Becky's 2008 DFW diary

Beckyneedstosavecash

Hello everyone!

Well, since writing my first post on here a couple of days ago I thought this would be a good time to begin a diary of all my DFW movements, feelings, achievements, failings over the next year.

Firstly - my financial aims for 2008:

• To pay off my £1500 credit card
• To pay off my £1460 overdraft

In preparation for this have joined the Grocery Challenge and the Olympic Challenge aiming for bronze (£1008). I have signed up on the Pigsback website (490 points to date - need to work out how to increase this daily), signed up for a mystery shop (on probationary period at the moment so only able to do one job at a time, but hopefully if I get through that one successfully I'll be able to pick that up more regularly) and activated my selling accounts on both ebay and amazon. Arranged with another DFW to have a daily challenge between ourselves to see who can spend the least!

Below is a link to the tread I started at my lightbulb moment on 30/12/2007

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=654889

Aims for today:
Only spend money on brown paper for ebay / amazon packages
Package ebay and amazon items for sending
Go to parents for lunch (and probably dinner)
Cut up Xmas cards for gift cards next year
Try and find some other bits to sell on ebay

Any tips / ideas/ words of advice would be of great help.

Thanks,
Becky

MissEyre

Yay, you decided to have a diary! And somehow you have twice the number of pigsback points that I have, and I have been a member for five months-I just haven't got the hang of the daily clicks thing I keep reading about...

Some good goals, I am sure you will exceed them :T

Beckyneedstosavecash

Thanks MissEyre! Hope you had fun bringing the new year in!

I am not sure whether I am doing pigsback correctly but I just keep signing up for anything which doesn't cost me anything but gives me points!

splishsplash

Best of luck with your new diary! I hope you achieve your goals for 2008!

Beckyneedstosavecash

splishsplash wrote: »

Best of luck with your new diary! I hope you achieve your goals for 2008!

Thanks Splishsplash - with you guys motivating me I'm looking forward to embarking on this challenge!

Beckyneedstosavecash

I've just been through some of my wardrobe and managed to find 7 bits to list on ebay - I best get started! Also put my old computer screen up and may my VHS player up (does anyone know whether its worth putting VHS players up nowadays, given that everyone is on DVDs??

MissEyre

No harm in putting it up-it's amazing what other people want, and VHS players are expensive to buy new, so I'm sure someone will be after it!

Beckyneedstosavecash

The first day of a new year:

Spent: £3.98 on brown paper and tape for ebay and Amazon packages - saved on buying jiffy bags each time.

Made: £1 as dad did the 'first footing' into my house this afternoon!

Listed: 3 more items on ebay - 5 next to me still to list

• 2 of which have 'watchers' already but no bids
• 1 listed yesterday had interest on 'Buy It Now' price - hopefully something will come of that!

Wrapped one Amazon sale today for posting tomorrow morning - should make me £9.67 - cost of postage.

Small dfw actions today:

• Ate with my parents for lunch and went out with them for dinner so not cost to me :T
• Mum came into the town I live for a wonder around this afternoon so got a lift with her back to theirs and dad bought me home this evening so saved a little on petrol.
• (As mentioned above) -bought brown paper and tape for Ebay and Amazon items to avoid buying jiffy bags for each sales, payout today but should break even after a couple of sales.
• Recieved the Cashback routine email so can properly get into the clicks.

Pretty productive day all in all.
Tomorrow may not be so much as I'm off to London to see the Spice Girls in concert - tickets bought a long while a go but will have to find somewhere to eat before the show.
Train not until 1.19pm from station local to my parents house so I will pop in there for some lunch before I go!
Taking a book with me for train in order to avoid temptation to buy a magazine. Also taking a bottle of water filled up at home with me to avoid buying one on the train.
Staying at a friends house so avoiding the cost of a hotel.
Using Oystercard when in London to reduce cost of single tube journey from £4 to between £1.50 and £2.50.

Aim for tomorrow:

• Work through the Cashback email before going to London
• Go to post office to send Amazon packet
• List remaining 5 items on ebay
• Go and see the Spice Girls!!

betti911

Sounds like you have got off to a good start. Enjoy the Spice Girls. Betti

Beckyneedstosavecash

Thanks Betti - I'm looking forward to it! :j

Jenna

Hey Becky, good luck for your aims in 2008! You sound v. focused so I am sure you will get there! Just a quick question ... what's this cashback / clicks email? If it's daily clicks I would like to get more into it but don't know where to start! Happy New Year by the way xx