NST March 2023 LIONS and LAMBS

Thrifty_Taylor

beanielou said:

Thank you so much @Thrifty_Taylor for my lovely surprise    xx

It was my pleasure, I hope it made you smile 😃 enjoy!

Great work @grandmanerd, sounds like you're rooms are coming along nicely.

Very tired today, one of the cats has got into the habit of lying on my each morning, but today it was 5.30 & I couldn't go back to sleep again afterwards. Didn't do yoga, but did do Norwegian practice (70 days now!)

My pupil was out for the morning, & one of the women from the office off sick, so I was asked to help in the office. It made a nice change! A good afternoon with pupil, thank goodness 😊

Most of the snow has gone now, nice sunshine too, so you went for a work with my work bestie (the other one returned this morning after being ill, & gave each of us a big hug 🥰). 

Looked at my smaller savings account & discovered I had more money in it, than originally thought. Transferred the extra to my normal account. Unpicked a zip, then replaced it after tea.

Grateful for seeing work bestie C & her hug, that the sale of her inherited house is definitely going ahead, so less stress for her, a lovely walk with bestie L, an external agency woman feeding back on pupil & saying how much we're on the same page, surprise savings

facethemusic

Still NSD 9. 
Lots of time outdoors today, some exercise and plenty of steps (20 000), couple more bits added to the charity shop bag and I've even hoovered. 
A tube of hand cream and a candle finished tonight, so a very small reduction in stash sizes. There has to be more leaving the house than coming in but not in sufficient number or volume to make any difference! 

Esmeralda2662

Hi Turtles, sorry I haven't posted much but I've enjoyed reading all your news.

Went with my friend to a water colour painting class on Saturday. We painted flowers and it was great fun. Wish I'd sorted my secondhand paints out earlier as 1 or 2 were set rock hard and no good. Completed 4 paintings and someone liked my magnolia one so much they accidentally took it home! Next time I will put my name on my work.

My other friend found a zumba gold class to try as our old one never restarted after covid. It's on an industrial estate so the whole class struggled to find it in the dark. So nice to do some exercise and everyone seemed friendly. Will try it a few times to see how it goes.

Still trying to finish my 2nd book from Jan/Feb. Wish I could read as quickly as I used to! Still on 1 NSD.

My German penfriend sent me photos of her decorated Easter bunch (tree), house and garden. Reminded me I need to prepare mine asap. They do such beautiful Easter things over there.

Gratitudes: A fun day flower painting followed by tea at my friend's house, a nice zumba class, an easy tea tonight, some lovely smelling bath powders and photos of my friends beautiful Easter decorations. X

lcc86

@ldee2111 I agree Mr MSE needs an award! My parents never taught me about money management but kind of expected me to "just know", and without Mr MSE I don't know where I'd be!

Woke up at 5.45 this morning for some reason, lay in bed for a bit but gave up at 6.30 so just sitting having a coffee before getting ready for work.

Yesterday was up early for spinning class at 7.15, absolutely killer but felt food afterwards! Was stuck in meetings all morning at work, but was able to catch up on lots of stuff in the afternoon. 

Got weirdly annoyed yesterday as my boss had told me a more senior role would be coming up shortly and that she wanted me to apply, then I saw an email yesterday saying the post had been offered to someone else. I hadn't even realised (or been told) that it was being advertised, and felt a bit miffed about it even though there was no guarantee I'd get it. Am over it now and in hindsight I think I would've only applied for financial reasons rather than because I actually like the role, so perhaps it's best I didn't.

I worked at my second job last night, we were in a pub that sells pizzas so I decided to have one for dinner, spent £11.50. Probably should've prepped in advance and brought dinner to work but decided to treat myself. 

grandmanerd

I had been about to say how well behaved my laptop had been on Wednesday, then thought that would jinx it but it wouldn't charge anyway (I have a panoply of techniques to use on it now to keep it going but when I get the chance, I'm going to transfer anything important onto a pen drive). Thanks for your offer apple and others - DS3 said he had no idea how to categorise them and I haven't had a chance to ask Beloved yet.

Spent quite a long time in my room. Selected a whole bag for life's worth of books to take downstairs. Pulled out several categories of things to go in the bureau and craft drawers and shuffled the remaining books (one row of books on one set of drawers rather than 3 rows spread over 2 drawers. Shelves behind the bathroom door (it opens outwards and there's a 1' niche behind) now only have 9 books by one author and 2 singles (and the toilet rolls - refilled the bathroom bin and have 2 packs remaining). 

I've decided I will order toilet rolls sooner rather than later and may get a double load (anxiously counting toilet rolls and speed of usage is something I can do without and I have the space now). I am going to put repeat prescription ordering onto the to do list from today. It sometimes takes a few times to get through and that may not all be on the same day. I was going to wait until next week but that could take us into the Easter and BH period and I'd be back to counting pills and waiting anxiously. I checked available SM delivery slots and the week up to the 1st of March was empty so I'm going to put that order together and pick a cheap slot that's convenient for me (I can add to the order until midnight on the day before delivery).  I might as well order the toilet rolls and a few other things (including fence panels) at the same time (batching tasks).

I have several  jottings of things I want to buy (will be for next month and Easter) but will put together a master list combined with using up including putting some things away in the freezer, doing a food audit and cleaning the fridges where necessary.
I'll have a side list of things to buy from places other than the SM and I'm going to reinstate my 'wishlist' - when I was struggling I had a list of long-term wants and each month I would treat myself to something on the list according to how broke I was. I remember the joy of getting a new replacement duvet but I was also very happy the months I bought new pegs and an alarm clock.

I found the Gratitude Journal I bought last year and have decided to  use that as my diary - it has spaces for the date, top priority, intentions (that will be my to do list), thoughts and feelings and boxes for a quote of the day, grateful for and things to spend more time doing. I've taken the back pages from 1 of the 2 falling apart diaries I'm dissecting which covers dates from July 2023 - June 2024 and I'm going to stick them to either side of a piece of card and attach them to the book (I have another bit which covers from this week until June). I will mark any appointment dates and keep a 'bookmark' which lists them in order.

I went through 2 piles of photos and took out most of the ones of my mum either on her own, with my brothers and I, with my children and with her partner and various friends on holidays after we were grown up. Will label anything I can and hand them over to DS2 on Sunday (he can select as many as he likes of the modern ones but only a few of the ones taken at various stages of mum growing up). Many have already been distributed to other people and I'm not taking the 'historic ones (up to great-great-grandparents). 

Went downstairs and about 3 pm I decided to set out towards the market. I really didn't want to but thought hair appointments and threading would be easier on Wednesday afternoon rather than as weekend approaches. Wednesday was traditionally one of the market days and half day closing and many using the town centre shops (mostly people coming in by bus) still go on Wednesday morning and go home at lunchtime (even though the market is open 6 full days a week). 

Reached the hair dressers and she could fit me in roughly an hour later, so went into the mall to the threading stall (I swear it gets further away each time). She was free so I had the full  face done (both hair and torture were due last month). It cost £5 more than I was expecting which meant I was £5 short for hair cut money (my purse had decide to hide again so I took the spare notes off my tray). I checked the time and did my best hobble home. Sat outside after asking DS3 to run upstairs for some money from the drawer. On my way back the left handle of the walker started to wobble - one of the knobs had come off (the censor elves might take that away) so I walked holding the pin pressed firmly through the hole, scanning the pavements anxiously (3rd time I've used that) and finally found it between the oldest pub in town and the entrance to the bus station. A man came back to help as he thought I was struggling with the pavement and I held the pin as he reattached the knob.

On to the hairdresser's and had a 1/4 of an hour sitting on the couch, reading my book and remembering how to breathe again. It wasn't my usual hairdresser and I think the fringe might be too near my eyes and start to irritate me in a couple of weeks but other lovely (overnight has left it a little more fluffy and slightly less 'rotary club' so much improved). that too had gone up  in price (to be fair the prices have stayed the same over the past 2 -3 years. However it's tasks that are completely beyond me and at nearly 3 months since last time it's only just over 50p a day for the 2.

Very tired when I got home. Sat, ate, drank and read my book (sharing the couch with DS3). Put away the books I had brought down and weeded out another 5 to go to the charity book shop. DS3  wasn't  intending to go to bed before midnight, so weeded things out of my bag that could be left downstairs, gathered food and drink and carried up 2  very light bags. Read for a while and settled down to sleep at 7.30 pm. As I adjusted the pillows  into sleep mode, I noticed my purse hiding underneath. Another near disaster - the half drunk bottle had fallen over and emptied into my bag.  Hastily rescued things (phone is fine, library book only had a few drops of water on it), made a fairly creditable attempt at pouring the liquid from a large fabric bag into a glass jar which I've been using to drink water. I had no spare hands so some liquid seeped onto me,  my clothes and my newly cleaned mattress. Very grateful that it was a new bag and the lining was intact, on some of the older bags myself, the bed and the floor would all have been soaked. 

I expected to be awake early but slept until 6 am so grateful for much needed sleep and enjoying scrunching and stretching my feet and wiggling my toes. Grateful for getting lots done, being well-groomed to meet my little family (just have to work on not spilling food all down my dress on Sunday), having plans and lots of ideas for small steps forward.

Shrewbie

Morning turtles,

I definitely agree about Mr lewis. Like most of us I never had any financial education at school and my parents set a terrible example (through no fault of their own) so I appreciate his campaigning, as well as everything he taught me when I was much older. 

I had to fend for myself for dinner last night (bf usually does the cooking as he works from home) but he is in Seville. I ended up with a salad and two slices of homemade bread 😂. Cooked rice and black beans in the pressure cooker to have over the next couple of days. It was my first time doing whole grain rice in there and it came out too mushy so need to readjust the timings for next time. Determined not to buy any food until Saturday; I have enough. 

Grateful for a voice note from my best friend saying she can’t wait to see me next week, for bf leaving little notes around the flat for me to find and for realising that the nestle coffee i’d bought for during the week as it was on discount is 50% sugar. Sugar in coffee grounds??? It’s a new one on me. That went straight in the bin! 

Toni'sfriend

We've been eating mostly from stores and freezer buying just a bit of fresh fruit and veg, etc. Himself is getting very good at making nice, healthy meals. I'm most impressed. And we have most of the food budget left over.

 I have also been using up my store of toiletries to try to get my skin in better condition. It's very, very dry. But I have had a bit unexpected expenditure on new underwear. Everything I already have is very uncomfortable.  But at the moment comfort is at a premium so it is worth it.

I'm a bit worried about Himself. He's very tired. I've persuaded him to have a little nap and promised him that I will get him if I need anything. I hate that he is so worried about me.

Just got our council tax bill for next year. It seems to have gone up an awful lot. I can't quite understand why. I'm actually wondering if last year's was wrong and I've been given some sort of discount that I wasn't really entitled to but I can't see where. The banding hasn't changed and this year's seems to be correct. I'll leave it for just now. Too many other things on my mind.

But today and yesterday have been very good days. I'm feeling happy and optimistic, Long may it continue. xxx

ldee2111

NSD 6 today.

I've been indoors all day working by the window... weather has been 'driech' for most of the day.

Mum popped over at lunchtime and I made us cheese toasties. 

Nowt much else to report.

Grateful today for a warm and dry home, for Mum coming over for a chat and a toastie, for a new recipe to try for tonight's dinner, and for another episode of a good series we're watching just now .

Have a good evening turtles. x

facethemusic

Today was NSD 10, so going well so far this month. I have professional registration fees to pay by the end of the month and although the money is ready to use, I'm going to see how much I can squeeze out of this month to reduce what I transfer to pay it. Any remaining money in the pot can be added to the "how much do I need to save to replace the windows" pot! So challenge is on to spend as little as possible between now and the 30th (pay day). 
The sun has been out today in-between the rain showers, and it was definitely still light (ish) when I finished work so Spring is trying to make an appearance. 

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for dc going to school, for dh's hospital eye appointment being positive, for having fun at a gym class, for getting my finger x-rayed without too much of a wait (it was a turn-up-and-be-seen-at-some-point visit), for finding some perfect shoes in the ch shop.