Karmacat: I'm passionate about my DFW journey to riches

Karmacat

Thanks LJ! Thats a good idea. I have a humongous list of projects, not a to-do list, in a recess in the living room, sort of a cupboard with no doors, and I make weekly/daily lists in my diary, but I might adapt your idea for phone calls - I *hate* talking on the phone, always have for some reason. Maybe it feels intrusive, maybe its cos I didn't grow up with one. But its definitely slow and steady wins the race. Off now to update that previous "list" post - thank heavens the mse software allows that....:o

Lucy1982_2

Hi KC

I have problems on the phone to, I get all embarassed and tongue tied! I always feel like I have know idea what I am talking about.... I would rather not call if I have another way of contacting someone.

Karmacat

Hi Lucy - thats exactly it, I won't call if I have another way of contacting someone - email has been a godsend. Its getting a bit awkward at the mo, a friend has just moved to Germany for a while, and she *really* wants me to ring her... sigh.... the only people I can chat to freely on the phone are my mum and my sister. Ah well.

Karmacat

Well, all this accounts work has given me ideas about how to use the money in the little savings account that holds all amazon & mystery shopping money, etc. I was going to pay it off the 0% card... don't ask me why, I think it was because it would improve my cash flow.... and try to really whack it down with matched betting etc, to the extent of not getting a replacement card.

But I've just been approved for an A&L account - so I can put mb and bingo etc onto a different account from my normal - and they've given me a 0% credit card with that account (I think, tho I can't see it in what detail I've got so far).

I've also been going through my money and bills etc with a fine toothcomb, cos of doing my accounts for the last tax year. That means that even without the paper trading Im doing coming to fruition, there would be serious inroads made into the debt. And those inroads have to cut down the debt AND the interest.

All that interest I pay! My accountant told me that the loan was very tax efficient (cos its for a property), but does that mean I shouldn't try to pay it off? I'm going to have to ask her, it doesn't make sense to me. Still, the loan is at a lower rate than the mortgage in any case right now, so *everything* is going on the mortgage, in spite of the disadvantage to the cash flow, I don't care, paying this amount of interest makes me crazy.

Karmacat

One payment I'm definitely decided on making is to get another passport. My sister has just bought a property in France, using a British mortgage (they just got mortgage-free earlier this year, even without the benefit of this site! how cool is that?) and she wants me to visit, and there are people dotted all over the world I can visit - two friends in Germany, a relative in Tuscany, cousins in Australia and Zimbabwe (um, not sure I'd go to Zim again) and a cousin in New Jersey. France and Germany are deffo on the cards last year, I've had enough of this. Don't mind really pushing the debt free work if I can start to travel again - and nice Mr Tesc will fund my first Eurostar trip anyway! And A&L has free European multi trip insurance.

duchy

I'm pretty good at digging out cheap fares KC -am horrified to discover that one of my friends paid £600 to fly the same dates as me next week and I only paid £350 so if you want some pointers let me know.

lynsayjane

hey kc, I got bitten by the travelling bug this year and am now on the verge of booking paris for xmas! It's a wonderful opportunity to explore other cultures and with so many people in so many places it can be very cheap to do!

Karmacat

Heaven only knows what page my diary was on - had to go to my subs list to find it! Good! Lots of dfw posting going on....

Duchy and LJ, thanks for the above, btw - I understand the new passports take a while, so that'll be the first thing to get going. If I can't go to my sister's new pad in France next Easter, she *will* kill me.

So, whats going on in KC-land? My dratted accounts are nearly finished. I've got my paper trading software open at the mo, and just made a paper trade that in the real world, at real prices, would have netted me 17 points - I can bet at £1 a point upwards, so its £17 or £170 or.... ooh, lets dream, £340? That would be nice, wouldn't it.... My A&L account is confirmed as approved (for matched betting and bingo stuff I've been reading about, don't want that cluttering my ordinary account). Updated my Olympic Challenge money a bit, an extra £30 in the pot, even without Amazon. I did 1.25 hours exercise on Saturday, between fast walking and digging in the garden, so was completely knackered yesterday. Still did a bit of walking. Physically the big problem is staying asleep long enough.

So, things to do:
1. finish accounts.
2. get stuff listed on amazon.
3. mystery shop on Thursday.
4. get some sleep!
5. read through matched betting again, gtd and me are going to make a killing.
6. Rats! Stop paper trading and start doing, trusting my knowledge. The 17 point paper trade I just made would now be at 52 points if I'd trusted myself! I do think thats the limit of the trade, its come up against a much bigger stopping point, but thats......... lots of money. £52. £520. £1040? That would be handy to sort out my debts, wouldn't it? Ah well.

GettingThingsDone

Morning KC!

You can come and dig my garden anytime by the way. Sounds like you're getting things sorted - I think the travelling idea is fab. If you don't go to your sister's new pad at Easter, then I will !!!

Don't you need to have a lot of money for spread-betting, in case it turns against you?

gtd

Karmacat

Hi gtd

My own garden is big enough, thanks awfully :rotfl: I'm looking forward to travelling again - there are lots of potential places to stay.... I think my sister might have a few words with me, tho, if some man turned up on her doorstep suddenly instead of me tho!

Spread betting - yep, you need to have money. I have money! I just don't want to use it to pay off my debts. Seriously, I've been paper trading for about two years now, keeping strict account of live paper trades, and at £10/point, I'd have averaged about £650 a week. The money that sits in my trading account is less than 0.3% of my total net assets, to sort of answer your original question, so not a problem.