The 2008 Money Neutral Gift Challenge

jamtart6

wow tatty cath you are doing really well!!

http://www.onepoll.com/ (its not a referal link). 5 minute sign up, and then complete the 'active surveys' I'm on £10.15 and started about 3-4 weeks ago. Regular short surveys, each one takes less that 5mins!!!

mum2one

dads they come in useful, Ive tried that opened envirophone in my account, then refered him for his phone, so fingers crossed.

My little pink safe - has £22.00 from money off vouchers etc, since new year
Quidco - (3 accounts, mine, mum and dads) - convinced!! them that that dont really want there share of the cheques, all had £20.00 payouts this week, so thats daughter easter - summer ballet paid for.

The question i ask myself - how the heck she is so dainty and shes my daughter!!

Digressing slightly but i saved £35.00 yesterday, due some money in bank account, keep a barclays account open for the odds and sods, let me draw mon, out £10,but when I checked the account yesterday £40 o/d. Barclays had slapped a £30 bank charge on - as the £!0 they gave me, there was only 17p in account - but cash machine gave it me.

They refused to give me the money back, all was my fault, but they would log it as a complaint but can take upto 21 days to go through.

So i staged a sit in, (got dad with me, hes 69, Im late 30s, stuck on crutches!), they refused to budge, so I threatened to contact the papers (1st thing that come to mind), they said go ahead, so i rang The Sun, they suggested to ring the local paper 1st (if it had been big sum of money they would be interested), so bluffed and said thats a brilliant idea, with the paper being local there send a photographer around, look really gd me infront of the bank on the crutches (was going for the sympthay vote), which at that point in time barclays decided that there may of been an error of judgement, and as a goodwill gesture the would refund the charge!
My 1st stop after the bank............ the ladies toilet............. x

mum2one

jamtart6 wrote: »

wow tatty cath you are doing really well!!

http://www.onepoll.com/ (its not a referal link). 5 minute sign up, and then complete the 'active surveys' I'm on £10.15 and started about 3-4 weeks ago. Regular short surveys, each one takes less that 5mins!!!

A massive thank you, have now added onepoll into my llttle black book! x

jamtart6

wow go mum2one!!! thats a great story ! well done for sticking to your guns!
Great savings for you too!!!

Can I ask - where do you guys keep all your money neutral savings? I was thinking of opening a savings account, but I want it all in one place ie. with vouchers etc. too

tattycath

I have just opened a savings account with Yorkshire bank? internet account-interest 6% i think, it was reccomended on this website anyway so it must be good!! I have a plastic snap shut case for my vouchers and one for my moneyoff coupons and a big red book to write down my monthly grocery spends and when I get the morrisons stamps ands how much value in money off coupons i have used in a month and what giftvouchers I have and their values-and where they are from(ie pigsback etc). I also note when and how much extra mortgage payments we have made etc. hth.

mum2one

Ivw got an Ing direct saving account, not the best interest think its 5%, if I spend a voucher, I then transfer the money to ing direct, (though its atzero at mo - did all the beargain hunting innJan sales - still owe myself £23.00 - but got boots vouchers coming so top up phone and that balance out)

if its grocery etc then weve got the mini pink safe. The paln of action is to leave the pink safe as a surprise, daughter wants to got to the pub 4 xmas dinner again, (we did it last yr - payout from all vouchers, but taxi, drinks, and food bill £200) refuse to pay for it out of my pocket.

Also got a note book on go - each site has got there own page

front of book - daily sites I use, Quidco, Greasy palm, Mutual Points
Back - got the weekly visits + survey invites, eg- tolune, one poll, its ur view.
x

jamtart6

VOUCHERS & CASH FOR MONEY NEUTRAL CHALLENGE UP TO NOW:
ARGOS: £19.72 from envirophone, both phones passed & voucher received
BOOTS CARD: £12
BOOTS VOUCHERS C/O PIGSBACK: £40
OTHER BOOTS VOUCHERS: £15
CD WOW : £1
CASHBACK REWARDS (FORGOT I HAD THESE!): £7.27
QUIDCO: £21.50
EBAY: £0
MARKS & SPENCER: £35 (did an exchange for boots points!)
OTHER CASH: £5 arrived Envirophone and £50 from Boots Points
TOLUNA: 20'000
HMV: £0
TESCO: 114 POINTS
NECTAR: £1.72
WATERSTONES: 85p
ONEPOLL: £10.00

Really pleased this week as my Argos vouchers have come from Envirophone.
* Red denotes updates this week!

February Occasions:
Valentines Day - £20 cash spent, £2.50 boots points spent
Friends Birthday - Boots points spent

Total Cash Made 82.43 Total Cash Left 67.43

MONEY NEUTRAL CHALLENGE:
January - 100% Money neutral
February - 100% Money neutral

News:
I am also buying a new dell computer this week so that should be about £40 cashback for this challenge too ! Although I won't count my chickens before they've hatched!

How are you all doing? I need to get back on to Toluna! If there is anyone who is new and needs anything explaining then give us a yell

tarky84

Hi, I found this thread through Martin's weekly email & I'm going to join in! Great idea. So far I've got £20 in Boots vouchers from Pigsback, another £6 odd on Pigsback & £5 on my Boots card - I hope my friends & family like stuff from Boots!!
Also got about 20,000 points on Toluna & have just joined onepoll, thanks for the tip!

jamtart6

welcome tarky and good luck

mum2one

tarky84 wrote: »

Hi, I found this thread through Martin's weekly email & I'm going to join in! Great idea. So far I've got £20 in Boots vouchers from Pigsback, another £6 odd on Pigsback & £5 on my Boots card - I hope my friends & family like stuff from Boots!!
Also got about 20,000 points on Toluna & have just joined onepoll, thanks for the tip!

Well done, dont know if you have got onto quidco yet, theyve got some gd offers, thou grab a glass of wine or 2 the 1st time you go on, my base rule to start with is ignore any sites with a % offer, just got for actual money and add these to favs, by this time dont worr if you have lost the will to go on.

Sign up for as many free sites as you can, a lot are one offs, the dateing sites are the funiest! but its fun and helps out with the xmas spend.

x