Surprisingly, I was up and about before 8am on Saturday 15th March and my concerns about Norman’s leg yesterday were gone. He was fine today so it must have been a cramp. I decided I would go to the market but first I needed to put the internet on at Fire Opal by going to Captainnet after a bit of work. The monthly internet cost had gone up again and was now 600 lira (£12.66) for the month. The market was busy and I didn’t need very much which was a good job really. I bought 2 lots of strawberries and 7 eggs for a total of 350 lira (£7.38) before my phone rang. Aytaç needed me to come to his office as he had managed to get the original insurance document brought over by truck from Fethiye. He knew that I needed the originals for my residency renewal appointment on Monday so that was good service. I’d reached the point where the process of applying for the residency renewal would be what it was and I had decided to not even let myself get so stressed about it. If they didn’t give me it, then I would have until the 19th April to leave the country and then I would need to stay out of Turkey for another 90 days. It wouldn’t be ideal but it wouldn’t be the end of the world and at least I could see more of Captain Caveman. I called at the bakery on my way back to Jamie’s to walk the dogs and bought a loaf of bread and a cheese açma for 25 lira (53p). I ate the cheese açma for lunch, then saw that my aunties had written a 5 Star review for my book which said it was ‘Entertaining and Informative’ as well as being ‘good for any age’. This was not only great news but also useful as, for some reason, the book was listed as being for 16-18 year olds, and shouldn’t have been. I worked until late, after walking the dogs and forgot the time. I had warmed up curry with steamed rice for dinner then had strawberries and quark before bed.
Gratitude List 1. Being able to afford the internet increase 2. Market strawberries 3. Being ready for my appointment on Monday morning where I would find out if I would get my residency renewed and for how long.
It was a very busy day on Friday 14th March and I didn’t really know if I was coming or going for most of the day. It started with tea and toast before 7.30am then I got on with sorting out my health insurance which I had decided to go with Aytaç Saraymine for. He had quoted me for a 2 year policy, starting from mid-April for 4,372.50 lira (£92.25) and covered mainly in-patient use. Aytaç used to work in the bank and now has an office within Hey Dalyan, he was very nice and efficient, given that I needed the proof of insurance for my residency appointment. I would be paying 6,125 lira (£129.22) for the residency application and new card fees. A total expected pay out of £230 for a 2 year residency with the essential costs. I was glad I had been frugal in the last couple of months to be able to do this. Then there were the agent fees on top of that, if you didn’t do the application yourself, which varied depending on who you went with and could cost up to £300 so it definitely was a good idea to shop around. The first issue of the day was that Gurkan, in Fethiye, had checked my bank documents and said that the amount deposited in March was short by a few lira. I checked my bank statements, I didn’t think it was but I had an amount of 2,172 lira (£45.82) gone in to my Turkish bank that morning. It would be easier to get the bank statements printed again than challenge this. The next issue was that Aytaç needed me to come to pay and sign for the insurance papers NOW so I had to do that. I got the insurance paper copies, email copies and Aytaç said he would get the official stamped ones sent over for tomorrow morning. I questioned this, with it being a weekend, but he was confident all would be fine. I stopped by Maizie Moo where I had a Coke with Jan & Katrina – it was nice to sit down and rest. I rushed back to Jamie’s to take the dogs for a walk and, as I was walking them, I got a call with my next issue, the Residency application system was down so it was proving tricky to get an appointment for next week. I was asked that I keep my Turkish phone on so that the OTP code could be sent through and they would keep trying, in the meantime I needed to get those bank statements reprinted at the bank, urgently. I parked the dogs at Fire Opal, they were quite happy on the sofa, while I went to the bank. While in the long queue, I got a call from Aytaç who needed Captain Caveman’s Turkish tax number and, of course, I had no idea where I would find it. This was for the renewal of the earthquake (Dask) insurance. I messaged Captain Caveman to ask where it would be and then got served at the bank. Time was cracking on and the bank was about to close so I was pleased when the bank employee started the transaction. He then asked me for my passport, which has never happened, and I didn’t have it. It was at Jamie’s so he promised to stay late after closing and told me to go and get my passport, he wouldn’t take any other ID or a picture of my passport.
I walked quickly back home, found Captain Caveman’s tax card, walked the dogs back to Jamie’s and picked up my passport. As I turned round to leave again, Norman was having what I thought was a funny turn and his back leg wouldn’t work. I got him up off the floor and he looked fine but he couldn’t stand and Edna was licking his eyes. I got the lid off the treat tin and, miraculously, Norman’s legs were back to normal. I waited a few minutes, snaffled down a chicken wrap, then put him on the sofa and left. I almost ran back to the bank and was in there way after 5pm. I was hot and red from rushing so the young girl brought me water and offered me her last Toffifee, which I politely declined. They printed everything out, and updated my Turkish phone number. Aytaç then phoned to say he wouldn’t have my insurance documents ready as it was a Saturday and I was fine with that as it was unlikely I would need them until Monday. I was meant to be meeting friends for a drink at 5pm and had already let them know I was going to be late. I had not had an OTP code on my phone so I had assumed I wouldn’t be getting an appointment date today, but then I got a call to tell me my appointment was for first thing on Monday morning. I said I only had copies of the new insurance policies and we could take them as my originals would arrive too late. I arrived at Ren Garden to meet friends after 5.30pm, a hot sweaty mess but in need of a cold beverage. I love Ren Garden, which is the bar at the Grandma’s Garden hotel. The mother and son who run the place are really nice and always friendly. I ordered a rosé wine with soda and the others had beers. We had a good catch up and a bit of a laugh before Debbie and Mike went home. I tried vegetarian çiğ köfte which The owner and her friend were eating, it was very nice. The remaining three of us decided it would be a good idea to head back to Sezgin and Nur’s house for a bit of tongue and cheese!!! We called at Yaman Büfe for drinks along the way and I took a photo of the rakı which Sezgin recommended for when Captain Caveman arrived. I went to check on the dogs and let them out for a wee. Norman was his usual sprightly self so I was pleased he was ok. When I arrived, Nur was cooking up a bit of tongue for us to eat with Tulum cheese. I had more wine, they had raki and the food was great. We listened to music and had great fun but Nur got upset when we called Captain Caveman and she saw he was in the Broady with 2 gorgeous women! She was jealous on my behalf which was funny and I had to explain he was with Caz and Lucy plus a whole group of men and women who were celebrating Leroy’s birthday. I got home late and wondered if I would get up early enough for a market visit tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. Being able to afford the Residency Renewal application and all the costs associated with it 2. Having drinks with friends at Ren Garden 3. Hilarity at Sezgin & Nur’s place and a video call to the UK.
It was another busy day on Thursday 13th March which started with dog cuddles, overnight oats and my cup of tea. I totted up my money for the month and started to work out if I could stretch to paying an agent to do my Residency Renewal. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was now in to his 3rd month in England and on month 2 in his role as Senior Project Manager. We discussed the idea of me going to the UK in May, after I had picked up my new ikamet card (assuming my residency renewal would be successful). Flights from Dalaman to Gatwick ranged from £60-£100 one way in mid-May, were as low as £40 in early-May and rose to about £130 if I waited until June. Captain Caveman was due to arrive in Dalyan in 2 weeks and 3 days’ time but, unfortunately, it would be a flying visit. Captain Caveman also seemed preoccupied and couldn’t talk for long as he needed to get ready for work – the 3 hours time difference was a bit of a pain at times. Before lunch, I was so excited to see that I had reviews for my book. The Aussies’ review of 5 Stars and saying my book was ‘Hilarious’ had been done 3 days ago but I had missed it as Amazon doesn’t tell me I have a review! My second review was also a 5 Star and significant because it was from one of the friends who had been with me in some of the escapades I wrote about in the book. I was very pleased to know that she loved it and found it ‘funny & informative’. Those reviews really made my day and I was spurred on to start a list of ideas for my next book. I had an early lunch of chicken, lettuce and sun dried tomatoes and a frozen yoghurt bar before getting prepared for the Resort Experts team meeting. Today’s meeting was a good one with lots of new ideas and tools to help us out. There were some useful conversations and I learned more from the team. After the call, I even chatted to a couple of my colleagues and we shared some marketing ideas. The afternoon would be a lot more frantic than I had planned for.
I had lots of admin type jobs to do which included getting my Turkish phone back up and running, getting a new 2 year health insurance policy and finding my documents for the residency application. I’d already decided that I would be having wine this evening as it had been 4 days since I’d had any and I was probably going to need it. I had decided that I would use Dale Colson to do my residency renewal as he had given me a good price. There were comings and goings, including taking documents to him. When I went to get my phone sorted, I found out there are no longer any Turkcell shops in Dalyan. With all the faffing about, I got no work done, Norman & Edna put a complaint in that I was late for their walk, and I was so hungry that I had to buy a Dido chocolate bar on the last walk back. They were on a 2 for 1 offer in Migros which was great. The day had been a day of two halves and I always find the residency renewal process irritating and stressful. I had left over curry with rice and naan bread for dinner with a glass of wine and it was very late when I got to bed. Tomorrow more residency faffing would continue.
Gratitude List 1. My first book reviews – and both 5 stars, from people with high travel expectations! 2. Resort Experts team meeting ideas 3. A call with a colleague to keep me sane.
The dogs were awake early on Wednesday 12th March, Norman barked at 6.45am to be let out. It was about to be a long day! After cups of tea and dog cuddles I took my measurements – they were not favourable! I had put on 1cm on my bust and waist, 2cm on my hips. Knowing the damage was already done, I decided to make frozen yoghurt bars with peanut butter, chocolate chips and blueberries in. I put it in the freezer then popped to the photographer to get my passport photos done, which cost 350 lira (£7.38) for 4. I called at Fire Opal to test the new fan light fitting worked, and stood on a stool to turn it on – it was whizzy and would be ideal for the summer months. By 10am I had done all my morning jobs and I had a frozen yoghurt bar for breakfast after having done some work and blog writing, while cuddling the dogs who were both keen to put in a shift today. Turkish class was at 11.30am, after which I went back to Jamie’s to let the dogs out and eat cheese on toast for lunch. At 1.30pm I was on a Webinar training session for Melia Hotels which are really popular luxury hotels.
Fat Club was at 2pm where I was delighted to find that I had only put on 0.1kg (0.2lb) so had pretty much stayed the same and remained under target! By 4.15pm, I was on my way, with Norman and Edna, to celebrate a few sales of my ‘You Can’t Shit Yourself on a Bicycle’ book. While drinking a red wine at Mono & More in the sun, one of my great friends sent me a selfie of her with my book and I was so excited. I was even more thrilled to see that she posted on Facebook to say how much she was looking forward to reading it and how proud she was of me. I was emotional. Edna was so excited too but that was because her and Norman had found some scraps of food on the floor. We bumped in to some of Jamie’s friends so Edna was pleased to be out with the girls and hoped it meant they would share food with her. I didn’t stay out as it was getting cooler so I paid for my wine, it had gone up to 145 lira (£3.06) now but was still a good price for the measure. Back at Jamie’s after feeding the dogs, I had a chicken curry with naan bread and rice, followed by strawberries. I worked a little more on letting people know about my book and travel business and then started working on chapter titles for book 2.
Gratitude List 1. Melia hotels training webinar 2. Still being under target weight at Fat Club 3. Homemade chicken curry for dinner.
Tuesday 11th March was not the calm easy day I had planned for, despite me booking in for a free yoga session at Nil Lounge in the morning. I had tea and the Slimming World breakfast cake to start the day and noticed that my book was starting to get a bit of traction. The Aussies had commented that they thought I needed to get in touch with someone who could get the book available in all airports and train stations and I was still trying to work out how to correct the cover and make it available to people in Vietnam and Turkey. Another great friend, who’s in the book, had bought it and I was looking forward to her feedback. The Yoga class was busier than I thought it would be and it was quite gentle which I appreciated. I was so relaxed by the end that I could’ve fallen asleep quite easily. I still have trouble with my ankle and knee, from my accident, so it was good to do but I struggled to get in to some of the positions. The teacher was excellent and I really hoped to be able to go again. Unfortunately, 11am on a weekday is quite tricky to make sure I’m available for. When I got to Jamie’s I had a chat with my Resort Expert colleague in Majorca, and she saw Norman and Edna and thought they were adorable. Edna loved this and was quite fussy. For lunch I had warmed up yesterday’s pasta and then I did a favour for my Mom at the bank. Even though the last time they had been in touch to ask for ID and I had been told it would be fine to do it when they returned to Dalyan, Mom had received a call to chase. It wasn’t too busy but the staff member I got wanted me to give her the actual passports rather than a photo. In the end, she gave me her direct email address and said it would be fine for my Mom to email copies of their passports in and she would update the system for us. I was having some fruit with quark and honey when I got a photo from Jamie who was outside a hotel in Tenerife which I had just booked for a customer – what a coincidence. Luckily, it gave me the opportunity to ask for some more information about the area so that I could pass on some recommendations to the customer who would be going later this month. The afternoon was spent faffing about with stuff for my residency, mainly inept insurance advisors who tell you to cancel existing policies and start a new policy, meaning you won’t be covered for any pre-existing conditions. Having worked in insurance and compliance for years it made my teeth itch at how much bad advice was given here. The dogs were both in the garden, enjoying the sun, when I noticed something in Norman’s mouth as he came running towards the open patio doors. He only had one of Edna’s turds in his mouth and it looked like he was smoking a cigar! He was keen to take it indoors to chomp on and I had to wrestle him to stop him getting in before I closed the door. I had real trouble getting it off him and he knew he was not meant to be eating shit! My phone was on charge so I didn’t get a photo but it was pretty funny. I had a stir fry with egg rice for dinner and was pleased that today, I had managed a no spend day and was doing well against the budget so far this month. Norman, Edna & I watched TV and I finished the week on 279 syns, which was 99 syns more than last week. It wasn’t looking optimistic for Fat Club tomorrow.
Gratitude List 1. A free and very enjoyable yoga class 2. A video call with my colleague in Majorca. 3. Being able to sort out Ma & Pa’s bank task for them.
On Monday 10th March I awoke to a message from The Aussies that my book had arrived in Australia and Greg had sent me a selfie – the first one I received. He was excited to be the first person in Australia to read it, Amanda would be reading it after him. It felt so good to have friends’ support, particularly ones who travel a lot and who we met in the place most of the chapters describe. I was a bit nervous but excited to know what they thought of my ramblings. I had now sold around 20 books and I was looking forward to hearing the reviews. To distract myself, I started my residency renewal preparation and had decided to save money and do it myself instead of using an agent, which can cost up to £250 on top of all the other things needed. After breakfast oats and banana cake and a cup of tea, I went off to the bank to get 6 months’ of bank statements printed out to show I had put in the required amounts to my Turkish bank account. The rules only asked for 33,156 lira (£705 approx at today’s rate) for the last 3 months but I had been putting in a little more, just in case. On the way back from the bank I called at the shop and bought the following, prices in lira;
Migros Supermarket 1 plastic bag 0.50 Chocolate biscuits 19.00 Light yoghurt 28.12 Sweetcorn 32.50 Cheese spread 34.90 2 tins tomatoes 35.90 Mixed beans 39.95 1kg chicken breasts 156.10 2 packs of mozzarella cheese 199.80 Total spent 546.77 lira (£11.61)
Nanny Kay popped round for a cup of tea and Edna was beside herself to have a visitor – her first in the 2 weeks that I had been looking after the dogs. She wouldn’t leave Nanny Kay alone and even kept fetching her a toy to play with and throw for her. It might have been because I had treated us to biscuits, which Edna was not used to. In the afternoon, in between work enquiries, I went through all of my bank statements to check that each month had more than the required amount in. March had in the exact amount right now but more was due to go in this week. I was so pleased I had managed it and was so hoping that I would get granted my 2 years renewal this time. They had changed the rules the day after I got my 6 month renewal last time and I had been so gutted to have missed out. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was in Sheffield and was suggesting I might want to consider asking an agent to do the residency to make sure that it would definitely get done on a 2 year basis. I explained the costs of the insurance was already going to be a lot and I should save money. I got in touch with Aytaç Saraymine at Saraymine Insurance Agency, as well as the one I already had 6 months left of my policy with, to get quotes for a 2 year policy as required for the residency application. For dinner I had roasted vegetable and feta style cheese with pasta and it was really lovely. I then joined a Lisa Johnson live Q&A session to hear her answer any questions about her and her business.
Gratitude List 1. Seeing Nanny Kay 2. Knowing that I had managed to get the required amount of money in to my Turkish bank account for the last 6 months – it had not been easy after losing my job. 3. Lisa Johnson’s Q&A session.
I had big plans on Sunday 9th March, not all of them would be carried out, though. I met up with some friends for a bit if a Sunday stroll and we tried to follow a route that Captain Caveman had told us about with a bridge. We didn’t find it but we did have a nice walk and the sun was out. I was pleased to see the first stork of the year too but my camera wasn’t quick enough to get a photo.
After the walk, Janet & Ian had asked if I would like to go with them to Köyceğiz so they waited while I went to check on and let the dogs out. Norman was snoring away, while Edna wondered if we were going to a pub and could she come. We drove to Köyceğiz and had a wander along the lake front to a place called Ayaklı Göl restaurant and was one of Ian’s recommendations for a very good Turkish breakfast. He wasn’t wrong and it was fantastic. It had everything you could imagine and more with Turkish tea and a fresh orange juice for 400 lira (£8.46) each. I loved it, we definitely couldn’t eat it all and we were too full to take any leftovers home. We had another wander then, back home, we called in to Janet & Ian’s for a cheeky glass of wine (or two) and a bit of a sunbathe as it had turned really warm. Back at Jamie’s, I walked the dogs and then we had snuggles and watched TV. Edna prefers The Chase but I couldn’t get it to work so we watched Death in Paradise – Norman’s preference. I didn’t need to eat for the rest of the day as the Turkish breakfast had sorted me right out. I didn’t even have a bad stomach from it, which I often do with Turkish breakfasts.
Gratitude List 1. Sunday walking with friends 2. Köyceğiz breakfast with friends 3. Norman & Edna snuggles.
The first job of the day on Saturday 8th March was to make a shopping list while drinking a cup of tea. I decided I would go to the bank before the market so that I had enough cash to spend and then I could get some nice treats for the week. I also decided I would treat myself to a spinach gözleme (pancake) from the market for my breakfast. Here is what I bought on my first visit, prices in lira;
Market Stall 1 Potatoes & red onions 35.00
Stall 2 Strawberries 150.00
Stall 3 Carrots, Mushrooms and Spinach 120.00
Stall 4 Spinach Gözleme 80.00
Total spent 385.00 Lira (£8.14)
I rushed back, bumping in to my parents’ neighbours as I had a call booked in but I was stopped in my tracks when I read some bad news. A Facebook friend and ex colleague, who was about 10 years younger than me, had died from Cancer after a reasonably short illness and chemo. Of course it really upset me, as this person had been so motivational in recent months and had helped to encourage me to get on with life in a much more positive way. I had a cry and felt too upset to even be able to respond to his wife just yet. I had a video call with Vanessa, who was sympathetic and really helped to cheer me up, as she always does. While on the call, I realised that I had forgotten some things from the market so, blaming the menopause, I went back to the market for a second visit in the afternoon. Here’s what I bought with the prices in lira;
Market visit no.2 Stall 1 Tomatoes & apples 75.00
Stall 2 Peppers 40.00
Total Spent 115.00 lira (£2.43)
Just over £10.50 in total for the weekly fruit and vegetable shop plus breakfast didn’t seem too pricey to me. On the way back I also bought a comb as I was getting tired of having to remember which house my hairbrush was in. It cost 19.90 lira (42p) from Şevikoğlu supermarket, so was a bargain! I had some strawberries when I got back and I gave one each to the dogs as I had read that it was good for cleaning their teeth. Norman was not impressed but persevered and Edna wanted a second one – she will shove anything in her mouth, that girl! For dinner I had a warmed up Sunday dinner (on a Saturday) which I had defrosted from the freezer, and it was so good. I refrained from any wine and was hoping to be 100% fit for tomorrow’s meeting up with friends.
Gratitude List 1. Being able to go to the market (twice) 2. Video call with Vanessa 3. Celebrating it being Women’s Day by simply being alive!
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 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’.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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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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.
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