Learn to control money but do not allow it to control you

Karmacat

Thanks for those responses, people, I can understand that completely. The biggest timesaver for me has been to start doing things straight away that I open letters, or tear things out of magazines - if I've got a lot of those types of things around, I find them really debilitating - find that website, order that thing, change that address, ask them about that - all that sort of thing. My desk is clearer, and I'm getting more done, and it feels really positive.

As far as a daily list is concerned - recently, I've managed to be more realistic on it. I tend to make a long one that isn't really doable in a day, and stick at it till its done, usually over 3 or 4 days, so I *guess* that could be called my weekly list . Some things linger - making a CD of wedding pix for my mum, for instance, depended on me being able to load the cartridges into the printer (which took a youtube video in the end, oops), then installing it, which depended on getting space on the desk, and then on finding a USB cable, and then on following the instructions ..... it took a while, but I'm finally doing it today.

Marru

Thanks FW - more sorting out to do but they can wait until exam in June.

Just one more example that universe does provide but we need to take action. I had this urge one day to go online to look for houses and found my new place and everything then happened very easily and quickly. However I had to take that initial step to follow my urge and then take action from there.

Firewalker

Unbelievable! Totally and uterly amazing! I am so pleased; in fact no, not pleased - really, really happy. There are proper, wonderful comments on my blog; people have started to play with some of the things on there. I can see a conversation coming...exciting.

And as someone who has chosen to blog about controlling money I made a big, mega mistake. Mainly one of those ' let us try thins one, no obligation thing and forget to say that we don't want to buy is'. When our coffee machine broke we were desparate so I ordered one form Amazon and signed on to 'test' their £49 per year next day delievery guaranteed. Yep, have been receiving everything on the next day since and this month there is £49 on my credit card. Please don't tell anyone. Lesson learned: find a system that allows me to follow things like that; loads of money is made from people forgetting to check and/or cancel their automated expenditure.

Apart from this - first frog for the day eaten and a section of the paper is finished. I have a new mantra 'Can you finish this? Yes, you can!' - have to repeat it many time per day to ward off the temptation to start something new because I have got bored.

Back to my list now - but later I will go to the gym and do some resistence training. A lean and fit woman is trying to come out (NL, use could not be avoided). Pants, it can - 'a lean and fit woman is/will come out'. Oh well...

Firewalker

claudiac_2

Congratulations on the blog. I am sure it is just going to take some time for people to digest what you are writing, then equate to their own situation and come up with solutions for themselves and which may even help others. I am learning something every time I read it, and it is making me think - positively - about the changes I can make, so thank you.
Can I ask you what resistance training is please?

Firewalker

Claudiac, resistence training is done with weights but it is not weight lifting. Best example is doing series of press ups, squats and pull ups (or half heaves which is a half pull up because your feel are still on the ground and you are not pulling your whole weight up).

This is very good for strength, maintaining small muscles and can be also aerobic (depending on intensity). Best have a consultation with a very good trainer so that an appropriate programme is set.

Firewalker

MrsMoo2U

That is really good news re the blog. As for the other thing, well..... you have to do these kind of things to learn from them. How else will you be the font of all knowledge when writing on the blog!! I have to admit to something here.......... please tell me if this is typical of me as you have come to know me. Last month I decided that I wanted to check my credit files. Now I have avoided this because I know that I have never defaulted etc etc etc. and I begrudged paying to find out something that I already knew.However I have moved house in the last couple of years and so I wanted to ensure that it was all correct. Anyway, I read on the weekly email that you could do this for free by signing up to the register thing and then cancelling the DD. I thought NO WAY Jose, I will guarantee to forget to cancel it. When I went on the site to get my £2 report I thought Oh, I will just check my score (£14.95) and just stopped myself checking all kinds of other things. Moral of the story is that it ended up costing me way more than the £2 that I planned to spend rather than running the risk of cancelling a DD and that was also way more than just a one month payment if I had forgotten to cancel immediately. Oh well.

ETA - And I was right in the first place It didnt tell me anything I didnt already know PAH

elantan

ive always enjoyed the blog fw ... always read avidly ... just that last post really struck a chord with me ... when i thought about where i was years ago and where i am now i realised i really have learned alot ... i do have "things" but they were obtained in as mse way as poss .... something must be sticking when i read things rofl ....

i look forward to the next post

Firewalker

This is rather extraordinary! It seems that a combination between frog eating, Tim Ferris and short to do lists with only two or three critical items and the American Youngster with the three point procrastination buster is working; and very well indeed.

During the weekend I mind mapped my weekly goals. You know that I cross what I have already done with yellow marker – well my weekly goals mind map is turning nicely yellow. Yesterday and today I have worked from a daily goals list which is written on a piece of paper that is one eight of an A4 (fold the A4 page in three and cut it). The smallness of the paper as Tim mentioned is a good discipline – I can’t get more than six items on it anyway. All items were linked to my weekly mind map and on each of the days I managed to forget about all the work I have to get through in the next couple of months and focused single mindedly (with the determination of a budgeting edict) on the daily items. And the verdict is...all items get done. I have been shifting stuff, feel in control, manage to do other stuff and also can sleep.

But in the morning I get out of bed without snoozing because I have my daily goals already and I know exactly what I am doing. Wow.

Tomorrow I am teaching on a course most of the day; a perfect opportunity to make some high ranking policy makers think and enjoy it.

Good night.

Firewalker

Firewalker

Just noticed and could wait to share. I don't actually have negative wealth to my name at the moment - there is someone else on the loan with OH but it certainly ain't me:rotfl:.

Firewalker

Cheery_Daff

:rotfl: :rotfl: Oh dear!

Glad your list system is working! I was rather unsatisfied with mine - not the list itself, but how it was written down :rotfl: Perhaps the smallness of the paper is an issue! I used to enjoy doing mind maps on little pieces of card - perhaps I need to go back to that!