Money Fritters 'Enough Now' DFW Diary - Chapter 2

Money_Fritter

Hi Folks,

Well I am over halfway through the challenge, and I am feeling surprisingly good. I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 7lbs so far on the challenge. Good job I needed to shift a bit of weight!!!

My menu for yesterday was:-

Breakfast:- Two slices of toast and jam with a glass of water

Lunch:- Leftover tuna and veg stir fry and a yoghurt

Afternoon Snack:- Jam roll

Tea:- Stuffing Mash with a sausage, bean veg casserole. (I think this is the nicest meal I have had so far, quite tasty not bland. I have some for tea tonight as well)

My total calorie intake for the day was 1191

For the day my calorie breakdown was 66% Carb (Target 55%), Fat 17% (30% Target), Protein 17% (Target 15%). So not bad actually.

Once again thanks to everybody that has sponsored me, you can still sponsor me via the link.

https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/garethcardus


Money Fritter

Money_Fritter

Well it was a good start to the day today. I was having a shower and getting ready for work and my village had a power cut. Shock horror I could not make my fantastic toast and jam for my poverty challenge.

Therefore I had to take two frozen pieces of bread into work and defrost them and have bread and jam; I actually did not mind it, it felt like being a kid again.

On a positive not I sorted out some of my finances yesterday and manage to pay £807.19 off one of my Visa cards. So very pleased with that.

My debt now stands at £23783.35

Money Fritter

Money_Fritter

I also forgot to mention the fact that this poverty challenge has made me think about what I eat and my food budget; which over the last year has been increasing steadily.

I think it could be time to start cutting back again and menu planning. Recently I have been quite busy and have started slacking on the planning area of things

Money Fritter

Money_Fritter

Hi Folks,

Well the challenge has finally come to end. Thanks to everybody who donated, the total raised is around £400

The final few days of the challenge were not without incident. Friday morning there was a power cut in my village so I could not have toast and the bread was frozen. Therefore, I had to bring the bread and jam into work and eat bread and jam at my desk!!!!

So here is what I had the last few days.

Friday Breakfast:- Bread and Jam
Friday Lunch:- Beefy rice with veg an apple and a jam roll
Friday Tea:- Stuffing Mash with sausage, veg and kidney bean casserole

Saturday Breakfast:- Toast and Jam
Saturday Lunch:- Beefy rice with veg an apple and a jam roll
Saturday Tea:- Rice and veg with tasty homemade sausage and kidney bean burgers

Sunday Breakfast: Toast and Jam
Sunday Lunch:- Sausage sandwich and an apple
Snack:- Jam roll
Sunday Tea:- Rice and veg with homemade sausage and kidney bean burgers

So there we have it. The calories for Friday were 1387; Saturday they were 1140 and Sunday they were 1272.

This morning I had Shreddies with banana for breakfast and they have never tasted so good.

I have to say that I never want another piece of jam toast for a long time!!!

I would have to say the worst meal is a ‘toss-up’ between the bread and jam for breakfast on Friday or the beefy veg rice, which truly was disgusting!!!!

The nicest meal was the Sausage and kidney bean burgers, they were really tasty and I would make them again.

During the challenge I lost 8.5lbs.

The challenge has certainly made me appreciate my food more.

Money Fritter

beanielou

Well done you on completing it :j
Great weight loss too :j
Sorry that i cant donate.

Money_Fritter

beanielou wrote: »

Well done you on completing it :j
Great weight loss too :j
Sorry that i cant donate.

Thanks Beanielou, it was tough!!!

Money_Fritter

Hi folks,

Well the last few days have been quite busy. During the weekend I was out and about in the garden; mainly weeding and digging. As I mentioned on my gardening blog, I am not growing any more fruit and veg this year as I need to concentrate on getting the lawn, the fence and other areas of the garden complete. Hopefully next year I can really get stuck in and try to become self sufficient. I am hoping to at least have a greenhouse next year and maybe even a polytunnel.

This year I have managed to grow strawberries, which are just starting to ripen. I have also grown peas, runner beans, sugar snap peas, caulifower, broccoli, lettuce, potatoes (not doing well!!) and raspberries and tomatoes and onions (red and white) and leek. I have only grown a little of each and we will see how they do.

Over the weekend I was also in the loft replacing the ball value in the overflow. Why are just never easy; the location of the overflow was hard to access and the nuts and bolts that had to be removed were very hard to access!! Anyway, I managed to get the job complete and no more dripping.

Why is it always the case that things break in groups!! The shower broke on Monday morning, I think it is the heating element. I have had the shower for around 4 years and it was only a cheap one. Hopefully I can buy a new one in the next couple of days, as the heating element is almost as expensive as the shower!!!

There is always something to do!!!

Money Fritter

Money_Fritter

Hi folks,

Well over the last week or so the garden has sprung into life, I picked a couple of lovely strawberries this morning and hopefully I can pick some to go with my Pimms at the weekend when I watch the Wimbledon final.

Also for the past week I have been picking some lovely lettuce leaves for my salad lunches, very nice.

This weekend is meant to be a scorcher so I am hoping to get some more gardening done.

Money Fritter

Money_Fritter

Hi Folks,

I can't believe that I am in the uk at the moment. The weather is fab. The garden is growing mad.

We have had some more strawberries and last night we picked some mangetout for a lovely stir fry. The lettuce is still providing leaves for the salads and we still have lots more. The potatoes are not looking good though.

I watched the tennis over the weekend, great win for Murray. However, I had to watch it laying face down on the floor as I pulled my back digging over the weekend and my sciata flared up again; Sunday the pain was terrible. The painkillers are helping now and the pain is subsiding.

I need to get out for a run for my training for the great north run; I have not done any training since the Gateshead 10K run a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway long may this summer continue

Money Fritter

Money_Fritter

Hi Folks,

Well the back is slowly getting better and I am hoping to get back to the running next week.

The garden is still growing very well. I have had crops of lettuce leaves now for the last 3 weeks and I have not even touched the 'little Gems' yet. I have also had several more strawberries and mangetouts. The peas are starting to thicken and so are the leeks, but they are not ready yet. The onions are also starting to thicken out now. The broccoli is starting to form; although I am worried that it is too late. The cauliflower just has huge leaves on and no head yet!!!

I have really enjoyed starting to grow my own food; it just feels right. There is nothing like getting up in the morning and picking your own food for the day. I love the smell of fresh strawberries and tomato plants, its great. I am hoping to take it to another level next year, but I just have to be patient.

At the moment we are just trying to sort the rest of the garden out. The old lawn is almost completely gone and hopefully at the end of the summer we can lay a new lawn.

There is always something to do in the garden and I am totally addicted to it!!!

Money Fritter