Hypno's "bursting with energy" diary.......

OberonSH

hypno06 wrote: »

• current DFD - January 2011. Want to bring this forward to September 2010. Is this taking into account how much you'll be getting in from the below?
• Make £1000 from ebay and car boot stuff alone by the end of the year.
• Make £500 from bingo/games/matched betting by the end of the year.
• Continue with the £10 a day challenge (the figures above from ebay etc will be added into the £10 a day totals)
• Keep looking for mystery shops, and surveys - make £200 by the end of the year from these. Are you doing the cashback sites too? a few clicks a day start adding up once you get in the swing of it, and it's better than a poke with a dirty stick
• Pursuade OH to sell the little car (although it is in my name so I can do what I like, but he drives it and I would prefer to have him "on side")
• Meal plan, shop online and eat properly. Don;t forget to shop through cashback sites too!
• Do realistic budgets and spreadsheets and review them regularly. My friend showed me a brillant budget spreadsheet, by doing it week by week - helps if you have money coming it at odd times like Child Benefit and tax credits. It's a bit complicated to explain but you want PM me your email addy and I'll send it across.
• One latte a day only - more is not necessary, and I can't afford it. Why not invest in a cheap coffee machine at home and get latte pods? They're nice and on balance can work out heaper than Starbucks (not hard, the average 4 bed semi is cheaper than a Starbucks frappuchino)
• Use the bus - this is working well so far and is far cheaper than the car. Don;t forget to check out Dayrider tickets. We save about a £5 each week using one.

I think that this is realistic - I would of course hope to smash those totals, but I need to get myself started, and don't want to make it too daunting.

So, this weekend, once the children have been skiing, will be making a start on these - I am a woman on a mission :eek:

Just my 2p worth.....2p....PIG TAX!!! Get it in the penny pig.

hypno06

Thanks obi - yes I will pm you my email addy for the budget thingy if you don't mind!!

The targets above are "extras" really - all go to overpayments/savings. My wages now cover the debt repayments that we "need" to make for the snowball calculator, so any extra will help the "cause"!

clicks - yes we click and survey when we can. OH has just got into them too - we have been using these vouchers etc to buy birthday and Christmas presents so it has been very helpful so far.

Cashback - we use this where we can, although I have two big tickets in with quidco at the moment, totalling £230.........I really hope they come through for me as that is a big amount!

lattes - coffee is my drug of choice I have a fab Tassimo at home, and this is a really good compromise. I have just started working back in the city though and I am surrounded by coffee shops and I "need" the caffeine to keep me working! Also, (poor excuse coming up - feel free to slap me) I don't always eat properly, so figure that at least a big milky coffee is better than nothing..........

We do have a tea lady at work - but I am scared of her. Her coffee/tea is not drinkable and I dare not creep into the kitchen to make my own. She is very very old and cantankerous -and she rules that place with a rod of something worse than uranium.......

Bus - I am getting a monthly bus pass. It is £2.60 a day, but £41 a month unlimited travel so well worth doing. Car parking (should I ever need it) is £5 a day so this really is a step worth taking!

Today I have done some games thingy on paddy power - now waiting for the results of the rugby later this afternoon, and have a matched bet all lined up. It won't be much, but it will all help!

I am gutted, though, because I have to use this stupid on line box thingy to enter your pin number in for online banking (barclays, don't ya love 'em) but left it at work.....so updating budgets etc may not happen this weekend. Bah!!

The_Dragon

hypno06 wrote: »

lattes - coffee is my drug of choice I have a fab Tassimo at home, and this is a really good compromise. I have just started working back in the city though and I am surrounded by coffee shops and I "need" the caffeine to keep me working! Also, (poor excuse coming up - feel free to slap me) I don't always eat properly, so figure that at least a big milky coffee is better than nothing..........

We do have a tea lady at work - but I am scared of her. Her coffee/tea is not drinkable and I dare not creep into the kitchen to make my own. She is very very old and cantankerous -and she rules that place with a rod of something worse than uranium.......

Hypno could you not make yourself a couple of tassimo thingies and put them into a flask and take that to work with you? Decent coffee when you want it then?

hypno06

Tassimos in a flask would be a good option for the "early" coffees.......thank you!!

Anything I can help myself to save is very very welcome! I really really want to do this, but the temptation of the coffee shop is just too great most of the time!! It really is my only vice :cool:

The little car is booked in for a valet on Wednesday - we have gone for the full package, hoping that it will make the car as good as new, all spick, span and shiny!! It will cost us £63 to do, but that should mean that we can sell it at the top end of the guide, so I am hoping it is money well invested, and we can get it on the market at the end of the week.

slowlyfading

I will send you another coffee voucher sometime - it'll be a surprise

hypno06

slowlyfading wrote: »

I will send you another coffee voucher sometime - it'll be a surprise

but you've just told me, so how can it be a surprise :rotfl:

slowlyfading

hypno06 wrote: »

but you've just told me, so how can it be a surprise :rotfl:

ahaha, but you dont know when

hypno06

slowlyfading wrote: »

ahaha, but you dont know when

I am excited already :rotfl:

Doesn't take much, does it!! What a sad life I must lead

Seaxwyn

Coffee vouchers - that reminds me! - I have a Caffe Nero card with five stamps on (four more and you get a free coffee) Is that any good to you? I'll gladly post it to you if you have a Nero nearby.

I am sympathetic to the coffee habit. One of my clients is in a part of London with lots of Portuguese cafes and they sell possibly the best coffee in the world. I can rarely resist a Galao.

hypno06

Portugese cafes are on the fringes of Norwich, so no temptation for me there.....it sounds as though I should stay away from them and not even TRY one of their coffees!!

Caffe Nero though, is one of those I pass every morning - but surely you can use the loyalty card yourself?

I have just started looking in the cupboards for a storecupboard type challenge - I found 4 packs of bread mix for the bread-maker!!! That is next week's pack ups for the children at race camp sorted out!!