Horace's Biting the Bullet Diary

ani_26

When you have no money, its the most difficult thing in the world to generate money. Its a great shame so many self employed people are struggling. Even large companies are struggling. Three more i work for have now bitten the dust.


Its even harder when you feel so low and so alone.


Much love and hugs Nh xx

Horace

Horace's rent has been paid:j although now have overdraft at the bank:(

Nipped to Lloyds TSB this morning but I lost the will to live standing in the queue with one till open so came away, may nip back later.

Have printed off (why did I leave my expensive paper in the printer??) the job description for the job at MG - it is something that I could easily even though they have asked for automotive dealer marketing experience but my devious little mind is thinking of the time when I was PR for a national motorcycle club and managed to persuade bike dealers to have our promo stuff in their shops. One thing that concerns me is they have asked what salary I would like - I hate questions like that and tend to ignore them in the hope that i am offered something decent. I will also need to put why I am applying - it is the one job that I would love to do and the only one to tempt me away from self employment (hopefully I will be able to do both).

Rang up Office Angels too and have been told that I can expect secretarial temp work to be paid at £7.50 an hour and general admin at £6.50 an hour - it isnt a lot but it is something - CV is going to wing its way over.

Feeling less tearful now although still very very stressed. I may even treat myself to my final square of G&B's dark cherry chocolate that has been residing in the fridge for 2 months:eek: I will break into some of my cash and get milk because I cannot live on instant hot choc or ovaltine. I have £2.60 in my purse...madness really having that argy bargy in Tatco's this morning (stress does funny things).

Horace

Cinderella may just go to the ball after all - I am busy as are others looking for a lift share to Abersoch, I would love to go and would have to share petrol money so would have to pay a fiver (as all I can afford). What I would prefer is to give people a lift and they pay me:D Am I mad to still want to go when I cannot particularly afford it - it seemed like a good deal at the time costing £30 for 3 nights/4 days including all food. Although after the trip to Harlech, I dare not even think about having a choccie bar as a snack in case I get shouted at.:eek:

Phoned Virgin about my mobile contract because I would like to reduce it - currently pay £35.74 a month which gives me 1000 minutes, 3000 texts and 1gb of internet. The twit (Dan) at Virgin said I could increase my contract to £66 a month and then decrease it to the level I am on now - I cannot decrease it any further:mad: Guess it is a good job that I barely use my other mobile which is on mate's rates so I get a big discount each month plus I didnt use it last month so my bill was a big fat zero. I keep this other phone to for my parents really.

I am part way through the application letter for MG - it is something that needs a great deal of attention whereas the other jobs are a case of bang and the app is done (a bit like cillit bang:rotfl:).

Nipped to corner shop earlier and came away with a ltr of milk (82p) and a bag of sugar (£1) - it was a toss up between a reduced bag of spuds or the sugar and I am afraid the sugar won because I cannot drink tea/coffee without it.

bast

The office work sounds good.. and Office angels arent meant to be a bad agency. Any money has got to be better than what you have coming in at the moment. I think the break would do you good, if you can just about afford I would go. Pants about the mobile phone contract, I really dont like any of them, they are all as bad as each other... x

chevalier

are you still in contact with the virgin phone then? did you tell them you are in financial difficulties? If you didn't then it might be worth phoning back in the hope of getting a more effiecient twit!
chev

Millie2008_2

How are you this morning hun?

FWIW I think you should go away too, if you can, esp as it is paid for. Just stay away from the chocolate police

:cuddle: x lots xx

Horace

Morning peeps

Another day of stress awaits..god, I hate feeling like this:mad: I am on a contract with Virgin until July 2012, they know I am in financial difficulty but won't reduce the payments so I am making darn sure I use my minutes.

The CV has been sent to Office Angels - I worked for them back in the 1990's although I note that their rate of pay hasn't increased any..sigh.

I am still formulating my letter to MG - it needs care and attention and I have remembered things that I used to for other employers that will cover me for the automotive marketing and exhibition stand stuff. They are asking me what salary I would like - needless to say I may ignore that question.

I need to contact Amex again because although they have reduced my monthly payments to £36 for 12 months, it is still too much for me in my current situation. I need to contact Virgin because I have noticed that they are charging me interest yet the balances transferred were transferred at 0% - I am hoping that they will give me some breathing space, I will then write to them showing them my budget. Thankfully, I have never spent on the card and have only used it for balance transfers.

Felt sorry for one of my friends, she phoned me this morning and instead she got the depressed, stressed and frustrated me which is unfair because she is in the same boat only worse because she has kids and her husband is also an artist and is struggling.

I have an awful feeling that my rent has not been paid - I had a text from the bank this morning yet I was told yesterday that it had. Even if I had a new bank account, I still wouldnt be able to cover my bills because I just don't earn enough.

Spent last evening boggling at the tv and the programme Extreme Couponing - it was like a military operation and people were buying over $1000 of shopping yet with coupons it was reduced to either $50 or $0. It was quite bizarre as they had stockpiled stuff to the point where they started to clear out their shelves and donate that stuff to charity whilst they spent more to restock. I am lucky if I see a coupon these days..the last one I have is for half price Persil liquid which is biological and I am unable to use it due to allergies.

Guess I am also feeling cruddy because hairy mary is back and my grey hair is showing. My hair is in desperate need of a cut - I last had it done in March but I cannot afford it so will have to do without cut or colour (I cannot colour it at home).

I need to change some coins into pound coins - I have gathered together £2 in 5ps and £1 in 1ps which combined with the £5 I already have will give me £8 for the weekend which isnt really enough for a petrol contribution if petrol is to be split 3 ways..sigh. Anyway by hook or by crook I will get there.

Tonight, I will have a bit of pork belly or lamb steak with the rest of my tinned spuds and veg. I had a rummage on the bottom shelf of my fridge yesterday, thinking that I may have some jam left and instead found a pot of shippams beef paste which wasn't open - it is now LOL. I can have beef paste for lunch today and tomorrow I have 3 thin slices of spam which is the last of it.

stripes

Big hugs, you rock! Hang on in there!

Horace

The letter is still being written - it isnt a hard letter to write but I want to get the wording exactly right before I send it and my CV to MG. I am trying to think of a way of explaining about my self employment and why I want to quit it and work for them. I have written something but I need to do something else and revisit it. Pity, I can't apply as Horace because then they woudl think I was a man instead of a woman daring to break into a man's world. I am wondering about mentioning my love of cars and the fact that I have in the past built a kit car?

This morning when I was chatting to my friend, we were talking about cupboards and food. Really our cupboards arent totally bare - mine is full of coffee, soup and pasta, I have stuff in the freezer and could manage and would only need to buy milk. Bread is kept in the freezer and I generally take out 2 slices at a time...nothing goes to waste, I even butter the crusts and have them with soup. With regard to washing powder I have a big box that I bought last year, I use an old dishwasher powder scoop (a remnant from my days at the Uni when I was responsible for a kitchen) to measure out the powder. I have about half a box still as I eke it out. There is nothing like being frugal.

My Hard Times Handbook which I picked up 2nd hand in a charity shop in Oz in 2003 for $3 AUS is coming in very handy. The book was first published in 1939 and as a paperback in 1984 and it is an old paperback that I have got. It is full of hard times tucker recipes as well as household hints, etc.

I need to use my LVs to buy chicken, eggs and a few other necessities like bin bags, some fresh veg inc spuds would be nice as opposed to frozen, then I can cook some of the recipes in this book.:D

Wordsmith

Morning, Horace. I'd say it was relevant to say you love cars and you built a kit car; I would just be wary about where you say it and how you say it. Maybe where you are giving reasons for why you want the job (I'm sure they've asked you that), you could say, "I have a love of cars, to the extent of building my own kit car.", and leaving it at that, giving lots of reasons for why you'd be good at the marketing etc. Or on your CV, under "Interests", put the point, "Cars (driving, watching racing, current trends, building kits)", or something along those lines.

Things are sounding a bit more positive. Stay strong.