The MSE diet - in all senses of the word

fabfuture

I've been a MSE fan for years, getting the newsletter and reading the forums from time to time. However, putting everything into action has not been predictable and I found myself this week with £22 in my purse to see me through to about May 20. This is perfectly doable, but I just don't want to get to this point again. So, thought starting a spending diary would be a useful thing in keeping me on track - and mean I can easily ask advice.

I also want to lose weight and feel healthy. I probably have about four stone to lose. I've lost weight already on restricted carbs, but it seemed to stall for ages, so stopped. So, I've been using FitDay in the last couple of weeks to track my calorific intake (it's free, so MSE diet friendly) and in the past week have been walking. I set myself the goal of being active for half an hour a day. It could be at the gym (there is one in the development where I live) but given that it's been such nice weather, I'd like to be out. Have been looking at mysupermarket.co.uk to find good deals, planning healthy meals around them, then walking to the supermarkets with the best deals (and taking the bus back). For instance, Aldi had three courgettes for 49p and I'd seen a recipe for courgette fritters which I'd always wanted to try. Therefore is MSE friendly, a relatively healthy vegetable-based recipe and sounds delicious. I bought them yesterday and am going to try fritters today. I bought the 99p rhubarb last week and made rhubarb & ginger compote for my breakfasts & snacks. It was the most delicious thing in the world.

I work for myself, so income can be sporadic. It also means that I work from home and sometimes am really busy, so would also like to have a stack of meals in the freezer that I could just defrost and bung in the oven or cook quickly - that are healthy. Really not keen on the taste of most ready-meals, quite apart from the cost aspect.

There are lots of aspects here that I want to change: money, diet and exercise and housekeeping ... so will take small steps in each and see how each week goes.

This week:
- Clear lounge/kitchen & workspace & couple of hours of ironing
- Do new statement of accounts
- Look at online banking every morning to keep self on track
- Follow planned meals - or at least make sure I don't throw things away if I change them
- Ebay 3 things (on Thursday night)

My goal is to be four stone lighter and have paid off all my non-secured debts by the end of March next year. Since I think the debts are about £50k, it seems like a HUGE mountain to climb. If I take my eye off the ball as I have done in the past, I'm not going to make it.

After that, I'd like to pay off my mortgage ... but first, to get rid of this pesky debt and weight.

Karen_30

Hello,

Sounds like you have yourself organised and ready to go! Wishing you lots of luck.

I find just reading others diaries and the challenges (although don't often sign up) very motivating on here. Most of all regular posting on my diary keeps me organised and on top of things.

I've subscribed to yours now so will pop back later to check your still on track

Lemon_Tree

hi and welcome to the boards, are you saying that your unsecured debt is £50k and you want to clear it by march next year? if that's the case then blimey you've set yourself on heck of a challenge, good luck.
If you haven't already posted your SOA then it's a good idea to do so, there's lot of folk who'll be able to give you some pointers in the right direction.

beanielou

Just popping in to say hi & happy new diary

fabfuture

Thanks for the replies and encouragement - really heartening! :beer: LT, yes you are right, about £50k in 10 months, which means my net worth has to increase by £5k a month (plus interest on a couple of credit cards). I don't know if I can do it, but will give it a serious go. I've just upgraded my computer to one that is much faster and jumped two operating systems, which also means that I've been able to upgrade the time management system I use and be better about tasks, projects as well as my computer time being a mile more effective, so think it's now doable - keeping clients happier than previously (quicker turnaround times).

Last night had tidy up and found £30 in alternative purse and receipt for shoes that I realised weren't a good fit after half an hour of walking around home, so can return those - another £20. Tried out mixed beans and gammon cooked up together with a spoonful of cream cheese. Quite yummy, but nothing to write home about. Did about two hours of ironing, so clothes for the rest of the week are ready and then some. Tried courgette fritters for lunch, using one of the courgettes. They were nice and quick as well, but somehow wanted more crunch, so am trying out a new recipe I found online for courgette rosti today. That recipe needs potato, so will get some of those later today, after checking pricing online.

fabfuture

Have just done a SOA and my total debt (not including the mortgage) is just under £52K - £51, 970. That's not good, but it's better than it was two months ago by about £1500 - so all moving in the right direction. Because I work for myself, there are really two sets of monthly charges - my personal costs (food, entertainment etc) and work, but because I live and work from home, things like phone really should be split across the two.

To make things easier, I went through the website I've seen suggested on here to check that all the monthly and annual (divided into 12) costs were included and called most of them personal. I then added the minimum payments I have to make on my credit card debts, so I ended up with a figure that I need to stand still. This was £2670 a month. Some of these figures are a stab in the dark, like £150 for groceries. I've covered a nice box (had teabags in it) for food receipts and have all of May in there to date - including those for a pound or two - to at least know what I've spent this month and see if I can revise that down. I'm hoping it's very possible to bring it down to much more like <£100 and eat very well or <£80 for a more restricted but more MSE-friendly time. Trying to balance saving money with something I can stick to for at least a year.

My incoming finances can vary wildly from month to month. I often know of particular contracts that are due to be paid at points in the future (so, for instance, I have three contracts due for payment later this month, which will be nice), but then only one due in June and two in August. I can also have very short-term income as well.

Got up at 6am today and cleaned bathroom, kitchen, lounge & workspace so I'm organised & ready for finding bills and paperwork for tonight's SOA. Good to know where things stand.

Am mainly trying to work out how to make the best use of my time. If I work harder on my business, my return per hour would probably be much better than, say, spending more time on mysupermarket.co.uk to save 50p on buying cheese (although I LOVE finding bargains). Trying to do both at the moment - watch the pennies (especially with the groceries & preventing waste) and working longer hours.

Have just looked at this week's goals and pleased I've done most things. Have looked at online banking every day (okay, it's only Wednesday so far!), sorted out my living space, done a tonne of ironing and followed roughly meal plans. Today didn't go for a walk, but figured that 2.5 hours of house work and cleaning was okay instead. Also sent off client proposal today that might bring in a chunk of income; will probably know if successful in coming week.

Also reading other debt diaries for inspiration - definitely encouraging!

fabfuture

Have also just been doing some general reading around the site & noticed that the £5 off Great Western train transactions was still going, so got £5 off a £19.60 train fare that I need on Monday to go to a course out of London.

Intergalactic_Floozie

Welcome FF, I will be subscribing to your thread. I love courgettes too! omnomnom

sabz_saver

I have found what you have written really interesting, I like the idea of keeping a diary in relation to finances and Im going to adopt that idea myself, as I think we are all feeling the pinch. You seem really organised and well done for that!! and im sure you will loose weight in no time, for me when im stressed I end up putting on weight, hence I also need to loose a couple of stone's. This month Ive got more going out then comming in, things like my bills I can stretch for a little while but my road tax I cant and have no idea in hell how im going to pay it! I guess budgeting what I have will be a good start, and not getting carried away with the grocery shopping for a few weeks!

take care and I wish you the best of luck in everything!!

fabfuture

SS - thanks for the encouragement. I find reading other diaries inspiring, especially one person who owed far more than I do. They also had far more money coming in, but still good to know they had to juggle VERY carefully. There does seem to be a tipping point - and it's nice to know that every time you are checking pricing online or packing snacks so you don't buy more expensive bought food (where possible), that other people are doing it too.

IF - great name! - and found a new recipe for a pilaff with 2 courgettes, so am going to use them in that instead (just for now).

Rather fell of the wagon yesterday. After two days of getting up early and working late - cleaning and SOA, as well as usual work - got home from clients yesterday, ate a sandwich, felt completely worn out and went to bed about 8pm. I'st just woken up, so that scuppered last night's ebaying and some work I also wanted to do. Since I usually sleep for about 7-8 hours, guess I must have needed it. My skin also has broken out and I don't know why exactly - not even any idea of it's internal factors such as hormones or external such as washing powder (although don't think the change coincided with the breakout) or hair product.

So, cleansed face and put on mixture of Bio oil and drops of rose and camomile essential oil & slept with towel on pillow. Seems to look slightly less angry than yesterday, so will do again this morning, although client meeting later, so will have to wipe off most of oil for that to put on make-up. Make-up is mineral, so shouldn't be doing any harm.

Also made decision to eat a kind of detox for coming couple of days. I have a date on Sunday and want to look good for that - certainly want my face to die down. Would like to get some bits - like organic brown rice and chick peas - today; should be about £5-£7 on the way home from client meeting. Haven't lost any weight in last couple of days, but also haven't done any exercise either. Was reading one of the MSE weight loss threads run by Dragon and signed up for Calorie Counter. Also have FitDay account, but some of the CC forums were good to read as well. Am aiming to go to gym tonight for 30-60 minutes and see how many calories I burn with a treadmill set on cardio training. Because I spent all day in client meetings yesterday, didn't get much exercise at all. Also spent £2.60 on sandwich for lunch. If I'd packed my own - and there was stuff to do it - I would have had to take a much larger bag & prefer not to as a shoulder injury from last year hasn't healed completely yet. Was a VERY nice sandwich though, with pesto chicken & roquette on an Italian roll from small deli-style place. For London, too, that was about as cheap as you can get freshly prepared.

Okay - lots to do today. Will get on, starting with porridge with grated apple. Am drinking lots of water (since yesterday :rolleyes: ) do will also have a hot water with drop of lemon juice (have bottles of lime & lemon juice in fridge as found these cheaper than the fruit themselves and don't get left to dry out in bottom of crisper). Bizarrely, they're usually in the cooking section rather than juices or drinks, alongside icing sugar and raisins

fabfuture

Just back from my date. He was utterly delightful company, easy to chat with, intelligent, has a busy social life ..... and I just didn't fancy him. Ah well. However, getting there was a 'mare. Allowed enough time with a bit of wriggle room to get there on public transport and despite waiting ages for a bus (& loads of people had been waiting longer), one didn't arrive. My date didn't have a mobile phone this weekend - he had very sweetly called from his home line to confirm our date & let me know this - so couldn't tell him I might be late. So took cab - and offered to give lift to two others, since they were going in the same direction. We split the bill (I was really happy, since otherwise was going to pay full £20 on my own), so I'm £20 down on what I'd budgeted for. Not great, but really couldn't think of an alternative. Theoretically, I saved money yesterday, because I had allowed for two short cab rides as part of getting to a client job and walked it (lots of walking, but not raining and allowed enough time, even with heavy bags). Guess it's swings and roundabouts, but just keep thinking that for every £20 I spend, that's £20 that isn't coming off my debts.

A client cheque arrived in the post yesterday, and I managed to get to a bank yesterday on the way to my job so it was deposited as quickly as possible - love Saturday opening. Know it won't be credited until tomorrow, but I'm at a seminar all day tomorrow, so alternative was banking cheque on Tuesday - so have saved a day. Also means I'm back inside my overdraft. Not great, but at least I'm hanging in there until a larger client payment is due later this week.

Have been eating out of cupboards and fridge for last couple of days. Not very interesting, but does mean I'm not spending much. However, need to pick up some milk now, so I have enough for breakfast. Will see how long I can make that last, before I go to the freezer.