Writing articles for Helium.com

Posted on 13/8/2006 at 8:42 AM - 4 Comments - Post Comment - Link

I've been trying to earn extra money from home.  I've signed up to write articles for Helium Knowledge.com

www.heliumknowledge.com

This was my first article which you might like to have a look at. All the articles are only 200 words or so long, so quick to look at.  This article is about working at home and things you need to do it efficiently:

http://www.heliumknowledge.com/dn/answerList.aspx?a_id=86213

I did get better after this first article!

I have also written about the drawbacks of self-employment for family life.  This is a much more successful article:

http://www.heliumknowledge.com/dn/answerList.aspx?a_ id=86574

You might not be able to past the link above into your browser, but copy it in.  I'm proud of this article - it was rated the top article in it's section.

The link below takes you to my article on tax for the self employed.  May be only interesting to a select few of you!

http://www.heliumknowledge.com/dn/answerList.aspx?a_id=86496

I also did a review of a book I've been reading on how to make the best of your income - how to look after your personal finances.  It's called Your Money or Your Life by Alvin Hall who presented a BBC series of the same name a while back.  It's a book well worth reading because it gives practical down to earth advice that we can all follow, even those of us who are like me and thought they just couldn't get to grips with money.  It's helped me so it might help you as well:

http://www.heliumknowledge.com/dn/answerList.asp?a_id=86280

Again, this link won't past in - but copy it into your browser.  I think this is worth reading as well.

I'll let you know how writing articles is going.  Any comments, I'd be glad to hear them on this blog.

I've been trying to earn money from home

Posted on 11/8/2006 at 8:06 PM - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link

Thursday - a boring day at work but a nice evening

Posted on 3/8/2006 at 10:18 PM - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link

I can see I'm going to have to change my habits.  I do so many things out of habit, like getting a paper in the morning and chocolate if I'm not doing anything else at lunchtime.  I need to find something else to do at lunchtimes, something other than going to the shops.  I could walk in the park. 

40p paper and 78p chocolate.  Grand total of £1.18. 

Day five - a miserable afternoon so come with me on a chocolate binge

Posted on 2/8/2006 at 9:16 PM - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link

Tuesday and work today.  Walked to work with my colleague who also lives close by.  Went out at lunchtime for a paper and two cheap chocolate bars.  I was very hungry by lunch time because I didn't have any breakfast so I knew I'd need the chocolate for later on.  I spent half an hour before I went home discussing a difficult colleague and how we should deal with the situation.  I felt upset just talking about it.  I had to go to Boots after work (an essential purchase - contraception - so I'll say no more about this).  I got a couple of small bags of chocolate because I felt down.  I need another way to deal with this work situation, rather than eating my way out of it.  It would be better for the waistline and the budget. 

My partner didn't go to the hospital today because our friend had relatives visiting, so he didn't get a drink or anything else today.  I bought the paper (no gardening magazines in Superdrug either) and two small chocolate bars - 96p total.  After work I spent £9.99 at Boots plus two 50p bags of chocolate.  Grand total for the day £11.95.  Obviously our budget is completely bust.  I need to earn some extra cash.  I'm going to look for things to sell on eBay.  Once I've listed something I'll let you see it.

Day Four - our new lawnmower and finding a present for our friend

Posted on 1/8/2006 at 9:29 PM - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link

I was at work today, Tuesday.  I walked to work with a colleague so didn't get a paper and chocolate on the way to work.  I went out at lunchtime to a small paper shop where there isn't a large range of papers and mags  to look for a gardening magazine.  They didn't have any! I got the cheapest daily paper again.  I'll have to go to a bigger paper shop tomorrow but my worry is that I might be tempted toget something such as a woman's magazine.  I go to the small paper shop because they don't have much there!

I went to Woolworths after work to look for vouchers and a box of chocolate's for our friend's birthday.  I got £15 worth of vouchers and a box of chocolates for £3.99.  I'd already saved the money for the present.  I've been saving a small amount every month for presents.  That will have to stop I'm afraid.  I looked at the women's mags but luckily there was nothing I wanted.  I might have been tempted.  I got a bar of chocolate for 49p just for a treat after work.  I didn't think about the money at the time.  I just wanted a treat after a long day.

I've spent 49p because I already had the money for the present.  My other half didn't get to the hospital today so he didn't spend anything.  Grand total spent today - 49p.  Brilliant.

We've decided to get a mega lawnmower - top brand called Hayter with good safety features and a very large grass collecter.  We already have money for that.  I'll find Hayter's website and you can see the lawnmower that we've got our eye on.  Hang on a minute!

Here it is:   www.hayter.co.uk

Our lawnmower will be £229 apparently so you'll recognise it.  Let me know what you think!

Day three - I think my mission is crash landing

Posted on 31/7/2006 at 10:04 PM - 1 Comments - Post Comment - Link

  Monday and it's a working day.  I usually get a paper and a bar of chocolate for work.  I was later this morning so I went out at lunchtime.  I thought I'd be hungry in the afternoon because I didn't have much fruit left to bring from home so I'd need a good fix of chocolate!  I went to the local supermarket to get a large bar to last a few days, plus the cheapest paper.  I could have looked at the web while I was eating but I need to rest my eyes from the computer for a while at lunchtimes or I feel tired during the afternoons. 

This has derailed the budget.  If I get a paper everyday I will be spending almost our whole £9 on myself.  For anyone who didn't see my first post, I'll update you.  My other half is losing his job and we've done the sums.  We will have a grand total of £9 per month between us as spare money.  I'm determined that we'll manage without wrecking our (very good) relationship. I could have got a couple of very small chocolate bars plus the paper which would have been a lot cheaper.  I'll remember that later in the week. 

I could do with finding something else to read while I eat rather than getting the paper.  Any suggestions?  I probably need a trip to the library.  It would have to be something that I don't mind showing around work.  Something very neutral.  Or maybe I could get one magazine and make it last a month.  A gardening one would be good.  That's a very mainstream interest. People can be a bit funny if they think you're reading something "odd".  Yeah, I'll have a look for a gardening mag tomorrow.  Help!!

Grand total spent today - £1.29 on a large bar of choc, 40p on the paper, and 85p on the way home on a cake.  The cake happened completely by accident!  It was tipping down with rain and I didn't have a coat with me, just a very spoky umbrella that keeps blowing inside out.  I went  over to the railway and thought I'd wait for a taxi.  I didn't have the right money for a taxi and they get funny if they have to change notes, so I bought the cake to get change!  In the end I didn't get the taxi because it had stopped raining.  Lovely cake though. 

Plus my other half would have got a 70p drink today during hospital visiting hours.  Oh, and I didn't say, but our lawnmower blew up at the weekend!  We might have to pay another £30 to get another one (plus we'll get a refund on the old one because it was almost new!).  We've luckily got a bit of cash at home but that situation won't last forever.  We really do have to manage without spending the regular small amounts of money.  I'll have to do better tomorrow!

Grand total so far this week - £5.34 plus the new lawnmower. That's our budget gone already.

Day two of my mission to live on a strict budget

Posted on 31/7/2006 at 5:39 AM - 0 Comments - Post Comment - Link

Would you believe that I could get myself agitated about sandwich filling?  Well, I managed it!  I realised I was going to finish my container of chick pea spread (yeah, really) and I suddenly thought - wait a minute, I haven't got any more.  Oh no.  Then I started to feel wound up because we hadn't bought a back up container for when I finished this one.  I was thinking that my partner could get whatever he wanted at the supermarket but he wouldn't get stuff for me.  He does the shopping by the way.  Luckily I realised quickly that was ridiculous because I hadn't been using the spread anyway for my lunch so that's why he hadn't bought more and anyway we've got cheese for sandwiches.  Luckily I was only moaning to myself.  I'm determined not to argue about money related issues.

I had to take my last strong Ibuprofen this morning.  I think Ibuprofen is the best painkiller so I wanted to get more after I'd run it past my other half of course.  I keep a budget for medical stuff, just a few pounds a month.  I won't be able to add to this any more.  We've got Paracetamol and a few Asprin so I don't actually need to get Ibuprofen.  I'll use what we've got at home already.

I'm getting the hang of thinking that we've probably already got something at the moment that I can use without going to the shops.

There are things that I will have to get though - not to be too graphic but contraception will be a must.  Least said about that the better.

I asked my other half whether he wanted to take a can of Coke with him to drink during hospital visiting today.  He said no because it would be too hot and horrible to drink.  Good point so I didn't go on about it.  He must have bought a drink from the hospital machine.  Grand total spent today - another 70p.  Not bad.

Our friend's birthday present - we decided that we'd look on eBay to see if we can get vouchers for Woollies or HMV.  You can often get them for less than face value.  His birthday is in a couple of weeks so we should have time to get the vouchers in the post.  I always save so much for presents as well so we've got some cash for the vouchers.

Tomorrow is work and I usually only get a paper and some chocolate.  A day without chocolate might be good for me but I might crack without it so I won't risk it.   Just a tiny kid's bar or I might not get through the day!  I can look at the news on the computer at work.  I'll let you know how I get on.

Saturday 29th July 2006 - Day One of my new mission

Posted on 30/7/2006 at 5:20 AM - 2 Comments - Post Comment - Link

My partner is about to lose his job. We've had a big discussion about budgets and discovered that we'll have the princely sum of £9 left per month, between both of us.  I'm determined that we'll manage without killing each other in the process.  This blog will be an account of how I get on, or don't!  I've decided to blog so that I can look back and see how I've managed various situations in the past, and also so that anybody else can post tips that they think might help.

My partner is unlikely to get another job so this will be a more or less permanent situation. 

I will need to find other ways to make more cash so I'll keep you up to date on how these go.  Only legal things considered!

So, today.  We went to visit a friend in hospital.  I kind of thought of taking a couple of cans of soft drink that we've got in the fridge rather than get drinks there, but the thought didn't transfer into action.  My partner bought us both a soft drink from the machine at the hospital and he wouldn't take any money from me for my drink.  At this stage of course we've both got some cash in our purses and wallets.  I mentioned to my other half earlier that I could get a magazine for our friend but I realised later that I shouldn't be doing that.  We've discussed this situation and decided that we both won't spend any extra money at the moment, and if we have to get something "essential" we'll run it past each other first.  Anyway, I was creative on the magazine front and decided to get a couple of old magazines from around the house and label them with our friends' name so that nobody nicks them at the hospital.  That's the hospital gift problem solved for today.

As I was labelling the magazines, I realised that my label roll is running short.  My immediate thought is that I could order more labels!  Of course I can't but it's amazing how automatic it is to think about just ordering more of something without a second thought.  I managed without a labelling machine before so I'll manage without one again if I can't afford more labels.

Grand total spent today, 70p each on a drink.  Not too bad.

We've got another friend's birthday coming up at the beginning of August.  That will need some thought and discussion.  He's a good friend so he won't be too worried.