On a mission to free myself of debt...

Exerbusi

Hey Miggy!

Yeah, the research so far has told me mystery shopping can be in all kinds of businesses - food, clothes etc. In many cases things you buy from the shops can be kept by you, even with re-imbursement. I will sign up to a couple of them tomorrow to see what comes up.

I get paid tomorrow, and it comes with a 2.45% payrise, with money backdated. I only started with this company in July so my extra money isn't massive, but it's all money and makes me happy!

I went shopping today, and I spent about £18, but it should last me for about 10 days. Plenty of food there for me to freeze and re-use.

Pay day tomorrow, and I picked up an extra client today which is a few extra quid! Hoping for a decent amount in pay tomorrow which will see me through a decent bit of debt-repayment and early christmas shopping!

Fingers crossed for lots of money!

Exerbusi

Payday arrived, putting me £900 in credit. From this I have my usual bills to pay, and my mission for the month is to see if I can stay out of my overdraft untilnext pay day. It wont be easy - far from it in fact, but I have to see what I can do.

I have a stag do to attend at the other end of the country before my next pay day, and a few bills to pay in the meantime. My outgoings are pretty big this month, but I do have my overdraft if I really need it.

Tonight I have £20 of overtime, and I am going to work out what extra monies I can pick up with a few cheeky bits of cover. I am also hoping to start getting some mystery shopping work as of next month. Is it a bit ambitious to try and make Christmas as free as possible? (By free I mean paid for with mystery shopping and extra income, if possible not touching my salary).

Watch this space I suppose....

Exerbusi

Turns out I was wrong - my pay hasn't been increased - it was the junior members of staff who have received the increase!

Ah well, just means more careful spending until the new year and the new job, giving me extra breathing space!

Spending a bit tonight, but not out then for a while and I have lots of food, so it is manageable.

miggy

I'm sorry you didn't get the pay increase, I suppose it's cheaper for them to pay a percentage to those on lower pay. Still, you are making your own payincrease with the overtime and there will be further increases as you get promoted
The money will still come to you, albeit taking longer...
Enjoy your night out!

Exerbusi

OK, so it is Monday and back to the grindstone!

I am seeing a new client tomorrow, and that is going to be worth a few quid to me, and I have deliberately booked her in for an early morning session. For some reason (dark early?) I have always seen the winter as condusive to hard work, so by getting up early I will have hours in the day to get work done, before getting myself off to bed in good time! I suppose in some ways it is a way to get myself squeezing the most out of my working day, making my downtime my own.

This month I have around £130 in overtime (not including clients) coming my way, which will be a nice boost during these extra-lean times. A very long drive, coupled with a stag do wont help my wallet any, but it will be good for the soul!

I signed up to a mystery shopping agency last night, and hopefully will see something come of that soon. Any supplemental income is very welcome as Christmas is just around the corner and I need to be on the ball for that! The last thing I want is to be skint then - the idea is to have a comfortable Christmas from a financial POV.

I will have to put petrol in the car later, but other than that I am aiming for a NSD.

After a weekend where I spent around £15 I restart my money diet today!

Exerbusi

I picked up a couple of new clients yesterday, which was a few quid well made! I managed to snag some overtime a few days ago, and some more today. There is a possibility of getting extra later in the week, and some next week too! It is all looking good so far.

I had to spend out yesterday, and have the council tax to pay again this week so money is pretty tight. A stag do in the beginning of next month wont help me much either! All round though, money isn't a huge issue right now. I have some to last, and careful planning of my days means I wont really have to spend much out.

I was offered an interesting side earner last night - easy money for talking to people about the job I already do! There seems to be plenty of options coming my way at present, its just a case of sorting the good from the bad, so watch this space!

miggy

How's it going Exerbusi?
Sorry I haven't been around for a while - things cropped up (as they do) but I'm back and noticed you haven't posted for a wee while.

Exerbusi

Wow - what a hectic few days. In many ways I lost some focus over the last couple of weeks, but kind of have an excuse - work! I have been working a silly amount recently due to staff illness and holidays. The good news is I will be getting paid lots of overtime, the bad news is I suffered by spending money in work that I shouldn't have. Ah well, I must live and learn.

I have a decent pay day coming up in 12 days, and Jan's pay day will be a nice one - plenty of overtime in there! As of January I will be able to make a few quid extra and also organise my time better due to a restructuring of my daily working hours.

I will be setting myself financial goals soon, to give me an idea of what I can achieve and by when.

miggy

Thanks for the update! Great about the overtime, I look forward to seeing your sig change when it comes through. If I were you (I know - I'm not), I wouldn't feel too bad about having to spend a bit more at work. If it helps you not to be run ragged by long hours, it's money well spent. Even the occasional treat is money well spent because in the long term you'll need some treats to keep you going when it all feels like a hard slog.
Perhaps consider building yourself a bit of 'elastic' into your long-term plans? Even if it just means you can go out for a drink once a week or have a takeaway, it might be useful.
Anyway, well done on staying focused and all your hard work, your dedication will literally pay you in the not-too-distant future.