My first week OS - and my thanks to you all

KittyKate · 17 April 2006 at 9:25PM

Hi all, last week I posted on how I wasn't OS and wanted to be. I've noted down the OS (and non OS) week I've had and come to the conclusion I could do better! But I want to thank you all so much for the time you put into your threads with useful and timesaving advice! It's really helped.

Here's a fast run down of my week - spot my major weaknesses! Has anyone got any advice?

Mon-didn't spend any money all day until I got an offer for a new job! so pleased, OH took me for dinner to a lovely restaurant. Well, we were celebrating!

Tues-did a Tesco shop and used a code for £5 off

- checked the BOGOF's first and saved about £10 as opposed to my regular shop.

Weds-spent no money today!

Thurs-visited my dad and made the mistake of buying a magazine and a drink from WHSmiths in the train station (v expensive). Need to have a glass of water before I go to the station in future! Bought another can of coke when I got to my dad's village and it was so windy I didn't open it until I got home, what a waste, I have loads of Tesco cola at home! Then on way home thought OH would be hungry as the tesco order wasn't due till 9pm. Bought 2 Boots meal deals in train station (I live down road from train station) and took them home for tea, only to find the tesco order had come early! But managed to not buy a burger when coming home at 10.30 from a friend's and we cooked at home.

Fri-went shopping and had dinner in an Italian...at great expense

Sat-OH's family came to stay. They bought us a lovely curry but as we had use of their car we spent £240 on a TV (but we did save on delivery!)

Sun-went for a walk and out for dinner again....very nice but again pricey.

Today-had dinner in a French restaurant (around £20). Also bought snacks from Marks and Spencer's.

There is no excuse for the amount of times I've eaten out this week apart from I am writing a restaurant guide website which will pay off soon, in addition to my day job. So it's productive too! But I really need to cut back or I'll never save!

lynzpower · 17 April 2006 at 9:29PM

lol Boots meal deal is SO NOT OS!!

KittyKate · 17 April 2006 at 9:40PM

I know! I'm so ashamed. I'm sure I can be OS I just have less willpower than I thought!

lynzpower · 17 April 2006 at 9:42PM

Do you have any veg left from the big tescos shop on the way out? You could blanche & freeze it to redeem yourself, only joking LOL xx

Dobie · 17 April 2006 at 9:59PM

Hi KittyKate
My advice would be to not try & do everything at once. Change one thing at a time, celebrate that success & then try the next thing. It can be a bit daunting to think about all the changes you need to make & then it's easy to get discouraged when you don't achieve them all. It's better to take it slowly & then feel you're making progress.
If it was me I'd start by always taking a drink with me when I left home to stop temptation. Personally, I never leave home without a bottle of water.

Spendless · 17 April 2006 at 10:00PM

LOL

. With the exception of the first night out-which was a celebration, what was the reason for the other meals out? Would a meal planner help? Or getting a slo-cooker?
Re- the drinks bought at the train station, take your own drinks/snacks with you.

If it's any consolation, I was looking at an old thread recently and have come to the conclusion I was better organised 2 years ago than I am today :shhh:

Queenie · 17 April 2006 at 10:04PM

:T :T :T Well done on your first week KittyKate :T :T :T

Ok, after speed reading (and you've already mentioned the eating out, so I'll by pass that

) ... the first thing which springs to mind ... (sorry, but you did ask

) ... is your lack of planning.

Meal planning is one aspect (which I think was mentioned in your other thread) but also, planning provisions for excursions. If you know that visiting Dad will mean a train journey, grab a book (or use the time to write up some notes from your restaurant experiences) pack a snack and some drinks. Or, keep a "go-bag" ready with a book/couple of bottles/cans in it and just grab that whenever it's time to hit the station.

If you had a slow cooker, you could have your evening meal ready and waiting at the end of a long day - which would cut out the need to stop at Boots

train up OH to use it too

You could even have a meal cooking in it on the nights that you eat out for research .. just freeze it instead of eating it and then you have your own "ready meals"

Keeping your own form of diary to mark your progress is a great idea, because then you can see how and where you are adapting and it may help you keep focused.

Wishing you an even better second week

Chipps · 17 April 2006 at 10:17PM

KittyKate wrote:

Has anyone got any advice?

Thurs-visited my dad and made the mistake of buying a magazine and a drink from WHSmiths in the train station (v expensive). Need to have a glass of water before I go to the station in future! Bought another can of coke when I got to my dad's village .......
Also bought snacks from Marks and Spencer's.

It does help put things into perspective when you write them down, doesn't it.
The only thing that did occur to me was that maybe you could take a small bottle of water with you when you go out, & perhaps a snack of some sort, too. Just a thought.

Mind you, I have gone way off the wagon since our holiday just over a week ago, & am dreading looking at a bank statement

So maybe I need to take my own advice

Hermia · 17 April 2006 at 10:34PM

KittyKate wrote:

Mon-didn't spend any money all day until I got an offer for a new job! so pleased, OH took me for dinner to a lovely restaurant. Well, we were celebrating!

Quite right too as OS MS is not about being a hermit, it's about saving money so you can afford the odd treat. Mind you, you have been overdoing the eating out this week! Errr, maybe you need to plan ahead with your eating. If you know you have all the ingredients in for your dinner perhaps you will feel less inclined to eat out. If you do eat out can you not go for the cheaper set/pre-theatre menus?

You need to carry some food in your bag. I always carry a small bottle of water and a cereal bar with me incase I get stuck on the tube and am starving. If you find yourself in dire straits again try not to use shops in the station. The shops in my local train station charge a fortune for drinks and snacks, but there is a little corner shop just near the station where you can get stuff much cheaper.

ChocClare · 17 April 2006 at 11:10PM

Kitty Kate - don't know if you've ever been on Flylady's website (it's to do with having a clutter-free home and organised lifestyle, in case you haven't) but her mantra, which is well worth remembering, is BABYSTEPS. As she says, your home didn't get cluttered overnight, and it's not going to get sorted out overnight. The same applies to an OS lifestyle - don't beat yourself up - you're not going to get OS overnight, and nobody expects you to do so. Do one tiny thing at a time! One home-cooked meal per week. One meal made from things you already had in your storecupboard. Take a bottle of water with you one day - etc etc. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of your week were fine, weren't they? OK, so you went to dinner on Monday - to celebrate, why the hell not?!!! It's not illegal!

You're doing fine - keep going! :beer:

Rachel021967 · 17 April 2006 at 11:27PM

Welcome to OS. I've been trying to go OS for the last 8 months and I still slip up. OS is a skill that gets better with practice. Take it slowly and when you do fall off the wagon think why you did and if there is anything you could of done different. It also helps to keep a spending diary to see where your money has gone. Write done everything including the small items bought at the local shop. Also when I go out I try to take a drink with me and I also take a book (from the library) to keep me occupied on the bus. Magazines where also one of my downfalls. Now if I see an article that interests me I open the magazine and skim the article and usually its information I already know so I don't buy the magazine. It's saved me a fortune. Good luck

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My first week OS - and my thanks to you all

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