Tag: supermarket

Dalyan – 11th April

Dalyan – 11th April

It was market day on Saturday 11th April so I took my list and walked there via the bank. Because of the Easter bank holiday I hadn’t been paid my regular wage yet but I was doing ok because of the extra work I’d done last week and could afford to shop still. I did more moving of money from one account to another to ensure that I was putting in the amount required to keep residency in Turkey. At the moment the rules are that they only check the last 3 months before residency renewal that the minimum wage times 1.5 is being deposited. However, like all things related to rules and processes, things can change so I had decided that I would do this for 12 months prior to my renewal date – just in case. I hoped we would get paid on Monday and then I could top it up.


At the market I bought the following, prices in lira:

Stall 1
Potatoes & onions 65 lira (£1.08)
Stall 2
Bananas & apples 110 lira (£1.83)
Stall 3
Strawberries 200 lira (£3.33)
Stall 4
Fresh Mint 20 lira (33p)
Total spent 395 lira (£6.57)

On the walk back home, I called in to the English export shop to see how much the Heinz baked beans were. They were too expensive for me to justify but I did see they had a brand of baked beans I hadn’t seen before. They were 60 lira (£1) so I decided, for the first time in quite a while, that I would buy the cheap version and see how they were. Beans on toast is one of the meals I miss the most when I’m away from the UK.
While on a spending spree, I also called at the shops, here’s what I bought in lira:

A101 Supermarket
1 Dido chocolate bar 28.50
Wraps 49.50
2 Quark 109.90
Frozen fruit 189.00
Frozen chicken 189.00
Total spent 565.90 lira (£9.43)

Of course I didn’t get everything on my list but I was struggling to find some items and went back home as I was hungry. I had beans on toast, trying a third of the tin mixed with a spot of milk. They were ok but you could definitely tell they weren’t Heinz.
I did some work in the afternoon and I asked (it was practically begging) people I was friends on Facebook with to follow my Resort Experts Business page. I even asked my colleagues and the owners of Resort Experts to follow me as I really wanted to get my number of followers to over 500 so I could earn money from Facebook. I was surprised that the more senior members of Resort Experts weren’t already following me so I asked them to and they did. I was finally over 400 followers and just needed another 100 to be able to monetize my page. Many people were viewing my page but had not actually clicked follower so if this is you, please do click that follow button on my Jo Lo – Resort Experts Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/share/18SmSVGKVp/

I went back to the shops after work and here’s the extra things I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
2 small Milk 15.80
1 big Milk 37.25
Olives 43.05
White cheese 117.90
Fabric Softener 130.95
Total spent 354.95 lira (£5.92)

Gratitude List
1. Being able to food shop despite waiting for pay day
2. Reaching 400 Followers on my Jo Lo – Resort Experts page in order to get nearer to earning money from Facebook
3. Beans on Toast.

Dalyan – 7th & 8th April

Dalyan – 7th & 8th April

Tuesday 7th April was spent working on book stuff and Resort Experts. I was awake at 7.30am and it was quite cold.
I was getting a few more holiday enquiries and the places people seemed to be looking at were Albania, Türkiye, Greece and Spain.
I got lots done and had a chicken and chickpea curry around 7pm. I totted up my weekly spend and at £79.31, I was over my £70 budget despite the 4 days of zero spending. But I had earned extra this weekend so I didn’t mind. It did show me how easy it is to spend too much if I agree to go out drinking too often and I should probably limit it to once per week. I briefly spoke to Captain Caveman who was in Bristol for work and had had to delay his moving in to his Sheffield flat until Friday, when he could go back up North.

Gratitude List
1. Being busy
2. Nice food
3. Having a 4th zero spend day this week.




I was up early and doing my measurements on Wednesday 8th April; my bust and hips had stayed the same and I had lost 1cm from my waist. On my home scales I had lost 0.5kg (1.1lb) so I was optimistic for Carol’s scales at Fat Club later.
After working hard on admin tasks and having no time for a lunch, I headed to Ren Garden for our Fat Club meet up, I was running late and was a bit stressed that I had not finished what I was doing. Tomorrow I had promised to meet up with friends too so it meant I would need to work tonight.
At Fat Club I had lost just 0.15kg (0.3lb) on Carol’s scales, so I was disappointed but it was still a loss! I had a pot of tea for 100 lira (£1.69) and resisted the cookies and cake that were on display.
After, I popped to the shops and here’s what I bought, with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
Onions 10.80
Light yoghurt 29.97
Courgettes 34.63
Cauliflower 85.46
Carrots 87.44
Bread 108.50
Washing powder 239.95
Total spent 596.75 lira (£10.11)

I went straight back to work and regretted not making the soup I intended to earlier. I had an important email which told me I was a little further down the process of getting ‘The Handy Travel Planner’ in to actual book shops in the UK this summer.
At 7pm I closed the laptop and decided to go for an impromptu walk as I was conscious I wasn’t getting enough exercise. I took a few photos as the sun was setting and bumped into Jamie and Norman and The Aussies, as well as Onur from Simple. I stopped to say hello to everyone and then continued to walk the long way home. I was meant to pick up something I had forgotten at the shop but I forgot again. I made a chicken wrap for dinner and had an early night as I was very tired.

Gratitude List
1. Losing weight
2. More progress on the book situation
3. An evening walk.

Dalyan – 5th & 6th April

Dalyan – 5th & 6th April

I spent Easter Day, Sunday 5th April, working on that Resort Experts Supplier list. I was finally getting through it, but not without so many interruptions from friends to meet for drinks. It was ironic really as I don’t think I’d had this many messages, voice notes and calls to invite me out this year, but as soon as I’m busy this is what happens. I felt bad for letting people down but I was happy to focus on what was important to me right now. I was also working on booking a family holiday for a client. They had been recommended by a friend, which is always good and much appreciated.

I didn’t eat until 3pm, just more left over bolognese, and more messages to check if I’d changed my mind about going out yet. I hadn’t, as I really just needed to get on with the work task I had agreed to do. I muted my phone again so I could focus. 
I finally finished for the night and was absolutely knackered. I didn’t leave the house so it was my 3rd zero spend day in a row. I had set my budget for April at £10 per day again and, so far, I was on track.
I was hoping to finish my Resort Experts task tomorrow and I was looking forward to getting out, after working all weekend and not leaving the house during daylight since Thursday! I didn’t eat another meal but I decided to have a glass of Ron Zacapa rum before bed. I put on a Netflix film and instantly fell asleep. When I got in bed the Jazz bar decided to play loud (not Jazz) music and then there was a big storm so I didn’t get to sleep early.

Gratitude List

1. Having the willpower to keep focused on what I needed to do.
2. More leftover bolognese
3. A 3rd day of zero spend!




Monday 6th April was a strange Easter Monday, not that it’s celebrated in Turkey. I was on day 4 of the Resort Experts supplier work and I was almost done. I totted up how much I had left to do and sent an update to Sam, one of the owners.
I decided to go outside to empty the bin and go to the bakery. I fancied a pain au chocolat or a croissant and I needed bread. Not having been outside in day light since Thursday, or in darkness and stormy weather since Friday night, it felt good. My new phone camera highlighted how tired I looked and I really did need to get more sleep!
I bought a chocolate croissant and bread at Parlak bakery for 140 lira (£2.37). Fresh bread had now gone up to 20 lira (33p) but was still cheap. I headed back to the office and cracked on with work. I got thanked and paid for working all Easter weekend so I was pleased with that. My new client decided to go ahead with the villa holiday and we got it paid in full so that the flights were secured too.


I had agreed to meet Debbie (Darling) who wanted to pay me some sponsor money to give to Captain Caveman. A few people, including Jamie, were meeting at Caria Hotel, on the river front, but were going to be eating there. I had a cheese sandwich for a very late lunch and didn’t get there until 5.45pm. By this time most people were rather merry. It was decided it was going to get chilly shortly as the sun was going in, so we walked to Sofra bar and I ordered a red wine. Debbie gave me the money and then went outside while Jamie, Helen and I tried to guess which city her friends were from. We had a good laugh and I ordered another red wine just as Debbie (Darling) came in to say hello to Ali and Brinny, the dog, who had just stopped by on their walk, to say hi. Debbie (Darling) announced that she had had enough and had to go home. Her Mr G (cocktail) was barely touched and she said she couldn’t drink it. Being a keen advocate of not wasting anything, I ended up having it.
I paid my bill of 300 lira (£5.08) for 2 red wines and said bye to anyone we knew. Jamie and I then went to Ren Garden for more red wine. Jamie insisted on a bottle so we paid 400 lira (£6.78) each then I insisted I needed to get to Migros before it closed as I didn’t have anything in for dinner tonight or food for tomorrow. We said bye and I, a little tipsy, went shopping – here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
2 packs Mentos 46.90
1 Quark 55.95
Boiled beans 86.95
Toilet rolls 107.50
3 Bountys 109.90
1 Ham and mushroom pizza 189.95
A 2kg whole chicken 204.90
Total spent 802.05 lira (£13.59)

This is where I realised my error previously on the Bountys, they were on offer but only at 3 for the price of 2. As I was paying for the shopping, I realised I was desperate for a pee and decided it would be a good idea to nip in to Jiks. I ended up having more wine and ordering a pizza. A bloke who I know but hadn’t seen in a while, joined me and we ended up having a nice evening.
My bill in Jiks came to 600 lira (£10.16) meaning I had spent almost £38 today! I reassured myself that at least I’d only been out one day of the 4 day weekend, so it could easily have been more.

Gratitude List
1. Getting paid for weekend work, as promised
2. Finding a suitable villa holiday for a new client
3. Going out for drinks after finishing 4 days of hard work.

Dalyan – 2nd April

Dalyan – 2nd April

Thursday 2nd April was a little frustrating for me, mainly with first world problems. The first one was that I was trying to get my Jo Lo –  Resort Experts business page up to more than 500 followers on Facebook so that I could start to earn a bit of money from it. I was still on less than 400 despite having invited loads of my Facebook friends. How it works on Facebook is that once you’re invited to follow a page, you can view it but I can’t ask again unless the invite is declined. It means that it doesn’t count towards my stats and I can’t do anything about it except to keep asking all of the people who are not following to follow in posts like this. So, if you are not following already please do, if really helps me!!! https://www.facebook.com/share/1H3GWv8k4z/

The next minor inconvenience was waiting to speak to Sam, one of the owners at Resort Experts, to discuss some paid work over the Easter weekend. He’d offered paid work to get all the Supplier information held on a spreadsheet in to the new Zone database. He’d done it using AI but of course it now needed checking and all the gaps filling in. It was quite a tedious task but I love those kinds of jobs and I was up for it. Geoff – the Benidorm Resort Expert, had turned up at Sam’s house and prevented our Teams call to get started.
My third frustration was not knowing what I was going to be paid this month and when the paid day would be. As there had been changes to the process recently, I still was unable to work it out and I had to expect nothing. I have to plan for my 50,000 lira (£850) per month to go in to my Turkish bank account for residency rules purposes which is quite time consuming. I don’t earn that in a month so I have to work out how much short I will be each month so Captain Caveman or other income can top it up. I had worked out that if I could sell just 6 books per day, I wouldn’t need to worry about the dates I would get paid from Resort Experts holiday bookings. My aim for the rest of this year was to write more books and increase book sales so that I could spend less time budgeting and worrying about money.
I warmed up bolognese for a late lunch and got on with quite a bit of work in the afternoon. I’d had a referral from a friend for a family holiday which I was looking at. Turkey would’ve been an ideal destination were it not for needing morning flights so we decided Spain or the Balearic Islands suited the family better.
I finally spoke to Sam about my weekend job and it was agreed I would start tomorrow. The job was easy but time consuming and what a lot of people would call boring – I liked those types of jobs and could do it easily.
My final frustration was a shopping and budget related one; as there was no meat left when I went shopping yesterday, I had to go back today. This meant I had less zero spend days and inevitably it’s likely to make me spend more as I saw things I would like or on offer.
Here’s what I bought with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
Popcorn 39.95
1 Bounty 47.90
Frozen green beans 87.46
Pesto 122.21
Mozzarella cheese 179.90
1kg Chicken breasts 202.35
400g Beef mince 385.95
Total spent 1065.72 lira (£18.06)

Outdoors it was incredibly blustery but dry after quite a storm last night. Everything was covered in red sand which had blown in from a dessert. It was weird and everything looked dirty. The Shell petrol station, near Migros, was being knocked down too. I hadn’t noticed until after I had scoffed the Bounty, with a cup of earl grey tea, that I had been charged more than it had been priced at – that would teach me for not sticking to the Slimming World plan.
I decided to watch something on Netflix and had popcorn and cheese for dinner as I was too tired to cook.

Gratitude List
1. Getting through a frustrating day by staying positive
2. Agreeing to take on a paid weekend job over Easter to boost the holiday fund
3. Having friends recommend me to their friends and colleagues.

Dalyan – 1st April

Dalyan – 1st April

On Wednesday 1st April I woke up much earlier than I would’ve liked, now that I didn’t have to get up for Norman. April started off with me trying to decide if I could maintain the £10 per day budget for another month – I had proved it could be done but it wasn’t easy. I had friends here, I’d been invited to events and outings plus a boat trip booked in and a trip to the hairdresser’s. So, realistically, I really should try to keep my spending to a minimum even though Captain Caveman had offered to continue to support me, as needed. The minimum wage for a Turkish person was 33,000 lira (£550) per month and I was trying to ensure I lived below that. I didn’t have rent or electricity to pay out of that, though, so I didn’t know how the locals were managing to live. A 1 bedroom apartment in Dalyan was costing over 20,000 lira (£339) now.

I got weighed to find I had put on 0.6kg (1.3lb) using my home scales but my measurements were more favourable; no change to my bust or hips but 3cm off my waist. At Fat Club I did better on Carol’s scales but had still put on 0.35kg (0.8lb). I spent just 30 lira (51p) on water and resisted the very tempting cookies at Ren Garden. I called at Migros after the group meet up and bought the following, prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket

Green peppers 56.04
Red peppers 58.64
Olives 61.50
6 eggs 72.95
Cashew nuts 95.00
2 Quark 111.90
Cheese 166.90
Total spent 622.93 lira (£10.56)

After work I had arranged to meet The Aussies, Amanda and Greg, for the opening of Lukka bar. It’s one of the closest bar and restaurants to where I live and the owners, Mehmet and Katrina are friends of mine. In my honest opinion this place is not for cheap chasers as they tend to have higher prices than some of the popular places with expats, however, I like the location, the staff and the quality so it’s been on my favourites list for a number of years. We’d said 6pm and I got there on time and waited for my friends who are usually late, I met the new staff and spoke to Mehmet, the owner. Lukka bar had been decorated and it was much more red and black, which looked good. I ordered a soda water while I waited for my friends. I wasn’t planning on eating at Lukka as I had food out of the freezer but my friends wanted to. They ordered gin and tonic and whiskey sours so I ordered a glass of Angora red wine. Amanda ordered a satay chicken and Greg ordered another chicken dish with a sauce so I just ordered a starter of the garlic mushrooms. Incidentally, when we ordered our meals, we were asked if we had any allergies and Mehmet even checked if I could eat bread with my mushrooms and that I wasn’t gluten free. He let me know that this year they were going to be able to do gluten free meals and gluten free bread – this was good for my Coeliac sister who was visiting this summer.

The food was excellent and was still the old menu while the new chef and staff got up to speed. The service was good too and not intrusive. Although Lukka is certainly not the cheapest place in town, I didn’t think it extortionate by any means. Here’s what I paid for what I had;

1 Soda water 70 lira (£1.19)
1 glass Angora red wine 250 lira (£4.24)
1 Garlic mushrooms 300 lira (£5.08)
Tip 100 (£1.69)
Total spent 720 lira (£12.20)

It was a really good evening, despite the torrential rain by the time we were leaving. The Aussies went off to meet friends at Corner bar but I was good and went home for an early night. As I climbed in to bed, Captain Caveman was leaving Saigon to fly back to Heathrow. He would land at 3pm tomorrow and be back at work on Friday.

Gratitude List

1. The Fat Club group
2. Meeting up with The Aussies
3. A great night out at Lukka bar.

Dalyan – 31st March

Dalyan – 31st March


It was my last day with Norman on Tuesday 31st March and he was eager to get his breakfast rather than featuring in a video for Little Daddy. Jamie was due to land at 7pm so I had all day to tidy, clean, nip to the shops and do work. Norman was aware of what was going on because he was doing a security check and seemed a bit sad.


In the morning I worked on helping potential customers with hand luggage only packing tips and quotes for the Costa Del Sol in Spain. Since the war against Iran had started, I’d noticed that some of my customers were choosing to holiday nearer to home this summer. Of course, I had managed to have booked in even more travel bargains for myself. For 2026 I now had 8 holidays booked, 4 with Captain Caveman. This made a good change compared to last year and I was certainly taking advantage of the cheap deals. This didn’t include being lucky enough to also be visiting the UK 3 times this year, as well as having the holiday town of Dalyan as my home for the rest of the time. Already, I had booked several friends their holidays to come to Dalyan too, so I was looking forward to this year.


After some work, I cleaned the house. In between all that, I used up some browning bananas and an egg to make an oatcake (as you do)! As it was Sabotage Tuesday I didn’t want to be tempted to eat things I shouldn’t because I had been quite good since Norman’s birthday celebrations.
I found a lovely deal in Corfu at one of the fancy Grecotel chain hotels and sent it to 3 people who had asked about Corfu and Greek holidays. In the afternoon, I nipped to the bank to take out my ‘spare’ money for March, in readiness for doing the same during April (tomorrow). I popped to the shop to top back up anything I had used at Jamie’s, and spent just 111.85 lira (£1.89) on those essentials.
Norman snored away while I worked and seemed quite happy on the sofa. I spoke to Captain Caveman who was getting a train in Vietnam and heading back to Ho Chi Minh before his flight back to the UK tomorrow. Once I knew Jamie was on his way, I was able to pop back home and relax. It was my dad’s birthday so I managed to get a video call in and sing Happy Birthday to him before eating and then having an early night.
I bravely checked the March spending for the whole month. This last 3 days I’d spent £17.88 which meant that for the last 10 days I had spent only £46.52 against a budget of £100 (£10 per day). The monthly budget ended up being £270 for March, after I upped it from £221 (£5 per day) 2 weeks in to the month. I actually spent a grand total of £228.73 in March which meant I was £41.27 under budget and only £7.30 over the original budget. Adjusting it mid month had helped me claw some of it back and I was pleased to have done it. This had meant that the money I had saved was used for some of my 2026 holidays. I’d enjoyed the challenge of Money Minded March and was pleased to see that I’d spent half the amount of the previous month. Unfortunately, my weight loss had not gone as well in March and I was slightly heavier at the end of the month than I was at the beginning.
More shenanigans were coming up for April; more outings, some celebrations and The Aussies were back in town!

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Managing to be under the (revised) budget for March
3. Video calls with Captain Caveman and Dad.

Dalyan – 29th March

Dalyan – 29th March

My first job of the day on Sunday 29th March was to check the expenditure for the last week. I’d spent only £28.64 this week and had 4 zero spend days and 5 zero alcohol days. Things were back on track. I did still have 3 days left in March and I needed to buy some things so I would see if I could keep this up through to the next month.
The sun was back out after a very wet and stormy day yesterday so I took Norman out for a walk and Nanny Kay popped round. I also did some writing, ate my Sunday dinner for lunch at 4pm and worked until gone 6pm.
Over in a very hot and sticky Southern Vietnam, Captain Caveman had completed the 300km of his charity cycling event and was almost broken. He was very pleased to have raised a great amount of money for Saigon Children’s Charity and said he was going to do it again next year, too. We discussed me coming over to Vietnam and decided we would both go together next year as I had missed being there to support him.
At 7.30pm I took myself off to the shops and decided to treat myself, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

A101 Supermarket
Popcorn 40.00
Cheese spread 50.00
Chicken pieces 189.00
Frozen pizzas 265.00
Total spent 544.00 lira (£9.22)

Yaman Büfe 2
1 bottle of red wine 300 lira (5.08)

I put Netflix on, opened the wine and popcorn and tried to watch something. I fell asleep!

Gratitude List
1. Norman
2. Doing better against the budget this week
3. Treats.

Captain Caveman’s charity link here if you missed donating and want to:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/adam-spillane-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

Dalyan – 20th & 21st March

Dalyan – 20th & 21st March


While Captain Caveman completed his last day at work on Friday 20th March, in readiness for his charity cycling event in Vietnam, I got a lot of admin done. It seemed cooler and looked like it might rain, which is usually the case whenever I have Norman, the dog. Jamie and Drew were off on holiday and Norman was going to be in my care while he celebrated his 15th birthday.
I wasn’t expected to finish work until after 8pm tonight so, at 3pm, I nipped out for a quick bit of fresh air and to the shop as I needed some essentials. I checked against the budget and I had just over £18 left for this week, plus the cash I had in my purse for the market tomorrow. It was Bayram, a bank holiday for Ramadan, so I wanted to get meat before it sold out and make sure I got cash out before ATMs ran short. Here’s what I bought at the supermarket, with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket
Onions 5.31
Peanuts 52.00
Dark chocolate 66.95
Mushrooms 86.95
Wholemeal sliced loaf 97.50
500g Beef mince  375.00
Total spent 683.73 lira (£11.59)

Beef is expensive in Turkey so I’d gone mad by buying mince at over £6 for 500g but I fancied making a Bolognese this weekend.
I had a cruise training session with Travelpack from 7pm so I was still working until gone 8pm, then I made a pasta dinner with a glass of wine to round off my week. I’d plan to get more content for my next book done this weekend but I was already feeling exhausted.
I topped up my wine and tried to relax. Captain Caveman sent me a photo of a vodka named after me in the duty free – he was finally on his way to Vietnam for 2 weeks, and I was a little bit jealous that I wasn’t going too.

Gratitude List

1. Getting some work done

2. Excellent free Cruise Training with Travelpack

3. Pasta and wine.




Things certainly didn’t go according to plan on Saturday 21st March. While Captain Caveman had arrived in China for a 7 hour lay over but was unable to get to the lounge, I shoved the ingredients for a Bolognese in the slow cooker. I had plans to go to the market. Jamie and Drew weren’t leaving for the airport until 11.15pm but I had said I would meet them for an afternoon farewell drink and also go over to their’s for wine after dinner. I called round to Jamie and Drew’s on my way to the market, Norman was still in his bed.
Unfortunately, the market had limited stalls open due to Bayram so I only bought 5 bananas and 2 courgettes for 85 lira (£1.44). Back home, I ate more homemade soup for lunch. I didn’t make the 3pm drinks with Jamie & Drew, as agreed, because I was waiting for a work related call with one of the owners of Resort Experts. That didn’t happen until much later than expected so it was 7pm by the time I left the house.
When I got to Ren Garden, it was empty so I waited. Jamie and Drew had been in Sofra bar with friends. Drew arrived first, followed later by Jamie – late, ladened with shopping bags and walking Norman.
Drew just had the one drink and left, as Jamie and I were talking about work. We ordered another wine and continued on about work, even though we both had to get home for dinner. My 2 wines were 300 lira (£5.08) and we left Ren Garden, intending on going home to eat dinner. I only got as far as next door in Jik’s where another glass of wine was ordered.
Jamie and I parted ways after Jik’s where my glass of wine was 150 lira (£2.56), I bought a bottle of red wine from Yaman Büfe 2, to have later and rushed home to turn off, then eat, my Bolognese.
When I arrived at Jamie & Drew’s to see them off, Norman was napping, Drew was drinking wine and Jamie had popped out to the bank. The electric gate wasn’t working so there was some faffing about with that and I had to look away for fear of a finger or hand being cut off.
The taxi arrived and I said bye to both, Norman got kisses from Little Daddy and Step Daddy Drew, but didn’t seem unduly concerned – he was used to the comings and goings of us all now.
I went inside feeling tired but poured myself another glass of wine, which I would probably regret in the morning. Going through the menopause has meant that my body cannot tolerate alcohol like it used to.

Gratitude List
1. Getting work stuff sorted
2. Norman
3. Farewell wines with Jamie and Drew.

Dalyan – 18th March

Dalyan – 18th March

It was weigh day again on Wednesday 18th March and I was slightly optimistic since my home scales said I had lost 0.5kg (1.1lb). My measurements did show that I had put on 1cm on my bust and waist, my hips had stayed the same.
I was busy in the office again and too much time was spent on unnecessary stuff so that I had to mute my phone to get on with what I needed to.
At Fat Club I was very disappointed to find I had put on a whopping 1.8kg (4lb)! I bought a water for 30 lira (51p) because I’d already overdone it on the Turkish tea this morning. I was out of Quark so I nipped to the shop after the group, here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Migros Supermarket

Dido chocolate bar 34.95
Haribo 44.95
Cheese spread 46.95
Olives 61.50
Rye bread 85.00
2 Quark 111.90
Total spent 385.25 lira (£6.53)

I got a notification from Facebook, based on the content I had written in Georgina Chapman’s training, that I was a conversation starter. The actual post had got over 3,000 views which I was pleased about as getting seen online is always an uphill slog.
After work, I had leftover chicken chasseur for dinner, then had a bit of a treat while watching Netflix. I had some Haribo, a Dido bar and made myself a White Russian (or two). I even made my own popcorn and turned my phone off early.

Gratitude List
1. Thinking I’d lost weight
2. Treats
3. A relaxing evening watching Netflix.

Dalyan – 15th March

Dalyan – 15th March

It was an interesting day on Sunday 15th March; I’d already turned down an invite to a boat trip with a friend so that I could get on with tasks that I needed to do. I had something exciting brewing with regards to my books but I couldn’t say anything yet, mainly as I didn’t have all the information. It was Mother’s Day in the UK but they don’t celebrate it in Turkey. I messaged Mom to see when I could call as I didn’t know if she might be doing something with my sister. I tootled off to meet Nanny Kay, Jamie, Drew and Norman in Luvi, a cafe I’d not really taken any notice of before.
It’s next door to Mimi’s and near Ozzy’s Bar in the square next to Migros. It took a short while to order a hot chocolate on account of the staff making the others’ 3 drinks but it was worth the wait and cost 140 lira (£2.37), it wasn’t much more for wine and the wine by the bottle was reasonable, I noted.
The cafe was nice and Norman got some attention. I decided to call to see if there was any chicken on offer on the way back, and I had run out of oats.
I was in luck and here’s what I bought with prices in lira;


Şok Supermarket
Oats 87.50
876g Chicken drumsticks 118.26
958g Chicken breasts 238.54
Total spent 444.30 lira (£7.53)

I had a bit of a fiasco with trying to log in to my Amazon account, which was irritating because I needed access for the important meeting I had booked in for tomorrow. That was frustrating as I was sure I had the right details.
In the afternoon I walked over to Vanessa’s, while eating a banana in place of breakfast or lunch, and had a cup of tea with her and Matt and picked up a bag of oranges.
Vanessa and I decided to have a walk round town and called at the tea gardens, it was incredibly busy. We’d already seen Mark, Kate, Pamela and Glynn in Efe bar when Vanessa dropped a scarf off for someone who had left it. Next, we went to Public bar for a glass of wine.  It’s one of the more expensive places at 180 lira (£3.05) for a white wine and we shared a soda. I was getting peckish and thought I might order food at Public but resisted and we called at the supermarket. Vanessa recommended some chicken pieces that were a bit like a KFC and I decided to buy those. A bag of them was only 189 lira (£3.20) so much cheaper than eating out and I had wraps at home already, so that was late lunch and early dinner sorted. In the evening I had a video call with my Mom to wish her Happy Mother’s Day.

Gratitude List
1. Cancelled plans
2. Catching up with Vanessa
3. Chicken wrap at home.

Dalyan – 13th March

Dalyan – 13th March

It was the final day of The Signal on Friday 13th March and I felt like I’d really benefitted from Georgina Chapman’s free insights this week. I’d learned loads and I hoped to be able to put all the lessons to good use in my travel business as well as my books.
I took myself off to the shop and, as I had only spent £20.25 of my £40 weekly budget with 2 days left to go, I decided to get some Friday treats that weren’t alcohol.
Here’s what I bought with prices in lira;

Şok Supermarket
1 Maxi Dido chocolate bar 24.90
2 500g pasta 27.50
1 Gold Dido bar 30.00
1 Nut Dido chocolate bar 35.00
1 Pot Noodle 40.00
Marshmallows 48.00
1 glass jar 50.00
Total spent 255.40 lira (£4.33)

I’d really splashed out on some unnecessary items today but I was happy with my glass jar which came with a lid and a spoon – ideal for overnight oats.


After a busy afternoon, I went to meet a friend at the new fish restaurant. I’d missed Matt’s birthday there on Wednesday but reports back were that it was excellent so I was really looking forward to it.
I’d not realised that the owner of Cadde Balık Ekmek, Suat, was Suha’s Dad and he came over to say hello and introduce us. I know Suha from Bistro Blue and his family are very nice. The place was very clean and well organised, we sat inside and ordered the fish and chips with a small bottle of water. I wasn’t drinking as I had a customer call this evening, hence why we were dining early, but they don’t serve alcohol, anyway. I paid 500 lira (£8.47) for the fish and chips and 20 lira (34p) for the water. The meal came with lots of condiments and extras which I personally didn’t eat as I’m not one for sauces, my friend did though. I was a massive fan of the very light batter, the chips were reasonably good and made better by the proper vinegar! There was talk of adding mushy peas at some point, but I don’t like them and prefer my meal without. I really enjoyed my first visit – my friend and I were very impressed and would definitely be recommending and going again. I live very close but it was also good to know that they would be doing takeaway and delivery in addition to their dine in option.
I hurried back home to deal with some work and then had an early night without any alcohol and happy that I was still under budget.

Gratitude List
1. The Signal & Georgina Chapman
2. Friday treats
3. Fish and Chips.

Photo Credit – some photos by Cadde

Dalyan – 10th March

Dalyan – 10th March


I was so busy on Tuesday 10th March, the day started with the banana cake and tea and then I was in the office until 3pm.
I bought Captain Caveman’s annual Earthquake Insurance for 1,797 lira (£30) as well as the annual home insurance for 10,723 lira (£182). I now use Aytaç Burçak of Saraymine Sigorta for all our insurances as he knows what he’s doing and is easy to do business with.
I needed some essentials and some lunch so, at 3.30pm I took a break and went to the shops. Here’s what I got with prices in lira;

Parlak Bakery
1 Bread 15
1 simit 15
Total spent 30 lira (51p)

Migros Supermarket
Bin Liners 29.95
4 Quark 180.00
Total spent 209.95 lira (£3.56)

I got as many Quark as I could because they were on offer. Back home I ate the simit with cheese, olives and gherkins for a very late lunch, before getting back to my desk. 
There was still no email or sign of pay from Resort Experts but I was reliably informed it could sometimes be as late as the 14th so I waited patiently.
I arranged for some quotes for home repairs to be done by Leanne at King Emlak and then I finished a busy day around 6.30pm.

I went to meet friends who were back from the UK and had brought me butter back. When I got to Corner Bar, I ordered a red wine, and found out my friends had forgotten the butter! Still, it was nice to see them as I don’t get out an awful lot these days and they always make an effort to check on me, which is nice.
I paid 170 lira (£2.88) for a glass of wine, but limited it as I had Fat Club tomorrow!
Jamie walked past and was with Norman, the dog, Drew and his sister-in-law and her friend so we all did the usual hellos and Norman got a stroke.
Back home I had curry for dinner and then did some writing. I hoped I’d done enough this week to lose some weight at Fat Club tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Getting boring tasks sorted
2. Seeing friends
3. Nice food.

Dalyan – 6th & 7th March

Dalyan – 6th & 7th March

On Friday 6th March I only broke off from my laptop for a cup of tea or a couple of chicken fajita wraps. I wanted to finish as much as possible so that I could take tomorrow morning off. I had planned to go to the market with Vanessa and then grab a drink in a cafe somewhere.
I didn’t take any photos, I didn’t leave the house, I didn’t spend any money and I didn’t drink any alcohol.
While sitting down to post my blog, though, I saw a post which made me cry. A friend who I met 26.5 years ago on our first day of our new job at Norwich Union (now Aviva) had a date for her surgery to remove a brain tumour. About 15 years ago she met her now husband and later moved to the States to be with him. I remember this as it was around the same time I met Captain Caveman and we would both end up moving abroad ‘for love’. I’m older than her and have probably abused my body and made worse lifestyle choices than she has, so there’s something that happened to put so much in to perspective today. I didn’t even need a Gratitude List today, as it would just read ‘everything’. Over the years we’d not kept in touch as much and I’d never met her American hubby. I messaged her and we had a conversation about how she was feeling, she was being brave and was understandably shitting herself. I shared her go fund me page on my Facebook and I got a message from another friend to ask if I’d been hacked. I imagine, like me she also thought it might be too unbelievable to be true. It wasn’t!
If you’re reading this and are able to donate towards Angela’s medical costs, it would be much appreciated. Here’s a link and her photo of what the tumor looks like.

https://gofund.me/61f18c7b3



I woke up early on Saturday 7th March and read some awful news on Facebook. A bloke I used to work with at Norwich Union (now Aviva) had died. He’d been one of the most entertaining people I’d known and was just so lovely. He was only about 10 years older than me so it was quite a shock. He had a huge family and was so well loved by everyone who knew him. I’d had the pleasure of being his manager for a few years and the customers just loved him too. I felt sad and searched out a photo from that period – we were a motley crew back then but had some great memories.

I was involved in a customer enquiry over the phone and I was meant to go to Vanessa’s on the way to the market but she ended up coming to mine. I checked the weekly budget and I had less than £9 left for this week, which was not impossible but unlikely, given that I needed to buy quite a bit today. We both needed the bank so that worked out better and I withdrew just 1,000 lira (£16.95) at the ATM. Before we even got to the market we noticed the new florists in town and went in for a nosey. It is brilliant and has plants, flowers and gifts – just what Dalyan needs. 

Here’s what I bought at the market, prices in lira:
Potatoes 30
Mushrooms 47
Cabbage (half of) 25
Satsumas 110
Asparagus 120
Strawberries 200
Total spent 532 lira (£9.02)

We went halves on a cabbage as they are huge and we even asked the stall holder to cut it in half for us. If I had gone home then, I would have been on budget for the week, but I didn’t.
Vanessa had a soirée that she had been invited to tomorrow at Adam and Kath’s, so she wanted to buy some treats at the supermarket. Unfortunately, I couldn’t resist and I also got a few treats for myself:

Şevikoğlu Supermarket, now with a new name

Bread 15.00
Chocolate wafers 34.90
Biscuits 36.00
Mini meringues 66.90
Dark chocolate 67.00
Turkish black tea 184.90
Total spent 404. 70 lira (£6.86)

I had run out of conditioner and was down to the bottom of my shampoo so I had to get a bottle of each, luckily it was on offer and is my favourite.

Millennium shop

Olive oil 1 Shampoo & 1 Conditioner
Total spent 210 lira (£3.56)

Our bags were heavy so we decided to go to a lovely cafe next door to the computer shop. Here’s what I had:

Mornings in Mavi

2 large teas 100
1 Granola bowl 300
Total spent 400 lira (£6.78)

That granola bowl was so good and I really enjoyed it. Today I had spent a lot more than I should’ve, despite it being my 5th zero alcohol day this week. I had gone over my £50 weekly budget by £17.44. I decided to reduce the next 2 week’s budgets to £40 to compensate. It was going to be tight but it was doable if I put my mind to it and didn’t get tempted by alcohol or treats (easier said than done). Today was pay day from Resort Experts which would probably be in the bank on Monday, with it being a weekend. This was going straight into my emergency/holiday fund.
It was almost 3pm by the time I got home so I ended up working until gone 8pm.

Gratitude List
1. Out and about in the fresh air
2. My first Granola bowl in Dalyan
3. Seeing Vanessa.

Dalyan – 5th March

Dalyan – 5th March


I was in my office by 8am on Thursday 5th March, writing Resort Experts content and catching up on more free training and courses. Today marked 10 years since I had done the trip to the biggest cave in the world, Hang Son Doong, in Vietnam. I bet I couldn’t do it now!
I noticed a woman I had been following on Facebook for a while, was doing a free challenge next week; 5 days of using your voice in a market that’s stopped listening. It peaked my interest and I decided to sign up, I even decided to share it with lots of other Facebook friends who worked for themselves or had side hustles. There was a prize to be won if we got chosen, for sharing the link so I asked everyone I could think of, including my Resort Experts colleagues. I had a quick walk round the block and to check if my parents’ trees had started to grow back after a rather over zealous winter prune – they weren’t but it had been a pretty cold and wet winter, here. I let my mom know and tried to reassure her they would be in full bloom by the time they arrived.
At 2pm I attended the team meeting where more talk about new improved systems were coming our way and things were business as usual, despite the Middle East conflict.

After a busy day I decided I would have chicken fajitas for dinner, only to realise at gone 6pm that I didn’t have any peppers or onions. I took it as an opportunity to leave the house for some fresh air to go get some and have a walk by the river with my new phone. It was also a good opportunity to get a selfie of me wearing a music related t-shirt in memory of an old Aviva friend who had died 1 year ago today.


I tried doing sunset photos and videos to have a practice with my new phone too, appreciating the beauty around me. It was quite a warm evening until it got dark.

Here’s what I bought at the shop, prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
2 Onions 4.27
2 Green peppers 24.79
2 Red peppers 25.89
8 Satsumas 26.63
Total spent 81.58 lira (£1.38)

Seasonal fruit and vegetables are still quite cheap here in Dalyan but I’m always careful not to buy out of season produce. I was tempted to pick up a bottle of wine but decided to enjoy a 3rd day this week without any alcohol. I also thought I might try to avoid alcohol for the rest of this week.


I walked the long way round to take a photo of a couple of local hotels which I was recommending to friends who were coming later in the year. They were closed for the winter at the moment but would open next month. I made sure to say hello to my regular doggy friends, the usual white two were excited to see me and came over for belly rubs.
Back home I made fajitas which were really tasty and I got ready for a busy day at my desk tomorrow.

Gratitude List
1. Being busy from getting out of bed to getting back in it.
2. Appreciating a walk while using my new phone
3. Good food.

Dalyan – 3rd & 4th March

Dalyan – 3rd & 4th March


I had a slight fuzzy head when I got up on Tuesday 3rd March and I had quite a few things to do. I’d started to get queries from people who hadn’t booked holidays with me (who had booked directly or online), they were worried about their holiday due to what was going on in the Middle East. Unfortunately, I could only help my own customers as I had no idea of the cancellation or amendment terms that these bookings would have been made with and I advised them to call who they had booked with or read their terms and conditions. Meanwhile, at the moment all the holidays I had booked for my customers were safe and going ahead as planned.
I broke off for lunch of homemade lentil and tomato soup with rye bread and butter. I’ve been eating a lot more lentils since I’ve been in Turkey and they are so good for bulking out meals cheaply.

I nipped to the shops again around 6pm to try to finish off the shop I half did yesterday and hoped I wouldn’t be too late to get some decent meat. Here’s what I got with prices in lira:

Migros Supermarket
Pasta 15.25
Dido chocolate bar 34.95
2 tins of tomatoes 99.90
900g chicken breast 180.35
940g chicken thighs 235.95
Total spent 566.40 lira (£9.60)

Dried pasta is so cheap here, especially as I buy the supermarket own brands. I couldn’t resist the new Dido bar which tastes like a Ferrero Rocher in a chunky KitKat – highly addictive. Of course, I didn’t need the tomatoes but felt compelled to buy while they had some in stock and I was chuffed to be able to get chicken. It always amuses me that here thighs are more expensive than breast because the Turks prefer to cook thigh as it has better flavour. I had leftover pasta for dinner then spent the evening catching up on my blog and a much needed zero alcohol day. 

Gratitude List
1. Customer holidays being unaffected
2. Getting chicken
3. Dido chocolate bar for a treat.




I already knew that weigh in results on Wednesday 4th March were not going to be favourable, given that the Slimming World plan had gone out of the window. I’d eaten out and consumed lots of alcohol in the last week so it was only right that I had put on 0.8kg (1.8lb) on the home scales this week. My measurements were -1cm from my bust, no change to my waist and a whopping 4cm on my hips!
I chucked the ingredients for a chicken casserole in the slow cooker and cracked on with my to do list. At lunch time I looked at flights for the girls trip to Spain where I wanted to be on the same flight as the rest of the group from Gatwick. I had a wander to Jamie’s to pick up my new phone case, he was laying on a sun lounger by the pool. I still had jeans and a hoodie on but he and his friend were sunbathing in their shorts and a bikini! Norman was indoors having a nap.
At 3pm I was facing Carol’s scales at Fat Club to find I’d actually put even more on; 0.95kg (2lb) and I was blaming Captain Caveman for that! I couldn’t blame him for what happened next though. I stayed at Ren Garden after the group had left and ordered a hot chocolate while waiting for Vanessa to join me. She arrived a bit flustered and late then ordered a wine and soda. We had a good catch up for the next couple of hours and, as I had not eaten lunch, I gave in to temptation and had one of the fresh homemade cookies. They are so good! We had another drink each and this time I joined Vanessa with a wine. Here’s what I had with prices in lira;

Mine
1 hot chocolate 170
1 cookie 120
1 red wine 170
Total spent 440 lira (£7.46)

We said our farewells and I went home to see if my casserole was cooked yet. It needed another half an hour so I decided to take my new phone out for a walk and practice using the camera.
On the walk along the river I bumped in to one of the Dalyan Dwellers (quite literally) who had stumbled out of Tapa bar and was zigzagging his way to Corner bar. My camera on the new phone was super snazzy and I was so happy with it. The video took some getting used to though.

I was back home before 7pm ready for my dinner which I made some mini roast potatoes to go with. It was delicious and there were more portions leftover.
It had been a good day, but not a zero spend or zero alcohol day, I would try to get at least 1 more each of those in this week.

Gratitude List
1. Meeting Vanessa
2. Great food and treats
3. My new phone and it’s fab camera.