NST January 2024: This is Sparta!

Flying_By

Today's gratitudes:
 1  Woke up early and fed the dogs and cats as DH working from home today.  He usually feeds them as he leaves       for work before I'm awake, so I picked up a few brownie points for myself!
2   Bagged myself a Shingles and Pneumococcal vaccine at 0900 in the next village, the nurse was very sweet and
     we had a bit of a giggle about this and that 
3   Managed to comb some matted fur out of our large, white, long-haired cat!  He's the sweetest boy but hates             being groomed, luckily I avoided his claws somehow!

Declaring NSD 5 

I hope everyone has a pleasant and non-stressful evening xx

DawnW

Work day. Tired.com! So NSD 5 for me.

I must get off my behind and do some dinner. Naan bread pizzas and salad, so not much effort!

Toni'sfriend

Just had a nap and feel much better for it.

Got my hair done. Now that always makes a person feel better! I've decided to have it done every couple of weeks. That way maybe it won't get so dry, the ends can be snipped off and it will keep it's shape.

Himself is making jacket potatoes so I don't have to cook.

Got another appointment at the hospital with another doctor right in the middle of my wee break. Phone call to the secretary and all sorted out for another time. xxxx

laura_lau

Quick end of week check in, busy day today, but glad the working week has finished! Looking forward to sleep until it's not dark anymore tomorrow morning, for a change!
I booked most of my holidays for the year at work, so I have something to look forward to when I look at my work calendar.

Today was a NSD, which tomorrow will not be, as I have a birthday to attend to in the evening. I do try to minimize drinks to 1 per evening, whenever I go out, to minimize spending, but if there are no nibbles offered by the birthday girl I expect I might also add the expense for some food. 

Counting the days until January payday now, as, according to my estimates / calculations / budgeting, January should be the last very tough month financially. With February and March being months where I don't have to pay council tax (which is very expensive where I live), I should be able to reach the end of the month a little bit more easily, and maybe I'll be able to do some small overpayments to some of the credit cards. 

This said, a friend told me they are looking to sell their car at the end of the month as they are relocating to Ireland, and they offered it to us at a very good price, much lower than what we see around. Our car broke back in September and it's an expensive repair. It's not worth to repair it, because it's quite old and is not ULEZ compliant (I live in an area where ULEZ was extended to last year), so we would eventually have to buy a new one, as we only have a couple of buses around here and, although they are great to go towards the city, they don't really go to the other towns or towards the shops, so it's been really challenging whenever we needed to do something. This might mean that the council tax money for February will go towards the car instead, so I'm also taking that into account.

Today I am grateful for

1. Friday
2. The joy of planning ahead
3. The hope that I can leave behind most of the financial stress

f0xh0les

Strange day today, started out well, in B&Q by 9am, got my compost and wallpaper paste, but could not find the right paint colour, turns out they don't sell that colour there (???) so did the small shop of DH requested items, scored some free aubergines,cauliflowers, rocket,  sweetcorn, oranges, broccoli and carrots from the Community Fridge, and two big ciabatta loaves too. Started stripping wallpaper, but DH called up to say he was making tea and taking a break, so I joined him, and never really got going again.

Spent an hour in the back yard putting a top dressing on the plants in pots, and planting my new honeysuckle, grape vine, half price Rosemary plant, free parsley plant, and my new jasmine plant (it was half price at £5, and I had a £5 off voucher, so it was free) I just wanted them to be warm, protected under a blanket of soil.

  The Wading Bird store has 39p slabs of shortcrust pastry this week.   I had 2 in the fridge, so made Cornish pasties for supper, and  4 sausages left in the fridge, so made sausage rolls with the leftover pastry.  There will not be any leftovers. I guarantee it.  Pasties don't work like that. 

 Cleaned the kitchen while waiting for it all to cook, so less slovenly today than usual. 

Happy Friday Turtles, well done.  We made it!

Starlight_at_Sea

We certainly did @f0xh0les, Friday has been conquered! With it the closest to full time I have got since my mum died, with a few repercussions (windows of weariness/headaches) but on the whole, feeling positive. I do now have a week off and I also feel that's needed. A couple of odd jobs to do for work that I am keen to see done so I can relax properly, I think I will limit these to an hour each on Sat and Sun - they may not even take that long! 

NSD today - I need to count up - will do that this weekend.  Everything eaten today has been leftovers of some variety or another! 

Reconditioned phone has arrived - haven't faced unboxing it yet...that's a unwelcome holiday job. Am amazed this one is limping on, the screen is barely attached to the body!

Have tentatively booked some work travel that would enable me to also see some friends, and go to an event I was hoping to attend. Life, my health and my dad's health seem stable enough for that just now, so am siezing the moment! 

Thrifty_Taylor

Sending hugs @Starlight_at_Sea, enjoy your time off next week.

Glad you've had a nice pampering session @Toni'sfriend, pleased you're planning more of them. Good to hear you're on the mend @grandmanerd!

A very early start for me today - up at 5.15am ready to have DS1 at the airport for 6.30. Stayed with him until time to go through security, which was only 10 mins, so home again by 7.15. Was ravenous, do are breakfast, made my packed lunch & read my book, then had time to kill so I hoovered, took things off the airer & put things in the shed.

Work went well, but I was very tired, not easy when you have a VERY energetic pupil all day!! Had a sleep when I got home.

Practiced Norwegian, then after tea I unpicked the cuff of a jumper I knitted myself last winter, & added an extra 2" before reknitting the rib. Will do the other sleeve tomorrow night, then I can put the leftover wool in a box in the shed, & get another bag out of my bedroom.

DS1 has messaged me when able, his 3rd plane has left Qatar now, bound for Hong Kong!

Grateful for lighter nights to drive home in, technology so I could hear from DS at various stages of his travels, getting my jumper sorted out finally, catching up on sleep, that it's Friday & the end of my first working week after the hols.

Oh & managed NSD#7

ditty1234

Hoping to crack on with some long overdue marking today and then head off to my writing group (with empty hands). Need to concentrate better, and set aside time for being creative and then developing the results :-)
Happy Sunny Saturday. 

f0xh0les

ditty1234 said:

then head off to my writing group (with empty hands). Need to concentrate better, and set aside time for being creative and then developing the results :-)

DH is in a weekly academic Write Club. The first rule of Write Club is to make time for Write Club. Turn up to Write Club. You don't have to stay for the whole two hours, but scheduling in that time has made a huge difference to him. 
I think I am allowed to talk about Write Club 🤣🥊🥊✒️✍️✍️✍️. 

beanielou

Your lucky DS1 Thrifty. 

The one place in the world I always wanted to visit.