Day 75.
Yesterday, I was thinking how much of a tight budget I am on once again! I will not get paid next until 28th June, however, I thought it would be good to remind myself and document on here, what extra things I have been able to do with my money this month whilst remaining g.f so here goes!
- I treated my son to a really nice pair of trousers.
- I bought a gift for my sister to mark her son’s first anniversary away from her 💔.
- I bought my nephew’s wife a gift to mark her first year away from him 💔.
- I donated to the “just giving” page - my nephew’s 9 year old daughter is doing a “mini marathon” for brain tumour research in honour of her Daddy. How brave is that?👏👏👏👏🥲🩷.
- I purchased a wedding gift for my niece.
- I treated myself to some new make-up.
All my bills are paid for this month. I have food in my fridge/freezer, wine in my cupboard (although I am getting low on that) but enough to keep me going until the end of the month. I also have enough petrol in my car 👍.
I just need to dig deep and remain positive until next payday. I have a loving family, who I am able to spend quality time with, which often requires no, or very little money needed when I do.
This afternoon I am off to my sister’s - her, me and our friend are having drinks, nibbles and a catch-up👌. My son is coming tomorrow until Tuesday morning so I am going to cook dinner for us both and invite my sister to join us too.
To anyone reading this who also finds themselves on a tight budget, especially in the early days/months like me, just try to remain focused and committed to your goals. Remember that things will get better if you remain g.f and “slow but steady wins the race”!! If it’s good enough for “The Tortoise and the Hare” then it’s good enough for me!👍🙂.
Take care everyone and have a peaceful weekend.
”April fools - no more the fool”!
Pink Lady 🩷🍎.
@j5a6meyr4z love this pink!!
The budget is there for a reason even if it's tight it reminds you that your doing okay, you can actually account for all your money where it has gone and look at that list it's all positive caring things.. rather be on a tight budget than chasing the next meal, chasing the money for the next bill that we've just gifted away to the bookmakers without a 2nd thought.
All positive all good keep smashing it pink!! X
@brownie889 Thanks so much brownie 💙. You are right, the budget is there for a reason and my very “sensible” head, is great at working one out and then sticking to it!👍.
I agree - It is much better for the mind and body, to have all your monthly bills paid, enough food in the fridge and able to buy a few treats/gift others, than it is to have that gut wrenching, disbelief feeling in the pit of your stomach, that none of your bills will be getting paid and, you are now completely skint until next payday!🙈👎👎👎👎. Never again!!
Hope you are still doing well and have a lovely weekend.
🩷🍎.
Your doing amazing for the first 3 months i was on a very tight budget the process felt so slow as i wanted to pay the debt off with time everything shall improve, within only 1 year my life has drastically changed i have not only paid my debt off i have also bought things i needed and even have alittle bit of savings, the funny thing is at my height of my gambling i was earning more money and lived like i was unemployed, the 1 or 2 days when i did eat well gave and bought a few bits gave me false sense it because of winning when actual fact i could have done all that and much more had it not been gambling, the few times i did win i seem to remember them clearly yet i cant remember the major losses clearly
Day 76.
Just heading towards the end of today. In my bed and feeling tired but relaxed 👍. I have had a nice weekend, doing a mixture of things. I made a nice meatball pasta dish for dinner today and my sister and son were here to share that with me. 😋.
Hoping work will go quick this week as I am truly on countdown until my last working day on 1st August! Got some annual leave booked in between too so I am glad about that 👌.
Still gamble free. Still calm of mind and body. Still focused and committed 💪.
Good night all.
”April fools - no more the fool”!
Pink Lady. 🩷🍎.
Love reading your posts mate. It’s as if we are on the same path. My budget is tight but I’m taking great pleasure in knowing I can buy things now. Amazing how much happiness our minds feel having a bit of control back.
You sound like you’re getting a lot of family time too which is awesome. Enjoying all the things you ignored before due to being hooked by the gambling bug, or at the very least gave much less attention to.
Exciting times ahead with the new job. Completely clean break might just be the thing to keep that focus you have now. You still seem as strong willed as I feel in regards to never gambling again, but as many people on here can show, that first tempting bet is never far away.
As always stay strong 💪
@p6z38njbqm Thanks very much Fish 🐟💙. It’s always nice to get some positive responses on my diary and especially from someone who is more or less at the same stage as myself on this journey 👌. We will keep walking this gamble free path together!🙏. Take care.
🩷🍎.
Day 77.
I am having a very lazy morning at home today. Nothing wrong with this I suppose. I am meeting a colleague for a cuppa and catch-up this afternoon in my village. She is on annual leave this week and today is a non working day for me. Truthfully, I would rather not be going. For one reason only - I am on a super tight budget 😕. Then I thought, “this is just another part of normality that people who don’t gamble often do”! With that in mind, I have decided to go, put a dress on and slap on a bit of make-up!😉.
I have my Sainsbury’s grocery delivery arriving this evening so although money is extremely tight at the minute, I am still able to feed myself well until payday so that’s good 👍. Today I further remind myself of the following:
1. Patience is a virtue.
2. Slow and steady wins the race.
3. Having the basic needs is enough to survive and just for the next week or two, this I have.
Remain strong on your journey everyone - especially in the early days and you will see, the following weeks and months will only get better!👍.
”April fools - no more the fool”!
Pink Lady. 🩷🍎.
Day 78.
My late night in work so feeling tired. 🥱. When I was walking up the stairs into the office today, one of our lovely female probation officer’s was talking to one of our male officers. She seemed quite upset at the fact that one of her “service users”, had been shouting at her and demanding that it was her job to be finding him a property! Funny that, I didn’t know the job of a Probation Officer was to house people? I thought that was the job of the person themselves, along with housing associations etc. Anyway, I then heard her say that he continued shouting at her and calling her something I would not repeat on here. My. immediate thoughts were, “15 more days in this joint and counting”!🙏. I am thinking that lovely girl has gone to bed this evening, with all of this on her mind. I know what that’s like. No matter how thick skinned we are and for however long we have been doing this job, it doesn’t make it any nicer when we are treated like that 👎. The trouble is, people are becoming more violent these days, even younger and with zero respect for anyone or anything! I really hope that Probation Officer is feeling ok 🙏.
I will call it a day and bid you all good night. Take care all.
”April fools - no more the fool”!
Pink Lady. 🩷🍎.
Day 79.
A bit of a frustrating day today at work 😖. I feel like the less days I have left there, the more they are trying to squeeze as much out of me as they can!😡. It’s fair to say I was feeling annoyed by the time I finished for the day. What did I do? I decided to take myself out for a nice walk in the sunshine, told myself that tomorrow is a new day, not to be frustrated and watch the tennis when I get back home. I felt much better emotionally afterwards and nicely calm and relaxed 👍.
I will not make it onto the chat forum tomorrow evening for “Treat Thursday”👎. My sister has invited my brother and his wife up for the afternoon/evening and is going to cook dinner for us all. I am going to have to rely on Fish 🐟 (if you read this), to send my apologies 😆.
Another day done and no thoughts of gambling whatsoever👌.
Good night all.
”April fools - no more the fool”!
Pink Lady 🩷🍎.
Day 81.
I did not have time to post on day 80. I was having too much of a great time in my sister’s garden with my lovely family👌. It was such a beautiful evening so we sat outside until past 9pm 😎. Later on, my brother dropped me off home. Another day of “normality”.🙂.
Me and my sister are off to her daughter’s soon for the weekend so that will be nice - lots of food, drink and fun with the kiddies will be had👌.
I am just spending a bit of time reading some new (and very sad) posts. More people caught up in the grips of gambling which has caused devastation and destruction to themselves and others 😢. Another stark reminder of how we know it ends up if we continue to gamble our hard earned money. No thank you!
Take care all. Aim for a better and more fulfilling life, day at a time.
”April fools - no more the fool”!
Pink Lady🩷🍎.
Day 82.
What a lovely day I have had with my sister and her daughters and their children. We have played/sat in my nieces beautiful garden for most of the day, followed by a stroll out with one of the little one’s in their pram. My niece then treated us adults to a Thai takeaway delivery, once the cherubs were all in bed! 😆👌😋.
I walked past a betting office whilst I was out with my little great niece on the way to Morrisons. My main problem gambling was online betting on Blackjack and sometimes horse racing but sometimes, I would go into a betting office, to place bets on horses. As I walked past it today, I just thought “ugh, glad I am not doing anything of the sort anymore”. That was it - a trigger, followed by a fleeting thought but one in which I had no intention whatsoever acting upon.
Tomorrow, we are all off to the park before my sister and I head home so hoping for more glorious weather 🙏😎.
Take care all and just remember - triggers can lead to thoughts BUT we don’t have to act on them!💪.
”April fools - no more the fool”!
Pink Lady 🩷🍎.
Day 83.
Just a nice chilled afternoon and evening, after a fun-filled weekend at my nieces with my sister👌😎. I am on annual leave on Tuesday and Wednesday and do not work Monday or Friday currently so a lovely short week for me this week👍
Feeling tired but happy so I will end on that note🙂.
Good night all and take care.
”April fools - no more the fool”!
Pink Lady🩷🍎.
Day 84.
Feeling a little bit out of sorts today 🤢😴. Spent some time relaxing on my balcony this afternoon. At least I am off work now for the next two days so that’s good👍. The tennis is on at Eastbourne so that has kept me distracted too. My favourite - Wimbledon starts next Monday so can’t wait for that🎾🍓.
Good night, God bless all.
”April fools - no more the fool”!
Pink Lady🩷🍎.
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