The '101 days to change our lives' challenge

notanothergreyhair

Swishter wrote: »

My goals are not fixed in the sense that I must lose 2 stone or whatever, its about moving towards a healthier happier lifestyle, making changes I can live with and that will set me up for life.

This is very well said.

Perfect. Spot on.

looby-loo_2

looby-loo wrote: »

What a great idea

I'm going to list all the things I'd like to do to improve my life then I'll just aim to do three properly. More than that and I wont do any!

1. Need to loose 3 1/2 stone. Several people have set 2 stone as a goal so that is my goal too
2. Extend the vegetable area of my allotment, cut down on soft fruit (I really don't need 8 long rows of raspberries and 16 blackcurrent bushes, most of which I give away having spent ages picking)
3. Declutter! When MIL died most of her furniture came here until we decided what o do with it - and it's still here 3 years later.
4. Carboot all the smaller stuff
5. Learn how to use Ebay - it's the pictures I cant do
6. Take something to eat to work and remember to eat it. Usually eat it on the way home in the car
7. Open this years ISA before April 3rd as usually happens
8. Make curtains for window in new lounge extension (built in 1993:o )
9. Go swimming on Sunday am
10. Contact people I'm in danger of loosing touch with.

Now I have to choose three

1. Loose weight - by just eating properly
6. Follows on but this might make me do it
3. Declutter - by doing 4 & 5

Looking forward to this

ps First challenge is to do what it says in my sig:rolleyes:

OK, thank you Swishter I am going to look again how I do this. I've gone back to my first list and will start from there. I've already been swimming twice so that's a start and phoned an old friend. I also spread some compost so I can dig that at the weekend ready for more potatoes. Finally, I had to empty the porch today to have the wall repaired and insulated (three bricks fell out and we didn't notice because there was so much clutter in there:eek: ), just wondered why it was cold. Anyway as I had a nice empty bin today I got rid of a few bits.

Karmacat I don't go all day without eating to loose weight, it's just that time goes so fast I really don't remember to eat anything. Always a phone call to take or a student to sort out and then the breaks over and it's off to the next lesson. At least time flies! But yes, it's true I pick when I get home and I have been determined to cut that out since Easter.

sasy_sfinx

I have regularly visited MoneySavers and got lots of help and info from here, but now I've signed up! Mini-mexican-wave for me :j !

And I hear you ask "why sign up now?"

After reading alot of comments on this thread I've realised that without consciously making a point to, I've made some good improvements to my lifestyle recently...I walk just about everywhere, and I spend all day at work walking around, I now take my make up off before I go to bed every night (with a few exceptions when I'm an ickle too drunk to find cotton wool:beer: ), and I always use the stairs at work and at home (although this has hidden agendas: at work its just plain quicker and I don't trust the lift in my building...it keeps breaking down!).

So now I'm gonna up my game somewhat! As discussed, just gonna make little changes but I'm sure they'll have a lasting effect. And I figured that if I put my targets in writing, on a website where others can see them and even check up on me I HAVE TO STICK TO THEM, couldn't handle the shame otherwise!

So here's my 101 day challenge/pledge:
1) Take a packed lunch to work, except on payday when I will treat myself!
2) Leave my cash card and credit cards at home when I work...I can't buy that absolutely necessary pair of 5"-peep-toe-shoes during my lunch if I can't pay for them!
3)Put 1 thing on ebay a week
4)Halve one of my credit card balances
5)Eat healthier in order to lose weight for festival season
6)Have a new and better job

So this gives me until August 19th to do 6 tasks! And they are actually achievable....I've just got to pull my finger out and get a move on!

Here goes...wish me luck!

moanymoany

My DH has just hit 60. We had intended to retire now but because his company has moved his pension goalposts twice in the last few years we can't. So, we have decided to use the next two years he has to work to raise some cash to provide a little nestegg for when we are older and greyer.:o

We are moving when we retire and have a four bedroomed house, so, we have decided to move downstairs and let all four bedrooms. We reckon we can make £30,000 in the two years. I know it is going to be a big change and the first 101 days will be a giant learning curve.:rolleyes:

I wish there had been a Martin's Moneytips years ago because with it we have become money savvy over the last couple of years. Certainly we could have paid our mortgage off years ago and maybe we would have joined in on the house for rent buying spree.

A warning I would give is to make sure you prepare for retirement, it does arrive and money is very important. On one of the threads I read a post from someone who had found themselves in big debt, they had made a big decision to get out of debt and create some wealth. With hard work and sacrifice they were well on their way. I wish I had made a note because it was behind our decision to let rooms and I would like to thank them.:T

Lillibet_2

A quick update from me, everything back on track except the weight loss which I just don't know about as I haven't weighed myself yet (but I am being good!) & the grocery budget which I still haven't done:o Still, 5 out of 7 isn't bad for starters is it? And I will get to grips with the budget & will weigh myself next week:p

Ebay cupboard ended at £16.03, unfortunatley there's 2 lots of fees to come out of it as it was a unsold relist, but we should still be in profit. also sold 3 things on Amazon over the weekend for a total profit of £14. Got to photograph & list something else on ebay now.......

dreams_R_free

Looby

Well done on being so great at your job and a rock to your students. I was in a similar role to you when I was working and in the end it made me so ill I had to leave. I hadn't realised I was becoming ill, it developed over a few years but in the end I was burned out even though I loved the work. So please please grab a bit of 'you' time when you can, if not at work then in your scarce 'free' time away from work. Don't spend every waking minute thinking about work and ways to save money. I wish you nothing but success. You're an inspiration.:beer:

One thing though. Surely you have to leave your post to go to the loo!!! What do students do then if they come and find you missing? Is there no way you can 'pinch' say 2 or 3 minutes away a few times in the day to at least go somewhere private and have a nibble of something? I'm not suggesting eating in the loo:eek: but there must be somewhere ?

Good Luck. You're a star!

P.S. I know this might make me sound completely 'barking' but I had a walk-in store-cupboard in my room and I put a small chair in it. In those very infrequent moments when I needed some privacy I used to pop in there. It saved my sanity. If you leave the door slightly open you can call out 'I won't be a minute...' if you hear anyone enter your room. That way it's not as if you have gone away altogether and left them.

Barbarella31

I just had to comment as not only is my birthday 7th August but I have been in that situation (only it was 2005). 2 months before my 30th birthday I moved in with my boyfriend of 3 years. He then dumped me 2 weeks later and I was homeless with my child. I went into work to be told that the organisation I worked for was in serious danger of folding. I was in a bad way. The most scary part was that I had to have an operation (2 days before my birthday). I hate hospitals and have managed to avoid them for the most part-but this was quite serious. I really felt like someone was pulling my leg and had to try and laugh and carry on. The point is forget all the stuff with regards to status-if you've got your health you're laughing! p.s. if you're approaching your 30th read 'Surviving Saturn Return's'. Even if you don't believe in astrology it may still be spot on. Mine was all about the home. Saturn teaches you lessons you need to learn and if you aint learning them he will force you to. He comes round every 29 years.

Oh and as for what I want to achieve in the next 3 months:
1) Lose 6 inches from my waist (reading 'Fat round the middle')
2)Stick to a budget
3)Get a pay rise or new job
4)Decide if I want to be with said ex-as he wants 2nd chance
5)Improve my cardio-can only run for 5 mins
6)Be more positive, confident and decisive!

Hows that?

Ingela

hmm, i'm not really doing so well at the moment.

Had half a pizza after work last night, but it was midnight so not many other options!

I have persuaded the OH to go and look at some houses with me, so i guess that is a step in the right direction! and have also signed up to freecycle and am fully amazed at what people are giving away, so moving out may not be the expense i was expecting. which is great for me.

Really must work on the eating better!

TreaclePud_2

Even if I'm not a DFW yet, I shall be in spirit !!!

After a really rubbish start to 2007, am planning on finishing it with lots of achievements ticked off !!

1. Running Race for Life for 1st time in July so training should help shift excess baggage !(Goal £2 stone to lose)
2. Clear Tesco credit card ( £4850 Was £6700) Cut card up so just focusing on clearing and looking at a balance of zeros !!
3. Changed Tesco clubcard points to Tesco Xmas saver clubcard points. Now have £68. 00 towards xmas.07 with no temptations to spend them.
4. Check MSE website weekly for freebies and tips
5. Actually start saving for 2008 (be first time in 10 years) as would love to have break with whole family including foster children as they've never been abroad. Seeing their amazed faces would be pleasure enough for me !!:

nickelodeon

Hey, everyone seems to be doing really well.

Okra - just wanted to say that it's a shame about the job, but being offered a job there and then is fantastic and a great confidence booster even if it wasn't the right job!

Swishter - I completely agree with your post (#131) you are so right, why do we always try and be perfect and then when we can't, we give up! I used to go on really strict diets and wouldn't allow myself to eat anything nice or even normal things like bread, then when I ate something 'bad' (which was obviously going to happen!) I'd think sod it and spend the day stuffing myself!

Anyway back to my challenges, haven't posted for a week as I've been away:
1. Lose weight by eating healthily
Still eating healthy and have really cut down my portion sizes and eaten hardly any chocolate in the last week so really pleased with myself. I'm not going to weight myself until 15th so don't know if I've lost any weight yet.

2. Excercise more
I went for a run last wednesday and did lots of walking while away and went swimming last night so keeping to the excercise bit.

3. Sort out/declutter flat
Flat is still in a mess as we've been away, but will hopefully try and do something about that this weekend.

4. Decorate bedroom/build wardrobe
No progress on this either, but plenty of time!

Keep up the good work everyone!