Mr Bloater's "Change Your World in 80 Days" Challenge.

MrBloater

This rainy bank holiday afternoon seems like an ideal time to start another challenge - hopefully one that this time I can stick to and keep the momentum going.

Am keeping it very very simple - in around 80 days time I have a significant birthday coming up and hence rather than having it denote my passing into midlife crisis, I want it to be a celebration of making some inroads into the debt and the weight. There are no targets - other than the ticking tock of the calendar - but am going to use this thread to record any successes with upping the income or losing the weight.

So here's what I'm going to do.
1) Get back into daily exercise (something other than the running as the knee is not going to put up with that)
2) Keep a keen eye on what I eat and why I'm eating.
3) Pay for everything with cash - it certainly makes me think twice when it's 'real' money involved rather than just swiping a card.
4) Get around to eBaying the rest of the junk in the house.
5) Sorting out some kind of monetized website.
6) Learn how to use facebook and twitter to improve Kindle sales
7) Start building a safety net for if the P45 does suddenly appear.

Will try to update daily and will try to keep it light. Fingers crossed.

sunshinesquirrel

Hi Mr B - nice to see you with a shiny new challenge. I think I'd like to hitch a ride along on this one if you don't mind.

This year seems to be my year of self set challenges - save (at least) a pound a day in a sealed tin until 30th Nov, virtual sealed pot challenge and lose some weight!!! So far, my sealed tin is feeling quite weighty, I've managed to accumulate £182.33 in my virtual sealed pot and lose 16lbs. So, all in all, so far so good.

Previously thought, it hasn't all been good. There have been a long, long list of credit cards, loans, cars, overdrafts etc. OH and I have been extremely fortunate to have both stayed employed and with hard work and a little help from PPI reclaims have managed to pay off most of it (with the exception of a lloyds tsb loan). I still have a loan outstanding to my lovely mum though which has been nagging at the back of my mind for ages. We owed her £5,500 (interest free) and as of this week the debt now stands at £4,250.

So, what I think I am trying to say is, I think this will be my mission to pay off as much as I possibly can to my mum in 80 days. I think that makes the target date around 26th July. Am I right?

Challenges for me are:

1. Lose another 7 pounds.
2. Pay off as much to my mum as possible.
3. Pay off wee overdraft at Nationwide and close account.

Anyway, hope you don't mind me tagging along - you never know I might stop smoking at some point too (but maybe that's a bit ambitious

Enjoy the rest of your bank holiday

SS x

Luckystepho

Heey a shiny new challenge!! I'm up for this- thanks again Mr B! Right... over the next 80 days I will;

1) Reach my goal weight of 9 stone 7lbs (currently 11 stone!)
2) Complete the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path in 5 days (booked for July)
3) Get to grips with my overly swollen email inbox
4) Sort out all the documents etc saved on flash sticks and get them into some kind of order
5) Save £2000 in my ISA (currently around £800)
6) Pay my mum back £200 I owe her
7) Be earning income outside my job

I make 80 days time 26th July too? Right... who else is in?!!

macpumpkin

Thanks for the challenge Mr B, I would like to lose 6lbs please!

gallygirl

:j Hello Mr B :j

Having spectacularly succeeded at the 1st part of the last challenge (paid off 2.8k :T) and spectacularly failed at the 2nd part (managed to put weight ON ), count me in.

So, by 26th July I will have:
1. Paid 5.2k off btl, over and above monthly payment (I do have a tax rebate and bonus totalling 2.2k to come)
2. Got down to my target range with SW - and stayed there (1st part achievable, 2nd part harder as I'm on holiday from 8th to 20th so need to get well under before going to take that into account )

:j:j:j Bring it on Mr B, bring it on, together we can do this :j:j:j

Luckystepho

Hi Gallygirl- I'm with SW too! Not been great over the BH weekend though so dreading my weigh in Thursday... I didn't do that well on the last challenge so am determined to make this one work!!

SunshineSquirrel- Mums are lovely aren't they!

Are we starting from today Mr B? Looking foward to your updates, I love reading your posts!

gallygirl

gallygirl wrote: »

2. Got down to my target range with SW - and stayed there (1st part achievable, 2nd part harder as I'm on holiday from 8th to 20th so need to get well under before going to take that into account )

Luckystepho wrote: »

Are we starting from today Mr B?

Off to a cracking start - had stayed off scales all week till weigh-in tonight, after joining thread, and lost 3lbs - so have lost 3lbs in 2 hours :rotfl:.

MrBloater

Day 1
Positives: Setting up the thread, started creating a new list of stuff to be sold on eBay, exploring the possibilities of downsizing/downgrading car (shudder)..

Negatives: Glass (only a glass though, not a whole bottle) of wine last night, late night snack (both I think linked to the shudder of looking at the website of a certain reasonably priced car), and a psychological block from getting on the scales.

Day 2 targets: Getting sig sorted, getting some stats in said sig, doing some exercise, not piling rubbish down my face cos of a crazy day at work when I get home.

sunshinesquirrel

Afternoon all!

Hope everyone has had a good day so far. Just in from work and an extremely hectic day but am determined not to have any alcohol pass my lips - would really like to lose a pound this week!

I paid £8.61 towards Nationwide overdraft today. Unfortunately I don't know how much is outstanding as I discovered yesterday I've been de-registered from internet banking so will have to wait until the statement comes in but I'm sure its a small, manageable amount to pay off. However, OH and I have another overdraft on our regular current account which is £850 so I think I will add that into the challenge. We seem to make no headway on this at all but Nationwide is my first project.

Am away for a walk with dogs now to try and clear my head after today. Hopefully tomorrow will be less stressful.

SS x

PS: luckystepho - mums certainly are lovely!

MrBloater

Day 2
Positives: Somehow found the energy to come on here and do this post

Negatives: Full of Lemsip and Earache so everything seems rubbish.

The journey from Puff Pastry to Buff Daddy didn't get very far today due to illness. Good luck to everyone else.

Luckystepho

Hope you are feeling better soon Mr B. Well done Sunshinesquirrel and Gally Girl! I have stayed on the SW plan today and have been for a 4 mile walk tonight so- so far so good!!