So, as it was Ash Wednesday yesterday (not that I’m religious, but I still think lent is a pretty cool thing for people who want to kick-start themselves into making a change), I thought about giving some non-essential stuff up – stuff that costs me way too much money. This is what I came up with:

-Pizza

-Avocados

… uhhhhh.

At this point I begin to notice a theme. And who am I kidding I am definitely not going to give up pizza, or avocados, (I’d miss out on my bi-weekly, post-climb MOD pizzas, and this is just not an option).

SO. Plan B. How to save money for summer travels AND eat a little better, AND be productive?

I INTRODUCE YOU TO THE SAVE MONEY & DO SHIT BOARD.

The premise:

A daily/ weekly focus whiteboard, with all the tasks you want to complete. This is something I do anyway to varying degrees of success depending on my mental health/ laziness.

Tasks vary from ‘send somebody a message to say hello’ and ‘call Dad’ (I’m so sorry Dad I know I am the worst at calling first) to ‘write five blog posts this week’ and ‘run 5k’. All can be equally important as each other, or you can assign importance, e.g. –

• Publish 5 blog posts – £15
• Finish Climate Change article – £30
• Run 5k – £10

Can we ignore my total lack of creative talent here.

The higher the price, the higher the stakes. I really need to finish a couple of articles and the Climate Change one has been hovering over my head for a loooong time and every time I think about doing it I feel a little sick, so I really need to get it done for my own peace of mind and for my very patient boss. If I don’t do it by my deadline, then the £30 that I reaaaallly don’t have goes into the jar (sorry overdraft) and the project gets assigned a new deadline and a higher price.

I’m basically playing a money game with myself and I want to WIN.

BUT THERE’S MORE.

I move into my new place in JUST OVER A WEEK AAHHH. This means, however, that I will have my own beautiful kitchen, all my own cooking utensils (oh spiralizer I’ve missed you), and I can cook cheap meals from home all the time! This means for the next 40 days I am not allowed a SINGLE takeout (which I guess just means I’ll starve when I stay at Conor’s).

Whenever I feel like getting a takeout and resist, that money I would have otherwise spent goes in the pot.

So, just to repeat. For lent I WILL BE GIVING UP TAKEOUT. I kind of hate myself already.

But, I can make some kick ass food for myself (both healthy and not so healthy), e.g. these fabulous pancakes I made on Tuesday:

aaaaaand I totally love cooking, so this is exactly what I need. Buh-bye takeout.

Wish me luck! I 10/10 would recommend bringing a whiteboard into your life, especially if you struggle with health issues that affect your productivity, or are just generally scatterbrained, or have way too much on your plate. Ask me for any advice! ^.^

What are your personal challenges for the next 40 days?

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