NST September 2023: Turtle Tightwaddery with a sprinkle of Alchemy

ditty1234

Right lots of things happened above + so lots of love to the thread. I just wanted to state that I have been so busy I got paid Tuesday bit have have not spent any money yet - but now parents evening is done, I'm working tomorrow as workplace paid me for 3 days a week instead of 4 days a week. a bit !!!!!! when money stashes are gone after a long summer. 
And grateful for life things, caring parents, an xl beer and people sticking around even though I  feel I have done a great deal of moaning this month.

Thrifty_Taylor

Sending hugs @lcc86 to you & your colleague. Thank you for doing October @grandmanerd. Good luck with all the renovations @f0xh0les, I'm green with envy! One day it'll be my turn....

So yesterday I was up at 5.30 again, ready to join the picket line. All went ok, we even had 3 songs played on a fiddle by a son of a picketer, which was nice. My 2 work besties didn't join us, as disgruntled at something that'd happened the day before with one of the picketers. Dropped sewing off afterwards & spoke with the woman a while +kept trying to leave, but she kept talking - we did work together 27 years ago). A quick look round 2 CSs, then took a bootload to the dump.

Felt a bit irritable when I got home & opened my mail. One letter was about transferring us over from tax credits to universal credit, which we might not get as have over the threshold of savings, due to savings for the extension. Felt like we've scrimped & saved for all these years & now may not get the extra help because of it 😓

Replaced a zip in a schoolbag. Washed up after tea, then went to see my friend who's recently had an op. Had a good catch up.

Today I felt so tired. The pupil I had was argumentative most of the day & full of energy, so it was hard work! 

Phoned about opening an account for DS3, so it's finally sorted out. He's chuffed! DS2 is as well as he received a statement for his CTF. He thanked me for saving it for him.

Remembered to do a meter reading before Sunday. Washed up after tea, then took a friend to see a play. I treated her, as she'd paid for me at the cinema previously. She won 2 raffle prizes & gave me 1 of them.

Grateful for the weekend, lots of new customers, laughter at the play, seeing my friend yesterday, hearing the storm outside & being cosy inside

f0xh0les

Thrifty_Taylor said:

Good luck with all the renovations @f0xh0les, I'm green with envy! One day it'll be my turn....
Yes it will Thrifty. You will get there! 

Felt a bit irritable when I got home & opened my mail. One letter was about transferring us over from tax credits to universal credit, which we might not get as have over the threshold of savings, due to savings for the extension. Felt like we've scrimped & saved for all these years & now may not get the extra help because of it 😓

Yes they kept quite quiet about the savings bit. I remember thinking that when I was saving for the roof and they kept asking if I wanted to swap over, but I knew it was the wrong thing to do so I stayed with tax credit for as long as I could until DHs pay made us ineligible.  I think all rubbish post should be made to use a different colour envelope.  Maybe yellow and black stripes. Like a tiger/wasp.

Crazycatlady2

On the tax credits to UC situation I've been reading that if you have over the £16 k savings they kind of ignore it if you migrate over when told rather than choose to as part of the protection for 1 year so if you doing extension soon you might have spent it and be lower by then. I haven't been swapped yet but we have between 6 and 16 so that will affect what we get 

lcc86

I forgot to post yesterday, can't remember much of what happened tbh! Was finishing up some online training at work for most of the day. Went to give blood but was told I couldn't as I'm on antibiotics. That's the first donation in a year that they haven't cancelled but circumstances conspired against me. Need to book another one when I'm better.

Today I slept in for a change, only woke up when OH's alarm went off. Paid off holiday balance as I could access my fixed notice savings account. It looks very sad in there now! Went to the gym for a bit and then for a massage, very much needed! Did some cleaning at home - deep cleaned the dishwasher and the coffee machine, hoovered, got a load of washing on. Affixed the bath panel that needed doing, drill died after I'd done part of it but managed to get it done. 

Got the dinner on now, time for a bath and then maybe a film before bed.

grandmanerd

Yesterday I started well with an attempt to secure the metal arches I'd put along one wall by threading washing line through them (they should have little nuts and bolts but I can't find them). I had to go up a ladder and as I moved onto the second step. the ladder scrunched through the base layer. I was unhurt because all my weight was on the far side of the ladder but was shaken and went back inside. 

I was  cheered by the sound of DS3 coming down the stairs - it was  definitely a 'tall boy' job and for once he was fully dressed (he won't go outside unless he has his shoes on). Alas in the brief interval I'd been outside he had stripped down to his underpants ready to go to bed, he'd only come down for his pint mug to fill with water.

I wanted to get the hooped frames in place and tie the apple tree branches to them so they will grow sideways but I'm now thinking I will put the 'front row' of old garden chairs in place with boards across and just plant up as many things as I can in a triple row of pots (across the chair arms, across the seat level and on the floor). This should give me lots of space to move around the other bits of the garden. I'm trying not to buy more bulbs until I've planted the ones I have. 

I did a bit of pottering, then ate and by then DS3 was awake and back downstairs hogging the couch. I did lots of cross-stitch upstairs. I failed  to go to film club once again but I was sneezing and coughing and didn't want to pass it on or disturb the other people. I wasn't bothered about the film but I am trying to socialise more.

I had plans for today but didn't get much done - my back and legs  are really hurting. The bio-mech appointment is this week and I'm really hoping they can help me. It's so frustrating - I know what I want to do but it's too painful to do anything for very long. I loved the day I worked in the garden but I've hardly been able to move since.

Grateful for the weather, for a  good pile of library books (needed a trip to take  the old ones back and a second trip an hour later to bring the new ones back), many bags  of rubbish and recycling.

apple_muncher

Thank you everyone for hanging out with the turtles for September.

I reckon I have practiced my tightwaddery skills this month, and I made it to 19 nsds. My liddle app shows that I spent significantly less there this month than of late. I have met up with a couple of friends, and my sis and bil, I've done a charity run, and I've been to the gym loads. My eating habits are improving and I'm regularly doing headspace again.

Roll on October - see you over there !

f0xh0les

Made it to 18 NSDs and 3lbs down. Thanks for September, see you on the other side..

Thrifty_Taylor

Thanks for your suggestions about UC. I love the idea about bad mail being in a stripey envelope! 😃

Thanks for this month @apple_muncher. Haven't done well with NSDs think I finished on 7. Had DS2"s birthday & have ordered everything for DS3"s in 2 weeks, so hoping I'll have double figures next month.

Had a good day. Got up early, we t to town, collected mum & we went to a jumble sale. It was on 9-5, do made sure we were there at the start to look for the good stuff! I knew a woman that was working amongst the children's things, & she told me that the adult things where upstairs. Got myself a leather jacket for £3! A new branded t-shirt for DS1 for sproutmas at £1 & some cushions to match his room 50p each. Got a few other bits too. Then dropped sewing off/collected more, & did the food shop.

Home by midday. Put the shopping away, read the paper whilst eating dinner (I'm on the front page in the photo of the strikers outside the cathedral). Thought about going for a walk, but instead I cut the grass everywhere - both lawns, in between the raised beds & under the washing line 

Wrote todays spends in the folder, plus my sewing income in another one. After tea I replaced a zip in a pair of jeans.

Grateful for my new jacket fitting when I tried it on at home, bargains, getting the grass cut for the last time this year

I've eaten more healthily today & did 100 skips after cutting the grass. Will try to keep this up & see if I can drop a couple of inches before my birthday at the beginning of December

f0xh0les

Don't forget to do your meter readings.  The rates change today!