NST September 2023: Turtle Tightwaddery with a sprinkle of Alchemy

beanielou

@abundant1972.   

f0xh0les

Pinchety punchety first of the month and no returns 

f0xh0les

Wasn't  it a carry on film gag? Nevermind the quality madam feel the girth!  It always raises a giggle here too @abundant1972.
Well we made it to September!  and it feels like a -ber already.
Morning lovelies

apple_muncher

Welcome to tightwaddery with a sprinkle of alchemy, you gorgeous turtle gang.

My new life begins - I had my final paycheck in August. For the first time in my working life, I have no income. I need tightwaddery in my life. I need to make the money that is now sitting in my current account last as long as I can. To the end of the year is my goal. Within that time frame, I need lots of creativity too – Tightwaddery without creativity is deprivation. When there is a lack of resourcefulness, inventiveness and innovation, thrift means doing without. When creativity combines with thrift you may be doing it without money, but you are not doing without.

abundant1972

Happy 01st September 🍂

Great challenge Apple. My mind is well and truly on track now promise 😇 Let the tightwaddery commence!!!

For me this month - I'm going to focus on I = Impulsiveness, H - Habits and T - Time. These 3 for me are tackling the basics and will help me re-build my day and routine into something that can sustain me financially and in terms of well-being generally. 

I - I will try and create space between having an urge to buy something be it food or something else - and wait until the urge/craving has passed and see if I still want it then. 

H - I have dug out one of my old mood journals from last year, and am working on that again in a new note pad. I am trying to build back in the basics again... making my bed... clearing the pots... some mindful time... checking in here is on there as part of my giving gratitude. Taking some kind of exercise daily even if it is just a walk out for 5 minutes.

T - I have a lot of time on my hands at the moment and it is easy to just wallow, or as the challenge says - fall into mindless activity. I am going to try and create a space for meaningful activity (Habits will help with this) and as I start to feel better - look at a few things that I have been meaning to for ages. Silly things like sort my photos out on my PC and create a few little albums. 

For me - Alchemy will come in regaining a sense of wellness by taking care of the basics hopefully. Budgets are set. I'm pretty good at planning ahead for future things like car etc and I've even started to put aside some extra as a cushion in case I have to take a pay drop when I move jobs. 

Today I am grateful for:

1) My Barber. Had a nice haircut and a catch up and always feel like I've had some TLC

2)  Having food in my fridge/freezer and money enough to feed myself

3) Shelter, warmth, hot and cold water

Spend Day 1 (due to haircut) NSD = Nil points!

Have a lovely evening folks x

apple_muncher

It's been a quiet day in the apple household to start the month. A smidge of money earned and a lot of money spent on food. Eek. I have returned to itemising purchases, mostly food, in a spreadsheet.

Today I am grateful for tech that makes groups like this possible, for doing an income projection with dh for the next few years and it being ok, for dc giggling over messages they received, for today being the first day of my new life, for coffee!

grandmanerd

I'm not sure how I feel about today. I had plans - they didn't happen. The opticians phoned to say my glasses had arrived so booked an appointment for 2 pm. Then mum's lodger phoned to say he'd come with the rent about noon. Then I had an official document to write which meant going to the library and trawling through the government website. Library computer would only let me access it as a read only document so I had to write down the information and then go home to write it out properly. Had just missed the lodger - I came in through the back door and he had gone over to the library to find me.

When he'd gone I had a late lunch and then it was time to visit the optician. I owed £198 on the glasses and then I handed over the ones I was using to go off and have their lenses upgraded (another £310 - paid with my bank card to test whether it had been successfully unblocked). As it wasn't going to be an NSD I went round town and bought some bits I needed - the birthday and anniversary cards, a medium padded envelope for posting something off (wanted brown envelopes too but they were in packs of 100 and would have taken years to use up) and some small toiletry items (already struck out with 3 shops the other day). I found 2 of the right size envelopes when I was looking for paper to write the document.

Whilst I was out my niece and the lodger both called me to update me on ongoing situations (niece apologised for forgetting to phone on Tuesday and Wednesday despite having notes in her diary and pinned to the fridge). Struggled to hear them against a background of shoppers, screaming kids and then the itinerant preacher (weird man and spouts a very twisted version of history). Finally got home and came straight upstairs. I've had a hectic day and not sure I've made any real progress. However the glasses are wonderful and my eye is already hurting a lot less.

Grateful for new glasses, getting things done (wrong things and still  need to sort a couple of things), picking up bits I'd not found elsewhere. 

beanielou

Happy new glasses @grandmanerd

f0xh0les

No spends at all today. Took in-laws for a walk away from DH to give him space to work. Rummaged in hedges for blackberries, found a bucket of damsons in someone's gateway with a FREE sign ( posh end of village). Had a lovely bath, all food from stores. Waiting to see if I have won on the PBonds app at midnight 🤣. 

Thrifty_Taylor

Happy 1st September! What s great challenge @apple_muncher. Please count me in & could I be #18? Must admit I sniggered at GIRTH too 🤣 I've just finished reading the Gazette this last week. Lots of great ideas & inspiration!

NSD#1
Started the day with some yoga. Had a good day at work, with lots if steps running round after today's pupil.
On returning home, DH went for a lay down. As I couldn't get to my budget folder, I went out with my secateurs & snipped bits of the hedge growing through the fence at the side of our driveway. The sensors on my car drive me nuts every time I reverse to park, as it picks up the sticking out fronds (oo-er), plus they're wet if you brush against them to get in the car!
DH got up when I came in, so I wrote all my receipts into the folder & put money in my sinking funds envelopes. Must keep on top of jotting down my spends this month, so I don't miss any out.
Went for a walk after tea with DH. Managed to forage more seedheads from some Geum (often called foxes & cubs) growing on the roadside. Was hoping they'd not been strimmed 
Cut more wool up for the last bit of my rug. Should get it finished tomorrow night. Would've done it sooner, but not had chance.

Grateful for pupil being more vocal & telling me to "run Mrs Taylor" when on a didicar, that no-one had strimmed the Geums, & an inspiring challenge