2222 days gamble free, my 6 years and plus not gambling diary, adam123

Another 2 days have passed....... Managed to go to work...... had my return to work after monday off sick.....Then went to my practioner today to get my injection..... practioner thinks get mondays off work in future to help mental health...... thought about it..... would be nice to have three day weekend but it would mean a pay cut of 20 percent....... and im aiming to pay off my debts within next three to 4 years..... i owe 32500 at mo ive got 5k in bank...... took me 10 months to save that 5k with some very cautious living..... i mean im living well but not spending ....... so itll be 6k a year / 32500 so about five years to pay back at this rate....... then ill have worked enough for full state pension and my personal pension together will give me 12k a year for rest of my life...... and currently im spending 6k a year on living...... so ill basically have 6k to allow for infltion each year...... happy days..... So really i think ill stick to the five days working a year and try to pay as much as i can each month.......

Also with monday off sick and sunday siting on couch resting i havent done much exercise soo far this week so yestuday and today i done 18k 18k steps which thnakfully has takne me up to 39k over the four days..... so with my target of 70k a week (not over the top) ill do 15k then 15k thurs friday and have rest day saturday watching footy..... bliss.

another day done...... just back from gym.... didnt do quite as much steps today as aimed for done 14600 which leaves 16k for tomo then a well deserved rest day saturday.

Yeah so a pretty busy day at work got a lot done then got a coffee then a nap then dinner then bath then gym then gamcare chat then you tube then and now bed......  Soo far this month finances going great going to focus on staying in thru the first colder months of the year..... ill go to the gym most days (currently on my gym app ive been 14 days of last 30) which is great......  been focusing on steps again and my diet...... mixed results.... diet wise i got a lot of chocolate for christmas but left it at my folks..... now slowly going thru it..... but at same time watchingg my weight..... Ive not bought anything from staff cateen for a while but bought some chips today........  

Another busy day......managed to get up to my 70k target for the week so tomo is rest day.....ill watch footy and chill..... really excited to watch city game

Well today had been productive in a restful way..... Today i have done absolutely nothing lol....I woke up midday and watched all football and chilled..... had a pot noodle, cheese on toast and currently cooking a late night steak and mash.

Tomo ill get up early go for a walk,,,,,, then im gardening gonna do all the leaves in my garden..... then have lunch and my sister and family coming over to play vr..... should be good.

All the best Adam

Just done a few hours of cleaning my flat and getting my consoles ready for my families visit tomo..... its a bit cold in flat now so ill put heat on.... back in bed now.....  Yeah managed to clean kitchen cupboards, dust, mop floors, clean toilets and bath, install some games for family to play tomo and then tomo morning ive set alarm for 10am going to do the leaves in the garden (well over due)....

Now just watched a you tube videa of someone who is 42 and planning to retire at 50 and will have 1 million in his pot for retirement....... It made me contemplate my own retirement and what that will consist of.  I believe im going to stay in my flat that ive bought for the rest of my life...... I like living in this town and its near to work and convenient for train station, supermarkets, restaurants, town, cinema (will be built soon within 100 metres)....... new aldi being built next to the cinema too......  Now my pension pot from work should pay out 8k a year and government pension should also pay 8k a year i think it said....... so 16k...... so that from the age of 68 that ill have a perfectly reasonable amount coming in not to have to work.......  But i think id like to retire slightly younger so ill need to save for that gap and make sure ive paid off what i owe on my flat......  At mo it looks like i should be able to pay off what i owe on flat (living super frugally ) by 2029/2030/2031 depending on interest rates and my overall expenses that come in...... Also any flat upgrading like new windows will add time.....  in 2031 ill be 50....... at mo i save 50% of earnings towards what i owe on flat just like rent really or a mortgage...... So once thats paid in 2031 i can use that 50% to save towards the gap...... So realistically i could give up work half way between the time i pay off debts and being 68...... so when im 59..... My dad retired at 60 so i feel that this would be good timing.....  So anyway thats the plan....  16 more years of working first.... Live in the moment.... whilst myself and my family are healthy enjoy this moment in life first

Hi Adam

This diary is such a good read and I love your financial planning for the future which all sounds perfect for you and achievable with your frugal aptitude and application. As we both know, gambling would make it utterly impossible. I wanted to ask you something about the 8pm chatrooms as you have been on here for so long and there is no way to contact you direct other than write on your diary. Are they normally as busy as they are at the moment and I guess people come and go from them in the early days of their recovery ? I guess if everyone put as much effort into their recovery as you obviously have then the chatroom would have 10,000 people each night lol. That figure banded around that 90% of people relapse is frightening and certainly keeps me on my toes and on guard. I still can't come to terms whether I wanted to give up or was forced to. I am sure I was at a stage where I was completely beat and wanted to give up. It got to a stage where I just didn't want to tell another lie. 

Stuart

Im suprised their not many others on this chatroom like like their are in places like Ga which doesnt reflect how good the chatroom actually is although their were few regulars posting on the forum with long term gamble free time and i dont know whats happened to these people fortunately i was able to take their advice on board and their were few guys going to Ga who regularly posted so not sure what happened here

Hi Stuart and taz...... I have found thru the years that chat room is generally around ten people most nights (but more around Jan obvs with resolutions) Fridays and Saturdays quiet and Sundays usually busiest night......  I really can't explain how out of however many billion people in world there is only this small number who find it often thought it strange.....  I think Stuart u were kinda forced to quit with the work issue but thank God as who knows where it would of taken u...,,.  There usually around ten newbies a month and most stay on for maximum of six months before relapsing or hopefully not needing advice anymore..... Hopefully more of the latter..... Hope this all helps see u at eight

Hi Adam

That's what I thought although too many in the chatrooms won't work anyway. The lunch time ones I go to are getting busier. Taz, I agree with your comments and of course no one can change the world but each person you two "save" is one more life saved and improved. In just 8 weeks I've seen people come and go which is a good reminder not to be complacent. Relapse really does worry me but I use that as a good thing and it makes me more determined. I am not like a smoker who gives up and starts preaching to everyone but I know what I want to do, hopefully next year and that's to work in this industry and try and affect change. That will never change as I am a stubborn buggar which is what I never gave up gambling. I have realised that if I concentrate on learning and working on myself each day, one day I can affect the future and help someone else, just like you two do every night on the chatroom. Those GF numbers you both have a truly inspiring. I don't have that behind me yet but one day I am going to use the 44 years gambling unpaid career lol as my power source to stay in recovery and help others. 

Never met either of you and probably never will but you are both true friends. You don't judge, you listen and you are incredibly knowledgeable on the subject matter. It's a club that is the most expensive to join but once we get there, it's free and the most fulfilling one in existence.

Stuart

well said Stuart.... loving being in this journey with u and hopeful that u, me and taz will be in the chatroom for many years to come.

Today ive had a very very lovely day..... woke up at 11am had a cuppa and eggs on toast..... then my sister enphew and neice and brothew in law came over for computer games and a game of monopoly..... i bought some hagen daz ice cream tubs for us and some hot cross buns....... loved every minute..... then went to the gym and done 9k steps then back for a steak then a bath..... really couldnt plan a better day......

Im hopeful that us going to chat stuart and taz will help many that come.....  we have to be patient with many as they will allways relapse a fair few times before getting it right..... but if we stumble we have to be their to support and hopefully get them back on the right track...... ive found that too much advice at first can be overwhelming and intimidating so its about welcoming and then giving advice when they ask for it not pushing it towards them straight away.

Ill aim to do 12k steps tomo..... ill go to the gym..... then tuesday spurs play in champs league so very much looking ofrward to that...... then on the next two weekends both days ive planned in table tennis all four days with family....... and going to aim to do the leaves in my back garden soon in preperation for a nice spring hopefully sooner than later....

all the best Adam

I spent 9 pounds on ice cream, 4 pounds on meat and 1.25 on hot cross buns....... Money well spent.....Just looked at my banking app and spent 68 pounds on food this month ....... pretty good...... ive got my meat for rest of month...... ive got my lunches for rest of the month....... again just need milk and bread........ just paid 19.20 for 20 pounds on sains card........ that will easily get me the bread and milk...... plus some eggs and marg.......  ive got 2.50 nectar points to redeem too so thatll pay for six pints of milk already......  And got 4 pints in fridge already........  Ill aim to not spend anything else which will make this my most successful months saving in a year....... ive spent just 300 pounds total this month (very thankful to be soo lucky) meaning 900 pounds saved towards debt........  

Also on the not spending money on gaming this year...... as ive paid for game pass upfront  ive managed to download star wars outlaws today....... i bought it for 25 pouns last year pre order for switch two then changed my mind and got a refund....... so im thankful for that decision as get to play it now for no extra cost......

Also downloaded expedition 33 which ill give a go....... 

We are both spurs fans

evening dear diary

|Wow stuart cool....coys..... mighty spurs.....

Now ive been trying to update my disry daily lately... keeping to that at mo..... ive done 9500 steps today..... had a sleep after work then ate dinner had a bath and been looking at booking a holiday with my folks....

Weve decided as ive got my injection on the first week of holiday during the world cup that ill book a second week off twocweeks after when the world cup semis and final are on and go to devon for four nights with them..... As ive got blue light card i get 14 pounds off and its 30 percent off total at mo so is 355 pounds (so between the three of us its 118 pounds) its self catering so as usual ill buy some nice food from supermarket and set up a camp in the lodge..... i love to watch footy and sunbath so im hoping for nice weather so as itll be july its highest probability of nice weather.....  its got a hydropherapy pool on the grounds and a gym my folks like to go for walks but ill mostly stay at the lodge and chill.... looking forward to it.  Ill try to book it off tomo and put a deposit down for it tomo night.

SO ive done 18k steps first two days of the week which is a much much better start....... dont want to get run down but at the moment im doing a good amount each day ill keep to this.

oooo missed a daily update....trying to remember what i done last night...... ooo yeah watched spurs and went to gym......  

Im on course to do my 70k steps by friday again...... just need 15k tomo and 10k friday then i can chill saturday.

Had planned to play table tennis on sat and sun but i feel id like a lye in and watch the footy instead..... so ill rest saturday then get back on that treadmill sunday.

Today and yesturday managed to not have a snack when got back from work just cooked dinner an hour later so i feel if i keep doing this i should be conuming less calories....

Not weighed myself for a week or so so will at some point this weekend.......

all the best adam