Frugality and a Healthy Diet

A lot of people are concerned that a healthy diet might be very expensive. I do not know if that is true in other countries but, in here it is not expensive at all.

First of all, I do not eat outside as much as I used to. That is a big savings. I guess some people in other countries might have access to Dollar Menus at McDs and stuff like that but, I normally did not eat fast food at all. So, if I eat even a salad in a regular restaurant, that is a lot of money. I am picky about the places I eat because of hygiene reasons. I buy a whole package of salad greens and two pounds of tomatoes for the price of a salad at a restaurant. Those will last me a whole week.

Second, portion control keeps you from eating too much anyway. A good steak is expensive. Normally, I would eat the whole big piece in one sitting. However, I now have to cut that in half for portion control. I also use red meat sparingly for a heart healthy diet and that helps with the costs. I use only EVOO in my cooking and that is expensive too. However, now I have to measure how much I use. I use probably a third of what I would normally use. There you go again.

There are lots of produce that I need to buy. I buy seasonal items with the exception of tomatoes and cucumbers to keep the costs down. I can eat only one portion of fruit and I eat seasonal fruits.

I eat all sorts of beans and they are very inexpensive especially, if you buy them dry. Soaking them overnight is no hassle.

I normally consume a lot of cheese bu,t with the diet you can only eat controlled portions.

Here is what I have in my diet:

Whole wheat bread (limited number of slices)

Lean cuts of meat, fish, poultry (the size of the palm of my hand, my pinky thick)

Salad, lots of salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots...

Vegetables

Cheese (we have a feta like white cheese not as sharp)

Plain Yogurt (1 cup per day)

Milk (max. 1.5 cups per day)

Fruit (sparingly, medium orange, apple etc.)

Water

Coffee

For me, diet soda is a treat. I allow myself to have a maximum of 3 cans per week. Not more. Artificial sweeteners are not good so, I keep away.

There aren't any exotic specific ingredients in my above list. Very basic stuff. So, this eating plan also keeps my budget at a minimum. Win-win in my book!

Idiot Mobile Operator!

A while ago, I was contacted by my mobile operator about my contract being up today and they offered me the same package MINUS 5 GB of Internet at a small price bump. Why? Lesser package, higher price? Can anyone care to explain?

Anyway, I really do not need that much data and minutes so, I told them I no longer need that big expensive package and I would be content with a smaller one. They said that is the smallest package they can offer. As this conversation was going on I was looking at their website on my computer. There are smaller and much more interesting plans that they can offer for newcomers but not to current customers. Being a loyal customer is penalized. Really? So, I hung up without comitting to a new package.

I sent them an e-mail explaining the situation and asked for help. Two useless e-mails later, I decided to change my operator. This one is not better than the other by any means but at least, they treat me as a newcomer and I can get to choose a plan more to my liking. This is going to be a 1 year contract so, most likely, I will keep on going back and forth between operators to be able to use a plan I like. There is a third operator but I am not sure about their coverage. May be next time I am gonna try them.

Today I went to the nearest mall where there is this operator's rep office and got my new SIM card. In the next 5 days, my operator will be changed. It took me less than 10 minutes to process my request amd there!

I will be paying 35 TL instead of 96 monthly. The 96 TL plan has 15 GB of Internet, 2000 minutes and 2000 sms. I surely do not need that. When I was working full time and had a second apartment with no TV, it was a need (may be). Now, 3 GB of Internet and 500 minutes are more than enough.

What an idiotic wat to treat a customer...

January 2019

This month has so far been a frugal one partly due to my sickness, partly due to having stocked up when there were good sales.

Tomorrow my savings account is getting a big hit. I am sending the money for 1/3 of the old family home to my cousins and some money to cover the expenses during title transfer to my uncle who will take care of that.

Technically my Net Worth is staying the same but, I do not include any real estate in my NW calculation. I like liquidity best. I would much rather have just a primary residence and the rest in my nest as sweet cash. Lol!

My BIL is calling me the Queen of Real Estate". Cute! If I sold all of what I have, I could buy a 2 bedroom apartment or may be a small house within an hour or two out of NYC. So, not much money in US terms. On top of that, the real estate taxes in the US would plain kill me. Lol!

I feel blessed that I do not have to work but, having a part-time work at the same time.

Mom and I found out that the movie theaters around us are offering less than half price for 50+ for sessions before 4 p.m. during the week and 2 p.m. during the weekend. We just went to a new Turkish movie taking advantage of that. Yay! Never thought I would be eligible for such a discount. It is quiet significant. Think 10 TL versus 25 TL. Not bad at all.

Frugal Day and a Robbery

Today, I found out that my grocery store was offering pretty good deals on many staples I use all the time. So, I have decided to stock up on several types of cheese, some cleaning products, milk, butter, EVOO, olives and a few other things. I also found a super deal on the best quality TP and bought 48 rolls. With the ones already on hand, I am good to go for several months.

I ended up returning the boots I bought online. They were not comfortable and my toes pushed against the boot. Keeping the shoes though. They are comfortable.

My uncle called to say that his little boat was stolen. Bummer! He sounded very upset and I can sympathize. The police said, it might be found but, we can only hope.

Water

I have doubts about drinking tap water in this giant city with very questionable bureaucrats. So, I always get my water delivered and use that even for boiling spaghetti.

Whenever I am out and about and when I get thirsty, I grab a bottle of 0.5 lt bottle from any small place, gas station or even Starbucks.

Just recently it hit me how much I am spending on those small bottles.

Last time I was in Starbucks, I grabbed a bottle at 2.50 TL. What!? I get 19 lt. bottles from the guys who deliver my water for 12.50 TL. So, today I asked them whether they also deliver 0.5 lt. bottles. In fact they do. The 24 pack 0.5 lt. bottles cost 16 TL. I ordered my usual two big bottles and a 24 pack.

Then it hit me again that I could just fill up stainless steel water bottles at home and save even more. 2,5 TL vs 0.66 TL vs 0.33 TL!

I am sure I will forget to do this or grab a small bottle when leaving home but, that's OK. I know I will eventually get into the habit before I leave home.

May be I should just stick a note on the door that says "Water and resuable grocery bags!" to remind myself.

Keep Asking: Is this a need or is this a want?

Since the theme of this year is SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!, I must constantly remind myself whether something I want is a real need or not.

For instance, I have an old rug in the kitchen. It doesn't look bad. Only I know how old it is. Besides, if I did not have that rug, do I really need one in the kitchen? Not really. So, that has been crossed from my list.

Have I ever told you about that list of mine? I don't think so.

Whenever I feel like I must buy something, I put it on a list. Once or twice every week, I visit that list and extract my weekly grocery shopping items. So, you see it is more of a catch all list.

I want a pair of nice Caterpillar boots. The boots I currently have, started to look shabby and although I think, they will survive this winter, I will need new boots next year. So, for now, I have put the boots on my list and noted the current price. When I go to my primary residence next week, I will see if there are other boots that I can wear so that I can postpone this purchase. I may have some less worn boots but for a while I could not wear them. I had some pain issues and I relied solely on New Balance Athletic shoes and the boots that I currently wear. My problems are gone and I may try to go back to wearing my old footwear to see if the problems will come back or not. If it does, there is motivation to purge right there!

I was thinking of getting a new bedspread for the bed in my primary home but, since I will give up the studio in the summer, I will end up with extra bedspreads anyway. Pooof! No more a need. Just got crossed off my list.

I was at IKEA yesterday. Since the weather was bad, I just wanted to stretch my legs. I really did not need anything to buy except for ziplock baggies. Meanwhile, on my need list, I had some hand towels. I was looking for the  cheap white kind which can be bleached and this has been a long time need but I simply refused to pay more than a certain amount for them. I found towels that were just what I wanted and the price was very close to what I would be willing to pay. Then all of a sudden, I remembered that I had a 20 TL off gift card from a previous purchase which was about to expire. Voila! The cost of the hand towels came to a figure below what I would be willing to pay. A bit of patience sometimes goes a long way.

Using a list makes your buying choices a somewhat fun exercise too. How? You get creative. For instance, sometimes, I find things to re-purpose to serve a need and cross the related item off my list. Every penny saved now is a penny that might be badly needed in retirement.

 I am a big proponent of the quote: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

Chalk Paint II

Last weekend I tried my hand in painting two small folding coffee tables before attacking the larger piece. Below are the before and after pictures but I haven't waxed them yet. The color is called Versailles and it is not as white as it looks. It has a yellow-greenish tint to it. Once waxed, I think it will look just a bit darker.

I applied two coats of paint and I love the fact that, nothing needs any prep work such as sanding.

I will share better and final pictures hopefully this weekend. So far, I am happy with the result. I just do not know how the large TV unit will turn up.

Chalk Paint

I have a TV stand bought way back in 1998 that I was planning to replace but, I could not find anyting to replace it at my price range. Then I came across Chalk Paint. It apparently clings to many surfaces and seems like a pretty good solution to my problem.I like the TV stand but some of it's finish is scraped over time and since it is not made of good wood, other paints will not work.

I have decided to try my hand in painting this TV stand and two small folding coffee tables. If I can manage it, I will be able to save a significant amount of money.

I like the TV stand but some of it's finish is scraped over time and since it is not made of good wood, other paints will not work.

I am not a handy person but I have watched some videos and decided to try. I will paint one of the coffee tables first to see if I can do it well enough before jumping in to paint the large TV stand.

Some friends of mine are doing a really great job transforming their furniture and I always envied their talent. Wish me luck. I will share photos.

Frugal Weekend and Food Related Decisions

This weekend was so hot that, mom and I went out only for a couple of hours. We had super simple fish sandwiches for lunch on Saturday. The cost USD 5.68 total.

We bought artichokes, sweet cherries, a watermelon and some apricots from a farm Market. The rest of the weekend we stayed home and ate what we had in the fridge and freezer.

The cleaning lady for the studio apartment did not show up. Money saved there too. I have to vacuum the place tonight.

Today I weighed myself and found out that I have gained weight yet again! From today, till I go to the US for my vacation in August, I am only having one slice of bread along with some cheese and olives for breakfast. For lunch, I will be having soup and salad and may be fish and salad once a week.

Every night, I will only consume either some form of protein or veggies. No carbs at night. No sweet stuff with the exception of very little fruit.

Off to the grocery store I go!

Clutter keeps me from being frugal!

I am the kind of person who would not move a finger if I do not feel like it and I usually do not feel like it at all. Well, may be "usually" is an understatement, I should say "most of the time". I just hate any type of housework. My mom is just the opposite and she is a neat-freak. Oh, how I wish she were here.

I have asked the cleaning lady to come on Sunday. I will do my best to get rid of the clutter on Saturday so, my apartment can be thoroughly cleaned.

I need to sort through my clothes and shoes to give away what I no longer wear.

I also need to clean the bathroom cabinets and put them in order.

When there is clutter, I do not see certain items in the cupboards and keep buying them. That is not frugal!

There are so many bottles of God-knows-what and I have no idea why I keep them. Also, I need to see how much and what kind of detergent I have on hand. I stupidly go buy stuff that I have and forget buying what is necessary. Dumb!

Wish me luck so that I will feel like doing what is necessary over the weekend...

Many uses of Flannel Pajamas and the memories associated with it

The other day I was thinking about my grandma on my mom's side. I loved her more than anyone in my family. Literally, more than even my parents.

She was a very frugal person since she always had a small budget to work with. She had lost her father when she was just two months old and never had extra money to spend on wants. She always had to operate on a modest budget from one income raising three children after she got married.

She never purchased ready pajama sets up until she could no longer sew. She would buy flannel pajama fabric in bulk and would sew both my grandfather and my uncle their pajamas for winter and would use a lightweight cotton fabric for summer pajamas. They never had more than two pairs of pajamas for any season because they did not NEED more. When one set was washed, the other would be worn.

When the pajamas started getting old, she would cut them up to use as rags for various cleaning jobs and would tear parts of the pajamas into strips to tie beanstalks and tomato vines.

She would always salvage the buttons and zippers to use them again on other sewing projects.

Despite being so frugal, she was no hoarder. She never owned more than necessary and never had to throw out excess which did not exist.

She sundried apricots, plums, zucchinis, bell peppers and made her own jams from her bountiful garden, made pickled grape leaves to stuff. She knew her prices and would not spend more money for out of season produce.

She was both a great cook and a great baker. She did not like housework but would do it impeccably and be done with it early in the morning so that she could have time for knitting or reading. Was an avid reader.

We had a great routine when I was little. After lunch, she would listen to the news broadcast at 1 p.m. and then we would nap. We would read or do some art projects together until 4 p.m. to have our tea and while we had tea, we listened to children's plays adapted for radio. After that, we would head out to the playground and wait for my grandpa to come back from work and do some gardening before dinner.

Life was simple, enjoyable and full of love. I had the best grandparents ever...

Frugal Solutions

This weekend, after looking at various options to place the small music set in my studio apartment, I had an "A-ha!" moment. It was temporarily sitting on a ladder I use for cleaning top shelves and high places that I cannot reach. The ladder needed to go back to my master residence last weekend and the music set had to be taken off. So, during the weekend I decided to look for an inexpensive solution to accommodate it.

I looked at several things to decide whether they would be worth the purchase and whether they could be used in the future. However, I could not find anything that met the specs. Then, it hit me! I could certainly move the 3 drawer chest to the opposing wall, put the music set on top of it and use a small folding coffee table that I had at home as a nightstand. I use the coffee table all the time when I am actually living in my master residence but as you may remember, I spend most of my days in the Studio close to my work. I was using the chest as a nightstand but it was too high anyway.

So, I left the store with a stupid but proud grin and went home.

My mother's old washing machine is hopefully going to make it's way to the studio this week. So, I will not have to haul laundry back and forth every week. The cost? Nothing. My company is sending a truck to take care of business in Ankara and on the way back it will have more than enough room to bring it back. I have been waiting quiet a while but it was worth it. I was not in immediate need of a machine and it wasn't costing me anything extra.

There are aspects of my life which may not be frugal by most standards but, everything in life is a trade-off. I am spending money on the studio to save time and sanity. I am spending money on ready-made diet meals to lose weight and save my health.

These things do not tempt me to spend money on unnecessary stuff. I am always on the lookout for frugal ways. This way, I can save money, give to others and still enjoy life.

Frugal or not...

I am a frugal person and I also like to enjoy life and in my own humble opinion, I am doing a good job balancing the two.

Last year, I accepted a job offer that has significantly increased my income. It was a welcome opportunity with one drawback. I have to cross a bridge in Istanbul's traffic to go to work each day. I am spending way more time either on the road or at work just waiting for the traffic to get lighter.

Initially, I thought about moving close to my work but this area is extremely expensive. I would have to pay a rent twice as much of a rent that I can possibly collect on my own apartment.

I gave up the idea and decided to grin and bear it.

However, lately, I have come to the realization that this is eating way too much time and I have no time to take care of myself. Besides, I started feeling constantly tired lately. This affects my work performance as well.

I decided to consider moving yet again but in a different way. I rented a small studio apartment. This costs way less than moving and renting my place out.

The studio I have rented has a full kitchen plus a washing machine. All I need to do is to get a bed, an armchair, a small wardrobe from IKEA. The cost is way less than moving my whole apartment. Besides, when I am done with these, I am sure we can use these things within the family. Or, I can gift them to someone who needs them. Our office will be in this location until the end of 2017. Before my rent is up, I will know for sure whether we would be staying here for another year or not.

Next week, the studio will be painted and cleaned and I will be able to move by next weekend. The rent period will officially start by August 1.

I am planning to stay close to work during the week and go home for the weekends.

This will save me 4 hours of my life every single day. The monthly cost is around 6 per cent of my total monthly income so, it is not so terrible. I wish, I had thought of this before.

Sam was right! .....The End of Toilet Paper Saga

Remember this post from last year? I congratulate Sam from It's me Sam for guessing it right. All those toilet paper rolls lasted me exactly 18 months. This weekend I realized that, I was opening the last 24-roll pack.

Now, I am on the lookout for good deals. However, I do not think, I will buy as many as I did last time:) Wonder why?

I do have a big stash of paper towels though. Don't know when that happened. Those should last me a year. if not more. Sigh...

What am I? A tightwad, a miser? Or just plain frugal?

Today as I was folding laundry I noticed that one of my T-shirts had a hole under the arm.. The stitches came off and since it is a stretchy fabric, I cannot fix it properly. So, I decided that the T-shirt would be going to the rag pile for house cleaning. As I was walking to the balcony, I suddenly decided that the T-shirt was still good for exercising at home. After all, I am using a recumbent bike for all of 25-30 minutes 3-4 times a week and tossing the t-shirt and the shorts that I wear to laundry.

So, now, that T-shirt has become exercise clothing.

Do I need to wear a T-shirt with a hole? No... I have many other T-shirts to wear. Besides the nightgown I am currently wearing has a hole too. Nightgowns are coming out of my ears, I own so many of them and yet I stick to this raggedy one because it is oh.. so comfortable...

Why do I do this? Am I a miser?

Laziness makes money fly off from your pockets...

I admit I have been overwhelmed with work and had been ordering food lately. Today just as I was going to order a sandwich and a chocolate muffin, I suddenly realized that I could buy food that would be worth many meals for the same amount of money and to prove my theory I walked to the grocery store.

I was going to get;

A large Original Schlotzky's Sandwich 16,90 TL
A chocolate muffin 5 TL
Total: 22,90 TL / USD 10,60

Instead I got;

Turkey Breast (enough for 4 sandwiches)
4 whole wheat rolls
1 salmon steak
A package of salt
1 avocado
A candy bar

Set me back a total of 23,60 TL / USD 10,92

Now that is five meals and a snack plus the salt that I needed.

Lessons learned from grandma...

My grandmother on my mom's side and I had a very special bond and since I was her first grandchild, we have spent tons of time together. Every summer, I would go to visit them and I used to have the time of my life.

She was a very frugal person by necessity. Grandpa was an Air Force Veteran and with one retirement pension, they lived a simple life.

They had a small house with a good size yard. Grandpa grew lots of vegetables, had fruit trees in his garden, kept chickens and sheep. He would not touch his retirement pension and let grandma take care of every bill. He used to sell excess produce and earn his pocket money along with money required for necessary repairs around the house.

Grandma;
1. Never wasted food,
2. Always made a budget,
3. Knew her prices and would buy produce in season and at good prices when she had to purchase produce that they did not grow,
4. Never let clutter at her home,
5. Owned very few basic clothing items and kept them very neat,
6. Did not care for knick-knacks that would collect dust so dusting her home was a breeze,
7. Sun-dried many fruits and vegetables to use during the winter, made jam and pickles,
8. Made sheets, and pajamas and simple items since knew how to sew and inherited an old Singer from her mom which I now have,
9. Always cooked from scratch, made yoghurt and even made cheese sometimes,
10. Never ate out more than once a month,
11. Re-purposed everything. Old pajamas became rags to dust or rags to tie tomatoes and beans to poles.
12. Watched her utilities and kept diligent records,
13. Never bought anything just because...
14. Saved a little money for rainy days even her income was small.
15. Anticipated upcoming expenses and budgeted accordingly,
16. Never complained about money...

She was the most caring and nicest person I know. God bless her and make her rest in peace...

Shopping done! Here is the tally...

As I have planned, I went shopping this afternoon and came home with the following:

5 lt. Olive Oil
2 lt Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cans of 160 g. tuna fish (price was so good, only 2 cans were left)
2 loaves of Whole Wheat Bread
Sweet Cherries
Fresh Apricots
A small watermelon
A pineapple
Eggplants
Tomatoes
A dozen eggs
A bunch of garlic
1 kg. of bulgur wheat
A large bottle of mayo
A small bottle of barbecue sauce
Cheese
A giant container of plain yogurt
2 Norwegian Salmon Steaks
8 Turkey wings (no tips)
2 bottles of de-calcifier
1 bottle of bleach
3 kgs of powder detergent

all for USD 110.- Until the end of the month, I will probably buy only some fresh produce and a couple of meat products.

The oils will last us probably till the end of the year. So will the detergents.

Replenishing Staples

I do not stockpile food items much with the exception of tomato products. I also stockpile fish in the winter at good prices. We have been almost exclusively eating at home with mom lately watching our meal plans made by our dietician.

We shop for fresh produce weekly and for meats bi-weekly. We always have a vegetable dish for one meal and meat for the other. For instance, tomorrow we are having chicken and a salad for lunch. For dinner, we are having string beans cooked in olive oil.

Last time I checked the cupboards and the fridge, I have noted that some staples will be gone soon so, tomorrow is a major shopping day. There are two stores of the same chain right by me but those stores are somewhat more expensive. However they always have better produce and meat. So, I shop there for meat and for produce when I cannot go to the weekly open produce markets all around the city. For replenishing staples like tuna fish, olive oil, cheeses and detergent, I go to another store which is 5 miles from where I live.

I just checked the fliers of both chains and it does make sense to go to the one 5 miles away tomorrow so, off I go to check and finish my shopping list.

Frugal Month!

I have decided to make June one frugal month so, I am sticking to my budget. Mom and I eat at home and stick to our meal plans (most of the time:). Grocery shopping is much cheaper than eating out even though, we buy expensive items like fish, steak and etc.

No clothes or shoes for me this month either. I have way more stuff than I need anyway.

This month work is kind of slow too. We are bidding for a major project and I keep my fingers crossed for winning it. Best thing about this project is that it is in Istanbul! Yay! If anyone is reading at all, please wish me luck!