NST February A FOREST ADVENTURE

greent · 5 February 2018 at 9:48PM

Always pay to debts or savings first, live on what is left. - car & 0% CCs on direct debit. 'Regular' spending CC cards always paid off in full by start of month. Once kitchen/ workmen fully paid for this month we will know what (if any!) we have left and that can go to OH's 0% CC. Any extra monies will also go there

First of February until the 28th, inclusive.
Organise your budgets before the start of the month and stick to them.
* Food 86.03/450 - more little bits from Tesc0 - slight cooker issue...
* Diesel (me) - 0/65
* Toiletries - 0/10
* Clothing - 0/100 (DS1 desperately in need of new jeans)
* Social - 0/50
* Half term - 0/75
* Money in - 0/50

Reserve a small portion of your budget (cash or goods) for the food bank or charity of your choice. - ok. Monthly DD to WWT. Should be attending a charity coffee/ cake morning mid month. Also £1 in aid of charity for non-school uniform last week (and will have another this week)

Environment Be aware of your surroundings and use all your senses. Be alert to danger but also to beauty. -
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Stock take your cupboards, fridge and freezer. Base your meal plan upon them and your shopping list on what is needed. Stick to your list. - desperately in need to top up supplies once kitchen is in!

Takeaways are forbidden (unless as part of family entertainment night/ birthday choice). Coffee shops, vending machines, works canteens etc are also banned (pastoral exceptions). may have family takeaway as social if budget unspent elsewhere

Always take your lunch to work and snacks and drinks for outings or appointments (may excuse one trip with children or allow ice creams etc if part of the experience). - have half term budget- will take lunches if applicable but something like ice creams may fall into budget here

Do something different. If nothing changes, nothing changes. We want to see small positive changes which become habits and then just part of who you are. Pick 2 or 3 things you want to change. Start with one small change and after five successful days, add another.

Valentine Who? after 30+ years together we don't really do Val now

(although I may buy some of the flowers for myself afterwards if they have been reduced

Exercise 5 times a week please. It should be commensurate with your abilities and current state of health (be careful after flu/ viruses). Getting outside helps with mental health too. - 3 weeks into flu/ post flu chesty cough/ fatigue/ poor breathing. Not doing any cv exercise until much better. Feeling better each day, so should have some luck here after half term. 10k steps achieved today as a start:T

NSDs are staying at 18 this month. that is still 10 days available for necessary shopping. There would be far fewer opportunities in the forest. Exceptions for medical care, petrol (should be within budget), bus fares, ys bargains and milk for greent. 1/18 - not one today. Small Tesc0 shop for more easy food - incorrect oven delivered at weekend and correct one not coming until March. Bought more easy food before the temporary solution of a loan of a small oven later this week (company's error, not ours)
Throw it away. We should all be aware that there is no such place as 'away' and recycle or donate appropriately but we all have too much stuff and even if you are ill, getting the rubbish and recycling helps slow the descent into chaos. - looking to remove 150 items this month - whether sell/ donate/ recycle/ bin - 8/150

Use what you have. Fix something (for free if possible). we need to update our house to do list this month - some jobs are being done as we have workmen in for the kitchen so are having them do some other bits whilst here (more cost efficient

) My main focus is a big clean and tidy- lots of dust spread everywhere from the works Got a small job done for free by a workman as they were here doing something else - sort of counts!

Refuel properly. Feb is a month of re-charging for me

Elephants and Frogs. .Am sure I can find some frogs. An elephant I need to tackle is getting OH's co accounts for the year ready for the accountant

Today I am thankful for the plumber cracking on with the tiling, the tile shop getting the tiles in super quick at no cost (yeay!), lovely kitchen fitting people to whom nothing seems too much trouble, helpful plasterers, easy food/ ready meals (was too poorly to batch cook (as planned) before kitchen removed), a dry day with blue skies (bitterly cold, but sunny at same time), bulbs peeking through, lovely neighbours who filled my kettle when water was switched off whilst I was out, for having enough, for DS3 having fun at Cubs, for DS2 having a great time at rifle club after school, for DS1's sense of humour

DancingDragons · 5 February 2018 at 11:06PM

NSD 3 for me. DH bought flowers for me yesterday. (Birthday treat week) and cake, and wine. Planned day off/ out Tomorrow, but looks like the weather might cancel that.

Frogs: Need to sort tickets and travel insurance for residential I have coming up. Don't want to put it on a card, but if I leave it too long the train prices will rocket. Will be done tomorrow.

Get Rid: Duvet covers gone - too faded for Ebay, no time to make them into something else

Donation of books to school. Been tripping up over them for months.

Exercise: Didn't quite make the 10,000 steps, but did get to gym.

House drama part one: resolved by the helpful lady at Land Registry. We now know what needs done to sort that out. Tune in next week as they say...
Friend Drama, took my advice, but again problems being caused by fine print.
Thats about it for the day.

KerryWoman, I hope things get easier for you.
Laurenh1 - Have you considered using the Slimming World group on MSE forum? I know a few do, and use it to follow plan without going to group. They share syn info and encourage each other. I have been tempted(Lurked) to join but I struggle to keep up with this one thread, so I've no hope with two mass posting threads

misstara · 5 February 2018 at 11:45PM

Very quick post just to say today was NSD 3/18

mothernerd · 5 February 2018 at 11:51PM

DawnW yes you keep your NSD.

Kerry Woman Keep remembering the good memories. Glad that the school are being supportive and you are keeping busy.

I had a visit from the house elf (DS2). came to borrow money but stayed more than 2 hours (I had drifted off to sleep again). I was idsappointed that the kitchen looked unchanged but then found the front room transformed - both couches were empty (except for my one decorative cushion and you could see most of the floor. Some things moved around and quite a lot in bags or tucked away (will need a further sort but some of it isn't my responsibility). But gave me sucha boost.

Also decided that as it had taken a fit aand relatively healthy young person more than 2 hours to get it to that stage, I should probably be less critical of my own efforts and the length of time things are taking me. It is only a couple of weeks since I was too ill to do anything, so getting some things done is good.

My plodding has yielded results. One frog has been tackled because I found all the bits required to do it. Another large bag to the cs, one heavy sack of paper into the paper bin (lots of old chequebooks, more will go when I can sort some old accounts of mum's), a small rubbish bag (swept under the bed yesterday), kitchen table is nearly clear (need the surface for assembling kitchen bits and bobs). I have to keep listing what I have done to evealuate the remaining mess/ progress gained.

Lots of paperwork and old embroidery projects have been culled (the frog took so long because of all the things mum had kept - most of her paperwork is here now). I know there is still more to do but the pile on the bed is greatly reduced (it went back on the bed when I was trawling for frog bits), more trays and boxes have been emptied. Lots of washing up to do as DS2 found 3 plates, about a dozen mugs/glasses and a whole mugful of assorted cutlery. The largest pile I have is empty boxes but some will be used inside drawers.

Today I am grateful for my house elf (can you have 6'4" house elves - well he is a Will Ferrell fan), that I am not DS1 (had to return home as a schoolchild on the bus was sick all over him) and for easy food using fridge and freezer bits (small spend of £4.80).

mothernerd · 6 February 2018 at 1:21AM

When that "would've", "could've", "should've", narrative in her head tried to bring her to her knees, she nipped it in the bud.
Happiness ensued.

Sometimes the strength within you is not a big fiery flame for all to see, it is just a tiny spark that whispers ever so softly "you got this, just keep going".

To whoever reads this, I hope something good happens to you today.

dolly84 · 6 February 2018 at 10:51AM

It's snowing here but barely, the kids were hopeful that it would get really bad on the way to school and we would have to dramatically turn back.

The ebay items which sold on Sunday still haven't been paid for - two separate buyers too:mad:. I am going to list some more things today but the one thing I hate about it is you end up having contact with the type of people you would avoid in real life.

Went for a run last night and for the first time in a while I enjoyed it but I think that is because I am much better at running late in the day, will try to go again this evening weather permitting.

NinjaSavingKat · 6 February 2018 at 12:31PM

DawnW wrote: »

The items for my garden are treats for me, that, and saving for a service for our elderly camper van

I love this post. Fresh veggies in a wee van driving around the countryside on a whim. So tempted to get one myself and live in it at my parents house. Are they expensive to upkeep?

NinjaSavingKat · 6 February 2018 at 12:36PM

I've realised that my annual leave allowance that I have accrued and those days I will earn leading up to my trip will not cover the entire 17 working days that I am away. I think there will be a downfall of at least a weeks wages.:eek::eek::eek:

That means (assuming my temp position will allow me to take that amount of time off altogether) I need to make/find/scrounge even more money before then and now!

AND..... I was hoping to have my birthday day off plus another two in April. Hmmmmmmm and we are not allowed to stretch flexi-days that far in advance either.

So - time to start thinking of ways to make more money...:T:T:T

DawnW · 6 February 2018 at 12:48PM

NinjaSavingKat wrote: »

I love this post. Fresh veggies in a wee van driving around the countryside on a whim. So tempted to get one myself and live in it at my parents house. Are they expensive to upkeep?

We have only had it a year, and it was obvious it needed some engine work done when we got it (it didn't cost much to buy, or at least not in camper van terms). About £300 worth of work was needed. It is reliable, starts first time, even after being stood for weeks, and we have done a lot of miles in it since we had it. Fuel wise, it is like a 2.6 diesel car, which basically, it is!

But it is an old vehicle and we fully expect to have to pay out for repairs etc as and when needed. It is having a check over ready for the summer next month, it will need a service, and they may find other issues, which we will just get done. We are lucky in that it is a bit of a 'cult' vehicle and there are lots of enthusiasts who run businesses looking after them, as we are not very mechanically minded. OH follows forums a bit like this one just to do with these vehicles, and is wise to who is worth using and who isn't. But to be honest, as far as we are concerned, it is our 'holidays' so happy to save up and pay for it. We love it! And the dog can always come too

It would be chilly to live in during the winter though :eek:

laurenh1 · 6 February 2018 at 1:25PM

Afternoon Turtles-.

today is NSD #5. tomorrow will almost certainly be a spend day as I am going to run out of milk & fruit.

I am currently chowing down on rabbit food

we can put a man on the moon but haven't yet worked out how to make chocolate and pastry that is good for me. seems I have been taking on far too many calories, surprised how it all adds up.

budgets all still the same but tomorrow I am going to spend the extra from my emergency fund (1060) on a boat hire for when we go c parcs in Aug (29£) I wanted to book horse riding again but its 18 for 15 mins per child & I really don't know if I want to pay that so I am thinking about it.

Im not sure I have much else to report have a good day all xxx

NST February A FOREST ADVENTURE

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