NST January 2023 Best Possible Me 28 December 2022 at 2:20PM in Debt-free wannabe challenges 557 replies 19.2K views

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for not having to go anywhere, for good coffee, for fruit salad, for l3go masters, for my jamas.

Today has been day #1 of NSD, exercise, no sugar, crafting. Just as Jan 1st should be!!!

DawnW

Not a great start to the New Year for me, as I have a cold, also an intermittent leak in the kitchen extension ceiling which I think comes through a dodgy looking old Velux skylight window.  I will need to look into getting it replaced.  Anyway, onwards and upwards. I haven't spent anything today, as nowhere is open, and I haven't eaten much as I have a delicate tummy along with my cold. This will at least help with my resolution to eat less and lose weight

We still seem to have lots of food in, so are still in use up mode. I will need a small shop though, as we are out of a couple of key things. Maybe tomorrow, depending on my cold. I am sure it isn't anything more than a head cold, as I have no temperature or cough. I have a small grandchild who always seems to have a runny nose, and climbs all over me, so that is probably the source I can always send OH to the shops if I am still sneezy. Hoping a decent night's sleep will help. We were kept awake by very noisy passers by until about 4 am last night (or rather this morning, I got up in the end!), and that hasn't helped.

So what with one thing and another, I haven't done much today. I have however prepped my new wall calendar by filling in important birthdays, and I see there are 3 this month. I already have presents for 2 of them, and will just need to get cards for these. The third is, annoyingly, the closest one, this coming Friday, so I will need to get something this week. Luckily it will not need posting.

thriftylass

Today I'm grateful for

* hugs and cuddles 

* not having given in to my cravings

* fresh air

* being in credit with the energy supplier to soften the blow of the last bill

Off to cosy and warm bed soon with a book.

First day was a good one

BadBookkeeper

Here’s to a happy new year to you all.

A good 1st day!!  I have 23 goals to achieve in 2023 using 23 as a theme.  I’ve started on 3 of these today.

Not an NSD today as I wanted to buy the 1st round at the pub this afternoon as DH usually pays for our social outings but it’s become a tradition that I buy the first when we go out for New Year’s Day.  I also ordered my December photos so not to waste another NSD another day.

Weighed myself this morning, have really enjoyed the food & drinks over December but I’ve had enough now & glad to draw a line!  

Tomorrow we will take the decs down & tidy up a bit, the house clean will probably have to wait until the weekend as back to work on Tuesday after having what feels like forever off work! 

Thrifty_Taylor

Count me in please @grandmanerd. I love your challenge, it's very inspiring & I'm itching to get started!

NSS#1
I awoke later than usual, but as I'm trying to do 31mins of exercise each day this month, I started off with a 17min aerobic video, followed by my 16min flexibility YWA. After breakfast I did a bit of tidying, took a meter reading, then set off for a walk. On the way home, I saw some elderly neighbours in their kitchen, who I've not seen/spoken to for months, so visited them for half an hour or so. They were so pleased to see me & hear all our news +especially about DH getting his transplant). Twice she told me I was one of the cheeriest people she knows 😍 Sorted through, cleaned & lined 2 more shelves in the kitchen, then did the ironing. After tea I did more prep work for my budget folder. Hopefully, tomorrow I can add up the final totals from last year, then set budgets & put money in the sinking funds. Had a bath with my book & did some pampering.

Grateful for the joy on the elderly people's faces when they saw me, their compliment, managing to do my first stint of exercise without collapsing in a pool of sweat! 🤣

@f0xh0les I'm interested in your firecracker sprouts, & @Toni'sfriend, how did you make your soup? Both things sound delicious!

ldee2111

Budgets are set to keep us in the black and to continually save for my two financial priorities: going on holidays and paying off the mortgage. I’ve given us a challenging goal for our mortgage OPs in 2023… £7k… I’ll make £6k by saving a budgeted £500 per month but I’ll need to find another £1k to hit the 7. 

I’ve started to track my spending in a notepad by my bed as well as log extra pennies/freebies in my spreadsheet (like cashback, coupons, vouchers, etc).

Habits I want to establish in 2023 that are good for my head, health and soul:

• 5 minutes (minimum) exercise a day - stretches, yoga, a walk, a quick HIIT
• Read a chapter of a book every day
• Empty the dishwasher every morning
• Buy at least 1 item a week for foodbank (will tie-in with top-up shops which are usually do in nearby SM where there is a trolley collection for local foodbank)

I’ll also keep trying for 15 NSDs.

xx

ldee2111

Happy New Year lovely turtles!

1st January update 

We took down and put by the decorations, we all mucked in on getting the house clean and tidy, OH made the steak pie, honey-roasted carrots, roast tatties, and I drank the wine. 

Missed out on a NSD because I booked airport parking and bought some clothes for DS from V!nted, including this year’s sprouts day jumper… 🤣

Grateful for OH being a great cook and putting in lots of kitchen time, for help from OH and DS to get the mountain of dried washing tidied away, and for relaxing on the sofa while watching a good film. 

Toni'sfriend

Thrifty - I made the soup to use up the abundance of tomatoes that Himself bought last week because they were reduced. 

So, chop the tomatoes, add garlic, chillies (number depending on how spicy you want it) tomato puree and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, simmer for about 30 minutes, blend and add a tin of chickpeas (more if you're making a big pot). That's it! It would work just as well with tinned tomatoes and if you want to make it vegetarian use veggie stock cubes instead of chicken.

It was rather nice!


Dawn - Hope you're feeling better today. Himself has a dreadful cold as well. Lots of lemon and ginger tea with honey is highly recommended.

thriftylass

Good morning.

Wrote my to do list. I think I will follow suit and clear the decorations today although I usually wait till the 6th. Will stick some lentil soup in the slow cooker, boil the eggs that are close to their date and make a big batch of salad.

Had quite bad nicotine cravings this morning, but got through them. Just keep thinking of the person I want to be and how I want to feel in a few months time.

Have a good day 

grandmanerd

Yesterday was a bit of a write off. I am getting better but this bug is going out kicking and thumping, so lots of violent coughing (but nothing to bring up so just a very sore throat and strange bits like the roof of my mouth), lots of sleep (but very hard to find a comfortable position and I've as much get up and go as a wrung out dishcloth - no point saying I'm as weak as a kitten, kittens are cute).

However all the grab and go food I bought helped (berries, mangetout and baby sweetcorn, grapes, sliced meat - no bread but the day before I'd sunk my teeth into white buns that were soft as clouds - and chocolate and ice lollies).  I drank loads including improving my water intake and I managed several 'extra grooming' bits.  The 'thick headedness' precluded any serious planning so lots of watching my serial and some reading.

Fell asleep at 5.30 pm and woke a couple of hours later. Phone call to tell me that mum's Blackpool cousin had died. Her daughter told me last week that she'd reached the  'end stage' - mainly because she'd stopped attempting to walk or even get out of bed to demand attention (more attention - she's always demanded attention). I'm so sorry for her daughter, she's left such a tangled mess. She favoured people who gave her the attention she craved so lumps of money have been left to her current 'best friend', her cleaner, the cleaner's husband, the man who did her shopping and the son, daughter, s-i-l and one grand-daughter of another cousin (the other grand-daughter isn't mentioned). The remainder of the estate will go to her daughter and then to the grandson she refused to meet. However she's appointed the 'best friend' and the cleaner's husband as executors and the vultures are already circling.

Some of these people are totally toxic - the cousin's son recently called her recently, accusing her of bad-mouthing him (he was horrible to mum after his mother died, even though mum and her partner were her primary carer's after her bouts of chemotherapy). This  was  after he'd abused his position as a social worker to find out which nursing home her mother had gone to. Now he's being conciliatory and wanting to come to the funeral, possibly wanting the glassware her mother collected. I said that's fine but the value of any glassware (it's hideous but valuable) is deducted from the cash he inherits. Lots of these people also have keys to her mum's house.

So I've committed to going to a funeral in Blackpool, to support my second cousin and her son. Ideally I'd like to take one of the boys' but can't see it happening.

Today is a gloriously sunny day, there's so much I want to be getting on with. However I'll start with getting myself downstairs at some point and sitting in the garden, well wrapped up and pondering. Grateful for having some distance from this branch of the family (the lovely cousin who made the raised beds and did other diy stuff for mum banned the deceased from visiting him - she had his sick wife waiting on hjer hand and foot and criticised everything). Easy food, lots to drink, sorbet in the freezer, enough.