Small Steps To A Bigger, Brighter Future

MuffinTops

Thanks Nora. You pinch away! I'm willing to share anything except Ferrero Rocher and men!!! In that order!

MuffinTops

There's lots of changes in my circumstances next year with my reduction in hours so I've had a look at the salary calculator and worked out my likely monthly take home amount. Based on this I've created a new tab on my spreadsheet for 2013 for the new salary and also to include the jars I've set up with IF and allocate the amounts there.

On standard salary I can OP £1,000 every month on my mortgage, but I'd like to find ways to add more to it.

So now I'm considering all other options of bringing more money in and the highest amount could be taking in a week day lodger. I love living alone but I have plenty of room in my house and would love no mortgage more so I really need to research this option, including inevitable increase in some bills.

Today I've checked all of my survey sites and I have enough in one for a £10 amazon voucher and enough in another for a £5 voucher. I currently have £5 already in my Amazon voucher account, so £20 towards Christmas has been pooled. VO has £2.00 in there, so needs another £8 to claim anything. It's nice finding out I had those saved up which I'd forgotten about.

I do get obsessed with it all! But I really want to be organised and ready for the New Year when everything changes.

BookWorm

MuffinTops wrote: »

Thanks BookWorm,
Do you have a diary set up? If so I'll pop along and have a read and subscribe too. The more motivation the better, and I do love getting comments on my updates.

No I don't have a diary (at this time anyway). Not quite at the point I feel 'ready' for that...but spending time in the MFW boards inspires me and maybe one day I'll be brave enough to take the plunge!

BookWorm

MuffinTops wrote: »

Thanks Nora. You pinch away! I'm willing to share anything except Ferrero Rocher and men!!! In that order!

:rotfl::rotfl:LOL

MuffinTops

BookWorm wrote: »

No I don't have a diary (at this time anyway). Not quite at the point I feel 'ready' for that...but spending time in the MFW boards inspires me and maybe one day I'll be brave enough to take the plunge!

Hi Bookworm,
I find reading what others do a great inspiration. I think I also need to be accountable too which lead me to start a diary. Plus, I have no one I can talk about finances with, as most people feel, so being able to blurt really helps me.

If you do start a diary, definitely let me know and I'll subscribe to it.

MuffinTops

Well, all great plans for the weekend fell out the way for new organic ones! I had quite a list of things I wanted to achieve but just found that I was enjoying doing other, just as productive, things so carried on with that.

So this weekend I managed to remove a lot of waste from my box room that I use as an office. I wasn't exactly ruthless but I did get rid of a lot of things I normally wouldn't, so very happy. I've also dug out a few items that I know I won't need for my end goal, so they're in the selling box ready for a photoshoot session!

Yesterday I also managed to spend no money at all so that £10 has gone into my sealed pot!

My challenges this week are to:
Not consume any caffeine at all - this includes chocolate and caffeinated soft drinks etc.
Start exercising - This week it doesn't matter what it is, it just matters that I put exercise time aside and get into that routine.

I've put a lot of thought into getting a lodger through the week if I can, and I'm pretty sure I'll do it next year.

icontinuetodream

Hi muffintops :wave: just thought I would pop in, say hello and wish you the very best on your journey!!

MuffinTops

icontinuetodream wrote: »

Hi muffintops :wave: just thought I would pop in, say hello and wish you the very best on your journey!!

Thank you so much. I do love your user name.

MuffinTops

I've now managed to push SuperPoints over the £5 amazon threshold today, so will claim those early November. Going to claim them all together as that's when I'll do my next bout of Christmas shopping.

Shop n Scan gave me an unexpected extra 1000 points for filling in some questions about my Saturday purchases!

I've also submitted some other bits and pieces which should earn me another £10. That will be saved until December as part of my sealed pot challenge which includes all unexpected income.

I met my friend J last night and we were planning to go and get some food but neither of us wanted to spend the money! By the time I got home I was shaking with hunger though as it was a lot later than when I normally eat. I did manage to stop myself getting a takeaway, so that's a bonus!

No caffeine yet, but have that caffeine head today. Clamp feeling around my head and dull ache in my right eye. Feeling quite positive about it as I know what it is and what it represents. So I'm pleased that it's departing my body. Caffeine has such a reaction with me I don't know why I insist on having it!!!!!

I've also tagged some YouTube videos that should help me on my self improvement path. I did that last night and over the weekend instead of watching TV. Tonight is busy, although may be able to scan through for a few more. Wednesday night I'll put aside to get home, do some exercise and then snuggle up with my iPad and go through them properly.

Challenge Update:
Give up Caffeine - So far so good.
Drink more water - Could do better. I'm going to set up some little reminders to drink until it becomes a habit.
Exercise - Not started. Just not feeling up to bouncing and moving around too much.

My head should start feeling clearer tomorrow so will go for a lunchtime walk and dig out an exercise DVD to go through tomorrow evening pre-YouTube updates.

MuffinTops

Well, I am so happy it's Friday! It's been a rough week where I've just really felt out of sorts and down for no real reason! Possibly a caffeine crash! A nice lie in tomorrow should help fix my mood.

I have managed to keep on top of getting the little extras in. I've only got £3 cashback to be paid on Quidco so that's not enough for the payout this time. I'll have no trouble increasing that with Christmas spends.

I've linked my nectar card on eBay so points will be automatic. The eBay site gave me the option to add my nectar card number for anyone who's reading this and wants to do the same.

I've increased my voucher amounts, although VO is still on a low figure. I'm just not qualifying for anything yet. But I am putting time aside in my lunch break and early morning to do any surveys that come in.

I've managed a couple of NSD's this week too, so I'm happy with those.

I've also signed up to watch the new bond movie and be paid to do it. As I'm feeling down I thought a high action movie with great reviews would help and it's a mystery shop request so I'll get my ticket price back and a little more. I've also seen that the cinema company accept Nectar points as payment, so I can pay by Nectar and put the cash into my sealed pot which helps me use my nectar points to overpay the mortgage.

In a bid of self improvement I have been going through the YouTube videos I put aside and have lots of things to help me. I also signed up for a tele-seminar last night to help me build my business and received some amazing advice. They have a workshop in November but I can't really justify the price at the moment so I'll work hard on the advice given and see how I do on that. There will be more workshops in the future if I feel I need that extra help.

My Mum took some advice from me last week and it saved her over £2K on something she was buying that she'd already put aside. As a thank you she popped into my wishlist and bought me a DVD camcorder and a vegetable cutter I've been wanting for a while so I have those to play with this weekend.

eBay is still on standstill with me. I relisted my item that's not selling again on Sunday, no bids or watchers, but other than that I've been very bad at spending any time putting anything new on there. This weekend I'll set myself a task to schedule at least 10 items that I can activate through the week.

The cold snap has started. I'm going to try to hold off putting my heating on if I can, but being busy helps keep me warm. I do need to go through and change the timers on my lamp switches though, especially with CLOCKS GOING BACK an hour on Sunday morning (Spring forward, fall back )

Challenges have been hit and miss this week. I have no excuses but will definitely try harder over the weekend and next week. As I've been focussed on getting extra money in I'm not going to be too hard on myself.

I've also decided to still boost my vouchers as much as I can but they won't go on Christmas this year. I'm still currently working full time and have already got a Christmas budget so I think the voucher help will work out better when I'm part time. I really want to push the increase in vouchers and get as much as I can still so that I don't have to worry about birthdays or gift giving, at least for next year and hopefully a lot longer.

Happy and frugal weekend to all!