this weekend.  

ldee2111

Turtles,I need some advice on keeping food. 

Had a pile of carrots and potatoes delivered in grocery order this morning. Too many for me to use in the time that they’ll keep fresh. 

I’ll be using them in:
- lentil soup 
- carrot and rice soup
- bangers and mash
- baked potatoes 

But there will still be some left - can I freeze them and use in soup later down the line? 

firsview

Idee carrots and potatoes don’t freeze well if not cooked first. You could roast the carrots, freeze them and use in soup later and potatoes can really only be frozen as mash or roasties. Of course, someone way more thrifty and knowledgeable than me may have other ideas for you!