Doomed...i think.

Jenny2008

baxgttdi wrote: »

tyllwyd - thanks for that. I've only sold 2 lol as I'm just seeing as it's viable at the moment, it would never be a big timething though I know that. If I manage to sell a few consistently for a short period I'd consider it but I'm only looking at £5-10 a week though hehe so I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna be stung big time. I'll double check though.

Register with HMRC anyway - twllwyd is right: you have to register with them within three months; they're strict about this. They won't charge you any tax if your earnings are below a certain amount anyway (I can't remember the exact figure), so don't worry about that. It's dead easy to register - a simple phone call and they'll send you a letter to confirm.

Also worth knowing is that HMRC run terrific courses every year around October time. They cover what records you need to keep and how to fill in tax returns. What seems really complicated and confusing when you first start out ends up really simple after going on these courses. Best of all they're free.

baxgttdi

Ok 'll get onto that then

Well in a litle update I've had a strange few days. On Wednesday I got the letter through the door to say I'd paid off my loan with Lloyds which was nice to see even if it was ust a feel good factor. Then yesterday after doing nothing for myself all week I decided to go out fora few quiet drinks with some friends. I should say that as for my gambling problem it was all to do with online poker and just to reitterate that "real life" gambling has never A) been an issue and never provided any attraction for me other than in social situation i.e a game with friends as it's too "real". This being the case I have still stayed away from any form of gambling just as a money save lol. Anyways last night I treated myself to a game of cards as my weekly treat costing me a £5 entry fee and ended up winning and getting £75 :T which was good but now...I feel guilty. The money in question is gonig straight into the bank as part of my "£5 a day challenge" that I started for December, which due to another story (stay tuned later )leaves me having saved £110 in 5 days so well ahead of schedule but I can't decide why I feel bad about the whole thing. At first I thought it was cos I'd gambled to get it but as something like this on a social level was not something I'd actively avoided I didn't think that was it. So I'm left with 2 options, it's eithe because I've taken someone else's money, which after reading about other people's money problems could be it or the fact that I didn't have to work hard to get it which is also a real possibility...:think:

Which brings me onto the final part of this post. Before Isaid I'd already saved £35 before yesterday, well this is also playing on my mind as to how it happened. Basically I was checking to make sure I hadn't left any of my gambling account open so that if I felt the urge again I wouldln't have the opportunityand I came accross one I hadn't closed. Turns out a bet I put on months ago had won and I had money in the account. The upside was I withdrew the money and closed the account but again I feel guilty for just having the money at all. I just dunno what to think now, as by all accounts I did the right thing in withdrawing it and closing down the account but the money from it, although paying off debt feels kinda dirty, I can't wuite explain it but I think I have some thinknig to do =o/.

baxgttdi

Well quite another random little post but, I made my first payment off my Zopa loan today. :j . Granted ti was only £20 but technically it was anoverpayment as my normal payments will be coming out on the 1st buit don't start till next month. I took it as a positive step anyways. They say little things please ittle minds right?

baxgttdi

Damnit!! I just realised that I forgot to add interest onto my Zopa loan when caculating debts doh!!! there goes another few months on the DFD

TotallyBroke

Although I would say don't beat yourself up anymore. You've done that enough by admitting to us and your family that you had a gambling problem. I would also say that I'm glad you felt guilty (so long as it doesn't linger too long) it'll be healthy for you to keep avoiding going back to a few months ago

baxgttdi

Thank TB, your righht complacency is definitely my enemy but i think I'm on top of it for now .

Well after realising the mistake I'd made yesterday I've decided to start doing surveys again. Fortuinately I was never unregistered from the companies I was with at the height of my MSEiness so hopefully I should have some wiating to do I've noticed the emails still coming through.

I was feeling pretty good this morning and :j but they ahven't finished processing the first one yet lol so guess I'll have to wait

baxgttdi

wellstill not able to make another payment on my loan but the money is waiting . For some reason thought I'd check quidco today which I haven't used for over a year (must be getting into things properly now huh?) and got a nice suprise by finding I have £14 in my account which is under minimum payment so just waiting for me to acculate a bit more. Thinking of buying an Xmas pressy or 2 via it today and hopefully that should take me over the edge so to speak lol. I was a bit bad yesteray thoughand went out for drinks on the night, only spent £8 though which isn't too bad.

Jesthar

Hey Bax, nice to hear how you are getting on!

Now, don't feel guilty about having money, even if it did come from a betting account! They've caused you enough grief, so getting a little bit back when you terminate them should be regrded as a little bonus, especially as it can go to paying off the debts those accounts have helped you get into. Think of it as poetic justice, and perhaps a little bit of positive payback for having decided to tackle the problem in the first place!

Regarding your card win, I don't think it's unusual to feel guilty about something you have had a problem with in one area being unexpectedly profitable in another setting. I supect part of the guilt is cause by fear your old habits may cross the barrier into your social settings, which is valid enough. If that is the case, why not ask some of your friends you trust to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't start to play games on a regular basis. If you can keep the attitude towards it as that of a (very!) occasional social treat, then you could be OK - but if you EVER think it might be getting a bit more serious than that, let your friends know and help you be careful. As TB says, guilt can sometimes be a good thing!

Oh, and well done on already making a payment off your loan - excellent start!

~Jes

baxgttdi

Hey Jes, all is going well here still. I know it's a risk which is why I think I felt guilty, think I'm over it now though . I managed to pay off another £30 of my loan as well so I'm feeling most chipper hehe. I'm off to do my xmas shopping tommorrow (yes I know I'm late) and I'm feeling good for once

baxgttdi

Well it's been quite an eventful morning already here. I'm starting to get back into the MSE way of things and have been looking through all my old survey site accounts and like Quidco I'd been given some nice suprises.I've found £5 in my pureprofile account, £3 in my lightspeed account and £29!!! in my "it'syouview" account. It's scary to think of how things must have gone, I must have been working hard on the surveys etc and then jsut stopped suddenly as I discovered gambling and not even bothered to chec kthings again. I guess I was a fan of the instant win instead of the slow and steady methods. It's crazy...saying that I'm currently typing messages out to myself on a web forum so maybe I'm getting worse not better . Anyways, I've decided I'm not going to take any of the survey money out of the accounts for now but I'm gonna keep it all stored safely where it is, then when I have £100 I'll withdraw it, I'd love to say to pay off debts but I think I'll keep everything tight with the spending and when I make it to this mini goal I'll have something for myself otherwise I'll go nuts hehe.