Another 20 Things I did in February to be Frugal

Here’s 20 additional things I did to save money and stick to a low budget in Frugal February, as well as continuing with the 15 from January:

1. I set a budget of £400 for the month and divided it in to the 28 days. It was intentionally double my January budget. For easy maths I allowed 650 lira per day.
2. I continued to write down every single thing I paid money for, every lira I spent, including bills.
3. I stopped buying small waters in plastic bottles and used topped up water from the big water cooler at home.
4. I changed the date of my credit card payment to coincide with my pay day and continued to pay off in full to avoid unnecessary interest, paying little bits off throughout the month too.
5. I made sure that I had no subscriptions, recurring bills or Direct Debits that I didn’t absolutely need.
6. Instead of buying new clothes I wore donated clothes from friends which fitted and suited me better.
7. I accepted more invitations to dine and drink with friends at home rather than going out and I took a contribution/wine.
8. I made sure I shopped around for the discounts on what I did need, even if it meant buying from more than one supermarket. Conversely, I didn’t buy anything I saw on offer that I wouldn’t need or use in February.
9. I reduced/stopped any unnecessary phone credit by changing my plan to match my usage and used more WiFi instead.
10. I decided against a trip to the UK to see Captain Caveman, despite cheap flights, knowing the trip would still cost more than being in Turkey.
11. For every day that I managed to spend less than the budget, I put the money to one side to pay off debts or add to savings, no matter how small the amount was.
12. I didn’t order or buy anything without knowing the price first.
13. I limited eating out in a restaurant to just twice in the month, none of which were for evening meals and didn’t include alcohol.
14. Cabbage, lentils and chickpeas became my best friend for cheap additions to meals as well as in batch cooking.
15. All my meals were made from scratch and I limited any imported or luxury items.
16. I said no to a lot of things, including joining friends on a holiday, because it didn’t suit my budget and I needed to be sensible.
17. I made a list of all the food items I already had in the cupboard, fridge and freezer and planned meals using those up first.
18. I didn’t have any beauty/hair/massage appointments.
19. I took advantage of free or low cost hobbies and activities like Fat Club, language classes, walking, online courses and training etc.
20. I used my time much more wisely so that I could make improvements to my life and work on earning more money in the future.

I know some of these tips have helped a few friends out already and hopefully you have some ideas of your own. It’s been a good exercise for me and I will continue to be money minded as I go through the coming months. I’d challenge anyone to do something like this for just one month and see how much it benefits you.
I think, even if you have money to spare, it’s still a good way to live to enable saving for something special or using your money to prioritise it better without being blissfully unaware. If I’d followed this plan when I earned loads of money, I’d be retired by now.

Have you got any tips you’d like to share? Do you already do any of the above? Which do you find easy? What’s the hardest?

Click like, send a comment or even share if you found this blog post useful.

Dalyan – 28th February

During the night it had been stormy so I was up early on Friday 28th February. The dogs got wet on their wander out and Norman seemed to have a sore ear that he wouldn’t let me touch. Captain Caveman called me as soon as he woke up to tell me he had been paid (his first pay day) and he was going to transfer me the money for my February residency requirement, with it being the last day of the month. He was very pleasantly surprised to hear that I had already managed to do it and any money he wanted to send my way could now be used for March and to help pay the costs involved in getting the insurances and bills for the upcoming residency renewal application. I needed to put the same amount in for March plus pay for the application, the new card, the transport, the Health insurance, Earthquake insurance, passport photos, and bringing the council tax and any bills up to date. I also needed to reconnect my Turkish phone number and add more credit for that. It was going to be costly, but this time I could apply for 2 years residency renewal so, to me, it was worth doing. I was too busy for breakfast, so just had a tea and a cuddle with the dogs. I worked all morning as it was the last day of the month and I wanted to try and get a last minute deal or two booked so that I got paid for it in March. Sadly, it didn’t happen as one potential customer had decided not to bother and the other potential customer wanted to think about it over the weekend and discuss it with the family. It did mean that I had not hit the target I had set for myself for March pay day and I would be moving in to Money-minded March from tomorrow. I already had plans to increase my opportunities and income for April, though.
I had leek and potato soup with a cheese sandwich for lunch and got back on with work while the dogs snored. In the afternoon, Captain Caveman sent me a photo of my free book that had arrived in London. Charlie Day had sent me her ‘Sales is Easy If You Just Know How’ and I was looking forward to getting my teeth in to that when I could. I checked on my Resort Experts business page to see how my week of using the marketing training had gone. I’d only been following the training for the last 4 days but I was impatient to see if it was having a positive effect. While the rest of the team had reported that engagement had increased, mine had gone down by 30%, in the last 7 days. Interestingly, the age and gender of my followers was changing so that I had attracted a few more men and had some younger people following now. Norman was restless and kept wanting to go out and then back in the door so I decided I would make him Chairman for the day and promoted him to sit on the chair next to me. Norman seemed happy but Edna was asleep and missed out on any extra responsibilities. The weather was very miserable so wine on a Friday was postponed, much to Edna’s disgust and she was obviously going to log it as a complaint.
After walking the dogs, I had pasta for dinner and had night 3 in a row, of zero alcohol. I snacked on pineapple which felt like a real treat as I don’t normally buy it. I decided before bed to tot up my expenditure for February to see how I had done against my £400 budget. February had still been frugal but I had definitely felt like it had been a bit of an easier month, especially as it was a shorter month.
Does anyone fancy a guess at how I did against the budget?

Gratitude List
1. Call from Captain Caveman to say he would transfer me money for February
2. Captain Caveman giving me March’s money, instead, so that I didn’t have to worry or struggle
3. Fresh pineapple to nibble on.

Dalyan – 27th February

As I ate fruit and quark with my cup of tea for breakfast on Thursday 27th February, I checked my To Do list and Diary to make sure I had done all the priority tasks up to yesterday. It had been a busy couple of days and I was also getting more enquiries for my Resort Experts travel, which I was really enjoying. I had now being doing it for 4 months and had joined at the quietest time. With hindsight, this had certainly worked in my favour as I had been able to do so much training and learn lots without being overwhelmed. The first thing in my diary on today’s list was to make sure I had deposited the equivalent of £750 in to my Turkish bank account for February. The required amount for residency purposes, in lira, is meant to be 33,156 lira but I had been advised to put more in so I was aiming for 34,650 lira (£770) at today’s exchange rate. Not only had I done it, but I had managed it early and I cleared the rest of my credit card balance which was due to go out tomorrow. I was so chuffed that I I still had money at the end of the month. My self-imposed budget of £400 for February would be checked at the weekend but I was hoping to have achieved it and I would be back on track after a tricky winter.
I worked all morning and then warmed up some spaghetti and meatballs for lunch before the final session of the Race to Recurring Revenue challenge with Lisa Johnson. I did the homework straight away but did find it quite tough as I needed to get back to work for the Team Meeting, then walk the dogs. I also knew I needed to tweak my book and get more focused with getting some traction on book sales. The book cover was still not showing as being accurate but I could not face doing it again after several failed attempts on Amazon. I was beginning to get used to the black and cream colour combo that Amazon KDP had lumbered me with due to me not knowing how to correct it. At 5pm I had time for a walk with Norman and Edna and we bumped in to friends, Sezgin and Nur. All of us did the walk and ended up at their house for a cup of tea after. Norman ate the cat’s food and Edna begged a biscuit so I was concerned they might get a dodgy tum. They cleaned the kitchen floor with their tongues while I had a cup of tea and a piece of chocolate. Sezgin was keen to know about my book progress which I still hadn’t been able to publish in Turkey without it costing too much for the buyer. It was on Kobo, only as an ebook but I wasn’t sure it was available to purchase in Turkey.
I had the last session on Mindset at 7pm and then had chicken fajitas for dinner before the last live Lisa Johnson session for the end of this week’s challenge.
Unfortunately, I had turned the AC off as it was too hot now, then it wouldn’t work again. I popped my dressing gown on over the top of my thermal pyjamas and was cold but not freezing.

Gratitude List
1. Getting the £750 in to the bank
2. Being debt free
3. Having a fluffy dressing gown to keep warm.

Dalyan – 26th February

I’d been quite good on the Slimming World plan this week so I was looking forward to Fat Club weigh in on Wednesday 26th February. I did my measurements after feeding the dogs and they weren’t favourable; 1cm on my bust and 2cm on both waist and hips! I had tea, fruit and quark for breakfast then got on with some work.
This week’s Turkish class was at Mono & More café which was very nice and the sun was out. I even had to take my coat and hoodie off as it warmed up. I paid just 20 lira (44p) for a Turkish tea and 25 lira (56p) for a bottle of water. I did have a look at the menu and they were certainly competing for the English expat market with meals like fish & chips and pies which were getting great reviews on Facebook. I noticed a glass of wine was just 125 lira (£2.78) and made a mental note to suggest this place next time I was invited out with friends.

The AC man was coming to Jamie’s at 1pm so I rushed back, when they came they did something to the filters and then it worked. While the 2 AC men were doing that, I was attending the third session of the Race to Recurring Revenue challenge with Lisa Johnson and watching the dogs on the patio. I wasn’t certain but I thought I saw Norman eating some poo and hoped he wasn’t getting a taste for it.
I had soup for lunch and then rushed over to Fat Club where I was already aware I was going to be disappointed with my result! I had put on 0.4kg (0.9lb) which wasn’t that much, but it now meant that I was over my target weight.
That evening, after a dog walk and feeding, I made Slimming World pizza with a wrap and decided to abstain from any alcohol.
I attended the next Mindset session at 7pm and joined the live update with Lisa at 10.30pm around doing some Resort Experts work. It had been a busy day but at least I was warm as the AC was toasty now.

Gratitude List
1. Cheap drinks at Mono & More
2. Being warm as the AC was fixed
3. Learning so much from the free training of Race to Recurring Revenue.

Dalyan – 24th & 25th February

I had rather a busy day on Monday 24th February. It was also the last day before I would be looking after the dogs, Norman & Edna! After tea and buttered toast for breakfast, I went over to Jamie’s for some training on Marketing Hooks and a cup of tea. Edna was beside herself with giddiness as she understood – she had seen all the luggage! I was always so pleased that she looked forward to being looked after by Aunty Jo.
Back home, I had to chase up one of the Resort Experts suppliers I use as I needed a bespoke quote for a group booking. I had another enquiry that required me to research distances between various places in Vietnam and there was excitement out of the office window. A crane had been brought in to raise the roof of the new building next door and so it was quite noisy. I had to move to work in the kitchen as I was then on my first session of the Race to Recurring Revenue with Lisa Johnson. It was really good and I threw myself in to it. I just had fruit and a Dido chocolate bar for lunch. I worked for the rest of the day, until 7pm when I was on a free Mindset session. I had leftover chicken dinner that evening and was in bed by midnight.

Gratitude List
1. Training of all types, for free
2. Sunday dinner on a Monday
3. Enjoying being busy.

It was the first day with Norman and Edna on Tuesday 25th February. I had mistakenly thought Jamie and Drew were going to Thailand but I think that was because I knew so many people in Dalyan who were going there, lately. They were off to the Canaries for a bit of winter sun. I had Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) for breakfast and stayed at home working in the morning. I had the second session of my Race to Recurring Revenue challenge at 1pm and Jamie left at 1.30pm.
The dogs were pleased to see me but, as they had been given haircuts recently, they were feeling the cold. Norman was shivering so I got both dogs an old towel and they cuddled up close to me for warmth. I banged the AC on as I was not taking any chances on Norman getting sick. I could tell the dogs had already started their list of complaints and they had only been with me for a few hours. I had a late lunch/early dinner of leek and potato soup followed by a pasta dish and some fresh fruit. I attended the second session of the Mindset training with Renée at 7pm. I joined a live Facebook session with Lisa Johnson at 10.30pm where she was checking how we were all getting on with day 2 of the challenge. As the temperature dropped, the evening was pretty cold and it took me a long time to get to sleep.

Gratitude List
1. Being able to warm up little Norman who was shivering
2. Being able to benefit from the 3 free sessions attached to the Race to Recurring Revenue today and get some Resort Experts work done
3. Norman and Edna – they are so cute.

Dalyan – 23rd February

There was no Sunday Walk, secret squirrel or otherwise, on Sunday 23rd February. It was just too cold so I had arranged to meet some friends at Kefal Tea Gardens (indoor area) for a bit of a send-off for Zen. He was going back to work so it would be the last time we saw him until mid-April. We decided on meeting at 11.30am and joining the big table there were 8 of us. I wrapped up warm as it looked so sunny but was very cold outside.

When I arrived, the waitress helped me to move the tables in to place, in a sunny corner of the indoor area. I ordered a large Turkish tea, there were no gözleme available today. Everyone arrived and we had a good chat and beverages before ordering food. I ordered the breakfast portion (without egg) and it was rather substantial for the price of 225.00 lira (£5). I even took some of it away as I couldn’t eat it all. The sun had been very warm where we were sitting so it was very nice to feel hot and I even had to take a few layers off. My total bill with 2 teas, plus another which came included with the breakfast, came to just 255.00 lira (£5.67). I really enjoyed my Sunday Turkish brunch with friends but we were all sad to say bye to Zen.
I got back in time to have a chat with a friend, living in Hoi An, Vietnam, as we were looking at planning a trip to Easter Island and Peru for her. Unfortunately, she had an incident at work so the call was put on hold. Around 5pm, I popped to the shops and here is what I bought with prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
Fresh Garlic 64.90
Tomato Ketchup 39.00
Total spent 103.90 lira (£2.31)

Migros Supermarket
2 tins of tomatoes 44.92 lira (£1)

I still hadn’t managed to find a notepad and I had an important call tomorrow that I needed one for. After eating a chicken dinner, I went to look for a notepad. None of the nearest supermarkets had one but I bumped in to Kaan who took me to the Şevikoğlu where I got one for 49.90 lira (£1.11) in the sale. I walked back and called in BIM where I bought a couple of Dido chocolate bars for 39.00 lira (87p). I spoke to Captain Caveman who was in the Yorkshire Dales, he would be back in Dalyan in 5 weeks.
At 11pm I was on a live Facebook update with Lisa Johnson getting ready for tomorrow’s Race to Recurring Revenue, which I was really looking forward to.

Gratitude List
1. Breakfast at Kefal with friends
2. An enquiry for Peru
3. A new notepad finally purchased.

Dalyan – 21st & 22nd February

On Friday 21st February it was absolutely freezing. After tea and toast for breakfast and a couple of enquiries for Rhodes and Belfast I nipped to the bank to make sure I had put in the rest of the money needed for February. I was chuffed to have managed it and it meant that I would be able to apply for my Residency Renewal after the 1st March when I had the evidence in bank statements for the last 6 months. New cash machines had been installed so the queue took longer as people tried to figure out how to use them.
I had the rest of the feta and roasted vegetable pasta for lunch and then got back on with work. I have a Resort Experts colleague in Belfast who was able to give me some great tips on where to visit – so much so that I added Belfast to my own list of places to visit in the future. I completed all of my follow up calls that had agreed to them but I still had 2 potential customers that had not responded yet. I also got an enquiry for Vietnam about what the weather is like in March, and often people don’t realise how long the country is so there is quite a difference from North to South.
Dinner was more of the spaghetti and meatballs with half a bottle of red wine and catching up on watching episodes of ‘The Apprentice’. It is my guilty pleasure as it often reminds me of people I have worked with previously and I absolutely love Alan Sugar.
Captain Caveman messaged me at midnight to ask about the weather in Dalyan in April for a friend who was interested in a visit and, again, it can depend; sometimes it’s been hot and sunny and other years it’s been chilly or rainy.

Gratitude List
1. Completing all my Friday Follow up calls
2. Leftover meatballs
3. Wine.

Market day was upon us again on Saturday 22nd February and I decided I needed to go. I had quite a big list of what I thought I needed but I didn’t get there until lunch time. It had been so cold during the night and I was glad to have had 2 quilts plus extra blankets on the bed. I worked all morning as I was still working on 3 enquiries while I ate breakfast of tea and toast with cheese spread on. At the market, it was really cold in the shade so I didn’t hang about. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Stall 1
Onions 20.00 lira (44p)

Stall 2
Bananas, strawberries, mushrooms and a pineapple 445.00 lira (£9.89)

Stall 3
Peppers and courgettes 45.00 lira (£1)

Total spent 510 lira (£11.33)

This week I’d spent a bit more as I had treated myself to strawberries and a massive pineapple, but I thought it was worth the extra. After putting the shopping away and doing more work in the afternoon, I had a quick break. I went to Tez bar, just as the sun was going behind the mountains, for a wine with friends. I helped them with a search for a hotel in Rhodes. My wine cost me 170 lira (£3.78). After saying my farewells to my friends, I went to the supermarket. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 Bounty chocolate bar 34.90
1.5kg Washing Powder 89.95
A 1.6kg whole chicken 116.92
400g pack of fish fingers 159.95
Total spent 401.72 lira (£8.93)

The fish fingers were a bit of a luxury but were on offer, inspired by Captain Caveman after he had told me he had a fish finger sandwich so I had been fancying fish fingers ever since. I made a Slimming World style pizza using veg and meatballs for dinner as I’d only had a bit of fruit with Quark for lunch. I also had wine and later had a second dinner as I was still hungry; fish fingers with potato wedges.

Gratitude List
1. Getting to help more people find good holidays
2. Having my colleagues in the destinations to ask questions of
3. Having a catch up with friends.

Dalyan & Göcek – 20th February

On Thursday 20th February I had an impromptu trip out, as Carol from Fat Club had found herself at a loose end. I said I would go with her to Göcek while her fella had band practice at home. I had a few hours spare so it was good timing. I went to the bank and drew out some money in case I saw anything that I needed (not wanted, I was still at the prioritising purchases stage). Carol picked me up about 11am and we drove to Göcek while chatting on. The toll for the tunnel was now a whopping 60 lira (£1.33) which I had seen a few moans on social media about. We had a wander round and I ended up getting quite a few items, see below with prices in lira;

Bella Maison
1 Cheese Grater 182.99 lira (£4.06)

Macrocenter Supermarket
2 Quark 35.00
Garlic Powder 49.95
1 pack Sun Dried tomatoes 49.95
1 lettuce 59.95
1kg baby potatoes 72.05
Total spent 301.90 lira (£6.71)

Levissi Wine House
6 bottles of Gamay Red wine 900 lira (£20)

Watson’s
1 Facemask 29.95
2 packs of wet wipes 38.95
Lense wipes 49.95
Hand cream 69.95
Total spent 188.80 lira (£4.20)

The council café
1 Large tea 15.00
1 Black coffee 50.00
Total spent 65.00 lira (£1.44)

I’d been looking for a proper cheese grater for ages and this one was reduced from 600 lira (£13.33) which I would never had paid. The whole Bella Maison shop had a 70% discount off but I resisted the urge to buy anything that I didn’t need. I was particularly impressed with the Macrocenter which had an amazing selection of booze. I was tempted by the Kahlua for 750 lira (£16.67) as I’m partial to a White Russian and had vodka at home. I resisted, of course, and turned away from looking at the Prosecco.
Although I didn’t ‘need’ wine, I decided that I would always want to buy wine and the 6 bottles was the equivalent of paying for 1 bottle out in a bar so it made practical sense, while it was still on offer. It was also currently my favourite wine in Turkey and I was using money I had been given as a gift. The lady recognised me from previous visits and even gave me and Carol a free bottle and told us we had to share it. That was sweet and Carol kept it in her car so that she didn’t drink it and we could have it together another time. I went a bit mad in Watson’s, which is like a cheap Superdrug, and then I treated Carol to a coffee at the council run cafe. It had been a great trip out and all for less than £40 spent – hopefully I was still within the monthly budget and would make sure I was careful for the next week.
I got straight back on with work while eating a cheese sandwich and carried on until late. I warmed up a spaghetti with meatballs for dinner and drank sage tea. Before 11pm, I had a call with Captain Caveman who had been busy with work.

Gratitude List
1. An impromptu trip to Göcek with Carol
2. Being able to afford some small luxuries
3. Having beef for dinner which was really tasty.

Dalyan – 18th & 19th February

It had warmed up to 13°C on Tuesday 18th February but it was cloudy and wet so it looked like a day at the laptop in my office today. I had tea and toast for breakfast, then snaffled some wine gums mid-morning with my sage tea. In between work enquiries, I managed to go online and pay the rest of my credit card balance off, which I was pleased with – this Frugal February was starting to reap the rewards. By lunch time I was having vegetable soup with pasta. I was busy in the afternoon, which was good.
For dinner I made myself a chicken, mushroom, onion, cabbage and cashew nut stir fry with noodles and it was surprisingly tasty. In the evening I looked at holiday deals for myself, looking forward to having some income and going on some holidays of my own later in the year. Of course, I was sensible and didn’t book anything.

Gratitude List
1. Being debt free
2. Having discipline to keep going
3. Cashew nuts – they were previously classed as a luxury.

I was back to having overnight oats with frozen berries for breakfast on Wednesday 19th February. Having had a total of 210 syns for the week, it was not unexpected that I may have put weight on this week. On the home scales I had stayed the same and my measurements showed I had lost 2cm from my bust, but put 4cm on my waist and 2cm on my hips – that wasn’t good!
I worked all morning as my Turkish class was cancelled and I had a Webinar training session on Family Favourite holidays over lunch time. I just nibbled on cheese and an apple as I didn’t really have time to make anything before facing Carol’s scales at Fat Club. Once there, I got a lovely surprise to find out that I had put on just 0.3kg (0.7lb) on but was still under my target, just! On the way home I called at the bakery and supermarket to grab a few provisions, here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Parlak Bakery
1 loaf 15.00
1 simit 15.00
Total spent 30.00 lira (68p)

Migros Supermarket
3 cartons tomato purée 32.85
1 wholemeal loaf 49.90
Feta style cheese 139.90
Total spent 222.65 lira (£5.06)

For dinner I made a really healthy concoction and resisted the urge to drink wine. I put courgette, onion, tomatoes, peppers and olives in a tray with feta cheese and baked it in the oven. I added oregano and cooked pasta to make a lovely meal which I had seconds left over for tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Still being under my target weight
2. Free Webinar training sessions
3. Being able to go shopping and still be within my budget.

Dalyan – 17th February

On Monday 17th February I tried on the clothes which Janet had given me after, yesterday. They were a smaller size and all of them except for one thing fitted me, so I was pleased as they were really lovely. I had tea and toast for breakfast then got on with some work before having leek & potato soup for lunch. After finishing work for the afternoon, I popped to the bakery to buy some treats for my hosts this evening. Our friends, Sezgin and Nur, had invited me to a family dinner with them and, although they said not to bring anything, I wanted to get something nice for us to share. I also popped to the shops for some essentials.
Here are the prices of what I bought, in lira:

Parlak Bakery
1 Orange Cake 50.00
1 Carrot Cake 50.00
0.5kg Baklava 480.00
Total spent 580.00 lira (£13.18)

Şok Supermarket
Oregano 5.25
Pasta 12.75
Jellies 34.00
Total spent 52.00 lira (£1.18)

The reason I bought the cake was in case anyone was allergic to nuts but it turned out they both had nuts in anyway. The family are so welcoming and Nur had been cooking away in the kitchen to prepare a feast. We had chicken, fava bean purée, red cabbage tarator, spinach and potatoes. It was really tasty and there was plenty of wine, which Sezgin kept topping up and insisted I finished the bottle! It was a great night and like an extension of the weekend, I hoped I wouldn’t be hung over tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Treats from the shops
2. Getting together with my Turkish friends
3. A delicious dinner and lots of wine.

Dalyan – 15th & 16th February

I decided I didn’t really need anything from the market that was important enough to brave the cold on Saturday 15th February. I’d had a bit of a lay in because I didn’t want to get out of bed on what looked to be a cloudy and grey day. I also had 3 ongoing holiday enquiries that I wanted to get sorted too. I had my tea and toast in the office with the AC on warm before getting on with things. At lunch time I had leftover veggie curry and rice with sweet corn. After completing a couple of bookings, one of which I was particularly pleased about as it was a second booking for a good friend, I decided to make some brownies. I used chocolate spread to make them but I got distracted by someone asking me about Sapa in Vietnam, and they were overdone. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was already making plans for his first pay day. It was midnight by the time I got to bed, having had red wine and brownies for dinner because I forgot what time it was. I set the alarm as I had promised to meet friends for a trip to Çandır tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. A lay in
2. Being able to help a friend get another good deal on a hotel booking
3. Chatting to Captain Caveman about money.

I was awake before the sun on Sunday 16th February and was looking forward to meeting up with some friends for a little trip over the river to Çandır. As I walked through Dalyan to the Migros Supermarket nearest the Portakal ferry, the town looked like lots of work was being done during the winter months, in readiness for the holiday season.

The ferry cost was 15 lira (34p) each way and we had a lovely walk with the sun shining. Johnny the dog joined us and one of the walkers brought a flask of tea. At the end of a beautiful morning we stopped off at the Kaunos tea gardens to meet a couple of other friends, who hadn’t been able to join the walking part of our morning. I had a chicken sandwich and 2 large teas for 155 lira (£3.52) – a bargain even in Frugal February. I got a lift back to mine as Janet had kindly given me some clothes as I’d been complaining all my clothes were now massive on me. I’d gone from a size 16/18 down to a 12 and it showed now – I didn’t even have a belt small enough to keep my baggy jeans up.

When I got home I did a bit of work before a family video call and a call with Captain Caveman – separately. It was funny that Captain Caveman had been living in Sheffield now for over a month but he hadn’t had chance to see my family yet as they had not been available for a visit. Luckily, he was keeping busy and today he had collected a suitcase from Vanessa then had driven to a village near Hull to pick up his Irata log book, ready for his course tomorrow. He had eaten fish and chips with bread & butter and a cup of tea at the seaside for £16.50! I had leek & potato soup followed by several brownie/biscuits for dinner and wished it was fish and chips.

Gratitude List
1. A trip out with friends
2. Lunch at the tea gardens
3. Chatting to family and Captain Caveman.

Photo Credit – some photos by Debbie

Dalyan – 13th & 14th February

On Thursday 13th February I had breakfast of tea and toast then walked the dogs. I spoke to Captain Caveman before lunch then had a banana and a chicken sandwich. Jamie and his guests arrived back earlier than expected so I was back home for a Webinar on Adult Escapes, our Team Meeting and another Webinar on AI with Mel at Sales Geek. All 3 meetings were excellent and I spent the afternoon doing all my follow ups. I also decided to sign up for some more free courses, including the well-known Race to Recurring Revenue with Lisa Johnson. For dinner I had defrosted a surprise meal from the freezer and found it was the remaining half of shepherd’s pie from the last time I was at Jamie’s – it was so tasty!

Gratitude List
1. A good Resort Experts Team Meeting
2. Being back home
3. Free Training Sessions

After tea and toast with marmalade I got on with my dog free day on Friday 14th February. It was Valentine’s Day but unfortunately I had decided not to go over to see Captain Caveman in the UK. It made sense to save money to build up some savings before splashing out on trips. The flights weren’t that expensive but it was all the other stuff I would want to do that would cost me money. It did mean that we had overlooked the need to get Captain Caveman’s IRATA log book back to him ready for his rope access course next week. Luckily, Jamie and his guests came to our aid and agreed to take it back to England with them and Captain Caveman would go and collect it. I was pleased with that as it meant we could use the money I would have spent on another trip, instead. I had Pho Ga and a green tea for lunch. I should’ve been meeting friends but they had to cancel as they had a workman popping round. I cracked on with some work and had a few Friday Follow ups to do before having a veggie curry and half a bottle of wine for dinner.
It felt a bit weird knowing that my actual book was launched and was available for people to buy. My Mom was going to have a call with me over the weekend and let me know what she thought.

Gratitude List
1. Help to get Captain Caveman’s log book back to him before Monday
2. You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle… being LIVE!!!!
3. Wine to celebrate being an author.

Dalyan – 12th February

Unusually, on Wednesday 12th February, building work next door started at 9am and it looked like they were building a roof, despite markings showing a second floor plan. Even a couple of pigeons were observing as it meant they would have to adjust their flight path. I did my weight and measurements to find I had put 0.35kg (0.8lb) on and hoped Carol’s scales would be kinder. My bust and hips had remained the same but I was pleased to see that my waist had lost 2cm and was now under target.
My credit card was almost at its limit so I transferred enough to pay off half of it now and would get the rest paid off before it was due. I was determined to maintain the debt free status I had and without having to borrow any money. This month I aimed to be back on some semblance of normality due to me having been super stingy in January. I was almost halfway through February and I was nowhere near half of my budget so I was pleased with my progress. It was as if the strict habits of January were still there, I was being quite sensible and thinking about every lira I spent. I did have my residency renewal coming up soon, though, and didn’t yet know how much that would cost me! Debbie popped round to take half a cabbage off my hands as I was never going to get down all of it before it went off.
After Yorkshire tea with marmalade on toast for breakfast, I finished off my Turkish homework and then walked to the lesson in very cold, but sunny weather. We were at Ela’s Kitchen so I ordered a Yorkshire tea for 80 lira (£1.82).
I couldn’t hang about after the class as I was on dog duty again at Jamie’s, just for 2 days while him and his guests had a couple of days in Fethiye. When I arrived, the electric gate wouldn’t open. I had a big bag, needed a pee and tried it a couple of times before bothering Jamie. He said I would have to climb the wall – I was not going to do that! I tried one more time just as I was about to go back to mine for the loo, it worked.
Norman and Edna were glad to see me and we all had a much needed toilet break then a walk.

For lunch I had Slimming World style chicken fajita pasta with cheese and then checked my emails. My Amazon printable book had gone live, again earlier than expected, and my Mom had ordered the first paperback copy. Unfortunately, I noticed that the age range it was advertised for said 16-18 year old and I had no idea why, as I had not selected that. There was also another couple of errors that I noticed that I didn’t know how to rectify – at least it meant I wasn’t a robot and that my own blood, sweat and (mainly) tears had gone in to publishing this myself. I was a bit nervous, especially as my Mom was not really my ideal target market but I did know she had a keen critical eye and would give me the feedback I needed before I got it out there, or even contemplated getting in touch with WH Smith.
Fat Club was at 3pm and I treated myself to a small water for 25 lira (57p) as I had already had too much caffeine today. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Carol’s scales were showing I had lost 0.25kg (0.6lb) and I was under my target weight. Back at Jamie’s, I had to finish the Charlie Day Challenge I had been working on. It had taught me some valuable lessons, which I could apply to my Travel Advisor role and my book sales.
I took the dogs out for a walk, bought some bread at the bakery for 15 lira (34p) and chilled out with Norman and Edna. I had chicken and vegetable stir fry for dinner and, as it was Fat Club day, I had a few crisps and a Dido chocolate bar as a treat.

Gratitude List
1. Being able to share a cabbage
2. Losing weight to remain under target
3. Norman & Edna.

Dalyan – 10th & 11th February

Something strange happened on Monday 10th February, I got a comment on one of my blog posts on Facebook which was meant to be from Martin Garrix asking me to message him for a private chat. As he has met me I knew it was spam so I reported the sender. What wasn’t spam though, was an update to the Turkish Residency rules for first timers; with immediate effect the new rule was that applicants who owned their own property would have to get a valuation report to prove that their property was worth over $200,000 (£155,000) if they wanted to apply for residency. This meant that Captain Caveman would potentially no longer qualify to apply, even if he wanted to. It was cloudy outside today so my office view was a little different. I had Yorkshire tea and a pho ga (chicken noodle soup) for breakfast then had the morning off work to attend a course. I had enrolled on a free Mastermind with Charlie Day to freshen up my sales and business skills. I found it really interesting and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I had a late lunch of a Slimming World style wrap and watched the clouds disappear before sunset, from my office. I’d had an interesting enquiry for a multi-centre trip which involved Singapore & Malaysia. I made chicken fajita pasta for dinner and was in bed before 11pm as I had a busy day tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Taking the morning off to do a sales course
2. Nice food
3. Having an extra duvet on the bed to keep warm.

I did 3 separate, unrelated courses on Tuesday 11th February, one of which was recommended to me by Helen, our Resort Expert in Italy. After marmalade on toast with my Yorkshire tea I cracked on with all the free learning and took on quite a lot of useful information and tips. It was also good to mix with lots of business people for a change. At 1.30pm I ate leftover chicken fajita pasta for lunch while watching a Webinar for Resort Experts.
In the afternoon I managed to do my Turkish homework and dealt with a Greek booking. Captain Caveman called me after I had eaten my chicken stir-fry dinner and helped me work something out on the Amazon KDP which I was still struggling with. He told me not to give up and that I should carry on doing it so that people could get an actual copy of my book. I really hated Amazon and would prefer to never have to use it, but needs must! The Kobo book had not had any interest and it wasn’t user friendly in Turkey for an English book by the looks of it. I decided to have a walk round Dalyan for some fresh air in the cold and dark. The streets were empty and it was really refreshing.

Gratitude List
1. Helen recommending the course I did with Erin
2. An evening walk round Dalyan in the cold and dark
3. Captain Caveman helping me with Amazon.

Dalyan – 9th February

Sunday 9th February was still pretty cold as I went to meet friends for a Sunday stroll. I’d had a cup of tea and some overnight oats for breakfast and we aimed to walk to Gunlüklü and back. I hoped my feet would be ok as my trainers had fallen apart and my wellies still smelled of shit so I had to wear my Vietnamese porter sandals. I put an ankle support on my sore ankle to help and had a pair of socks in my bag, just in case. The walk was very nice but we did go back to show the others Shits Creek where Debbie and I got a bit of a surprise. The road with all the puddles on had been levelled off and the manure in the arık had been ‘tidied up’ somewhat. In the dry weather it did look as if it would have been impossible for the incident I had previously found myself in, to have happened without noticing. We had a cup of tea at the Gunlüklü, walked past the dinosaur and, at the end, decided to go to Kaunos tea gardens. By which time it was a bit warmer and we decided to have some food, even though my tummy had been iffy this morning. I had a sage tea and a chicken sandwich which was fantastic for 165 lira (£3.75).

On the way back home I decided to pop to the supermarket, here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
Onions 15.52
Chickpeas 30.95
3 Didos 35.50
2 Quark 70.00
Cashew nuts 84.50
Meatballs 188.95
7% fat beef mince 215.95
Total spent 642.37 lira (£14.60)

It was a sign I had increased my monthly budget, as I was splashing out on nuts and beef in the same shopping trip!
I was meant to be meeting Jamie and his friend, Aimee, to celebrate her birthday but I lost my phone, which turned out to have fallen out of my pocket in Migros. When I went back the girl who found it had put it in the till, which was so good of her. Once home and after a hot shower, I did a couple of email replies, then realised I needed to rest my foot and didn’t go to join Jamie, Aimee and Scott. I ended up having left over Sunday dinner and painkillers that night and staying in. Before bed I had a sage tea and a Dido chocolate bar.

Gratitude List
1. Sunday Walk with friends
2. Ankle Support bandages
3. Dido chocolate bars.