Get A Grip Girl

Fat Burning Soup

2008-04-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

6 Large Onions

1 Bunch Celery

1 Large Head of Cabbage

2 Large Green Peppers

1 28oz Can Whole Tomatoes

1 pkt Liptons Soup Mix or Chicken Bouillion

If desired season with salt, pepper, curry, parsley or hot sauce

Cut vegetables into small or medium pieces and put into a large pot with the tomatoes and soup mix. Cover with water and boil for 10 minutes then lower to simmer and continue to cook until vegetables are tender. This soup can be eaten at any time you are hungry. Each as much as you want whenever you want through the day because eating this soup actually burns calories. The more you eat the more weight you will lose. Fill a thermos in the morning if you will be away during the day.

There is some definite 'rules' on this diet. First, no alcoholic beverages because they will interfere directly with the removal of fat build up in your system. Wait 24 hours after any intake of alcohol before you start the diet. Also no carbonated beverages, including diet sodas. Drink only water, unsweetened tea, black coffee, unsweetened fruit juice and skimmed milk. Also no fried food or any products made with flour and no sugae or sweeteners of any kind.

When the diet calls for beef, you may substitute chicken as long as it is boiled or baked and you eat no skin. You can also substitute broiled fish for one of the beef days.

The Seven Day Fat Burning Diet

Day One
Eat only the basic fat burning soup and fruits. You can eat any fruit except bananas. Melons and watermelons are lower in calories than most fruits and therefore are recommended especially. Remember to drink only unsweetened fruit juice or water.

Day Two
It's an all veggie day. Eat the basic fat burning soup with additional fresh or canned vegetables raw, until you are stuffed. The vegetables may be steamed or braised in the broth from the soup but do not cook or season them with oil or butter. Try to eat green leafy vegetables and stay away from beans, peas or corn. Eat the vegetables with the soup. At dinner time on this day, reward yourself with a big baked potato and add a little butter or olive oil if you like. Do not eat any fruit today.

Day Three
Today is a combination of the first two days. Eat all the basic fat burning soup, fruits (except bananas) and veggies you want. Do not have a baked potato.

PROGRESS AFTER THREE DAYS

If you have eaten for three days as directed above, and have not cheated, you will find you have lost 5 to 7 lbs.

Day Four
Eat only the basic fat burning soup and bananas and drink non fat milk and water. Eat as many as three bananas, drink two eight ounces glasses of non fat milk and drink as many glasses of water as you can. Eat as much of the soup as you want. Bananas are high in calories and carbohydrates and so is the milk, but on a particular day your body will need potassium and the carbs, proteins and calcium to lessen your cravings for sweets.

Day Five
Today is a beef and tomatoes day. You may have 10-20 ounces of lean beef (or chicken without skin or fish) and a 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes or as many as six fresh tomatoes today. Try to drink six to eight glasses of water this day to wash away the uric acid in your body. Eat the basic fat burning soup at least once today.

Day Six
Now it's beef and veggie day. Eat to your heart's content all the beef and veggies you want today. You can even have two or three steaks if you like with green leafy vegetables but no baked potato. Be sure to eat the basic fat burning soup at least once daily.

Day Seven
Eat only brown rice, unsweetened fruit juice and vegetables, again stuff yourself. Be sure to have the soup once today.

Progress after seven days

After the end of the seventh day, if you have not cheated on the above diet you will have lost 10 – 17lbs. If you have lost more than 15 lbs, stay off the diet for full two days before resuming your diet from day one. This seven day eating plan can be used as often as you like. As a matter of fact, if correctly followed, it will cleanse your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well being as never before!

You are what you eat!

2008-04-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

One of our managers at work was leaving for another job in a different city. There was a farewell party for him with white cake and pop. In the table where I sat, there were 9 women. Amidst the delicious cake and conversation I made a very interesting observation.

I noticed that out of 9 of us, 2 of them did not have the cake or the pop. They were the slimmest of the lot. That leaves 7 of us out of which 3 had just eaten the cake but not the icing. They were slim too. The balance 4, me included, ate our cake, icing and all. We are the bulky lot in the group. This made me smile! It is true, I thought. You are what you eat.

I was thinking alot about this observance for the past few days. I also came to the same conclusion about the frequent visitors of the vending machine. If you haven't done this, observe those who visit the vending machine often. They usually belong to the largest of the lot.

The key to Weight Loss

There is so much literature out there on weight loss, coupled with so many diet plans to help you reach your goals. Of all the years of my attempt in trying to loose weight, I know there is no short cut. It is eating less and exercising. I discovered that the hard way. There is no magic to it. I now weigh a good 200lbs. Of course it includes my pregnancy weight which is 20 lbs extra, but that is still a large number. My ideal would be about 120-130 lbs. I would be extremely happy with that. Once my baby is born, I am determined to loose those pounds and get back to shape. I must devise a method for this.

Planning to Plan

Now this is the planning of a plan to my weight loss goal. Just as I was thinking what type of diet I need to get on, a friend of mine sent me a diet plan. It looks difficult, but according to her this is used for heart patients who need to attend surgery but need to loose pounds quickly. Mmm….I am not one for crash diets, but using this as a base and adding some combination to it might work. I shall post this tomorrow.

Piano and Finance

2008-04-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

I am struggling with the piano classes. I am already finding excuses not to practice. Yes it is hard. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it once I start playing on it, but the journey to get there is difficult. I have a million other things I do except to go and sit on the bench and play. Theoretically it should be easy, just allocate half an hour each day playing it. Yes I have that in my head. It is easy to plan for that. But executing it is difficult. In my mind I want to be an accomplished pianist, in my mind I am playing like Mozart. However when I sit and play, I am still playing note by note…not anywhere close to Mozart's melody. That irks me. That spoils my illusion of seeing myself playing the piano.

Are we the same with money? Do we always see ourselves with so much money even if we don't have that? Do we fantasize about being rich and being able to sleep in luxury, only to be disappointed when we see our paycheck and bank balance? Does possessing credit card give us a way to procrastinate on our savings habits and continue to live in our perfect 'imaginary' world, not realizing the growing debt associated with it if we don't pay on time?

How can we avoid that? Is this going to be like learning the piano, a little effort each day to become an accomplished pianist? So there is a lot of planning and hard work involved in it. To add to that, it is also relative to time.

I am in a generation of instant gratification, everything should happen instantly. I should not need to wait for it. That seems the hurdle here. I rather quick tips and tricks to learn than to have patience practicing for it. If this is the attitude I am accustomed to, wouldn't it makes sense about the way I handle the rest of other stuff, especially my finances?

So I was wondering, is this the same about finance too? Do I just want quick fixes instead of saving day by day, or month by month? I know three members in my family who saved money through frugality and commitment. If not for them, I am sure I could not fathom the idea of saving 2000 – 2500 a month. It sounds incomprehensible! I now see that that seems to be a safe way that works. Of course the amount you save depends on your earnings and your commitments. I am trying to force feed my savings to catch up on the years I squandered away money. I found that little by little seems a safer bet than to wait for that day when I strike a lottery, or win a bonus, or a stroke of luck. It is step-by-step day-by-day that gets you there! Just like anything else….

How I saved 20,000 in 8 months?

2008-03-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Of all the crazy things I had ever done in my life, this was the craziest but most rewarding. I did something I never thought possible myself. I managed to save 20,000 within 8 months. That is almost 62.5% of my net income. I was inspired by my brother and fear. My brother proved it to me by showing me his bank balance. But it was fear that made me buckle up and have a realistic approach towards life.

When I became responsible for a child and could not take care of her because I did not have a job nor finance to take care of her that was what it took! When I see my husband who did not make any attempts to support her, that was heartbreaking. He just talks and gives hopes, but that was not enough. I waited too long for him to change. He never did. I now understand he never will. When I see other husbands and other fathers, I knew what was lacking in my life. I moved myself from him and showed him that I can and will live without him.

For now in my head it is just her. It is truly love at first sight. She came and I fell in love. I told myself I must secure her future while I still can. Her presence straightened me out immediately.

After my tax and insurance deductions, I get 4,000. The first thing I do is to transfer 2500 into my online savings account. After that I am left with 1500 to do whatever I wanted.

My fixed expenses were

Apartment rental (studio) 730.

Phone, internet and electricity 170-200.

Grocery, gas and entertainment 570 - 600.

I walk to work, I live just 10 minutes away from work. So that eliminates the need to spend on gas nor servicing the car too much.

I kept my accounts simple in those 8 months. I was like a machine. If I felt lonely I will call my friends and talk to them. Most of the time I would look out of my window and told myself…8 months. Hang in there! I made a prison for myself so as I will reach my goal. I know it seems harsh, but really it was not that bad. I had good friends and family members who supported me in all I did.

I lived in a very strict limited budget. I did not buy anything for those 8 months. No shoes, no clothes, nothing. I just lived with what I had. I think I have enough clothes to last a long time and got creative matching them up. I had enough makeup to last me a year. No more online purchases etc. I met my friends often, but do not indulge into expensive dining nor entertainment. I started painting and sold some pieces. That helped support my hobby.

I know there are many ways to save, to each his own. I just wanted to share my story. My way. It worked for me. It may work for some of you.

I reached my savings goal but planning fallacy failed me!

2008-03-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Most people say that one must take each day as it comes. But I no longer see it that way. I think that is for people who don't want to deal with tomorrow. I make plans and I believe that plans help to keep myself on track. Sure sometimes, something happens that makes things go out of control, but a plan helps you to come back on track. One of the things I plan consistently for is finance. My reasoning, even with a budget, it can still fall off the cracks. That is what happened to me for the past two months. After a jubilant success of increasing my savings from 0 to 20K, I became too happy and thought finance is well taken care of. No, that is not how it works, I overspent by 1200 for the past 2 months and had an unavoidable cost of 7,000. Once you start spending, you can't seem to put a brake on it.

A new word

And today I learned a new word.....planning fallacy. According to Wikipedia, planning fallacy is the tendency to underestimate task-completion times. How does this fit into my reality? My planning would be thinking that by putting away x amount of money each month, I am bound to have a y amount of amount in z month time.

x * z = y

My fallacy would be thinking that each month I would not have any surprising expenditure like a car repair, health issues or a big impulse expense. This would impact my monthly savings which I had initially automated. Thus I underestimated my savings capacity.

So instead of having a y amount, I may need additional months of saving to reach that. I am off by 7,000 + 1,200. It was an expense I could not avoid.

(x * z) – 8200 = y

So what do I do now? I have several options...

1.Ask for a raise (a huge one!)
2.Save more (mmm...is that possible?)
3.Be more realistic

Being a Business Analyst, I must think rationally and apply that into my personal life too. The first option is not possible, I just had a raise and the next one is due in July. Save more...not with the baby coming, I am eating better and that is important for me. I don't want to reduce my good healthy grocery. So I have to be more realistic. The reality here is for me to wait for a few more months to make that 7,000. Is this important? Yes it is, I have a goal to reach. I may sound obsessive but it is proven time and time again only through obsession mankind found success!

If you want to read more about this, this article may help. Click here.

Why manufacturers do not have the adapters shipped out together with the product?

2008-03-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

My colleague Larry asked me how my piano practice is going on. I told him I was unable to practice thanks to the fact that I had to wait for the adapter to arrive. Then we had this ½ hour conversation on why manufacturers do not have the adapters shipped out together with the product. According to me, "everyone wants a piece of my dollar to stretch out!". They want me to go over my budget as much as they can; making it almost always more than the amount I had in mind. Never had I gone into a shop feeling " gee…it is cheaper than I had thought!"

Not only was I spending 99 on the Yamaha keyboard player, but also another 15 on the adapter. I had paid in total 114. This means they had obtained 14 dollars more from my budget. How much is that in percentage? 14%.

Did you ever wonder why whenever we decide this is the amount we are going to spend for an item/service, it always seems impossible to stick to that figure? There would always be add-ons to that one thing you were saving to purchase only to go home getting something extra with it. Never had I had a budget of 80 dollars that then turned out 40 or 50 dollars instead. It always went from 82 – 98 somehow!

The art of marketing is intended to fork out that extra from us because we are easy targets; we have already established a need to buy that item/service.

How I started working on a budget?

2008-03-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

It took me a long time to understand what money is and how to handle it. The importance of money only comes to you when you hit rock bottom and with debts around you, struggle to come out of it.

So when I moved to the current job I am at, I had to make some serious financial decisions. I needed to have some savings. With my daughter away with my parents because I lacked the financial standing to maintain her, I was too ashamed and decided I need to do something about my life. I had two brothers who were successful and thought to myself…where had I gone wrong?

I never thought about my future. I always thought it was far away and I will marry a man and he will do everything for me. Yes…I know…I was stupid. I though all men are like my father and my brothers….they care for their women. Unlucky for me, I married the wrong one. That stupidity is what got me to where I am. I am not proud of it, but I needed to change that. One bad marriage was enough to tell me it is not that way.

Essentials are the first thing I looked at. I wanted to know how much I needed to pay my rent, groceries and other bills to survive. I know my weaknesses too, being too frugal immediately would make me depressed, and thus I tried to live a mediocre lifestyle. I opted for a studio apartment instead of a one bedroom. I choose an accommodation that was near the office, so I could walk to work and save on gas. I thought going home for lunch is good money saving attempt. I did not have cable for the first 6 months, and opted to have an internet connection to keep myself amused. I started my old hobby of painting, hoping it will pay for itself when I sell my paintings.

Putting it all down

I did not want a fancy tool like Quicken or Money to make my budgets. I was afraid that it will hamper my initial budgeting process. I did not want to make it complicate. I wanted to break my old habits, one at a time. I just used Microsoft Excel and one credit card. I made all my purchases with the credit card. Each day I spend 15 minutes with my excel spreadsheet, my receipts and match them with what I am billed by the credit card company. My first two months were very educational. For the first time I saw how dollars and cents add up fast, even with small purchases which I considered negligible at one time. If I slacked in a day, I could always catch up the next day because everything is purchased using a credit card and there was no way I could lapse or hide an expense.

In two months I realized I can still save more. In my first two months I was saving 40% of my income. With no one to feed except myself for now…I thought I should increase that. I spent the next 4 months increasing my savings between 60 - 70%. I did have an entertainment/waste money of 100 (I know, it is high) to splurge myself with. I did the first 2 months then I felt I can reduce it to 50. It satisfied my physiology issue: When I know I have the money to spend I don't feel like spending it. When I force myself not to spend, then I want to spend it on everything I see.

Crazy!

A Proposition

2008-03-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

With the new baby coming on the way, I need to find a daycare. That means I need to start making a budget for two children when my other daughter joins me at the end of the year. This budget should include daycare expenses which currently I don't have. I need to make more. I am currently a consultant and being a consultant allows you to earn higher but you do have the down sides to that too. There is no job security and you can get laid off at a moments notice without any benefits.

A proposition

My cousin sister has a proposition for me. She lives at San Jose, California. She had been taking care of children every now and then, and recently decided to get herself certified so as she is able to take care of more children. She offered to take care of my children. I jumped at the idea but the cost of living there is very daunting. A 2 bedroom apartment rents about 1400 whereby I pay only half of that right now. Gas, groceries and daycare is also higher. Overall I need to make at least 100,000 per annum to keep things comfortable. Only with this income I will manage to save some money for rainy days too.

She is thinking of buying another home now, and she will materialize that in the next few months. She wants to make use of the low housing situation right now, since it is the buyer's market. She is thinking of converting her townhouse to a daycare and offered me to stay there for 1000 rental. It has 2 rooms with 2 baths, a garage, washer and dryer, all the kitchen equipment plus it comes furnished! I just have to move in with my clothes and personal items.

Hard to resist

I know being there I will have the best for my children. She is very caring and she will care for my children as her own. The problem with me is that I am not as adventurous as I used to be. Gone are those days where I would just jump at a moments notice over things like this. But now, with children…I am careful. I am very cautious and anxious all the time. Every decision I make will affect several people, and I need to consider the ups and downs of things.

At this point I know her proposition is very good. I need to wait until the baby is born to finally decide on many things. I know my expenses are cheaper where I am at, and I can get the same income where I am at. I see a lot of growth for myself at my current place. I don't know. Let this baby come out first.

Piano Classes

2008-03-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

I had finally purchased a Yamaha Keyboard Player that cost me 99.00 with free shipping. That was the best deal I found so far. I did not get a warranty, just could not afford one to invest anymore. I am taking my chances, making sure no one touches it other than me. (Wishful thinking…the moment my daughter sees that she will surely try to test it! But that is a few months away…).

I was so excited. I unwrapped the package quickly in the anticipation of a small child receiving a gift, only to find that the adapter is not included. This was so frustrating. I immediately went online and purchased one for 14.95 with free shipping. So now I have to wait until Thursday or Friday to get my fingers on the clean black and white keyboard.

For now, all I could do is look at it, with a forlorn sigh.

Self expression though music…

I think playing and/or creating music is a great way to express oneself. I believe this will relax and comfort me. I want to learn how to play my favorite tunes and sing with my daughters. I have this perfect little picture of all three of us around a grand piano singing our favorite songs on a cold winter night.

More than all of this, I believe music brings a family together. I want to create this as an activity that will help us be closer with each other. My father always says that each person should have a skill apart from academics or sports. I believe in him. He tried to get me playing the piano when I was younger, but I went on to college and never completed it.

Today I realize the importance of that. I hope when I play the piano one day, my daughters would be interested in learning it. I want it to be a part of our lives together. I want to instill in them an appreciation to art and music amidst the technological world we live in.

My first class

Today was my first piano class. It was exhilarating as I touched those keys on the grand old piano. My instructor is a 65 year old lady who had that piano since she was 24 years old. Wow!

Welcome to Get a Grip Girl!

2008-03-17T16:38:00.001-07:00

I have been mulling over this idea for a long time. Can I write as well as others? Can I have a blog and commit time and brain to making it work? Can I put in words the way I see and view my life against the world? Am I interesting enough that people would want to read and share their life with me?

I want to reach out to others like me. I want to share my ups and downs about my struggle to find and build a 'home'. My eventuality came to a realization when my first daughter was born. I needed to buckle up and get my life straightened and not mess her life as well. I needed to build a life for her and myself and this is my journey towards that.

But the ultimate purpose of this blog is for both my daughters. I know this might sound corny, but it is a need to leave a legacy behind for them. They will know me as a mother, but with this blog they will know me as a woman.

Financial Security

I had finally joined the working force 10 months ago and have been working ever since. This had allowed me a saving of 13,000 and along with that the fear of living diminished. I no longer wake up in the middle of the night wondering what is going to happen in my life, how am I to live? I no longer have anxiety attacks and an enslavement to be with a man for the wrong reasons.

Goals

My goal here is to have a savings of 20,000 before I can bring my daughter to live with me. I have until end of this year. This amount was a target I had set so as to control my whims and fantasies, see expenses realistically and stay away from debts. It allows me to start building my net value.

Why do I need that amount? Savings gives me security and confidence. It eliminates the need to depend on anyone. When you don't depend on anyone financially, then you are free from feeling obliged or stuck. You live freely.

My daughter #1

She is with my parents right now and they are taking care of her since the day she was born. When she was born I was in school, a year away to complete my graduate studies. I could not take care of her and my parents offered to do so, to allow me time to build my life before I can take care of her. This was the greatest sacrifice my parents had done for me and I am forever thankful that they are there for me in the time I needed help the most.

My daughter #2

I am now pregnant with my second child. I am well into 5.5 months. Why another one you may ask? I am 37 this May and the clock is ticking. I did not want a huge gap between both my daughters.

Sister sister

All my life I wanted a sister. I always felt having a sister would have made my life easier. I have someone to run to. I would have had a surrogate mother. I would have had a confidant. I would have someone to talk me out of my mistakes. Perhaps I am wrong in thinking that way, but to me, when I found out that my second was a girl, I gleamed with happiness. It is all about girls, girls and girls! Both my daughters will have each other.

So what now?

I may sound a little staggered for now, with no beginning or a definite ending, but at this point this is where I am now. I am in the center of my journey. I am leaving my past, learning from my mistakes and moving into a new journey. I am finally in control of my life. I wake up feeling like there is a hope in all eventually of my life. I wake up feeling good for the first time after many years of my life.