Horace's Biting the Bullet Diary

Horace · 27 September 2011 at 9:35AM

Feeling a bit more inspired today, sure I still have applications to submit and waiting for this ruddy call from JSA.

This morning, I have washed up the things from yesterday - not much but I would normally leave it until so much had accumulated it depressed me just washing up.:o

I may well have sold that unwanted prize of a hotel room in Sheffield - the guy contacted me last night but I was in a presentation so couldn't respond and I got home too late to make the call, will phone him today. That £50 will go to clearing my business bank overdraft thus leaving me £40 overdrawn which I should be able to clear by the end of October. Hopefully the bank will let me use my account thereafter. I have more things to list on Gumtree.

Last night I went to a presentation about Forever Living because I wanted to know more about it so that I could make an informed decision. I have explained that I do not have the money to buy the starter kit but my chum who sells it already said not to worry about that because I can sign up anyway. I have been having plans for a while for a ladies pamper evening networking event in Birmingham and this would be an ideal opportunity because the products are so nice and they do have make up and skincare all of which is natural and not tested on animals. It is something that would be fairly easy to sell and I have so many contacts anyway.

I have made a conscious decision to charge an annual membership fee for the networking breakfasts - it could well be £99 per annum which is under £100 but for some reason I can't shift £75 out of my head - it is still affordable for people. I always think that £99 is a bit of an odd number - do people really think wow I am getting a membership for under £100? Breakfasts would go up to £15 a head in line with other groups in the area and what I might do instead of having standing orders - have some kind of voucher system where they pay up front for as many breakfasts as they want and I may just throw in a free breakfast or a half price one.

Horace · 27 September 2011 at 12:42PM

Well, I have just had a call from the jobcentre and have a work focussed interview tomorrow - I need to take my accounts, bank statements, details of my Lloyds Shares which are worth ziperdee doodah (well they haven't paid a dividend for 2 years!). I need to take proof of self employment, certificate of incorporation. Thankfully my appointment is with an ordinary jobcentre bod and not the evil disability witch whom I was forced to make a formal complaint about.

I have managed to speak to the HMRC who have said that I will continue to get WTC for 4 weeks and that I should phone them after my meeting at the jobcentre to let them know the outcome because as yet I do not know how much money I will get if any.

My Forever Living chum has offered to sort out a ticket for a massive training day they are having in October, she has kindly offered to let me borrow some times to try for myself and has suggested other ways to make money including creating some of my own social networking workshops because she says that I am a fab networker.

Now I don't know what to do - do I go for the JSA or do I sit and struggle with what I have in the hope that something comes good? I must admit the JSA is looking attractive.

I need to go away and work on some prices for workshops which will inc venue hire - although I know one place that will do me a good deal and will include the flipchart because I do not have one of those (nor the means to buy one)..oh poo, just remembered I cannot access my business account at the mo.

Just remembered I have a committee meeting tonight and need to prepare the agenda for that..tis all work and no play for poor old Horace today. Plus I have to photocopy loads of stuff for tomorrow - s*d it they can have it on yellow paper because I am not wasting my expensive 100g white on them.

Horace · 27 September 2011 at 5:22PM

Grrrr timewasters:mad:

I put an unwanted prize on gumtree a few days' ago and I have been chatting with a guy who wants is, however he asked me to reduce the price from £50 and I refused. I spoke to the hotel today who said that the standard room with breakfast was £70 and £62 per night without breakfast. The guy has just contacted me to say he is coming round as he will give me £30 for it, so I have just sent him a text message to say that I had spoken to the hotel and got the room rate from them hence the £70 inc breakfast and that they had told me that £50 for the prize inc the breakfast was a darn good deal. It was £50 or nothing. So the guy has changed his mind. I have wasted in total 4 days on this chap:mad:

I have a good mind to go onto Gumtree and change the ad again saying no timewasters.

Memory_Girl · 27 September 2011 at 5:34PM

Have you tried Freecycle for a flipchart - that's where mine came from.

MG

chevalier · 27 September 2011 at 9:14PM

hi horace.
sorry it seems to be 2 steps forward and 3 back at the moment. hope it improves for you soon
chev

Horace · 27 September 2011 at 10:40PM

Timewaster really annoyed me tonight, I offer to reduce price to £40 and then girlfriend rings at about 9.30 asking me to book the ruddy thing for her - I am not about to book a hotel room for folks that I don't know or who haven't paid me for the room. Her BF rang me just before 10pm and then started shouting at me because he needs a room for Saturday night - I have stated that the dates are subject to availability and as I don't work for the hotel I do not know what dates are available. He was quite rude and to be honest I don't appreciate being screamed at down the phone. He then said he had wasted a whole day talking to me about the room and that I couldn't give a straight answer - I told him what the prize paper said barring the name of the contact at the hotel and the code he had to quote. He is narked because he wants to go to a party in Sheffield on Saturday night and he cannot get a room anywhere (hardly my fault). How dare I advertise a hotel room in Sheffield when people like him live in Birmingham! What bit about dates subject to availability and prize valid until December 2011 is so difficult to understand? I shall advertise the room elsewhere because I cannot be dealing with thick people, I think that what has annoyed me is the fact that he has wasted a lot of my time and then got abusive because I wouldnt make bookings or find out if there was a room available - sorry but time for making bookings costs extra and my going rate is £25 per hour or part thereof. I don't think that I am being unreasonable.

In other news I spoke to my mum tonight as she rang me to tell me that my aunt is moving house. She then asked me about finances and in the end I was bullied into telling her about my Virgin debt to which she went ballistic - how dare I get into debt bla bla bla. The upshot is that I am to go around for a visit (she is going to hate the state of my hair as it needs a good cut and it is very grey at the front) and she will give me the money for part of it. I am so fiercely independent that I don't want her to do that but admit too that it would be great help to me. She knows I am doing what I can to find a job.

Webgeek has said not to worry about the money I cannot pay him next month for my webhosting. He did try giving me advice about my networking thing and said that if I put the price up to £12 that he wouldnt attend and really that I should not consider having an annual membership fee because money is tight for people, my view is if I don't have a membership fee and put up the breakfast cost then the business just doesnt happen.

In other news I found my share certificate and just need to do some printing out for tomorrow's meeting at the jobcentre.

Millie2008_2 · 28 September 2011 at 7:41AM

Hotel man sounds like an eejit! I'd sack him off and advertise elsewhere :nods:

Tough one re. your mum. I know my mum would want to do the same and I know I'd feel the same as you. In fact my mother complains about my hair needing a cut all the time

Are we long lost sisters? :rotfl:

Hope the meeting goes ok today xx

Horace · 28 September 2011 at 10:29AM

Overdrawn at the bank again. Need to phone Amex to get my payment to them shifted to the end of the month - I do not want to miss it because I am on a care programme with them for 12 months. Phoned bank today - they offered me a personal loan which i refused saying that it would be irresponsible of me to take them up on their kind offer. They are sending me some forms though because when a member recommends them to another person who opens an a current account the new sign up gets £100 and the recommender gets £50 - sounds like easy money to a blogger like me:D

My papers have been sorted for the jobcentre today so I am all set - I must admit that I feel sick going in there after my bad experience last time. Still I have paid taxes since I left school so I have no reason to feel ashamed and it is only the second time I have been on the dole in my life.

Today I have discovered another creditor so need to write to them offering a nominal payment. I need to type begging letter for the business club and type and circulate the minutes.