NST December 2025 A Different December

apple_muncher

Yes, buy the bedspread!

Today I am grateful for my proactive optician (still got issues with my eye after the cataract surgery 3 months ago!), for clearing stuff away and enjoying the space, for bumping into a neighbour, for mint ice cream, for my bed - I'm going to snuggle down very soon -been trying to hold on u til the hour starts with an 8, having started at 5.45 🤣, for dh putting the light-up reindeer + sleigh together so we can put it on the flat roof tomorrow.

weenancyinAmerica

Today - thankful to be able to go to my sister's for her 76th birthday (2 years younger than me) with my "little" sister who is 15 years younger than me. Did have a brother in there 13 years younger than me but he died back in 1995 of Muscular Dystrophy. Thankful for being able to help decorate one of the trees this year (usually go up and do three or four over two days -but health got in the way). Happy I found a couple of presents more for my sister at the Library Book Store last week. Thankful my little sister's new car could fit both my walker and my roommate's walker in the back (we weren't sure). It has cooled off a bit here - only 24C. Only rain predicted here for this month will be the 24th and 25th - just in time for Christmas. Hope the storms aren't too bad there. 

dustydigger

Morning fellow turtles.Glad to see the wind died down. When it is in one particular direction that hits the windows dead on we get a quiet moaning sound very eerie. Only happens a few times a year, a  very sad and depressing sound like crying ghosts.
I have done absolutely nothing all weekend,so tired because of disturbed nights with Mr D.. For the first time in four days  he was a bit calmer. Went to bed at 6pm got back up at 9,stayed around 10 minutes then went back for the night. Lights off all night instead of him having both bedside and ceiling lights on continually and not sleeping. I actually got four solid hours of deep sleep,lovely,but on waking at 3.30 my mind was working overtime,planning both xmas and the future,especially finances ,rearranging,and simplifying life a lot more. I dont seem to have been able to control my time or do things scheduled for months,partly from my health and real life issues.A new year coming up,I need to focus on coping better with my lethargy and depressions,outcomes from my anaemia and other maladies. Got to strip away unnecessary things as Mr Dusty is needing more of my time I need to help him keep up his strength better. Both of us are far too sedentary. My main mission is to try to sort a schedule for health and self care. Plenty of info on line I just need to try to carry things out. To keep Mr Dusty happy I have I let routines lapse too much must get back on track.
Am adjusting my grocery list for tesc* delivery tomorrow,will reduce some of the biscuits and cakes as I am not expecting many visitors and I end up eating it all. lol.
Today am going to do another attempt to tidy Mr Ds room. Last week I got all his clothes sorted now they are in heaps. Gave up last week when my back was hurting,a big mistake. Must take away many garments that sadly are now far too big for Mr D,as he has lost 2 stone over the last two years,and his shirts and trousers are huge. Do you think a care home would accept them. Mr D never drank or smoked in his life and his interest in clothes has always been something of a family joke as he had so many clothes and footwear and used all the wardrobe space in 3 wardrobes whilst I hung my coats  in the cupboard under the stairs,and my nighties behind the bedroom door and got all my clothing in four drawers plus undies and socks in a plastic container. But can I get him to give up some of his 16 shirts,12 pairs of trousers (plus trackie bottoms) and many many jackets? He wears them all over a period of a few days,even if some trousers are so loose now they fall off so he is walking around clutching them. around his hips.It would be funny if it wasnt heartbreaking.
OK,lets get practical.Minimum jobs to do today
Wash my dirty head havent been up to bending over to wash it!
Do a washing. spend rest of day drying them indoors 
Sort Mr Ds too big clothes into bags.  will tidy another day
Cook shin of beef,keep some for next 2 days meals freeze the rest for meals next week
FINALLY put up decorations, less than usual. Put up tree tomorrow. Boxes have been cluttering sitting room for 4 days
Clean Sitting room chandelier. The crystal drops are embarrassingly dull,never cleaned them since LAST Xmas lol.
Mop the kichen floor,its filthy,never washed it for a fortnight .
Once upon a time I could whizz through these things in a couple of hours. Now it will take forever.
Need some decluttering wisdom from MSE great decluttering groups will have pleasant time perusing the group
For now its off to peel spuds,I have fish already prepared. Portion of shepherds pie for me.


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dustydigger

Oops,dont know what I did to to produce such a large post space lol.
Dinner is on,washing up done,on,off to wash my hair while Mr D is dozing.

dizzyblnd

Think I’m on nsd#7 today. This month seems to be slow in the no spend days as every day something crops up. 

I’m starting to look a bit bedraggled today. Work has been so busy and weekends have been equally busy. Big bags under my eyes. In need of a lovey lay in over the Christmas period. Very grateful to my sister who has been helping my LO with some homework tonight as I had a late meeting. 

24° sounds a dream right now @w@weenancyinAmerica

DawnW

I am up to 6 NSDs I think. Possibly 7, but will call it 6 to be on the safe side 

Bought the last Christmas present today, and grocery shopping needed tomorrow.

I have another cold, almost immediately after getting rid of one     Not sure how that happened - a different germ I suppose!

Anyway, I don't feel too bad, so walked into town this morning to get that last present.

Came back and made a sort of minestrone soup with fridge and freezer bits, for lunch. I had proper orzo pasta in the larder, so used some of that. 

Later made a chicken jalfezi curry for dinner. I already had the ingredients, including some peppers that needed using up. Yummy, and there is plenty left for tomorrow as well.

f0xh0les

I think I am on NSD9. 
Volunteered this morning with my 84 yr old partner-in-crime, nice to see him. I pick him up from his house and drive him home afterwards. He has stopped going when he doesn't have a lift. He enjoys it, but when I am working he cancels his shift 😔.  We are a double act!
I have left myself very short this month. Admittedly I picked up 3 extra days work and thus unplanned related travel expenses,  but once my last R/S goes out on 17th I will have £60 in the bank until expenses are reimbursed,  and who knows when that is in December! Payday is NYE I know that much. 
Not bought one single present for anyone yet. 
I do have a bottle of wine to regift- it isn't vegan, so no good for me - so maybe my Old Mate would like it. 
Car in for service/MOT on Thursday it will have to go on the CC. 
I am 'fiscally embarrassed' this month, but one  RS matures later in December, it is just a short term cash flow problem. 
School and college close on Friday - can't wait!
8p Xmas veg at Lidl and Aldi from Thursday til 24th
 2kg 🥔 spuds
 🥕 carrots
 sprouts
parsnips 
 red cabbage
white cabbage
Lidl also have 300g shallots for 8p
Sainsbobs are 15p with necktar card, Tessimo aren't saying what they are doing yet

dustydigger

Adjusted my xmas Tesc*  grocery list,cut it down from £138 to £113,no more shopping till after xmas..
Didnt get the shin of beef on,forgot to get it out to defrost but I'll put it on tomorrow morning.
Didnt get the decorations up either because I cant locate either sellotape or drawing pins and I wasnt going out in bucketing rain to get some .At least all the boxes are opened and things sorted to put up tomorrow.  tomorrow,and will hoover the upstairs. Couldnt do Mr Ds room either when I was ready to start he decided to go for a nap,and as his mood was a bit uncertain I didnt feel like pushing him and making him annoyed so that he would baulk  at getting rid of clothes. I will have to go cautiously. So as usual only achieved a fraction of of planned work.Ah well it will all come out in the wash I supposed. We keep on prodding

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for my dentist and my optician and the chemist! It's been one of those days.... I am also grateful that I was able to walk to and from the dentist and get some fresh air, for getting a lot of sleep last night, for having a good book on the go.

dustydigger

At least I did some thinking on the finances.I have had quite a few sinking funds this year which came in handy for yearly subscriptions like Amaz*n PriMe, £95 this week and my annual  house contents payment in November,£75.
I love how MSE has taught me in the last 8 years how to manage my finances,learning to budget,staying completely debt free since 2017'. Now that Mr D is not sharp enough mentally I got appointed as an official financial appointee to administer our money,our only income,pension credit comes into my account and I make all decisions.
In my new intention to simplify life I will perhaps make sinking funds fewer and less specific.more generalized,but pretty much the savings amounts staying the same,or perhaps less simply because the bills keep going up and up.Dear me,back in the day 2019 I paid £81 a month.  to Sc*ttish P*wer.By 2022 at the height of the energy crisis cause by the Ukraine war my energy company were demanding £218a month. Even when things cooled down since I was on an all  year round same monthly payment and had to wait a long time before the cost went down,building up a big credit balance which is still there when I am paying £120 a month.I did want to pay only £100 which would bring the £390 credit down,but they sort of pressured me to increase my monthly payment last winter. Now I am keeping that balance as a safety cushion against tough times,as you never know what this crazy modern world will throw at you next lol.