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

Karmacat

Hi all

Yes, he's a himbo. With a sense of humour, hurray! Nah, he's a Canadian actor in a long running science fiction series, I've been an SF fan since I was 10 (and thats a long time!).

That organisation book - yep, I'll take help anywhere I can get it! Thing is, I know where I lose time - using the computer badly (checking emails too often, playing stupid freebie computer games for ages), fiddling about with the surface of things. I used to slump and watch TV too much, but I don't do that any more - I do the GFK TV survey every day, and I've often just watched one hour while I've been doing other stuff, so thats okay.

Bit worried at the mo - I've definitely, finally come down with a lurgy, not a virus this time but an honest to goodness cold, can't remember the last time I had one. But I have to go to London today to work, so I think tonight, it will be a taxi home, since I get back to my own town at 11pm. No walking tonight.

From what I've heard of that book (the one hypno talks about?) I think I know what's going on emotionally with my bad time usage (sp?) - I think they're avoidance tactics, so I don't have to confront my tendency to shut myself off, by just keeping busy.

Karmacat

Just thought I'd list on my thread how my current challenge money is made out:

£
122.58 December payment to Northern Rock
2080.30 Paying off Capital One credit card, with money from mum.
500.00 December overpayment on mortgage.
123.22 January payment to Northern Rock
500.00 January (yesterday) overpayment on mortgage.
500.00 January (yesterday) opened up a new ISA - returning to cash free savings some of the money I took from them to have the porch built.

3826.10 TOTAL - 19.1%!!!!

Before I, or anyone else, gets too excited, the reality is that a lot of this has come from a gift, and from my savings - I've realised its more tax-efficient to put savings into my Nationwide mortgage, which they can be reclaimed from if necessary, than to save them in a savings account. But still, thats a lot of money! Seeing it as a percentage is... weird. I think for next month's mortgage overpayment, I'm going to use the money from the account where I've been keeping all the little Amazon/surveys/mystery shopping/V Casino from ss money - now *that* will have a real sense of accomplishment to it, I think I'll be really proud of that, this other stuff is great, but the way the little stuff I do has added up enough to make an overpayment is really important to me.

PS - since I've now added my French mortgage to my sig, I'm going to include the December and January payments on that in this challenge. I need to do a bit of research first on what exchange rate to use, but thats for another day.
PPS - in editing my sig, I just realised that my mortgage has sunk below £39k! Now that is exciting!

Karmacat

Been signing up to my 2nd bookie, and totalling all sorts of totals and whatnot, so:

£221.61 Olympic Challenge total to date. I'm pleased with that!
£ 85.52 matched betting, new account incentives and tiddly interest payments. Profits from the first bookie not yet counted.

Been tidying up lots too....

And something thats pleased me just as much: I want a sweet treat, but the ones in the local shops are all made from wheat, and the gluten free stuff is much too expensive on my budget. And I remembered how much I like crumble topping, and that I have (very old) gluten free flour in the cupboard: so I made some crumble topping! Its still in the oven just now, and we're swapping good vibes...

elantan

ok which sf series i am a bit of a saddo and watch alot of sf as well lol

hypno06

Ooh crumble topping...........yummy

Are you making custard to go with it

Karmacat

El - no, you're not a saddo! Its Stargate SG1, he's the "nerd" with glasses. They're plain glass, needless to say, those blue eyes are perfect

http://www.michaelshanks-online.com/images/stargate/ep/s09/dj_s9_080.jpg

Saddo? Moi? Pas du tout!

Hypno - omigod the crumble was great. I chopped up an overripe banana to go into (no more waste in Karmacat's household!) and it was scrummy. I didn't do custard, cos it doesn't taste quite as nice with soymilk. Okay, but not the custard of my memory. But the topping was something else, and it was *quick* as well, and gave out a lovely.... aroma.... is the only word I can use.

Been on my spread betting a/c after watching Lark Rise, and working out how I can make millions from the Dow Jones. At a fairly conservative calculation, by watching the computer every 15 mins for 5 mins or so at a time, and taking every trade thats offered, on this weird week in the stock markets I'd have netted 893 points. Um, even at the minimum £1 a point, thats a lot of points.... ye gods and little fishes, if I was doing it at my aim of £10 a point, thats getting on for nearly half my pre-tax net last tax year. Sorry to say stuff like this, but I really need to read it - how easy I could make life for myself, if I had the courage to press those buttons. I know it sounds like pie in the sky, but thats why I need to write it down in black and white, I could be out of debt so quickly if I had the courage to overcome my buttonpressing phobia. Maybe thats why the matched betting is so important to me, cos I have to get used to pressing the blinking buttons. Uh, I think I'm probably mad. Oh look at those nice men in white coats. :cool: Not for the spread betting, you understand, but for *talking* about it. :think: Bonkers.

Snaggles

Wow KC, I wish I understood spread betting, although I think I would probably lose all my money! I know what you mean though about the need to press buttons!

Where in France do you have a house? I would love to have a house over there, maybe in Brittany or somewhere. *sigh*

Karmacat

Hi Snaggles! How are you? I have an apartment, with 1.5 bedrooms - bottom end of the skiing market! Its in Haute-Savoie, which would have meant nothing to me before I got the place - its about 30km from Chamonix, the posh place. I don't go there at all, so I can get the highest rate of return on the rent, I need it!

Its one of the main reasons for my debt, I took the loan out cos the mortgage didn't cover the gap between the purchase price and the deposit. However, in my old age (which is not long now!!!) at this rate it'll provide about £100 a week, if the same management company keep it on. Its my sister that has the house, in Normandy (sorry, right next door to Brittany) - they bought it last year, with their youngest established at university and their mortgage on the house they live in paid off! Damn, management pays well.....

I love your sig about the computer! And I've commented before on the one about changing the world. You have such good sigs....

Snaggles

I'm good thanks, are you?

I've heard of Haute-Savoie, but never been there, as I can barely stand up on a pair of skis, never mind hurtle down a hill at breakneck speed on them. But it always looks such fun when I see others doing it. Do you think you will eventually spend more time out there yourself?

We went to Normandy a couple of years ago, it's a lovely area. Although I have to admit, I haven't found an area of France that I haven't liked yet!

I added the extra bit to my sig a couple of weeks ago - had a bit of a rough time and I honestly think I would have lost the plot if it hadn't been for this site!

Karmacat

I hope to spend more time at the apartment eventually - I don't see myself as having a conventional middle/later life! I need to get debt-free and start lots of travelling again as soon as I can, as I'm committed to looking after my mum when she needs it (she's 81, and can feel herself going downhill a bit, tho she's still active enough to attend an aquarobics class). Her mother lived till age 93, and my mum is fitter, a lot fitter, tho she has lung damage from smoking in the past, and there are some cancer worries.

I see myself living in the apartment for a while in my late 60s/early 70s - I'm actually 53 now, its not that long to go. I'd love to live in Barcelona for a while too before that, I went there with a friend for my 50th, and I really fell in love with it - its like Liverpool with sunshine, gorgeous place.

This morning, I've been doing the second matched bet for partybets - but my first didn't count, as it was at 1.6, and bets to acquire the bonus can't be 1.6 or less - that'll teach me to be late printing out the T&Cs. Ah well, its a pound or so. But today's bet wasn't smooth either - my computer seemed to freeze while I was placing the partybets bet, so I couldn't check if it had taken, so I didn't dare place the lay, which I'd already set up of course. So I had to restart the computer, and found that the back bet *had* gone through - but by then the very best odds at the exchange had almost gone. So I had to do most of the lay at 0.01 less good odds. And I've just realised I didn't recalculate the amount on the matcher. Again, its pennies I'll have lost, but it just goes to show the things that can happen. I'm not quite making that 95% return yet! I dunno, 90% return isn't bad, I can live with that.