NST June 2026: Onwards and Upwards

beanielou

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82021997#Comment_82021997

So true. 🥲

grandmanerd

Rowan - so sorry for your loss.

I've had a busy few days. Just tidying up after the freezer/ fridge-freezer swap around. Lots of bags went to various bins. I put the shelf that DS3 had removed back under the stairs but further in - the support brackets go nearly to the end of the under stairs. All the paint cans that were in the kitchen and under the stairs are back under there - I didn't jot down what colours and how many of each which I may regret later but can't cope with any more lists which I can't find when I want them.

I've done washing up and a lot more 'rinsing' of recyclable items before they went in bins. I put the brown bin out or collection on Tuesday night. I ate their leftovers for 2 meals and the things I bought ffor the weekend have filled in the rest (small quantities of packaged ruit, a bunch of bananas and lots of sweet potato falafels).

Some days I had to hold onto the clothesline to get up and down the yard and I haven't been as far as the library yet. There have also been many deliveries including 2 huge boxes from approved foods for them. I've worked hard but taken frquent rest breaks and my body tells me when to stop. On Tuesday I stood up at around 4 pm to answer a knock on the door and my knees locked. My upper body swayed but then my knees started to co-operate.

Yesterday I think I fell asleep watching Taskmaster - only caught glimpses of 2 tasks. I moved a 3 drawer filing cabinet to a new place at the start of the stairs (direct swap with the FF which is where it used to be). Filled the shelf I'd put back under the stairs and have a couple of trays set up to hold more.

I've been scrubbing the floor mess (multiple passes) and keep working on getting litter out of the chinchilla cage without disturbing the chinchillas. It's not my job but the poor things are in a mess and I don't think it's helping my hay fever.

Vague plans for the month. I'm working on things that will help with hay fever and improving my mask hygiene. I need a lot more organisation and routine in my life and am tacking extra tasks on to the existing skeleton framew ork bearing in mind my morning routine can take up to 3 hours and I might go back to sleep at any stage after loo, water, pills, food. Tuesday I was awake at 4 am and decided to stay awake until I could take my pills. I ended up going through until 4 pm but that was definitely it.

I've been thinking about things I can do by myself to cover the non-availability of the mindfulness/ chair based activities and am going to use the labelling of activities under the routine/ necessary/ pleasurable headings (Pacing). You try each activity until the point where you have to stop, clasiy each according to the energy required (some could only be done on a green high energy day. on a red day you congratulate yourself on getting in the shower and managing to eat a sandwich). You also rate each activity according to how it makes you feel - from blah to whoop whoop (some things have to be done but they drain you). The baseline for any activity is halfway to your exhaustion point. On a hard day (low energy and/ or mood) you concentrate on the pleasurable activities that replenish you.

I am going to start a running task list. I looked round the other day and the whole house was jobs I'd started but not finished. A lot of things have a 5 minute limit (standing, bending down, washing up - one bowlful at a time and put the next lot in to soak, anything that makes me breathe heavily) so I need to keep going back to do the next stage (or a bit more) but there were things that I hadn't gone back to for 2 or 3 days (partly because moving furniture was blocking access to parts of the kitchen). I need a list of 'ongoing' things to see where I start the next morning or until the task is 'complete' (some jobs are a never ending cycle).

I'm jotting down a list of exercises I can do, concentrating on balance and circulation and will tether them to particular times/ places (I used to run up and down the stairs in the advert breaks from programmes I watched). I had one programme a day that was unmissable because when I was doing multiple jobs I needed an hour a day where I sat down.

I need to incorporate all existing task lists into a new one and subdivide it - first by urgency and importance (cannot go through the back door unless I have something clean and dry to wear v sometime never tasks) and I also need to filter them through Clutter Clarity's 5 'Ds' - discard anything thats been on there so long it's irrelevant, anything I can delegate to someone else etc.

Yesterday started with a couple of crises (enough to cause panic and alarm) - no money to pay my cleaner and an appointment that I couldn't ind written down, both down to lack of organisation/ follow through. I did resolve both within an hour (with a back up option n each case). I also spent some time (in between panic mode) debating the subtext of ordering toilet rolls. This was due to the high volume of deliveries (mine and theirs) and the pile of items to deal with (limited carrying capacity, weight of items, lack of a place to work in the garden).

I'm wondering if I'm actually a spendthrift but I won't let myself buy anything fun so bulk buy toilet rolls etc. I have to talk myself into buying clothes (until I can't get through 3 days unless I buy extra clothes) or fun (plants - half the ones I wanted have gone, they were on sale at the irst BH but I'm still not really ready for them due to rain/ oppressive heat. I have bought toilet rolls. I was due to buy toilet rolls but my favourite isn't available, nor my second favourite. I have some toilet rolls hidden in multiple place (DS3 takes them if he finds them, without telling me). So I've bought some 'make do' toilet rolls (have to be camping/ septic tank ones after several blocked drain situations) but will order the proper ones as soon as they are back in stock.

Enough rambling. I am grateful for food deliveries, books (still great although there are problems with reading and concentration), folic acid pills (rethinking the brain fog etc symptoms and hoping it might ust be down to B12 deiciency especially as further reading tells me the body struggles with production as we age and also one o my long-term medications depletes it)

Rowan9

@grandmanerd i like the idea of pacing. I think that’s such a good idea. Do pace yourself with all things maybe.

@beanie yes a fellow Scot! An East Coaster. What gave it away?

Today I am grateful for

An easy tea (seems to follow a pattern) from freezer of a chicken and veg stew I batch cook. Having it with loads more veg including more of the lovely potatoes

Kind supportive words

Lovely time with DD this morning which was so good for my soul.

Turtle values will continue. I can’t count NSDays at the moment as going out for coffee is so helpful this week. However I have been planning meals from the freezer so we are doing ok.
Take care all x

beanielou

@Rowan9. The bus pass at 60!

Rowan9

@beanie of course! It’s a very handy thing.

I have been out for coffee again today to get out and act normal. It’s all good for me. Also bought two books at charity shop, one about Russian history over past 200 years, and one about emigration from Ireland to US. Both are about their local culture. Something to get involved with and occupy my mind.
Did some food shopping, just a bit as we are sorted from last week’s shop.
DH has planned a day out for us tomorrow, on the train over to the west coast. Will be good.

Gratitudes today

Very kind girl in coffee shop, really made my day

Toast and pate and cheese for lunch which was easy and filling

Sunshine when rain was forecast. It helped my walk round the park early this morning

Take care all x

weenancyinAmerica

If you had only 5 pounds for personal spends this month, how would you spend it? That's all I usually have left after paying the bills, but I want to spend it on things for me this month - instead of for the cats. I can get four items at my local Dollar Store (where things are $1.25 now). It is similar to Poundland or stores like that. I thought about 1 Sudoku book, 2 100g balls of yarn, and a pack of crochet hooks - to help me keep busy this month while I'm waiting at doctor's offices. What would you look for?