NST OCTOBER 2025 Optimism, Opportunities and Overcoming Obstacles

dizzyblnd

Can I join please. I am a day late I know. I did well last month with 18 nsds. This month I am having a week away to get some last minute winter sun. I really suffer with the cold/dark here in England, so a week of sun in October is much needed. I didn’t manage a nsd today as I had to pick up some bits to get through the week. 

@grandmanerd

DawnW

Feeling a bit bleurrgh today but have done the shopping, including getting a good veg box from L*dl.

Only had to throw away 1 onion and a few lettuce leaves. Spent lots of time dealing with the contents, some of which would spoil otherwise:

Nectarines (sliced and roasted)

Thyme - from Kenya would you believe! (leaves stripped off stems and put to dry)

Tomatoes (skinned, chopped and frozen)

Lettuce (picked out slimy leaves, washed and dried the rest)

Onions (into onion bag in the larder)

Rest in fridge.

Also found some reduced mince in Mr W. Made this into a shepherds pie base x 2 by adding a tin of lentils and other veg.

Used up some fridge items with lunch / dinner

OH finished repairing my mini greenhouse, whose top / lid had warped. Glad I had bought a wooden one 10 or so years ago. He can fix anything made of wood. It looks perfect now    It cost £50 for new wood and perspex to make the new top, but cheaper than a new greenhouse. The rest of it was ok with a few small no cost repairs.

Grateful for shopping bargains, greenhouse being fixed and feeling a bit better now than earlier. Early night I think, as it is work tomorrow.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for my gym session, for bumping into a friend at the gym, for nabbing an NSD, for a couldn't -have-asked-for-a-better-result GP appointment for Pip, for day 1 of No More Utube Shorts, for a quiet day, for making a yummy cauliflower soup for tea and dh didn't even ask for meat with it!

beanielou

Had a lovely night at my woman’s group tonight with a film night. Mini movie box treat box and pizza. 

Thrifty_Taylor

Ooh, what film did you watch @beanielou?

Made dinner for the next three days. A good day at work, thankful I was wearing trousers today, as the elastic in my pants totally went & the sides we're halfway downy thighs!! Had to get work bestie to entertain my pupil, while I went inside to try & hoick them back up, without flashing half the playground & the builders up a 3 storey building! 🤣 Paid money in at the PO on my way home & had a laugh with the lady behind the counter. Unpicked & replaced a coat zip after tea, then cut out more fabric squares for making baubles.

Grateful for my nether regions not being exposed, laughter, my pupil saying they'd missed me when they'd been off sick the last 2 days ❤️ & them loving the new activities I'd made for them

beanielou

It was The Greatest Showman @Thrifty_Taylor

DrCarrie

Afternoon, 

I am back in the game, if very busy. 

Love this quote Grandmanerd. Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars and see yourself running with them (Marcus Arelius)

Declaring 1st NSD, yesterday. I am in London working and having a busy day and still recovering from a nasty virus. It's been honey and lemons for 12 days now.

Brought a pack up for several meals. Left the house at 5.20am will get back after 9pm ish. So I hope i have enough food to keep me going.

Grateful for being back on the therad, and for an admin day tomorrow. 

f0xh0les

Today has been cost neutral - I spent £5 on butter in Sainsbobs (+Noctar Card points) and got a £5 voucher from an online website that I can use in a supermarket. 

Got my badly behaved £5 off Tosco voucher refunded as a giftcard to use next time too, will combine it with another £5 off £50 spend before it runs out on the 12th.  Just because I like to stack 'em.

Won £100 on the PBs. I optimistically predicted I would win 4x, but won 1x instead.  A win is a win is a win. 

ldee2111

Staying on NSD 1/15. I bought a set of 3 preloved books from Vinted for DS. He has one of them already and really enjoyed it, so when I saw the full set for £5 I thought it was worth it, even with the duplicate. Couldn’t find them cheaper elsewhere and the library didn’t have them. I’ll donate the spare copy to either the CS or DS’s school library.

I also ordered a replacement barbecue cover on Vinted for £10. Our old one is in tatters, and it seemed better to spend a little now to protect the barbecue rather than risk a much bigger cost later.

Phoned the gym and adjusted our membership to take DS off it. He hardly ever has the time to go, with school and his other clubs, so that saves us £11 a month. If we do want to take him for a swim, it’s £5 pay as you go, which will be cheaper overall. The plan is to save the saving, don’t know where yet. 

Today has felt quite heavy. The news, my work which is linked to it, and even things I’ve seen locally have all left me feeling completely disheartened. I feel frustrated by how politicians and the media manage to set people against each other and shift focus away from the real issues they should be dealing with. It has been an ugly sort of day. I’m sure tomorrow my mindset will be different.

For gratitudes, I’m glad for the savings we’ve managed to find, for my family listening to me when I need to offload, and for podcasts that are both interesting and a welcome distraction.

DawnW

beanielou said:

It was The Greatest Showman @Thrifty_Taylor

Ooh I got confused there, after @Thrifty_Taylor's elastic mishaps and avoidance of showing her nether regions to all and sundry 

Feeling better today. OK day at work. 

Sainsbobs had my size of straight leg jeans for a change, so I bought a couple more pairs for the winter. Only £16 per pair and they fit and wash beautifully. I have lost a bit of weight and my (very) old ones don't quite fall down but look very baggy and droopy. Also popped into B**ts and bought more multivitamin tablets as we are running low. We both take a tablet each morning. It may be a coincidence, but since we have been taking them (about 18 months) we seem to get far fewer colds and other bugs. At less than £2 for a tub that lasts several weeks, it seems worth it.

Dinner tonight was shepherds pie, and there will be enough for OH's lunch tomorrow as well.

Grateful today for an ok day at work and a nice dinner afterwards