301k in debt and morbidly obese - things aren't great!

Igamogam

cazmanian_minx wrote: »

Partly confirmation that this isn't a first step towards surcharging Highlands and Islands as we don't exactly have the breadth of choice that the rest of the country does when it comes to choosing alternative services for parcels. It doesn't actually affect me, as I have a business account and can use RM24/RM48 which doesn't have the split into Small and Medium parcel, but for other small businesses in the area who don't send the quantities required for RM24/48 or people selling on eBay, it's a real disadvantage.

Our politicians managed to get the fuel duty discount for the Islands and it's possibly going to spread to the most remote parts of the mainland as well (I pay £1.50 a litre for diesel here), so it's not impossible that a similar deal could be brokered with Royal Mail.

custardy wrote: »

RM tried to get zonal pricing years ago
lets be honest. it will come

Might all change when you get your independence - or is that a whole new can of worms;)

MrBloater

Still drifting along here - thought I would be able to give myself the kick up the backside I need but week 1 of the break is now over and progress towards my goals has been, er, patchy.

Things I have done that have helped
- Managed to pay off the bills for April
- Declutter downstairs to within an inch of its life - our small house now looks quite big (from certain angles and with a bit of imagination)
- Get my first cashback from Quidco and joined up for some Petrol Price thing
- Devised some 'hooks' to drive traffic to my website
- Updated website

Things I haven't done
- Listed anything else on eBay other than that which just entails me hitting the relist button. Hence I have a whole chunk of vinyl on there for the umpteenth time but I'm too scared to put anything else on there cos of the postal charge changes - and also digging through my sellable stuff is nigh-on impossible when the kids are awake (cos they also start digging) or when they are asleep (cos it's a noisy business)
- Exercise. It's getting ever more embarrassing. I'm hating it that I have to come on here and admit to not doing any. I also ate so much lasagne last night that I got marooned on the sofa like a beached whale. I fear I may have bloated back up to Aug 2011 weights.
- Drinking. Luckily cos Mrs B is quite a sociable soul there are always people round here and they seem to come around and deposit unopened bottles in our fridge - this week there's been Velvety Merlot, Sloe Gin, Proscuttio (sp?) all of which I have gainfully rehoused.

On the plus side again though, the kids are having a lovely time, and I do feel fully recharged. Next week I have to take these things a little more seriously, and also pop into work for one day to make sure I stay ahead of the game there as well. Having finally worked out what the subscribe process is all about, I have found myself getting drawn into other peoples' diaries and have even dished out a bit of advice - am getting soft and cuddly in my old age.

So here's what I need to do.
- Finish off website and Kindle stuff so there is finished product on there to sell when my hooks start hooking.
- Get off my sofa and waddle around a bit next week - build myself slowly to regular 5k runs again
- Get listing on ebay and quit making excuses

triple_choc_chip

Well Mr B, I think you are being very hard on yourself. You knew in advance that this would be the most difficult month and another three similar following on before outgoings drop.

You have paid all your bills - fantastic! Even if your debt total doesn't move down much for the next 14 weeks, if you can prevent it rising you're winning.

I think you meant prosecco - my favourite, your wife obviously has discerning friends.

Onwards and upwards!

chocoholicqueen

Wow Mr B what a diary. I have just read the whole thing over the last 4 days and have been really inspired by you. I started my debt busting and diet in January and the debt busting is going well but we won't mention the diet :eek:.

I would definitely love to read any new stuff you write, if you every get the time, good luck with it all.

MrBloater

Time to report back on progress so far - website and associated Kindle stuff is now all up and running - seems pretty slick so I just sit back now and see how many fish swim into the net. Exercise hasn't happened (but calorie counting has) so that's half marks I guess and as for the dragging lifesucking sinkingfeeling that is ebay listing - nah - can't face it yet.

Upsidedown_Bear

Free listing this weekend on fleabay if you can face it

patman99

Keep going MrB. The end is indeed in sight.

Fortune_Smiles

Well done Mr B :T Fingers crossed for lots of fish swimming your way.

Fortune x

MrBloater

Plenty of things to ponder at the moment here at Bloater HQ.
1) Couple of potential jobs in the field I want to move into have come up. The 'junior' one is (after tax) £241 a month more than I'm on now, the 'management' one would put me in a range of between £454 to £665 a month better off and a job title more in keeping with where I should have been if I had not had the bombshell in September. So it sounds like a no-brainer as to whether I apply or not. Except I have some loyalty to my current place, who headhunted me when I was at my absolute lowest and I doubted whether I would even be able to continue my career. I know there is no place for sentiment and all that blah, but my reputation does mean a lot to me - so I don't want to go around upsetting any applecarts.

2) Been provisionally offered (via post) a loan at a decent enough APR that would allow me to clear all my CCs - be paying roughly the same amount each month as I am now to clear the minimum payments, but with an end point and an ever decreasing balance. Plus freeing up the cards for emergencies. Of course to the outside world this looks like a no-brainer but I'm sure a lot of you on here are also well aware of what happens when you get a loan to clear the cards. The cards start getting used again and then the hole is even deeper.

3) Have had a healthy amount of hits to the website, not sure how many have resulted in any Kindle purchases yet (those reports come out monthly) but initial signs are good. But I have developed a new found respect for the self-employed - to throw yourself headfirst into a project and have everything hanging on it, and the emotional reactions if nobody takes any notice - I seriously salute you all - even doing it as a side project is a psychological rollercoaster for me, how you lot maintain your sanity is a mystery to me. Hats off.

4) Am not even going to humiliate myself by talking about exercise other than to say that the window between the final practise session for the China GP tomorrow morning and the start of the qualifying coverage (around 4 - 6.00am) would have been a perfect time for me to go out trundling, but having discovered that the only remaining booze in the house (Triple Sec) goes perfectly with orange juice - that window has now been shut. On the upside, I am developing a very healthy glow which will either be the vitamins or the alcohol.

gb12345

MrBloater wrote: »

3) Have had a healthy amount of hits to the website, not sure how many have resulted in any Kindle purchases yet (those reports come out monthly) but initial signs are good.

If you are selling eBooks through Amazon's KDP then you get reports more frequently than that.

There is a "Month to Date" unit sales report, that will show you the number of "units" you have sold/had borrowed this month and last month - that is updated regularly (not sure if it is real time or daily). Doesn't tell you whether you got 35% or 70% royalties, but will give you an idea of earnings.

Then there is the "Prior 6 Weeks Royalties" report, which is updated each Sunday and shows the royalties for sales only (not borrowed books) over the last 6 weeks (broken down by week).

Finally, there is the "Prior Months Royalties" report, which is generated on the 15th of the month and shows total royalties generated in the previous month.

You can also get associate commission on your eBooks if you sign up for the Associates programs.