NST September 2025: Keep It Simple!

f0xh0les

I am back! 

Grateful for having had some work, and for this pay round to be for 3 separate jobs.  It is probably the biggest pay cheque of the year so far coming my way. I am not going to turn down any work that I am offered for the rest of the year.  Also shunted a few job links to a friend on the other side of the country.

Put in my expenses claim 

Polite Reminder to Turtles who have not claimed back their work expenses, DO IT, do it this week.  Schedule it. Get a spike...claim and stab...the thought of doing it is worse than actually doing it. 

Have to buy some more food today - got a £7 off £50 spend, so will do that - the freezer is empty, the fridge is woeful, there are only wraps left in the breadbin etc.  

Kids are complaining about the cold. Not cold enough for them to close their bedroom windows! DS4 is down with a cold, DH has picked it up yesterday, both are very vocal about being 'ill', I have diagnosed PFMC (Potentially Fatal Male Cold) will pick up some cough mixture (buttercup!) and lemon-flavour-paracetamol-based-cold-remedy-drink-sachets (TM) because they have taken the lactose out of them again (woo-hoo!)

 I also deployed a hot water bottle to DH last night. 

Will Autumn-proof the house this week/next week. 

DawnW

Afternoon all. Not a NSD as OH is out buying fence paint. So still on 10.

Had my hair cut yesterday, feels much better.

Not done much today - dog walk, kitchen tidy, sorted out shop stuff which was cluttering up the loft conversion bedroom.

Also made a Spanish chorizo and chickpea stew. I saw a posh ready meal with this title in a shop, thought it sounded nice so came home, googled it, and found a recipe by a Spanish chef. It was easy, and very nice, but very filling. Smaller portions next time! Won't need much for evening meal, maybe just a cheese and salad wrap. Must pick some lettuce and spring onions ready.

Also need to do a little bit of ironing.

Thrifty_Taylor

Thanks @beanielou. Hope beanie jnr has a great day too 🎂
@apple_muncher, I'm going to hide the sign at my mum's til I wrap it up. Glad your surgery went well & you're seeing folk out & about.
Well done on the paid off mortgage @ldee2111 🎉
Welcome back Dr C.

DS2 has a good day yesterday. I picked mum up from town & she came back for tea & cake. She said the banana milkshake cake was the best cake is ever made! We all played a few rounds of Uno, then I took her home again.

NSD#11 today
Work had its stressful points, but better than Monday. Both work besties are still poorly with different things. Miss seeing them about the place. Dashed to see a customer after work, then dashed home for another one, who was waiting at her salon for me to go there! Crossed wires. She's going to drop her sewing off tomorrow.

Achieved quite a bit tonight - looked out items for a colleague's pamper parcel (been diagnosed with the big c), hung washing on the line, paired up a load of socks, repinned a quilted bauble (now I've finally got the hang of it!). After tea, I shortened a skirt & cut out more squares to make 2 more baubles, then did some Norwegian.

Grateful for DS2 having a good birthday, getting lots done tonight, not having to collect DS3 from GF's

grandmanerd

On Thursday, I cooked. Stew vegetables in a pan with cauli, carrots and leeks in the steamer on top, When the eggs on the front burner were done, I moved the steamer veg into a pan and steamed some aubergines. 3 portions of gorgeous curry and 4 portions of stew. The aubergines will be chilli - with tinned tomatoes, onion granules and added easy garlic and chillies. It needs more crunch and colour.

Quilt was washed and stayed out on the line overnight. Finally caught up on drying (stuff DS3 put wet washing on top of the dried ones).

Very tired yesterday but Mrs Builder came in the afternoon (She had to take Mr Builder to an emergency dentist appointment on the far side of the borough) and helped sort through some stuff - I still have sorting to do but it's all contained (one box I'd previously gathered got knocked off and scattered). Pulling the quilt off the couch for washing dragged a lot of stuff up (purse, pills wallet, many utensils and pens, 5 1 litre water bottles) and I delved into the black hole torn in the couch fabric to get at more. 3 long scratches on my hand from the end of a spring.

Grateful to be tired but happy, finding various essentials - my diary and my purse, books, games and getting lots of sleep/ rest.

grandmanerd

I can do October

DawnW

Where has September gone?

Frustrating weekend. DD2 dropped into conversation last weekend that she had booked me to babysit on Saturday as she had arranged to go away with her friends. But she hadn't written it on my calendar (she thought she had), and I had arranged to host eldest GS and his partner. Contacted them and asked them to come to DD's instead, but not terribly satisfactory. Kids were good though.

Came home, got something to eat and had a phone call from son in law. GD aged 11 had been messing about and had hurt her foot, and he needed to take her to get it looked at. Back to their house to look after little GS while they were gone. The medic they saw suspected she had broken her foot, and they needed to go back to the hospital this morning for an xray. Looked after GS again for most of the day. GD was upset when they came back (she had a boot and crutches (she had broken her foot), and would need to go back to clinic after a week. She wanted her mum who wasn't there  

Gave her lots of cuddles, mum would be back soon, and she does have a lovely Dad 

Also needed to make cakes and biscuits for a charity event at work tomorrow. GS enjoyed helping with the biscuits, and we learned about measuring and how heat rises in the oven, which is why it is hotter at the top even though the burner is at the bottom. There were sprinkles and sticky everywhere to clear up though, and I still needed to do the cakes after they had gone. Now done, but I will need to whip cream etc tomorrow morning early to finish off. Gave the littlies biscuits to take home with them, as there were loads.

And I would really like to wash my hair....

Worried about GD, and struggling to feel grateful today I am afraid 

DawnW

And I have totally lost track of NSDs!

apple_muncher

Hiya Dr Carrie! How's your house coming along? Lovely to see you!

grandmanerd - thank you for doing October.

I am grateful for chasing up an unpaid invigilating invoice back from March (no response yet, so will be doing that again!!!), for yummy apples from the tree, for cheese and onion crisps, for the car feeling so much better after a full service.

grandmanerd

This is October - not sure if it works as a link but not sure what I've done wrong


NST OCTOBER 2025 Optimism, Opportunities and Overcoming Obstacles — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Thrifty_Taylor

Thanks for doing October @grandmanerd
Sending hugs @DawnW.

A NSD today.

Not a good day today, taking tomorrow off work too. Thankfully my colleagues are understanding. 

Got all the grass in our quarter acre plot done. Sick if waiting for DS2 to do it & wanted it doing in case I don't get chance again this year.

Grateful for caring colleagues, getting all the grass cut, time to think about DS1 instead of constantly rushing about & pushing him to the back of my mind