Dalyan – 7th March

Friday 7th March was a busy day for me, but also a really good day. I started the morning being stared at by the 2 cute dogs as I tried to enjoy my tea and toast. Edna had the Friday feeling, Norman wanted to go back to sleep and it was a lovely sunny day. I had an electrician popping in to fix up a light fitting that Jamie had given to Captain Caveman. I also had to meet Leanne to price up some work as well as meet a friend at the tea gardens, all around the same time. I had got a few messages about my book which was now live in a corrected version after getting some feedback from my Mom. Granted, my Mom isn’t the ideal customer for buying the book but she did buy the first copy and does have a keen critical eye for detail. I was lucky that she was able to put me straight on a couple of small corrections and the lay out and font size, which I had not seen yet. It still wasn’t perfect after the auto format situation but I had worked out that it was passable now. I even got the first photo of it and couldn’t work out why the back cover was black and the front cover was cream but with some of the black on the top and bottom of the front – it wasn’t meant to be like that but I guess at least it showed I wasn’t an intelligent robot! I worked out the maths and if I could sell 10 copies per day I would be able to just about pay for my residency this month. In my head that seemed like an achievable target!
My friend came to mine while we waited for the electrician. I ended up only getting the go ahead for one light to be put up as the second one was missing a part or appeared to be broken and they didn’t think kit would go where I wanted it to. The main one was being put up by 2 electricians so I decided to go to the tea gardens with my friend after all. The Kefal tea gardens was sunny and beautiful, and we decided to grab a spot of lunch. I had a cheese and onion toastie and a couple of teas which came to about 150 lira (£3.19) – quite cheap to say it came with chips and olives too. I had to rush back as I had a webinar meeting to attend at 1pm so I did that while letting the dogs out. Edna was insisting I consider an early finish so that we could go to the pub but I had a lunch and learn still to do. I took the dogs out and went back to Fire Opal to check on the light situation and when we got back to Jamie’s, the dogs napped. At 5pm I attended the lunch and learn I had booked in (2pm in the UK so still lunchtime) and it was interesting.
That evening, I had been invited over to friends for dinner and drinks. I took red wine and chocolate as my contribution. We had lots of red wine and a delicious chicken and potato dish. There were 2 desserts to choose from so, taking after my Dad, I had both. The food was so good and I left feeling very full and slightly merry after a great Friday night.

Gratitude List
1. Having tea and lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while
2. Good online meetings
3. Dinner with friends

If you want to buy the book you can get it as an eBook on Kobo here: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/you-can-t-shit-yourself-on-a-bicycle

You can choose between Kindle or Paperback with Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Cant-Shit-Yourself-Bicycle/dp/B0DWWTBVCL

If you aren’t in the UK you can also find my book on Amazon in USA, Australia, Spain, France and a few other countries by searching the title ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’.

Dalyan – 6th March

I had something a bit different for breakfast on Thursday 6th March; soft cheese with fresh bread and a cup of Yorkshire tea. I cracked on with both work and attempting to get my book promoted over Facebook and by messaging people directly who had once shown an interest in it. The main countries I was having trouble getting it available in paperback was Turkey and Vietnam, which was a real shame given that’s where I had spent a lot of time. There was a planned power cut from 8.30am today which actually didn’t start until later. Edna took over from Norman as chair-dog as Norman was tired but Edna was nosey.
At lunch time I went to the shop to get a few treats. It was definitely obvious from what I bought that I was able to splash out a little more than usual, which was really nice, but I was still mindful of buying things that were on offer. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;

BIM Supermarket

Chewing gum 17.50
1 Chicken pot noodle 30.00
2 packets of crisps 31.00
1 pack of Naan bread 55.00
1kg Basmati rice 62.50
6 Dido Chocolate bars 87.00
250g Chocolate chips 89.00
1 Dubai Chocolate bar 120.00
2 packs of frozen Blueberries 220.00
Total spent 712.00 lira (£15.15)

This was quite an expensive shop for me but I was allowing myself to do that, the lira had also now reached 47 to the pound. By the time I got back to Jamie’s the power was back on but not the internet so I had a couple of sage teas, a Dido chocolate bar and a pot noodle for lunch.
The internet was back on in time for the Resort Experts team meeting at 2pm. Our focus areas today were a new CRM system, Last Minute Bookings and important events in the calendar.
After the team meeting and a dog walk, I tried Dubai chocolate – a first for me! It is really good and very unusual. For dinner I ate leftover chicken and mushroom stroganoff with garlic cabbage instead of rice and it was surprisingly tasty.

Gratitude List
1.Being able to buy treats in the shopping this week
2. A really good team meeting
3. Dubai Chocolate for the first time!

Dalyan – 4th & 5th March

Before breakfast on Tuesday 4th March, I had checked in with the dogs and had a video call with Captain Caveman. I made a Slimming World style pancake for breakfast with my cup of tea and then cracked on with work until midday. I had some bookings, one of which was for later in this month so I prepared the paperwork and some recommendations to support the booking. An interesting reason as to why I nearly didn’t get the booking is that the customer had thought that if I booked the holiday they wouldn’t get the same benefits and good deal as booking directly with Jet2 Holidays. As a Jet2 Agent I can book the exact same holiday with all the things included that you would get if booking direct and at no extra cost or detriment. Luckily, the customer told me this as I had no idea that some people wouldn’t realise how it worked. As I can use most of the holiday companies, I can search and book trade only deals as well as book any that the general public see. There are a couple of the less reputable companies that I don’t get involved with but I can pretty much book anything. Any commission I get is not paid by the customer but by the companies so it just means if you book through me, I get paid instead of it going to someone you don’t know.
I had more soup for lunch and had a little walk to sort laundry while taking the dogs over to Fire Opal and back. I had a cheese, walnut and sun dried tomato salad when I got peckish and then made a chicken stir fry with rice after an afternoon of work. I made more of the Slimming World style breakfast oat bake so that I had it for breakfasts and snacks.

Gratitude List
1. Pancake for breakfast
2. Believing that walnuts and iceberg lettuce is now a treat!
3. Finishing the week on only 180 syns.

I wasn’t quite sure what my weight was on weigh day, Wednesday 5th March. My measurements were very favourable this week; no change to my bust but 4cm off my waist and 3cm off my hips – just proving how having less bread really makes a difference. Both dogs were very snoozey still as I had my tea and toast for breakfast and then did a bit of admin before Turkish class. I paid 40 lira (86p) for a Turkish tea and 120 lira (£2.58) for the lesson at Lukka. The exchange rate had reached 46.6 lira to the pound now. It was cold out but sunny and dry and I had a bit of a wander round before lunch which was reheated chicken stir fry and rice.
When I got to Fat Club, I was pleased to find that Carol’s scales showed I was 0.65kg (1.4lb) lighter and easily under my target – it felt really good but I did have the ‘advantage’ of having been ill at the weekend. I bought a soda water at Nil Lounge which was 50 lira (£1.07) as I’d had too much tea already today. As my treat for this week, instead of wine, I had bread and an açma which I had with cheese. On my second visit to Fire Opal I noticed the building next door had the brick work almost finished but it looked quite shoddy. I was busy with work, dog walks and then getting excited that my book had been bought in Australia!!! I didn’t cook any dinner and just had a cheese and lettuce sandwich, which I loved.

Gratitude List
1. Losing weight this week
2. Açma and bread as a treat
3. ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ being bought in Australia!

Dalyan – 2nd & 3rd March

At 3am on Sunday 2nd March I was wishing that the bathroom lay out had the sink and toilet closer to each other! The chicken kebab I had eaten last night was not quite as enjoyable on its way out. I was so ill and felt terrible. I spent a few hours in the bathroom before trying to go back to sleep but didn’t really manage it. I had to call in sick to the Sunday meet up and had at first thought it was because I wasn’t used to drinking so much wine these days. When I went to pick up the bag with the kebab wrapper in, to take to it out to the bin, it made me puke again. I was in a bad way most of the day but there was no rest as I had 2 holiday enquiries for last minute deals that needed focusing on. Luckily, I found some ginger and honey tea in the cupboard and the dogs gave me lots of love. Edna knew I was sick and kept herself near to me. I managed a short walk with them in the afternoon but didn’t eat anything until late afternoon and then I managed toast and a cup of tea.
I eventually ate a proper meal at almost dinner time, of curry with a wrap. After finishing off some work and lining up a couple more bookings for March, I had a lazy evening and watched TV. I was in bed relatively early and ready for a busy Monday.

Gratitude List
1. The kebab syns might not have stayed in long enough to count
2. Ginger tea
3. Norman and Edna being so easy to look after when I was feeling delicate.

I started the day with tea and toast while feeling a lot more human again on Monday 3rd March. Edna was overly fussy as she wanted to check I was well again, while Norman was wondering why we were all up so early.
Rain was forecast so I took my laundry home, called at the bank and went to the shops to buy provisions while waiting for UK work related people to wake up. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
1 tin of tomatoes 21.95
1 wholemeal loaf 49.95
Walnuts 65.90
576g of chicken breasts 120.96
Total spent 258.76 lira (£5.64)

I had 2 bookings to complete plus more enquiries today so things were definitely looking good for holiday bookings as more people got ready to book their breaks.
I had leek and potato soup for lunch and had made a chicken and mushroom stroganoff in the slow cooker for dinner. I enrolled on a Planner Ideation course with Claire Clarke who I had briefly worked with before and had last spoke to her before I published my book. I was very busy after the dog walk and, when I dialled in to a Lisa Johnson Make Money Online Masterclass, the electric went off and I couldn’t continue the webinar.

Gratitude List
1. Enrolling on a course with Claire Clarke
2. Being in a position to apply for residency now
3. Treats of walnuts in my shopping.

Dalyan – 1st March

Sam and Paul, at Resort Experts made the Travel Weekly news and we were all congratulating them on Saturday 1st March. They, along with the developer, had created the Quoteaway quoting tool which we had been the testers and early adopters of. I loved it as it made our jobs easier and quicker when looking at package holidays. I also saw a post from a friend in America about how to support friends with small businesses which I thought was great. It was something I tried to do wherever possible to help promote others and now that it also applied to me, I was even keener to do so, as I knew how much it meant. I had reached 250 followers on my Resort Experts business page which, if I’m honest, I had hoped it would be more. I decided that this month I should maybe get back on to using Instagram as I knew it had become popular again in recent years. I did know that this month was going to be Money Minded March and I was going to up my game and get focused. Having worked out how I had done against my £400 budget, I was very pleased with myself for coming in at £350, including all bills and paying off my credit card in full. I decided I would increase the budget this month to £500 but that was only because I knew I was going to need to spend more this month, it had 3 more days in and Captain Caveman was due back to Dalyan at the end of March. I also had my residency renewal application to pay for.
I had tea and toast for breakfast on what started out as a cold, misty and damp morning – the dogs were not impressed. After transferring Captain Caveman’s money from my Wise to my Turkish account, knowing I could now get the print outs on Monday to apply for my residency renewal, I could stress less. I still wanted to keep motivated to earn enough to save money to cover expenses, plus have a few more trips once the holiday season started and I had finished with my residency renewal process. I worked all morning and then had leftover chicken with some pineapple and quark – a little unconventional but I was aware I had to reduce the amount of bread I was eating. Norman and Edna were a bit bored but by the afternoon the sun came out and we had a walk. I was too busy with enquiries to go to the weekly market this week. I didn’t really need to go but I do enjoy a wander round it.

After the dog walk in the sun, on Saturday 1st March, I arranged to catch up with friends at Mono & More cafe. Neither of us took the dogs as we thought it might be busy as it had turned in to a sunny afternoon. I’d been looking forward to a wine since Wednesday and I also tried a bit of my friend’s carrot cake – it was really lovely. I ordered a red wine and ended up having a couple for just 250 lira (£5.45) which was an absolute bargain.
As the sun went in we decided to move to Ozzy’s bar – the wine there was 160 lira (£3.49) for a glass which, although more expensive, still wasn’t unreasonable and it was a good measure. Unfortunately, we had to move seats because of expats smoking in there and I almost needed to use my inhaler as I couldn’t breathe. I went a bit mad and ended up spending 640 lira (£13.94) but it had a been the first time in ages I’d been out out. We said our farewells as I had to get back for the dogs and I remembered I hadn’t got anything prepared for dinner. I decided I would treat myself to a chicken kebab at Hatay Kebabs on the way home. Captain Caveman and I have always loved the food there and I had already blown the healthy eating plan today.
I got it to take away and the dogs were reluctant to go outside as they could smell the kebab and wanted some. I had ordered it without sauce or chillies and, when I ate it, it tasted really good. I went to bed looking forward to a leisurely Sunday and a causal meet up for a stroll with friends.

Gratitude List
1. Having the afternoon off work
2. Having enough cash to be able to afford some treats, having come in under budget for February
3. Going out for drinks with friends.

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?

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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 – 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

joloyolo

The ramblings and observations of a fortysomething lady of leisure

Tag: food