NST December 2024 – the TARDIS awaits

Nintud

One more NSD for me yesterday. I didn’t leave my apartment!  Binge watched a TV series the night before and woke up around 2pm! Felt awful all day as my head had no idea what time it was. No plans on doing that again!

ditty1234

Hear comes my sign up and reflection in one go, - I will try and do January in a bit so I do it up front. 

Debt-free date / Mortgage-free date / Savings target date. What is my goal- I am still on Damage control. Paying off HMRC, replacing lost savings, and reconnecting with almost lost friends. This December turned out to be a bit of a catering adventure, so I have put  my money on the human capital. I will be paying for this in January - but the freezer is full, and so is my heart. 

Organise your outgoings. This is one f my ongoing problems, my pay barely pays my outgoings, so unless I have extra work, I find it hard to get through the month. Luckily this is usually ok. But I really want to be a few weeks/months ahead (again) hence looking for new extra work that runs through summer and eventually can replace teaching job.

Count up to 15. Hmm need to plan better, have managed about 5 in December. 

“There is no such thing as an ordinary human.” I treated myselK to a beautiful kew T from N3xt that I have used for everything this holiday. 

One thousand days from December 1st takes us to August 28th 2027. About 33 months. ?.

Retrain your browsing/tech habits – refrain from mindless browsing your phone when ‘nothing else’ is going on for the duration of the challenge. I have been pretty good - have not really had much time to browse.

What kind of month do you want for yourself? I made one misplaced outing with some peops from work, but hopefully it will show to be a worthwile investment when I go back in a week. Everything else have been olvely and warm. 

Here - I am trying to be more present in myself and with others, with mixed results. .

Outings. Drop one. Sorry I think I just kept adding, but I have mostly done free or cheap ones! 

Slow living this month. In a potentially manic month, make a clear intention to keep your schedule and pace in check. Because, really, does anyone want a hectic December that wipes them out?

Omm. I am still working on my 12 runs of christmas - just to try and get myself out of the house - and earn that cake :-).

No entry to any sales. Nope no sales, no eating out ( well some social ones) but have done a lot of food shopping - to feed the resident crowds :-)

“I am and always will be the optimist. Yep.

Candles - Switch to candles and firelight after dark. Sadly my tech is my candles - something I really need to convince myself to move on from. 

 

“Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. I have done 180 in 60 - but with long very quiet intervals - luckily. 

Chase after awe and joy. Went on a lovely xmas lights run :-)

Read fiction before bed. I ned a more upbeat book!

Exercise. yep am trying to do that!

“What’s the point of being grown up if you can’t be childish sometimes.” Even tried to buy a board game - but it's not even opened yet!

“Don’t give up. Never :-)

Refuse to get sucked into guilt spending. ooh I still have 31 to go - - 4 broken pasta dishes and 2 broken wine glasses (  a bit sad as I liked them), and 2 bags of stuff  I took to the charity shop so 23 to go - will add them to January's list. Unless I can pick some tonight and tomorrow. 

Identify activities and people who drain you. I find this hard, activities are easy enough - mainly procrastinating - I only really see people in the holls I want to see!

Visit your local area. Went on a little wander today.

Exterminate Will try and find a habit to shed - the habit I have been working on in December is wearing make up every day - it does help my moods!

Remember that you are blessed. Honestly - I am - very happy and grateful of my life. 

 

grandmanerd

Mrs Builder came again this morning and now nearly all the kitchen is in the front room - I set aside half a dozen items last week which I might need for cooking (oil, herbs and spices, hot sauce). Mrs Builder is coming back on Sunday to move the last few things and I'm going to use the time until then to go through bags and boxes, weeding out more stuff for the cs and making a bit more sense of the categories (we packed stuff as we found it). I think 3 more large bin bags went out, 1 cans and bottles sack and several boxes of ripped up cardboard, including the remaining 'bed' box. Mine and number 8's bins are full to the brim and they go out for collection on Thursday.

The afternoon has been spent resting, reading and watching with a little doze now and then. A filling lunch but only nibbling since - ice cream, grapes, a few tandoori lumps. We got my phone working (what a relief). DS3 did all the things he was asked to do (taking the mattress upstairs out of the way, reaching all the items from the top shelves of the cupboards, swapping a kallax unit and a small filing cabinet round in the alcove, so the cube shelves were easily accessible)

Welcome phone call from my cousin this afternoon although she's been a bit down since her son went back to Manchester on Boxing Day. We've both had more than our fair share of nasty winter bugs so need to keep resting and give our bodies time to recover properly.

Grateful for so much, my nap has made me slightly mellow, I was tired and tense before hand.

Betharooni

NSD #15! Finally achieved target with one day remaining. Not feeling great today so a pretty quiet day tbh. Went on docs app to request appointment but not had any response yet. Not achieved anything else though. Have already signed up for the new month’s challenge. 

Grateful for minimal substitutions/out of stocks on Icyland order today, local football team playing on tv so a rare opportunity to watch them tonight and DB1 in a good mood today.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for getting the car to start, for the chemist having Pip's prescription, for my book, for fairy lights, for my microwaveable bagpuss.

Thrifty_Taylor

Thank you for setting up January, @apple_muncher. I'm saving reading it until Wed, but please count me in (#18 😉)

Another NSD today, will need to check tge number.

Still feel a cold lingering 😓 tackled a couple of frogs this morning, including changing over electricity provider & letting HMRC know that DS3 has officially left school.

Collected DS3 from the bus, took him for his drs appointment (now waiting for an appointment with the surgeon), then back to the bus stop to go & see a friend. Won't see him now til Friday, as it'll be off to his GF's for me year.

The sleet had stopped, so went for a walk with DH, then read my book on the bed whilst the youngest cat explored our room for the first time.

After tea I wrote appointments, etc in my new handbag diary, got my other diary ready & did some knitting. Going to do more reading now before bed, hoping to finish my book tomorrow, so I can start s new one on the 1st.

Grateful for feeling happy whilst getting organised, that the Dr is doing something to help DS3 (please send thoughts that it isn't anything serious), 2 frogs have been tackled

beanielou

@Thrifty_Taylor. Positivity for your DS3. 

weenancyinAmerica

@Thrifty_Taylor - sending positive thoughts and hugs.

DawnW

Positive thoughts for your DS @Thrifty_Taylor

Good progress again @grandmanerd - hope this continues and you are rewarded with a comfortable home

Today will be NSD #14 for me. I didn't quite make the target, but not bad for what can be a very spendy month.

I am not going anywhere today, or tonight. OH is going to meet one of his pals at the golf club shortly. I will do a bit of painting where OH filled a scuffed spot in the kitchen, wash my hair, maybe do a bit of housework and make a quiche and a pasta bake to use up fridge stuff.

Yesterday I took all the Christmas decorations down and put the little potted trees outside, so a bit of hoovering and dusting is probably needed.

I also need to wash my hair.

I went through the old calendar last night, transferring birthday dates etc to the new one. Seeing all the hospital appointments that I had to take my brother to, plus the funeral arrangements at the end, made me realise what a tough year this has been. Hoping for a peaceful, uneventful one in 2025!

A bag of unwanted greetings cards and a desk calendar left the house yesterday when they were collected by a freecycler. Two bags of stuff in two days is good going, and I will definitely continue to declutter in the New Year, and try to accumulate less stuff.

I will have to go back to work for two days at the end of the week. The Christmas break has gone very quickly. We have a short holiday planned with DD2 and her family in February. I am not sure that visiting the Peak District at this time of the year is the best idea, but that is where they wanted to go, and we will hopefully be able to catch up with DH's sister and her family who live there.

Thanks for the challenge @apple_muncher and I look forward to 'seeing' everyone in January!     

laura_lau

Checking back in after quite a few days. I quickly read through and hope you all had a restful time and wishing all the best for the new year. I will write my priorities for the new year in the new thread.

December quickly went out of hand, I tried to keep outings to a minimum, but it was still very busy, with work quite busy until the 27th. I only took off the 23rd and 24th so I have been busy all the way, but yesterday and today has been much more quiet, finally. I suddenly felt overwhelmed and when I flew to Italy to spend Christmas with my family on the 18th I felt completely wiped out. Obviously I started feeling sick on my first day off (23rd) and I am not very well yet. This evening I'm flying back to the UK (should be landing around 8PM, if everything goes well), can't wait to see OH, DS (visiting for the holidays) and the puppy. Can't wait to finally relax, as I can never do that when I'm in my mum's house. 
Last week went very well, despite me being sick, and had a lovely time, but I can't help thinking that it would have been much more restful if I had been able to return to my own place every now and then.

December didn't go as I hoped, so I feel I have failed at my challenge, and most of all I failed myself, as, despite having a lovely time, I still spent most of the time adapting to others and pushing myself to the point that, as soon as I had time off, I wasn't well. 

I have prepared a notebook with a pen to bring with me to the airport this afternoon, so that once I sit down waiting for the gate and boarding, I will force myself to use the time to reflect on the new year, on the 1000 days, and will report the results in the new thread. Thank you everyone for sharing your year, I feel the daily challenges are always a bit lighter when I can share them with this group, and read small snippets about your own personal ones, and your daily wins. It is very inspiring. 

Last note, I lost count of NSD's but I might have reached them, as I haven't bought anything in the past week.