Smart Mart - Health, wealth and happiness

Smart_Mart

Actually thought that as I did something SMART this morning, it was worthy of a special post! :j

AA sent me through a renewal form for my car insurance recently, in the same post was an offer for a year's free Roadside cover worth £57. That's a good offer to me as I use motorway service stations a lot and the AA card offers me 20% off all food - I reckon I've saved around £50 that way this year.

Anyhow, last year's premium was around £350-ish but this year's came out at £683 plus interest on instalments taking it up to £783, more than double. I looked on Quidco and went through a price comparison site and there were some good deals on there but all around £500 + interest. I knew insurance premiums had gone up generally this year but not by that much.

Rang the AA up on the off chance they might be able to do something and they did. Took off a couple of add-ons that they had, er, added on and they managed to get my year's premium down to £517 + interest and they'll honour the offer for free Roadside cover too. That's a discount of nearly £200 and taught me never to accept the first price offered.

Well pleased with that.:D

Smart_Mart

Rest of the day was quite quiet after the early money saving news. Picked the boys up from school and fed them before their mum collected them at 7.30pm.

Did DX this morning and am doing it tomorrow and Friday too. Friday will be a long long day as I'll be up at 6am for the DX and I'm off to Preston at lunchtime for the football which means a 2am return...:eek: on Saturday morning. Boys are staying with their mum that night but I'm hoping to pick them up at 9.15am ready for football training, that is if I don't oversleep.

Smart_Mart

Reasonable old day today really. Did DX this morning then off down to the football club which was eerily quiet - there was no press conference as the game is tomorrow night instead of Saturday and the team left for the north west at lunchtime.

Came home and going to have an early night ahead of the world's longest day tomorrow.

Smart_Mart

So the world's longest day was yesterday and how true it was.

Got up at 6am to do the morning DX then went food shopping in Asda before ringing the boys before school. Went for a haircut but the blooming barber was on holiday so ended up going without. Next it was up to the M5 / M4 interchange where I was picked up for the trip to Preston for football.

Nightmare journey up the M5 / M6 and got there at 6pm, more than five hours to do about 180 miles due to the heavy traffic. Stopped at services for lunch / tea which cost £5.50 and had tea at the ground which was a media freebie. On the way home (team lost 4-3 by the way), stopped off at Hilton Park services where I indulged in a hot chocolate and a muffin (£4.79) and eventually got home around 2am.

Back up this morning to get ready for football training at 9.30am picking the boys up on the way there. Got them home afterwards, showered then off to the races this afternoon. My petrol expenses were settled on Thursday and cleared in the bank straightaway so treated us to the afternoon at Bath which cost a tenner for the three of us, £3 for the programme and we lost a total of £10 all afternoon, not great but it could have been worse.

Boys absolutely shattered tonight, off to bed after watching the X Factor and Red or Black and they have a under-11s match tomorrow morning. Great news is that because they didn't stay over last night, they're staying over tomorrow instead.:T

Smart_Mart

Much quieter day, thank goodness. Boys played football this morning and were beaten heavily although a factor in that was that we played one game with a player missing.

This afternoon, skipped any thought of geocaching and just chilled out at home. I think I've just about caught up after Friday night's late one and there's another busy one ahead.

Smart_Mart

Another Monday came around which started in a strange, but nice, way when the boys came in this morning... I'd forgotten they were staying over on a Sunday which is unusual in itself....

Took them to school then straight down to the football club from 10am to 4pm. Interviewed our new signing for the programme and then did some routine maintenance work before leaving to see DS1 and DD1.

Bought them tea as usual (£9.00) and after a nice time just chilling with them, returned home at 11pm tonight.

On a side note, this is my 1,000th post on the forum under my changed username. Thanks to all of you who read this diary as I really appreciate your comments and thoughts a lot.

Smart_Mart

Late finish last night as the team were at home last night and won 1-0 :j:beer::T:D , only their second win of the season and a fantastic goal to win it!!

Had gone down there at 5.30pm after I had been into the boys school to organise this year's football coaching schedule. I helped out informally last year but their teacher wants to make it a more formal arrangement and has asked myself and another coach to help out.

Didn't do much else yesterday to be honest but today will be non-stop. I'm interviewing Ron Atkinson, the former Manchester United manager, this morning followed by an ex-Bristol Rovers star this afternoon. Have to complete both articles by 3pm as they're for this Saturday's programme but also have to fit in the DX run, a haircut, a weekly shopping trip and collecting the boys from school this afternoon.

Smart_Mart

Not too much to report today really. Did the DX run this morning then off to Asda for a brief shop (£18) before returning home. As mentioned yesterday, interviewed former Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson today and also interviewed an ex-Bristol Rovers winger. Wrote both articles as well which were a total of 1,200 words in length.

Boys came around after school but seemed tired so we didn't do too mmuch before I took them home at 7.30pm. Tonight I finished the proof reading of the programme for Saturday and now I'm off to bed!!

Smart_Mart

DX run this morning then off to the football club to work for the day. No interviews planned for today although I had one tonight that was due to take place at Heathrow Airport (him, not me) but he hasn't rung.

Spent £18 on diesel today and that was it.

Tomorrow I've got to go down to sort out some free ticket vouchers at the club nearest to me, do DX, have a haircut, go shopping and update the website all before 3pm when I pick the boys up for the weekend.

Smart_Mart

DX run this morning followed by a big shop at Asda where I had no change from £40 although that included fruit (why is it so expensive?) and a few other irregular purchases.

Then went to get a haircut (£10) and popped down to Bristol City's ground to get some free tickets re a raffle I did a while ago.

Picked up the boys this afternoon from school and also had a phone call from my courier mate. I've decided to buy a Focus estate from him as I struggle sometimes with a hatchback. Will cost me £300 plus my car but it's three years newer, smarter all round, cheaper on tax and equally good on fuel.

Tomorrow is football training in the morning then off down to the football club in the afternoon for the big match against Sheffield Wednesday.