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

Karmacat

Mega decision this week: paying off all the money on the Cap One credit card, just over £2000. It came about because my mum, bless her, has decided to give me and my brother and sister £3,000 each: excess income thats been building up for her. She has savings as well, and owns her own home.

It feels very, very weird. Firstly that she's started to give us money: my parents never gave us money when we were in our twenties and really needed it (they didn't have savings, and even so they bailed my brother out endlessly, actually). I suppose, now that she sees we're in our fifties and still working at stuff (my brother just got married again and is setting up a new household, my sister has two kids in their early twenties and a new farmhouse in France, and I have a declining business and a French apartment) she wants to make things easier for us.

But the biggest thing is, how did we get from where I grew up to this? At one stage, we had no furniture, we used orange crates to sit on, not chairs, till my grandad bought some stuff at Paddy's Market; we had two changes of clothes, and one pair of shoes. That was it. I know how we did it really - free education, cheaper travel - and my parents did it by getting redundancy payments when they retired, but still.... it feels uncomfortable. I need to think about this some more!

Karmacat

Just thinking about stuff I've done over the last few days:
- bought my phone top up at Boots for the points (40).
- activated my A&L card for the m.b. account.
- put rechargeable batteries in my doorbell chimer.
- transferred money to my cheque account so I can pay off the credit card completely (astonishing!)
- sold another CD on amazon.
- won a voucher through the gfk tv survey
- got a confusing offer of a mystery shop that was out of date, then when I emailed a query, they allocated it to me. Its a phone call, so more profitable, hurray, I'll be doing that later today.
- but, rats, I just missed out on another one to a local town. Oh well.
- done some surveys, quite a few.
- did some little magazine cashback things on greasy palm (I *will* get up to the withdrawal amount, I will!).
- had a giggle at Martin's twiglets thing - the poor lamb!
- finally looked at my Christmas card list last night - I only need to buy 12 more, I'd bought two sets of remaindered cards in January, reduced from £3 to 69p. But I'm going to have to get them off in the next couple of days, or I'll need to spend on 1st class stamps, which kind of defeats the object!
- been slogging on with hypno's housework challenge, so that when I put the Christmas tree up (this weekend?) the living room doesn't look overcrowded.

hypno06

Fab progress - baby steps leading to big achievements over time :j

I have had a half hour blitz, now sitting with more coffee- have managed to cancel my lunchtime thing - It was not something I was desperate to do, but would have cost me £5 or £6 in petrol and parking alone.

That means that I have saved some money, and I also have another couple of hours doing stuff here that really needs doing.

As I was driving yesterday to work, it was quite foggy and very frosty, but the scenery was beautiful. It's very rural here so you could see for miles - if only I had a camera with me I might have been tempted to take a photo, but then again that would have invoved getting out of the cosy car:o

Sea78

Go you KC! You've got loads done I love it when I get those bargain Christmas cards in the sales - will be making sure i get some nice ones again in Jan

Karmacat

Hi guys

Been back a while, and chatting on hypno's thread (terrible hijack!) thought I'd update here:
- bought v luxurious clarins stuff for my sister at Boots - they were doing a points deal, and as I bought 3 items, I got £10 of points on my card, hurray.
- plus I asked if they had any free samples to stick in my bag "like they do at Debenhams" (and they do, they really do, I've noticed rich people ask for discounts or freebies, so why not me?). And she gave me five little tubs, which makes it look really gorgeous, I'm chuffed.
- had an acknowledgement from Jack Daniel's about registering with them, I got a freebie mug from them. Stargate, see: Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson - Jack, Daniel, geddit? That'll be fun when it comes along.
- couple of surveys.
- refused to buy airmail paper: its £3.49 for 40 sheets!!!!! I was horrified! Its probably such a small market now, they have to charge that, but its crazy, I'm just not paying it. Will have to find the thinnest paper I can to slip inside some of the Christmas cards.

Thats all, but it *feels* like I've done more, unfortunately. Really need to do the washing up now, its kind of piling up!

Snaggles

Wow, you have had a couple of productive days - congrats on the credit card, that's great news.

I'd never have thought to ask for freebies in Boots, will have to remember that one next time.

I always try to buy my Xmas cards in the sales too - such a bargain!

Karmacat

Odd about freebies, isn't it? I don't know if they want you to have a minimum spend, but I must have got above it. And this thing about rich people automatically getting them, or getting heavy discounts (like we heard earlier in the week about Dodi Al Fayed at that jeweller's).

And I'm looking forward to buying the remaindered cards in January, cards these days are so beautiful....

Snaggles

I think I will start getting really dressed up to go shopping, then hopefully I will look rich, and will get loads of freebies....wooo!

GettingThingsDone

Hi KC - sounds like you're getting loads done - keep up the good work

Hope to catch you soon

gtd

taxi73

WOW..KC..just read the whole of your thread...you've got loads done and well done paying that card off..