DAY 29, 14 March 2010

Hello groovers!

I have successfully completed the ' 28 consecutive days of no booze at all' challenge. Infact it's day 29 and I haven't had an alcoholic drink yet.

These last few days have been a bit of a challenge to say 'NO' on though!

BF came up on Thursday night to catch up and do a couple of jobs. After a busy day we went to the re-furbished pub down the road from my place. He had beer............I kept to my mission and had water.

On Friday arvo after work my best mate and I met at our normal meeting spot outside one of the pubs. I must say I was very close to caving in a day early but I said, - nah, I have to complete these 28 days so off we went to get a Boost juice each instead. Then when I got home on Fri arvo I wanted a champers and/or a dry white wine. But had water and got into lots of housework and some scrubbing.

Yesterday was day 28, and I knew at about 6pm yesterday it would have been exactly 28 days since the last drink and it felt hard to fight the urge to go and buy a bottle of chilled champers to have with BF but I fought it. If I did buy the champers I would have drunk it all though as BF drinks beer. And today...........am not giving in either and at this stage have no reason to give in and have a drink over at least the next few days.

Trying to live off a smaller amount of money is making alcohol too unaffordable and I feel a bit deprived. I haven't bought clothes in ages, or shoes, have scaled my skincare right back, now just get cheap cuts about 3 - 4 times a year with my hair and colour my own instead of expensive salon visits. I mend clothes and my newest pair of jeans I now wear is 3 years old. The shorts I've been wearing 60% of time are old Levi jeans bought back in 2004 that I've cut off into denim shorts this year. I still wear some pairs that I wore 10 years ago as they don't wear out. Last set of really indulgent activities was at sis's wedding last Nov. The reality doesn't change until debt is gone............then I'm still saving.

My grand plan at this stage when debt is gone, (I reckon now by end of April next month) is:
* $65 a week or $130 per fortnight to go toward investing/growing in the long term
* $60 a week or $120 per fortnight to go toward holidays to NZ and holidays/trips within Australia. (I plan on a NZ holiday every 2 years and short trips within Oz the other year in between).
* $30 a week or $60 a fortnight to go toward a huge overseas holiday in 8-10 years. Maybe if I can wait 10 years as a 40th birthday present to myself. $30 a week from end of April will amount to almost $20 000 in 10 years time. And no doubt as the amount grows and time gets closer I will try to find ways to add a bit more to that fund. Hawaii, America, Carribbean, Canada, Mexico, Europe............here I come.

The rest of my income is to cover everything else but I'm to work on reducing day to day living expenses as much as I consider realistically possible, and work on
saving at least $10 a week initially so there is a buffer for unexpected emergencies without disrupting my savings. ALSO of course..........I'm still saving $25 a week toward my 30th birthday party. I've kept this up for 8 weeks so have $200 aside so far for that plus a $25 liquor voucher. Another 18 weeks tomorrow till that big 30! I will be sad to see the end of the 20's but am only counting the weeks to make sure I achieve stuff by then.

Work has been busy! Am planning a good training week next week. Weight now sitting between 71.7 and 72.0kg which is better than it has been. Still could do another 10kg with keeping up the resistance training if I'm to look like a sports model on Oxygen cover, - it may happen! Am size 12-14 now in most shops like Ojay, Target, Colorado etc when I try on clothes, more 12 on bottom, 14 up top. I intend to start tightening things up a little more from tomorrow and be stricter with training. I think I'm about 32% BF now which is great in comparison to over 40% but am on a mission to get comfortably under 68kg and under 25% BF and reach and better some fitness PB's again.

So that's about me for now,

Talk soon.

Pip :-)