NST April 2024: April appreciation

Shrewbie

Appreciate what you have.

I need to do this. I feel quite bereft at the moment, having just come out of a long-term relationship. I miss him, I miss our old flat. But it was my decision, and I have to remember it is what I wanted and I wouldn’t have wanted to change my situation if everything had been fine. I have some good friends around me, I like my job. I can travel to see friends and family whenever I want. Life is actually good.  

Pay to your debt/savings first. This is a good habit. Know your income and outgoings and live within your means.

Since leaving my ex I have found myself in a fortunate living situation. The couple I moved in with (friends from when I first moved to Madrid in 2017 have offered to let me stay with them and pay very little rent until they find their own house to buy. Now, depending on how long it takes them to buy this gives me a very real opportunity to save for a deposit to buy somewhere. I have about EUR 17k so far and I would need another 20k more or less, however I also need to go to NZ next year for a friend’s wedding. All this means the earliest potential date I have for potentially having the money would be December 2025. I have a plan to maximise savings and frugality to potentially hit this target sooner. Also it is based on a EUR 150k flat and I’m not sure how feasible this would be - may end up being 170k....

Plan, plan, plan. 

This month I plan on saving money and doing some different activities not revolving around drinking (planning not to drink for the whole of April at least) have booked to see a musical in Madrid this Sat (cheap ticket less than EUR 25) and I am doing a 3-hour workshop on Sunday at a local mediation centre, donation based.

Recognise

I will try to do some good deeds this month.

Exercise. 

I was unwell at the start of March and my usual regular exercise routine went out of the window. Looking forward to getting back to it after Easter and mixing it up a bit with some different exercises.

Cheerlead your friends and family. And be your own champion cheerleader. Lycra and pompoms are optional.

 I will try to support my friends and family more and stop being stubborn about some things. I suspect getting rid of the booze will have an effect on my mood!

Increase your monetary value. .

I will look at my spending very carefully and see where I can maximise savings.

Appreciation and gratitude 

Will do. Today I am grateful for meeting some lovely new people and animals during a house/pet sit in the countryside in Andalucia (shame it rained the whole time). Anyway, last night I was out walking the dog and looked up by chance... I hadn’t expected to see any stars as it has been cloudy and raining the whole previous week, but the whole sky that night was a dense blanket of stars and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen it like that, it took my breath away.

Think about others – donations to charity, donations to the foodbank, volunteering, helping a neighbour.

Will have a think.

Increase your fruit and veg intake. 

Will do this. Need to make a point of properly meal planning!

Out and about – .

Must get out for a hike or two in April!

Non-negotiables:

-15 NSDs please 

I will count them this month!!

lcc86

Evening turtles

A pretty uneventful start to the month. Cleaned kitchen, bathroom, and my two aquariums then took myself off to the gym. Did a few small jobs this afternoon but nothing major. Interview prep for tomorrow done, I've really talked myself out of it over the course of the weekend and am already exploring alternatives in my mind, I actually think I want it for the "wrong" reasons (ie financial). But we'll see.

Early dinner and bath then early to bed I think! NSD number 1 in the bag.

ditty1234

Hi, can I please join April :-)
@applemuncher - thanks for getting us started.
@grandmanerd, thanks for running March.

apple_muncher

We have had some lovely sunshine today and it has felt like a really positive start to the month.

I went to the gym this morning and caught up with some gym buddies. Sainsbury's had evything in that I needed (but, how much???!!!). Pip was up and chirpy. Two loads of laundry got done. Dh gave the poles a second coat of paint. We put the garden bench together and it looks fab. We watched a famous five film - absolutely awful if you compare it to the book, but a jolly jape if you don't. And pip got on with 3 different pieces of work.

So, not an nsd, but we'd almost run out of a certain food for pip, so it couldn't be postponed . The roads were beautifully quiet so driving was a pleasure.

Flying_By

@Icc86 Hope all goes well at your interview tomorrow - what ever will be will be - so please don't beat yourself up whatever the outcome.  I'm sure you will acquit yourself admirably x

Flying_By

@apple_muncher Sounds like a perfect day 

beanielou

@icc86.. Positive vibes for tomorrow 

Thrifty_Taylor

Welcome back @Shrewbie. Good luck for tomorrow @lcc86 & sorry to hear you've been in hospital again @Toni'sfriend, hope you're feeling a bit better now.

Can I be #18 please @apple_muncher?

NSD#1 in the bag 😊
I've only just read April Appreciation, but started well with some of the checklist. Did yoga before breakfast, then afterwards I walked 3.5 miles.  Did some tidying & cleaned the bathroom, then my neighbour popped round to return a big bag of books she's had for 2+ years!

Read a big if my book whilst eating dinner, then had 2 customers call round. Shortened a dress dropped off this morning, then another 7 dresses for someone else!

Washed the dishes after tea, jotted spends from last month into my folder, then did the ironing. Managed to do a few rows of knitting whilst watching the last 2 episodes of a series. 

Looking forward to seeing DS1 (left Wed night) & 3 (left Fri morning) tomorrow 😃

Grateful for doing yoga for the first time in at least 6 weeks, music, pottering in between sewing

grandmanerd

Yesterday was a spend day as I took advantage of an offer that was ending at midnight (with 15 minutes to go) to buy cans of my favourite paint in off white shades, reducing the cost from £145 to £109. I even have some extra  paint under my stairs.

Grateful for a restful day, catching up with my coaching pods and good entertainment (books and a crime series), mostly easy food, hayfever tablets (still bad but could be so much worse) 

apple_muncher

April reminders:

The best things are not things.

If you can't be fearless, fear less.

Always believe in magic.

You have every right to cut off energy vampires.

If you are tired, slow down but never go backward.

Show up each day as who you want to be.

(OurMindfulLife.com)