Financial faux pas and other disasterous decisions

moo2moo

There are sites which do say just that. Open an account here and here (but they never ever say go through Quidco for cashback). Put this much in. Bet on this game. Unlock free bet and repeat. Obviously trusting no one I do triple check their maths and their odds as things fluctuate but it does make life rather easy. Finding them yourself takes ages and ages and ages.

T'OH has gone although apparently he may make a 2 hour round trip to pop home between work and his flight leaving rather than spend an extra four hours at work. Fortunately he can do it in the company car so theres no fuel cost but really.... I'd rather sit and read a book or surf instead. Sometimes his lack of logic baffles me but then its lovely that hes coming home to see me even though I'll be mystery shopping before hitting Mr. Ts for a rock bottom minimalistic weekly shop consisting of value bread (unless the reduced stuff is cheaper), soya milk and mixed peppers. I'm aiming for a maximum spend of £5, I will peruse the whoopsie cabinet just on the off chance theres something very exciting and super mega cheap in which case I'll splurge and go to £10.

Whilst I'm there I'm going to stick a rocket under the people at HSBC. I opened a current account to get £50 cashback through Quidco and so far I've recieved a paying in book. I'm not handing over any cash to them until I know I can get it back so I'll chase up a cheque book and plastic card. Then its off to the Allliance and leicester to pay in some cash to my newly opened Alliance and Leicester current account (£50 Quidco, £100 cashback from A&L) so that I can transfer it to my new A&L e-saver account (£20 Quidco). Are you spotting a trend yet? Which ever one I find easiest on-line will then become my matched betting fund to separate that completely from my everyday life account. For the mo. its incredibly difficult to figure out what the balance is on my curent account as I've moved so much money around recently but the bank don't seem to work quite as fast as I want them to.

Enough of the rambling. I'm going to be late for work again and the DDs are still asleep. 35 minutes to get them up, dressed, fed, lunches made and out the door. I may have to pop out to the car to retrieve a bowl as DD1 has ingeneously discovered that she can eat her porridge in the car whilst I scrape the ice off the windows thus guaranteeing an extra thirty seconds in bed whilst I make three trips to her room to wake her up.

moo2moo

*sigh* Its been one of those days.

This morning went rather well. Shuffled money round various bank accounts and checked balances. Found I had more money than I thought thanks to a £38 deposit from another mystery shopping company. No matter how I calculate it they've screwed it up, but in my favour, I've got more money for doing three than I was expecting even though they haven't paid for one of them because I wasn't given a reciept (I even went back in for a second go and still didn't get one).

I did another mystery shop which I'll enter after part two tomorrow. I was even relatively good at Mr Ts. I spent £7.68 on 4 loaves of bread, some whoopsied fresh veg, milk, houmous, chocolate mousse (for DD2s lunch box) and a dozen hot cross buns.

OH materialised briefly, slept and departed taking with him a mug-o-sludge (cross between a cup -a-soup and a pot noodle) as he won't make his hotel until 10:30pm by which time the restaurant is shut. DDs are both playing up because hes gone and I made the mistake of searching their school bags for letters. I found homework. For me. I get to watch an 18 minute long road safety video with the DDs and am required to return it to school for the next family tomorrow. That'll give me something to look forward to over breakfast.

DD2s bag unearthed lots of delights. A Yellow Moon catalogue in which shes circled all the overpriced tat she'd like me to buy and a letter which reads "Dear Parents, On Friday we're celebrating Chinese New Year. Please send your child to school dressed as an ox." 36 hours notice to whip one up then, no problem at all, in fact I have a whole selection of them in my wardrobe, really I do. DD2 is not impressed with the suggestion that we make an ox mask from cardboard nd send her to school in brown clothes. Apparently she requires horns and hooves.

I did a split split shift tonight escaping part way through to take the DDs to their swimming lesson then going back to work to finish off before coming home to shut in the hens for the night, light the fire and whip up semi-instant dinner. I'm now feeling rather phoobaahed but still have loads and loads to do. Its all going to have to wait until tomorrow as I really can't be bothered tonight. I'm going to surf until the footy matches end and work out my next bet to start turning the free tenners into actual cash rather than their current status of monopoly money. Then I'm going to have an early night with a good book.

mooomin

moo2moo wrote: »

"Dear Parents, On Friday we're celebrating Chinese New Year. Please send your child to school dressed as an ox." 36 hours notice to whip one up then, no problem at all, in fact I have a whole selection of them in my wardrobe, really I do. DD2 is not impressed with the suggestion that we make an ox mask from cardboard nd send her to school in brown clothes. Apparently she requires horns and hooves.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

The things that parents have to put up with :eek:

moo2moo

Its almost like they go out of their way to come up with the most ridiculous item just to see what happens. DD2 was traumatised last year by being the only ladybird in her class to be made out of a bin bag, lots of sticky tape and 3 pairs of black sox. Mind you for 20 minutes notice it was damn good. That was the converastion on the way out the door which went have you got everything..... nooooo... todays the ugly bug ball ... what ugly bug ball? cue extraction of crumpled letter from coat pocket.

Far from taking it easy I've booked another mystery shop for next monday. Now trying to decide if I'm hungry or just that way out.

skint_spice

I feel your pain moo2moo - my DS used to extract the letters at the very last minute "eh muuuuumm.... I need five different types of leaf to take to school today..." five mins before leaving for school... hedge counts as a leaf doesn't it???? he's nine now and a lot better with the letters!

moo2moo

Footy results in. £7.68 profit from a £10 free bet and the next one placed which should result in £4.10 from a free fiver on Sunday.

I am off to bed. Really I am. G'nite all!

moo2moo

Several phone calls later I am now calm. Very calm. Apparently banking is almost sorted. Not holding my breath through. The reason I haven't had a paying in book or a cheque book or a cash card or any pins or anything else for my new HSBC current account is because they weren't ordered. So I'm the proud owner of the worlds only current account which doesn't allow you to put money in or take it out making it more of a doormat than a current account. The missing items are now on order and should be here next week. A&L have been marginally better sending everything but my customer number but that was sorted after a single phone call. Have to say internet banking is much easier than I'd expected, particularly being able to check my balance on line.

Quick bit of surfing later I've found a superb matched bet for Saturday which will net me an impressive £8.72 from one of the free tenners. Scarily I'm beginning to understand some of the wierder terminology used on the betting sites.

The weather forecast is for snow and the house is like a fridge. I'm off to do something productive to warm up, then I'll enter yesterdays mystery shop and much much later tonight I'll stick some more tat on E-bay.

moo2moo

I've given in and lit the fire. Its still ridiculously cold but at least it should be a bit warmer when the DDs get home. Last night I didn't light the fire until I got in from work and had gone to bed before the house started to warm up.

Dinner has been retrieved from the back of the freezer. DDs are having chicken and I'm having something which looks remarkably like the bol part of sphag bol. The pampered pooch is having turkey soup with her mixer biscuits, its been lurking in there for quite some time. It won't do her any harm though, shes a bit under the weather and was sick this morning. Old age rather than anything else.

Mystery shop entered. They're so tediously dull, almost as bad a playing bingo Gl Gl Gl roomies, 1tg although the shop sites helpfully say 3a can't be x if 3 z is y and the sky is blue and then you have to trawl back through everything you've entered to work out what they are going on about. But it pays twice as much as I get an hour normally and my mum did warn me theres no such thing as easy money.

Had a present left for me at school today. A packet of cereals with a post it note on... Bought these yesterday but didn't like them. Thought the girls (meaning the DDs) might. Mmmm imitation Special K.

moo2moo

Its all incredibly exciting here. DD2 watched her homework video and fell asleep in an armchair. DD1 moaned about how dull it was then retrived from her bag last weeks homework assignment. Apparently she needs to design and build a pencil holder by Monday. No surprises for guessing what we'll be doing this weekend. One delightful child has made one with drawers and a flower vase. My suggestion of gluing some toliet rolls together is simply not up to the standards set by her peers. Meanwhile DD2s ox costume is complete. Shes over the moon with it. Doubt it will last 5 minutes being constructed entirely of cereal packets and loo rolls but its vagulely ox like and it does have 3D horns.

Two more days to go before I tot up my month end figures. Hopefully by then I'll have another £10 from the scratchcards to add to the total.

mooomin

How about a papier mache pencil holder? Cheap, messy and fun!! They can paint it and add glitter etc.

*edit* Ooh, you could follow the instructions for making a Sealed Pot Piggy and do a pig-shaped holder, just add a couple of holes for pencils in the top (Make it a hedgehog??)