365 Days to Make a Difference - Take 2!!

Emzilla

Hi everyone

I've been missing in action for quite a while - over 4 months :eek:. Not sure what happened, I just checked out. Didn't have any motivation for anything really. Maybe it was the cold winter months. I started a challenge before I left to make a lot of positive changes for the next 365 days and then look back after the year and see how far I've come and what I've achieved.

Anyway, I really do need to start afresh and get cracking with making some extra cash. I realised the other day that I was spending far too much time just sitting around and doing nothing. Spending hours playing games on my tablet - not at all productive!! The games have been deleted and I'm trying to put my time to better use.

I've got a lot to look forward to in April. OH and I are going on a 90s/00s night on the 8th. Only cost £20 for both of us and quite a few of us are going, so should be a laugh (even if I can't dance as much as I used to).

I've got a new phone coming next week too. I got it through work, so will be paying for it out of my wages each month. It's an iPhone SE, but more importantly, it's 64GB. My current phone is 8GB and there's nowhere near enough storage for all the money making apps I want to put on there. I got a MacBook last year through the same method, and this isn't anywhere near that much, so I will actually get more pay from next month onwards, despite the phone.

Then it's my birthday on the 25th, followed by a meerkat experience the next day that my OH got me for Christmas. We're going to Telford for it, so will make a day of it. I get an hour to spend with the meerkats, so should be interesting!!

Finally, we're off to Berlin at the end of the month for 4 nights. A treat from OH for my birthday. Will be nice to get away and I'm looking forward to the week off work.

In other news, OH wants to get a cleaner. I think in part this is due to my very lazy attitude recently. I know I've got an illness, but I can still do housework, if I pace myself. He works full time in London, so it's tough for him to do much during the week, as he is basically out of the house for at least 12 hours a day.

I would love to avoid getting a cleaner if possible. I understand where OH is coming from, and I know he's thinking of me too, but I don't want to give in and end up paying around £60 a month (and that's only for 2 hours a fortnight), when we could be using that money for other things.

I've got a weekly rota that I've created with a room each day to clean and what needs to be done in each of those rooms, including some tasks that need completing once a month. Today it's the kitchen.

Money wise, I have been earning bits and pieces here and there. I had £10 from Lucky Phone the other day, am waiting for a £10 Amazon voucher and have done really well on Prolific Academic recently - £20 payment last week and requested another one yesterday. I'm also already up to £13 (cleared and pending). I've been doing a bit of overtime at work too. Including the extra hour I've got today, I've earned an extra £56.70 in March.

Right. I'm going to end this post now and start my day 1 list of stuff to do.

Emz xx

Emzilla

I've still got 4 hours before I have to leave for work today. Plenty of time to get some stuff done. Time for a list:

1. [STRIKE]Load dirty dishes into dishwasher[/STRIKE]
2. [STRIKE]Put away clean washing[/STRIKE]
3. [STRIKE]Put another wash on[/STRIKE]
4. [STRIKE]Put washing out to dry[/STRIKE]
5. Clean kitchen worktops/cupboard doors
6. Clean kitchen blind/window ledge
7. [STRIKE]Clean out fridge[/STRIKE]
8. [STRIKE]Clean hob/Microwave[/STRIKE]
9. [STRIKE]Hoover up around animals[/STRIKE]
10. [STRIKE]Have a bath before work!![/STRIKE] - Turned out to be a shower due to lack of time.

I think maybe 20 minutes hard work out of each hour will get all that done.

I'll try and get other stuff done in between - lunch, surveys etc.

Emz xx

WeeMidgie

Good to see you posting again Emz, I had missed you and hoped that you were OK . Re getting things done, little and often looks like a good system, I do 15 minutes at a time. The thing is to stop before getting too tired... thus keeping it all manageable.

Emzilla

Thanks WeeMidgie

So, two items not completed. The fridge and hob took a lot longer than I thought. Will add the others to tomorrow's list.

Just enough time for a snack before work.

Emz xx

Oh, and I'm up to £15 on Prolific

jwil

Nice to see you again Emz, I was wondering how you were getting on

beanielou

Glad you are ok

stressed.mum

Good to see you back Emz, don't blame you for taking a break xx

enthusiasticsaver

I always think it is difficult to get motivated when it is cold and rainy outside over the winter. Spring always puts people in a better mood. I do little bits of housework too every day rather than do big cleans. I am recovering from awful virus which I have had for more than a month so when energy is low just doing a few things a day is manageable. Cleaners are expensive in your area. £60 for 4 hours! (Unless they send 2 in which case that is reasonable). I would balk at paying that if you feel able to do it yourself.

How much debt are you aiming to clear?

dawnybabes

Found you again :-)

I hate hate hate cleaning

constantworrier

Have a great day Emz.

Emzilla

Emz shuffles back in with her head down in shame

Well that didn't go to well did it? Sorry I've been MIA again. Thank you for your replies and thanks for the birthday wishes Constant Worrier :A

I had a lovely birthday and a great day with the meerkats afterwards, even if it was a bit cold! Berlin wasn't too good. It was cold and wet there. I quickly came down with a cold, that developed into a chest infection. It turned quite nasty because it was left untreated for a few days and I ended up being off sick for a couple of weeks. All better now fortunately.

Not much else to report, except I need to get back into DFW/MSE ways pronto.

So I'm currently trying two things:

1. Make £10 a day - literally. I'm adding up surveys and other bits I get done each day until I hit that £10 figure. If I want to carry on, I can, otherwise I can just be happy with my £10 for that day. £300 a month pretty much guaranteed (if I can keep it up ). I've only been at it for a couple of days, but it's going well, and is easier than I thought to be honest.

Yesterday I made £11.09, made up of £0.77 Jackpot Joy free spins, £1.00 New Vista and £9.32 Prolific.

Today, so far, I've made £13.44, made up of £1.25 JPJ free spins and £12.19 Prolific.

I reached the £20 threshold today, so have requested it to my new Circle account

2. Keeping the flat tidy by doing 30 minutes cleaning a day. Doesn't matter what it is, as long as I do something. Just set my phone for 30 minutes and keep going until the timer sounds.

I did manage to do this for about a week last month, before I got fed up with OH not pulling his weight (we agreed he would do it too, but I think that's unlikely to happen seeing as he's out of the house pretty much 12 hours a day at work).

I'm going to start doing my 30 minutes again, possibly tomorrow, if the weather is a bit cooler (I'm suffering a bit in this heat - absolutely no energy to do anything physical).

Think I'll give the laptop a rest for a bit - I'm overheating!!

Emz leaves, feeling a bit better