Frugality tip...

A 'first adopter' is one of those people who must have the latest gadget - amongst your friends they will have been the first to buy an enormous flat-screen TV and a Blu-Ray player, and then a Blu-Ray recorder. If, amongst your friends, the first adopter is you, then you are going to struggle with 'frugal living'...!
Being at the cutting edge of technology is a very expensive place to be, and although I am interested in all the latest gadgets, I definitely do NOT qualify as a first adopter... The frugal choice is to wait...and wait until the first adopters or even second adopters have moved on to newer toys, then buy their old ones from eBay.
Today's example is a bit extreme even for me... I have just (yes only just) installed a wireless network in my home (I am using it right now!). I have used the excuse previously that a wired network is faster and more secure - facts which cannot be argued. However in an unguarded moment the other day I bid £5 on a wireless router and won it for £2.70! The daft thing is I don't even own a laptop of my own (I use my works one at home sometimes). Anyway the point is that if you are prepared to wait, you can get some real bargains. Hard-drives are another example, today I bought a 1TB hard-drive from eBay for £25 including delivery - something that might have cost me twice as much six months ago.

'All things come to those that wait'

is my frugal tip for the day - that also applies to eBay auctions, sometimes you search for something for months before you find the bargain you were looking for (although to be fair sometimes it takes that long to learn that you are going to have to extend your budget to get what you want).

SLR cameras

If I had to choose gadgets that I desired, but have not yet managed to find at the right price, slr cameras would be amongst the first to come to mind. The last time I bought a new (non-SLR) digital camera, it cost me several hundred pounds, and yet I have recently replaced it with an equivalent but slightly better camera from eBay for less than £5...
I was never able to afford an SLR camera even before they were available in digital format, so the chances of being in a position to make that kind of 'investment' are slim. However, like all things technical, prices are likely to fall at least for the camera bodies if not for the lenses. The massive drop in prices we have come to expect for digital equipment will not apply to lenses for which there is a long established market.
I have recently been taking a lot of photo's for a website that I am building, and photo's of the goods offered are going to be crucial - so I am one step nearer to persuading myself that a digital SLR camera could be a vital work tool!

Earnings May 2001

A definite improvement this month, largely helped by an Adsense payment dropping in on the last day of the month... Without this boost, turnover would have been around £85, profit around £70. Some improvement in passive income signalling a return of the payments for fixed adverts that I thought had ceased, and a couple of small but welcome affiliate payments.
Major expense this month was a domain renewal, I thought I might sell a domain, but the offer I got was so low I may as well hold onto the domain and get some earnings from it.
I am looking a buying another domain or two for new projects and am still trying to find time to get 'into' Wordpress. I have another project using a different CMS at the moment, so I am hoping that this experience will inform my journey into Wordpress when I finally embark on it!
I have just submitted my figures for last year to the taxman, I don't think he will get overly excited about my earnings, but I am pleased with the improvements over the last 12 months and hope to be even more profitable this coming tax year...

US Business Lawyers

Usually you associate the term 'LLP' with US Business Lawyers, but I noticed recently that UK lawyers are using the same term for themselves. I firstly assumed that this was because US businesses were setting up UK offices, but I guess the term is common to either side of the Atlantic.

LLP actually stands for Limited Liability Partnership - It is because law businesses are not allowed to be public limited companies (Plc), that they must remain as a partnership, each partner having a limited personal libility for the business. Of course, this means that any partnership with limited liability may call itself 'LLP', but mostly the term is associated with lawyers and attourneys.

Saving money

I have been a keen advocate of the idea that saving money is actually one of the quickest ways to make money - it takes a split second to save money, but a lot longer to create revenue.
I was keen to see a TV program this week that was supposed to be full of money-saving tips, but it turned out to be very disappointing. Anyone that knows anything about frugal living, does not need to be told that a good way to save money is to buy 2 for 1 pizza! If you are buying take-out pizza, then you are not living frugally in the first place. Buying your way out of debt sound more like a political solution rather than an actual practical one...

I have, however, discovered a way to save myself a large chunk of money in the long-term. We have had one of those electricity 'meters' that your energy providers send out - it shows you how many Watts you are using at any given moment in the house. I used it to discover that my two PCs left on all night were costing about 5 pence per hour. Even if switched off for six hours every night for six hours, that's a saving of 30 pence per day - at least £2 per week, over £100 a year...
Admittedly, I am sure a lot of people routinely switch their PC's off - but if you don't you are probably losing about £50 a year for each one left on overnight.

To be fair the TV program did have one good tip - this concerned using a thermos flask to keep tea warm for hours at a time - we actually do store up 'spare' hot water in a flask every time we boil the kettle, so I didn't learn anything - but at least they did offer one thing that was practical and actually could save money.

Acsonix

Another acne treatment is on the market, you can read the acsonix reviews and make up your mind whether this medication would suit you. There are a host of medications all claiming outstanding results, reading reviews and getting the benefits of other people's experience could help you to make up your mind. As always though, please get qualified medical advice before starting a course of medication that could potentially have adverse effects on your health.

Getting a bargain

I have had many, many bargains since I started buying online. Most of these are the result of online auctions where new and used goods can be picked up very cheaply, but there are also many traders who offer good discounts for online shoppers.

However another advantage of online shopping is being able to find the precise item or component you need. I remember finding a seller of motorola batteries when my wife's phone failed - it was an old model and there was little chance of getting a cheap replacement battery on the high street. However, a quick search turned up the precise battery, and not only that - it was at a real bargain price too.

Google Panda update

You may have heard something of the fuss surrounding the latest Google ranking update, you may have even seen it's effects (especially if you write on one of those sites that pay you to write 'articles').
Google have seen fit to say quite a lot about the criteria they have used for changing the rankings of some sites, although as usual they will not be specific. To save you from having to sift through all the quotes an comments - it all boils down to one thing:

It's all about CONTENT.

Google is 'de-ranking' what it considers low quality or 'shallow' content, content that adds nothing new, or even repeats content found elsewhere - it's just not going to tell you how it evaluates a site.
In short, if you are writing useful, insightful original content you have nothing to be worried about. Nevertheless, this updates threatens the 'paid to' world as it is targeting sites that have thousands of individual writers adding their own content on a daily basis.

adapexin-p

If you have a weight problem, you will no doubt be interested in the likes of adapexin-p, and other drugs that are supposed to aid weight-loss. However, it pays to find out as much as you can about these products before embarking on a course of medication that has not bee prescribed by a doctor.
Despite all the claims and counter-claims that you may have read, you should seek some genuinely independent advice before taking medication of any description, and who better than your local GP?

Online IT degree

If like me, you bypassed university and went straight into the world of work, you may feel that your working experience may be enhanced by having a suitable qualification to go along with it. Of course, being a worker, it is not easy to just take time out to study because the bills still need to be paid... Online learning could be the answer, and getting something like an online it degree may not be too much of a disruption to your existing work and family life.
Now is a good time to consolidate your position in the workplace by adding the extra edge of a bit of education to your existing work experience.

Earnings April 2011

Turnover of £70 this month, which is nothing special, but after a bumper month in March, a slight slump was expected. I spent £15 on a CD player from eBay - this counts as equipment for cassette to CD conversions, so goes in the spreadsheet.
I have just made another Adsense payout total, so can look forward to that in the next month or so. April income was about average on the blogging side, not so busy for cassette conversions though. I have also just noticed that my regular passive income seems to have finally dried up - I had been reticent to make significant changes to one of my sites in case of disrupting this income, I guess if it doesn't return, I am free to make the changes I want (including removing some of the 'fixed' ads, and defunct pages that still had 'contracts' for fixed ads).
I have not really pursued 'fixed' ads very hard since this type of income began to wane a few years back, so now might be a good time to see if there are any new ways of getting regular fixed sponsorship payments for web pages.

Fort Worth flower delivery

Searching for what you want on the internet is simple enough, but I have noticed recently that adverts are being targetted on the locality of the person browsing - or at least on their perceived locality. For instance you may see an advert for Fort Worth flower delivery when you are browsing the internet from the comfort of your home in...Fort Worth.

The advert priovider uses the IP address of your computer to work out where you are located. It is not always right as these things are not always straightforward, however more often than not, they are fairly accurate.

I don't particularly mind this type of advertising although some people see it as a breach of their privacy. I don't think it is any different to advertising in a local magazine, and seeing as I make some money from adverts, I can't really object. I have found that even though I am unlikley click on a locally-targetted adverts, There is every chance that I will take notice of the company and will probably remember the advert if I actually did want a service that they were offering at a later point in time.

Cheap Web Hosting

I have mentioned on numerous occasions, the great web hosting package that I bought last year - it is an unlimited package allowing me to add as many domains as I want to the single-priced package. I wrote an article on my website called 'cheap web hosting' which looks at using different suppliers for hosting and domain registration. Since then I have purchased more domains, set up a few new sites and just recently ended my long-running expensive hosting package that I took out about four years ago.
I think it's true to say that once you take out your first hosting package, you are more than likely to stick with them. However, for my main (cassette to CD conversion) site, I have tried to get the best prices and tried not to be put off by the miserable prospect of trying to move hosts on a live site.
This last move however, was the smoothest simply because I now know what to expect. I now know that if I use a nameserver to redirect my site that the email will go with it, and if I use the IP address of the server, it will not....
With this in mind (and bearing in mind this is the most important of all the sites I have) I arranged to transfer the domain to 1and1 internet (the best price I have found for registering .co.uk domains) - this entails obtaining the 'IPSTAG' of your preferred domain registrar, and passing this on to your 'old' registrar.
Whilst I was waiting for the domain to be transferred, I copied all the files from the old site onto my super new unlimited hosting server, and added the domain on my 'CPANEL'. Then I went over to my 1and1 account dashboard and entered the nameserver of my hosting service against the domain I was expecting to transfer. Then I went back to my hosting CPANEL and opened accounts for all the email addresses I would be likely to need (three in all) - I then configured OUTLOOK to pick up mail for these email addresses.
Al that remained was for me to sit back and wait - I put up a note on the old site that over the next day or two, mail or web pages might go missing - and sure enough one test mail that I sent from the contact form on the site did not get through during this period. Nonetheless in about 24 hours or so, the site was showing on the new server (I made an adjustment to the copied web files so I would know when the transfer had taken place), and over the next 24 hours, the mail started to come across into the OUTLOOK accounts I had set up.
Now I have saved myself a lot of money in hosting and domain registration fees, although admittedly all my 'eggs' are in one 'basket' when it comes to hosting, domain registration is kept separate which makes a lot of sense when you control multiple domains. My whole online 'operation' is now completely streamlined (funny 'cos my expensive hosting service was called 'streamline'...), and I am happy that I am working as efficiently as possible with the money that I have available.
The learning curve with unlimited hosting is steep, but very rewarding when you realise just how much you can achieve with it - and I am thinking of maybe doing some tutorials for the tasks that I have done so far,to encourage others who are planning to go down the same route - believe me, if you plan to ever have more than one website on the go, then unlimited hosting is for you... to learn more about the services I use click the link to go to my web hosting and domain registration article.

Mantel Designs

Every house can benefit from coal, gas or coal-effect fires whether they are homes with contemporary design or traditional design themes running through the house. We have a coal-burning fire and a gas fire in our house and tend to favour the traditional designs - in fact one of the fire surrounds is an original cast-iron surround (although not actually 'original' for our house).

There are mantel designs for every style of home, and in many cases, the mantel can form the central focus of the room. Certainly when there is a fire in the fireplace, it is the first thing anyone notices when they come into the room.

Thumb supports

As I get older I find myself in need of more medical assistance just to get through the day! - I have a back support for driving, and ankle support for football, and am now looking at thumb supports, neck supports and elbow supports to assist my ailing limbs.

I was wondering what people did before such remedies were widely available, but then it occured to me that a lot of these ailments are caused by modern-day living. We get RSI from using computers, bad backs from driving and bad eyes from VDU screens. It's only when we get beyond our thirties that this degeneration starts to take place and we suddenly realise that we are not able to do the things we once did.

I have ventured out with back supports and ankle supports on many ocassions, I am quite sure by the time I am sixty I am going to have more padding than the average American Football player.

Tech Jobs

There are few enough jobs around nowadays, so getting yourself a new job or even that elusive first job can be a job in itself. Unless you are very lucky, a job is not likely to just land in your lap - the emphasis is on you to take steps to be in the right place at the right time.

Despite a general slow-down in the economy as a whole, there are still tech jobs manual jobs and other work out there if you can equip yourself to rise above the crowd in the job market. If you are one of those looking for work, the chances are you will get a job if you work harder at getting a job than others in the same field with the same qualifications.

Log Me In

I have been using 'LogMeIn.com' for a little while now, long enough for the free trial to have ceased and I am now running the free version.
LogMeIn is a service that allows remote access via the web between computers. I use two laptops at work and two desktops at home - they all have the software installed so I can access any of the four computers now from the web.
Although I have been downgraded to the free service, it still has all the features I need for simply checking my OUTLOOK inbox, or accessing the works database from home. The free version does not have file transfer capabilities, but I can always send files via email if I need to. I am sure there are other fuseful functions that are missing from the free version, but as far as I can tell, it does what it says it will, and allows remote access for no monthly fees...
I use 'Radmin' for the same thing at the moment, and that had an initial startup fee - however I can only ever use it on a single licence, LogMeIn Free allows me to add as many PC's as I want to my account, so I doubt whether I am ever going to need to use Radmin again (although it does have the missing 'file transfer' feature that LogMeIn Free does not have).
As far as free software goes, I am ranking this one up there with OpenOffice and AVG and all those other top free software titles that we tend to take for granted.

February 2014 - update about LogMeIn free service

Barcode Scanners

I had always thought of barcodes as being limited to large supermarkets and superstores, but the technology for producing and reading barcodes is becoming readily accessible for all types of businesses.

I recently discovered that Avery, the company that make label sheets for your PC printer, have a free printing program that can create labels with barcodes. Barcode scanners are now widely available as stand-alone instruments and also as 'apps' for your smartphone, there are even bluetooth barcode scanners available for those that work whilst on the move.

Barcodes are a quick and easy way to catalogue your stock, record stock movements and keep your records up to date, whether you are a small shop, an online trader or a major retailer.

FireFox 4

With FireFox 4 being available, I guess now is as good a time as any to talk about browsers and how well they perform.
Currently, my firm favourite is Google Chrome - it outstrips the other main players for speed, and I find the plug-ins easier to use - trying to access 'favourites' can be a bit tricky sometimes because they just disappear from time to time, but I do love the 'new tab' function which offers you all your most frequently opened URLs as thumbnails.
Internet Explorer is the last browser I will use, but sometimes due to compatibility issues with FF and Chrome, IE is the only one that functions.
I have just started using FF again because of compatibility issues with Chrome, but Chrome is too fast to ignore. My preferences:
#1: Chrome - 99% of pages work fine in Chrome and load a LOT quicker
#2: Firefox - If I get problems with Chrome, I will default to FF
#3: IE - when things are really, really desperate I start looking for IE

Digital Television Antennas

Of course, the advent of digital television and digital radio has created a new demand for digital television antennas. In fact, the part of the UK in which I live, lost all analogue/terrestial television signals quite a long time ago.
Like with 'conventional' aerials, there is the choice of indoor and outdoor. Your requirements will vary depending on how strong the signals are in your locality. We are fortunate in that indoor antennae seem perfectly adequate for our requirements. In fact I replaced our old aerial which was located in the loft, with a new indoor aerial in the same position, and just kept all the cabling in place. this has worked a treat for viewing digital TV.

1 and 1 Internet

I regularly use two domain registration services, I started with 'GoDaddy' and have found them to be excellent, but when I discovered that they don't really do '.co.uk' domains, I had to find an alternative.
I have to say I have been very pleased with 1 and 1 for domain registration - they offer a cheap and comprehensive service with easy-to-use front panel which allows you to change settings such as DNS. They are also helpful when it comes to getting support.
However. the reason I am most impressed with them is they are turning into my most active affiliate. The payouts are relatively small, but come in quite regularly - I even had two notifications today! The reason they are successful for me as an affiliate (I believe) is that I think they actually provide a decent service - and they really do offer competitive prices. So many other affiliates I try to promote are not really competitive price-wise. They offer big incentives, but you can't really put your heart and soul into promoting them because you can't in all honesty say they offer great value.
So hand on heart, especially for UK domains, if you are looking to buy a domain name or looking for a comprehensive hosting or email package, try 1 and 1 (they are not limited to UK domains by any means, but that is the reason I started using them in the first place).

Ada Lifts

Ada lifts are designed to help those with a disability when entering or exiting a public swimming pool. The ADA rules will apply to public and commercial premises in the USA. The owners/managers of these pools will need to ensure that their premises comply with the rulings introduced in the latter part of 2010.
The rulings differ slightly dependent on whether the premises is municipal or commercial, but will cover all premises from holiday centres to city and county swimming baths.

Spa Cover

If you have invested in a spa or hot-tub, you may need to think about replacing your spa cover if you have had it for a while, as a leaking cover can cause all sorts of problems the least of which is energy-wasting if it is not insulating properly.
Added to this is the worry of bacterial growth, or even legionnaires disease that can develop in such spaces. Enjoy a worry-free Spring and Summer in your hot-tub by ensuring that it is both energy-efficient and free of unwanted 'visitors'.

Car Insurance

We will soon be looking for Car Insurance as we are about to get a 'new' car. A friend has offered us a car for the cost of recent repairs - and it just so happens that the amount is very similar to the amount I made from online earnings this month. So you could say this month, I earned enough to buy a car!
My plan is to insure this car just for third party fire and theft so that we can build up some 'no-claims' bonus. My current car is a company car, so I don't have any insurance of my own. The down-side of the company car is that it costs me a lot in tax (a LOT!).
I wanted to buy a 'nice' car, and I had a list of desirable attributes that this car should have. Unfortunately, I then discovered that I would not be able to insure the 'car of my dreams' even though my dreams were relatively modest....
I think we could pick up this car fairly soon, and I am pretty excited about it (I don't even know what colour it is - though I do know the make , model and engine size and am fairly confident we can insure it quite cheaply)

Earnings March 2011

The end of the current financial year has provided a bit of a boom month for me in terms of online earnings. I have cleared £271 (approx £$450) this month, which I think is as much as I have ever earned in a single month from online sources. Earnings from converting cassettes and from paid postings both had a boost this month taking my years earnings to £1375.42 (approx $2290). This represents growth of £550 from last years effort (around 65%) which is not at all bad (assuming the growth can be repeated). Once again I aim to be amongst the first of the 'self-assessment' crowd to submit my earnings online, as I hate to have deadlines hanging over me.

I am already doing paid posts that will start off my earnings for the next financial year. I also need to reinvest some of my profits into 'stock' and by buying some new equipment for my home office. I am not too far off an Adsense payout either - if it had come in this month, I would have been particularly pleased - I will have to wait a month or so, but recently I have been getting a bit of an Adsense boost too.

Brake

Currently my main vehicle is a company car, so it is easy to keep up maintenance because I don't have to pay for servicing, new tyres etc.. However there were always two areas that I would not skimp on even when I was paying for my own maintenance, these were tyres (tires for our American cousins) and brakes. If there was any suggestion of wear on tyres or brakes, I would have them serviced without second thought.
As I plan to acquire a second family vehicle soon, I will be ensuring that tyres and brakes are in pristine condition before even turning the ignition key.

Steel Buildings

As a viable way to add outbuildings to a property, steel buildings can be erected quickly and easily and come in all types of pre-fabricated shapes and sizes.
Building an extension to your home can be extremely expensive, time consuming and highly stressful. Acquiring a pre-made outbuilding that just requires assembling is a cinch in comparison. These can range from a simple garage right up to a prefabricated warehouse, office blocks or even a church!

Speaker Stands

Hi-Fi has changed with the influx of compressed music (MP3), the concept of high-end audio has changed a great deal over the last decade or so.
The most popular form of music nowadays is low-quality and carried around on mobile phones, MP3 players, laptop computers and memory sticks. Yet the market for high-end audio is not dead, it still captures the imagination of the older generation who still remember vinyl.

With audio becoming more 'niche', components have started to look more appealing, even speaker stands have become statements of art rather than mere functional objects. Valves have reappeared in amplifiers with some manufacturers even claiming they put the 'warmth' back into compressed digital music files.

Wrestling Bags

Until I started this internet search today, I wasn't even aware that there were specific wrestling bags that could be purchased. A nephew of mine is into his wrestling in a big way and wanted a wrestling bag for his birthday. When I had completed the search I realised that a wrestling bag is pretty much like any other sports bag, but with subtle differences and obviously the right 'branding'. It is quite amazing how each sport generates a demand for kit, nevertheless, this 'Asics' bag certainly looks the part - I hope the nephew will be happy with it!

End of Financial Year Approaching

With the end of the financial year approaching I am going to make one final change to the way I report income. I have to record income from the end of March to the start of April for tax purposes, and I have been recording income for the calendar year (January to December) for my 'Munny4Hunny' reports - I am going to combine these now and just report income for the financial year. This means that at the end of this month, I will be reporting my annual income - this will be the same figure that I will be submitting on my tax return for the year.
I expect a bumper income this month as I have done quite a few cassettes and quite a lot of paid posting in the last few weeks - watch this space for what could easily be one of my best monthly earnings figures for a long time...

Franchises

There a host of ways to set up a business, from starting a business from home, buying an existing business or investing in franchises. Franchises are available for any type of on-line or offline businesses from cleaning businesses to tutoring businesses and just about anything you can think of.
The advantage of a franchise is that someone has already thought out the business model for you (and it usually works), and it comes with it's own corporate image that you can use. Of course, the down-side is that you will have to pay the developer for the model.
Franchises are not for the timid, they are for people who have determination and a bit of spare cash, but who maybe do not have the sort of creativity that could get a business going from scratch.

Baby Jogger

Although when you first have a baby, you are unlikely to forget to get yourself a pram - it's only when your child begins to grow a bit, and you realise that a pram is actually quite a large beast to drag around, that you appreciate how much easier a stroller like the baby jogger city select would be. We found a stroller to be far more valuable than a pram - it's a lot easier to get onto buses and into the boot of the car, it makes journeys quicker and less stressful, and if there's one thing Mum can do without - it's more stress!

SSDI

If you are struggling to get the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) that you think you are entitled to, or just need some clarification on entitlements, there are online services that can help.
Using an online service can open up resources that you previously were not aware of, and can help you make sense of all the 'red-tape' involved in processing a claim.

Emergency Medical Assistance

Primarily set up for owners of RV's (Recreational Vehicles), 'Good Sam' is now offering emergency medical assistance to compliment it's existing services of breakdown cover and vehicle insurance.

Obviously, you never know when this type of cover is going to be needed, or even if it will be needed at all. What needs to be considered is the questions 'what might I lose by not having cover?'. The answer to this question should then be compared to the cost of the cover... this little exercise should tell you if you need the insurance.

Hydroponics

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil, either growing them in a solution of water and nutrients, or in an inert material such as gravel. This method has been used commercially to grow fruit and vegetables, although almost any plant can be grown in this way.
It is probably best known as a method of growing substances that are not entirely legal, however the method itself is widely recognised as a legitimate growing process.

The truth about making money...

It's worth mentioning (in case you hadn't realised) that although the Internet is always banging on about making money, maximising profits and working your mailing lists blah blah blah..., life is not ALL about money. In fact the truth is that, those who are focusing JUST on making money, will probably fall by the wayside fairly early on in the adventure.
The reality is that it is a LOT easier to make money with a regular job then it is to make money online, and if you pour the required level of energy into online projects, you may forget to actually have a life.
It pays every so often just to take a look at the 'cost' of online earnings, and if family life is suffering, or your health, then the real cost of making a few extra dollars may be too high. This is why I am always looking for passive income that can be left to build itself, although even passive income can be high maintenance at the start.
'Success' is illusory, as is 'failure' - both of these terms are relative rather than absolute. In fact I would go as far to say that success means nothing without failure. I heard a story about a famous Hollywood star who was addressing graduates of an expensive educational establishment. It was acknowledged that these privileged individuals were bound for 'success' because of their background as long as they put a little effort in. However, the point was also made that there is a difference between 'success' and making a positive impact on the world. From one who has demonstrable 'success' in worldly terms, it is poignant that 'positivity' is now regarded (at least by this ONE successful individual) as being far more valuable.
This is true of almost anyone who has apparently 'made it' and explains why there are so many troubled (but apparently successful) souls out there. I firmly believe that the Internet is a good for making money, but I also believe that there are plenty of things that are far more important.

Le Creuset sets

I remember a friend of mine getting a Le Creuset set as a wedding present many years ago, I was envious then, and this iconic kitchenware has lost none of it's appeal over the years.
For anyone that takes an interest in cookery of any type or region, Le Creuset represents an ageless and unique style that I don't think any other manufacturer has even attempted to copy.
With their ultra-solid construction and attractive earthy colouring, in my opinion, Le Creuset kitchenware not only exudes good 'taste', but a sense of fun too.

Chamilia Beads

I have been looking at these stunning chamilia beads as a gift idea for Mother's Day - coming soon in the UK, Mothers Day always seems to sneak up on me and I never can think of a suitable gift.
You string these beads together a bit like charm bracelets that people used to wear, there are all sorts of little characters to collect, letters of the alphabet, decorative ones like the illustration, and figures of vehicles, animals and the like.
You can make up someones name or favourite animals - make it your own private joke and intersperse the meaningful characters with little decorative ones. The perfect individualised and unique gift, and like traditional charm bracelets, you can even add to it year by year.

Acne treatments

Not everyone will need specific acne treatments, although most of us have, or will suffer acne in some form during our lives. In fact, for most of us regular washing with some cleansing lotions whilst fighting with raging hormones for a few short months is enough. For others, acne can be both distressing and disfiguring leading to courses of treatments not only during puberty, but also much later in adult life.
Like all medication, treatments for acne should be thoroughly researched before a course is undertaken, and it is strongly recommended that professional medical assistance is sought beforehand.

Cigar Humidors

If you are looking for that special gift, something a bit different - how about cigar humidors as a gift for the man who has everything (assuming he likes the odd cigar of course). If he already has a traditional box-style humidor - what about the one pictured here, a compact version that carries just four cigars?
Humidors are the essential accessory for the cigar-lover as they are perfect for keeping the cigars fresher for longer.

Making Money Online - 4 years on...

I don't really have anything as grand as a strategy, but the scatter-gun approach I had at the beginning of my quest to make money online has become a little more refined over the years.
Also trends change, and what worked once, often starts to lose momentum (as I am finding with Adsense earnings at the moment).
My current 'business plan' consists of having a steady but small income from paid posting, usually made up entirely of opps from 'PayU2Blog', added to which a combination of fixed and contextual adverts pays me about £20 a month.
This fairly regular but small revenue is supplemented by my mail-order service (converting tapes into CD's) which is extremely variable - anything from about £10 to a couple of hundred is possible. I have one or two other insignificant 'strings' to my revenue bow, which includes eBay partnership and one remaining survey company. I had decided to cease doing surveys altogether, but I think I may well keep the one remaining survey company (YouGov) as out of all the survey companies, I find they pay the best.
For the future, I have plans to extend my money-making base which will give me reason to drop some of the less well-paying (and more time-consuming) schemes. My future plans are geared mostly towards passive income, as this is the type of project that makes the most sense to me in the long-run. It would be nice to be able to sit back and watch the money rolling in without having to make any effort - I'm sure most people can see the sense in that!
Currently, my best months are those where I get a good number of cassettes to do, and when I get 'extra' opps from PU2B. If you fulfill your quote of opps quickly with PU2B, you frequently get chances to complete extra opps that have not been completed in time by others. Right now, I have about 13 posts to complete of this type which will be a real boost to earnings. I am well aware that the time spent doing these could be spent completing outstanding projects, but I am using the 'bird in the hand' philosophy - ie. I can make money now, and worry about progressing projects when there is no money to be made by other means...
In the next few months, I need to be close to gathering my last remaining site under my one 'umbrella' multi-site hosting plan - this will mean that I must be doing a bit of work in the background, but the benefits in saved hosting charges will be tremendous - this represents a major re-working of how my cassette to CD operation works, but I fully intend to use the opportunity to open up more avenues for passive income.
It will mean buying more domains, but for the savings I will make in hosting fees, I can afford to buy plenty of domains...
I will be posting more about my 'unlimited' hosting plan in future posts as this will soon become the central hub of all my sites (apart from the blogs, for which I am grateful to 'blogger' for their free hosting).

Horse-play

All your equestrian needs can be met online through specialist outlets regardless of your location.
Whatever your pastime, a special trip to a neighbouring district is no longer required since we are all part of a global village. Even purchasing from another country has become a lot easier, so it is possible to get different equipment and to get the keenest global pricing.
This is great news for UK consumers who are able to easily buy equipment from US suppliers who offer high quality goods at low prices.

Creative gifts

Some people are notoriously difficult to buy gifts for (I think I am probably one of those people), but fortunately, there is a website out there that can help...
Personalcreations.com offer personalised gifts by the bucket load... You don't just buy her a dolly, you can buy her a dolly with her name on it (or even the name of her imaginary friend..). From child and baby gifts, mementos for Christenings etc.. right up to Golden Anniversary gifts, all personalised for that added special touch.
I couldn't even guess how many gift ideas they have in their catalogue, but you are sure to find something suitable - whatever the occasion.

Tanzanite Rings

Native of Tanzania (hence the name), tanzanite rings are made using the rare gemstone Tanzanite. The stone gets it's familiar blue-violet hue when heated in a gemoligical oven, when freshly mined, it would normally be reddish brown in colour.
Jewelery manufactured with Tanzanite stones is very popular due to the attractive colourings of the stone. Occassionally Tanzanite will come in other colour hues such as greens, but these are usually referred to as Zoisite rather than Tanzanite.

Father's Day

If there's one topic in which I can take a personal interest in, it's fathers day gifts for dad. Although it must be said right from the start that truly, it is the thought that counts... there's nothing wrong in showing your appreciation for your old Dad by getting him a great gift!
There are some great gifts that you can get your Dad, some of them are guaranteed to raise a laugh, like the beer holster in the picture. Let's face it, most Dads are quite difficult to buy something for, so try searching online for some gifts that will bring a smile to his face on Father's Day.

Rifle Sights

Set your sights on Holographic sights, the lastest thing for the rifleman in your life...
I had no idea of the level of sophistication that goes into gun sights, but I guess anything that improves accuracy of a high-powered rfile has to be a good thing in the right hands...
A holographic sight is preferable for log-distance spotting, and has the added benefit of reducing eye-strain, and is ideal for adverse weather conditions.

Free software alert!

I am always on the lookout for free software, and think I have found another winner!
'LogMeIn' provides a free service for remote access to a PC, for instance, so that you can access your home PC from work, or your work PC from home (assuming you have permission from work to do either of these things..).
In the past I have used Radmin and have been very pleased with the results - however you have to pay for each new PC you add to your Radmin account. This rivals the service 'GoToMyPC' which charges quite a steep monthly fee (in my estimation).

When you sign up for 'LogMeIn' (www.logmein.com), the PC's you add will automatically be assigned to a free trial (30 day) of LogMeIn Pro. However, at the end of the trial, I am assured that these will revert to LogMeIn Free if I choose not to purchase a licence for the Pro version.
The Pro version offers file transfer and other features which I do not think I will need, so I fully intend to let my account become downgraded to the free version - I will post again about any short-falls I detect in the Free version, but so far I am impressed with this free software.
I am particularly impressed with how easy it is to add PC's to your account. With Radmin I had to set port forwarding on my router, no such issues with LogMeIn - just download the software onto the PC you want to be connected to remotely (even if it's on a network) - it's that simple....should I be worried about that??

February 2014 - update about LogMeIn free service

Health Care Jobs

Even when health-care is going through a shake-up, and the economy is in flux, employment opportunities are usually available in the health care sector - and these opportunities cover a very wide variety of jobs.
If you check out a health care job site, you will find jobs ranging from the obvious clinical roles, to support staff, admin and IT jobs. Some employment web-sites will even cover dental and veterinary opportunities too.
If you are currently on the lookout for work, you should consider a role within the health-care industry, whatever happens in the economic fallout over the next few years, there is sure to be a continuing demand for good health-care workers.

Car Insurance

We have not yet decided which site to use for cheap car insurance, but we have been promised a budget car from a friend which will allow us to have cheap insurance for a couple of years to build up no-claims bonuses.
I would like to get the car of my dreams, but have now come to the realisation that I cannot afford to insure just any car that I desire.. I have a company car at the moment, so don't have any 'no claims' of my own. My cunning plan is to make do with a small, inexpensive car in the short-term, one that can be insured 'third party' only. This should help to build up bonuses so that I can afford to insure something that I really like.
I can see this plan falling flat because ever since I have had a car (25 years now...) I have always had 'make do' cars, and I have kind of got used to it. No surprise then, that I am about to do the same again...

Social Security Benefits

Most people are getting the social security benefits they are entitled to, but alongside the perennial problem of people trying to get more than they are entitled to, is the problem of those who are not actually claiming their proper entitlement.

There are a number of organisations set up that will offer help to those claiming benefits, they have expertise in claims procedures and entitlements, and can help to ensure the proper benefits are distributed. These organisations tend to offer online and telephone support because they are aware that many claimants cannot call into a local or regional office.

What makes a good Blogger?

I don't claim to be any sort of expert, but when I look back, I realise that I have been blogging for four years now - and have five blogs, so that must count for something... On this blog alone (admittedly this is the blog on which I am most 'prolific'), I have passed the 1000 post mark... I have done more than 830 posts over the other 4 blogs - all hosted by 'blogger' by the way.

I think I would claim to be a good blogger, without going so far as to claim to be anything more, but I have learned what attributes are required to be good at this game:

• Writing skills - keeping typos and grammatical errors to a minimum helps to create the right impression.
• Creativity - being able to write with a unique 'voice'.
• Opinions - being able to make an argument without being so extreme as to lose sight of fair judgment.
• Consistency - consistent themes and standards that mark out your blog as both unique and worthy of scrutiny.

These are by no means the exhaustive list, and I also don't claim to have them all in abundance - but if you are planning to use a blog for making money online, you should at least understand these principles, because if it just all about the money, it just won't last.

Rustic furniture

I love pieces of rustic furniture, in fact, although I like clean modern lines too, I do think rustic has more longevity, and is more welcoming too.
The beauty of timeless rustic furniture is that you can't tell how old it is, whereas modern stylized furniture dates very quickly. I am one of those people who would rather scour second hand shops or antique shops than modern furniture stores.
There is something ruggedly honest about roughly cut timber assembled with care into a bed or a sideboard that adds a touch of simplicity to a room.

Coupon Codes

Everybody loves coupons... and ProFlowers have made it easy by building a dedicated site with their coupons in case you forgot the code that you saw on an advert earlier.
Of course, even if you didn't even see the ad, you can still get the ProFlowers coupon codes from their site. Right now, there are half a dozen active coupons that you can use to get a hefty discount, free flowers added to your order or even a free vase.
Everybody loves coupons, everybody loves flowers... and everybody loves a free discount.

Linkedin

If you haven't yet looked into 'LinkedIn' as a way to either publicise yourself, or your business, then you should give it some serious thought... I have added myself to LinkedIn mostly because other people suggested I should, since then I have linked in with a few friends and looked up their work history. You can also find company profiles on LinkedIn such as Linkedin ProFlowers profile.

LinkedIn uses a social networking type model, but is strictly about business and recruitment. In most cases, people add their work history to their profiles so that prospective employers might find out more. Businesses can now also use the service to raise their own profile and put something like a mission statement online, or a description of what area of business they operate within.

Zero-turn mowers

It's that time again! Time to start cutting the lawn... I have been looking at zero turn mowers for sale because the lawn we have is too small for a standard ride-on mower.
However, I'm not sure my gardening budget will run to a new mower especially as the lady of the house wants to buy one of those garden swing sofas this year too..
There is a load of stuff to do in the garden and I was also tempted to buy some telescopic extending shears to sort out all the climbers clinging to the back wall.
This years gardening jobs also include replacing the garden gate as somebody kicked ours down in the winter... I do enjoy getting back into the garden, but I can see some back-breaking jobs coming up...

Virus and Malware problems

I run a fairly tight ship when it comes to the PC's that I use on a regular basis - I have regular use of two laptops and two desktops, and they all have plenty of applications to fight 'nasties'. I have noticed recently that a lot of friends and colleagues are reporting viruses, particularly of the kind that pose as anti-virus, tell you that your computer is infected before offering to remove the infection if you hand over your credit card details...
I really hate this type of enterprise, so I thought I would share some knowledge on how to combat it.
First of all, get yourself some great free anti-virus/anti-malware software you can use either:
'AVG Free' or 'Microsoft Security essentials', both of these self-update and run scheduled scans, but MSE gives wider cover for Malware - since the last AVG update, the two applications no longer run on the same machine (shame on AVG for adding that 'tweak' to their latest version...)
I would recommend a belt and braces approach by also downloading Malware Bytes (MBAM) - you have to update and run this one manually, but it is extremely effective at ridding your PC of nasties.
The problem with 'clever' malware, is that they are able to disable your existing antivirus, and won't let you download anything or run MBAM - so what do you do now???
All is not lost, there are two courses of action, Firstly download the latest copy of MacAfee 'Stinger' onto a memory stick using a separate PC, run this on the infected PC. If the malware does not stop it in it's tracks, it will find any dodgy stuff and you can opt to delete the files. Job done...
Some malware will 'know' to stop Stinger from working, so there is another option...
Visit the 'bleeping computer' forum and download 'Rkill' - in all it's seven formats. Rkill will attempt to halt the 'processes' that the malware uses, meaning you can now run MBAM, MSE AVG or any other previously affected anti-virus. Please note that it does NOT make any changes whatsoever to your computer setup - your anti-virus must do that, if you restart your computer, the virus will reappear if you did nothing to remove it.
Rkill comes in many guises in order to fool the malware into thinking is is not 'Rkill' - if the standard Rkill.exe file does not work, there are more versions of the same thing with different names, some of which are named to look like common PC files like 'iexplore.exe'.
If all this is new to you, then use a search engine to search out any of the software files below that you don't have - store them somewhere and every so often update them with the latest versions:

• RKILL - bleeping computer.com
• STINGER - MacAfee
• MSE - Microsoft
• AVG FREE - AVG
• MBAM - Malware Bytes

Once you have this lot in your arsenal, you will be well-equipped for any attack of the 'nasties' - you could even fix PC's for your mates too.

Daybed Covers

You can spruce up your 'spare room' with new
daybed covers and achieve two goals with one easy purchase.

New covers means that the spare room becomes a more usable space to entertain friends and family. It also means that the room looks nicer when you have guests to stay. They might be your closest friends, but everyone wants to show their living space off in it's best light when visitors come calling.

You may even have a day-bed in what you lovingly call your 'office', new covers will mean that you won't even be ashamed to entertain clients in your office space. Sadly my office is nowhere near big enough for a bed of any sort (which, on reflection is not such a bad thing if I want to get any work done!).

Prescription Glasses

With the advent of online buying, there is no need to be limited in your choice of prescription glasses when it comes to replacing your spectacles.
I have damaged my reading glassses recently, but cannot afford to get a replacement pair from my opticians. My requirements are fairly common, so I can easily pick up a pair of reading glasses from a supermarket, but for those with more specific requirements, online prescription glasses are a great choice as long as your prescription has not changed.

Health Savings Account

Health care has become an important matter for debate and change recently, and our attitudes towards health care are being challenged. For instance a Blue Cross Blue Shield health savings account can help you to build up savings whilst gaining a tax-advantage. These savings can then be used for future health care expenditure.
This is a completely different concept to insurance where the money paid in may bear no relation to the care received, and which does not get any tax breaks.
The folks that take out insurance are made up of net winners and net losers - you may pay in a couple of years of premiums and get treatment for the rest of your life. On the other hand, you may pay in for years and never get any benefits at all.

Google Update

Some sites have been hit hard by the Google 'Panda' update designed to filter 'low-quality' sites out of search results.
The speculation is that ratio of adverts to content is being examined, possibly 'above the fold' content being particularly targetted. The intention has been to root out 'shallow' sites, but there may well (as with any update) be undeserved consequences for some sites.
I have tested a couple of my own sites and have yet to see any effects, but then I don't build link-farms, and I try and provide good content even when I am trying to optimise revenue from adverts.

Apparently one of the acknowledged losers of the update has been 'Suite101' a site that pays writers for content and then optimises the page for revenue. If they have suffered frim sticking their head 'above the parapet', then it is possible that those trying to make money online from Suite101 could see a fall-off in revenue. Google themsleves seem to be happy to acknowle that Suite101 has been a target, along with 'eHow' and other similar sites.
As ever, the actual algorithm of the update remains secret - which implies that there are some things that you can do that could manipulate the system to your advantage.

It should always be true that a decent site should not fall foul of the Google updates, but there is always a buzz when the updates happen and folks start to see an impact. All-in-all, I haven't been very aware of any massive changes although I am happy to acknowledge that Adsense rate of earnings seems to have dropped since my last payout. Kind of ironic that it is the Google advertising scheme that takes the brunt - after all if I am making less, there is a chance that Google is making less too.

Term Life Assurance

There are many items in our budget that we have trimmed over the years, and some expediture such as  life insurance has come up for discussion. Although there is no immediate benefit in paying insurances of this nature, you would have to consider very carefully before deciding to step out without adequate insurance especially if you have acquired more dependants (as one tends to do...).
I question the need for insurance to protect income in the event of simple job-loss because I would rather force myself into a low-paying job rather then have an insurance paying me to sit on my back-side. I know an instance where a young man found himself unable to work without jeopardising his insurance which was paying a large mortgage for him..
However, insurance that provides cover for serious illness that will prevent you ever working again is certainly worth keeping up even in stringent times. I know of anither story where a young man in the Navy was injured overseas, the Navy dismissed him because of his injuries, but were not automatically going to award a pension as he was off his ship at the time of the accident - he had no compensation even though his injures were horrific, and because he had Navy accomodation his family were also evicted from their house...
Insurance is a bit of a pain until something like that happens to you...

Earnings February 2011

Not a bad month this month, profit of around £118, mostly from cassettes, and I have more cassettes to do during March too. Not so much from blog posting, but that tends to come all in a rush and earnings have been above average since November. Actually blog posts were well down, but I added in my 'paid to survey' earnings (£25.50 from PureProfile).
I have already done some blog posts for next month payout too, including a 'blogsvertise' opp on a different blog. Altogether I have four blogs on which paid posts may appear, if I had time to do more, I would probably submit it to PayU2Blog to see if I could double up on those earnings. The only down-side of PU2B is that you HAVE to take every opp that is assigned which means you have to be prepared to pepper the blog with paid posts. My other three blogs are more niche focussed and it would probably not be appropriate to put PU2B posts on them, although now I think about it, I could probably sacrifice one of them... I'll give this strategy some thought...
I am in the dangerous position of now having nearly £100 sitting in my PayPal account - I keep bidding on eBay 'toys', but fortunately, so far have not been successful in winning anything...

Fig tree

It has not been a good winter in the UK for trees that are used to warmer climes, even in the areas where you can usually grow them. We have had a palm in our garden for about 8 or 9 years, but I fear it has flowered for the last time.
We have new neighbours who decided to 'spruce' up the front of the house with new newly purchased palms - these two appear to have expired, I hope they were insured!
Any thoughts of purchasing a fig tree, or other exotic delights must now be shelved until this current ice age has passed methinks...
I have seen quote a few recipes recently that made good use of figs, so it would have been an interesting addition to my home-grown produce which currently consists of potatoes, rather stunted shallots, and some wildly growing strawberries.

Home Automation Software

Applying the power of your computer to a real practical task is often as elusive now as it was when computers first appeared. They are great at communication and information-seeking now that the internet is widely available, but the idea that computers will take over running the household has not really taken shape. However, with affordable home automation software, that could all be about to change.

You can control lights and thermostats from portable devices via the internet and have video streamed too, not only does this type of system offer excellent security measures, energy-efficiency is also at the heart of it. No more waiting for the central heating to kick in, you can start warming up your home before you get there, you can turn the lights on to give the impression that you are home. Even better, you can switch off the central heating or control the thermostats when you are out of the house.

New Blogger Templates

I finally took the plunge and have converted two more blogs to the new templates...
Three of my 'blogspot' hosted blogs are now using the new templates. I have taken the "if it ain't broken..." approach, and as 'munny4hunny' is the blog I do the most work on, I have left the design side of it alone..for now...

I have given a facelift to the following sites:

Beckham News - in time for the start of the new MLS season
The Credit Cruncher
Travel Blog

I have been inspired to put up some new posts too, so the whole exercise has worked out quite well. There is another blog that could do with some new content and a facelift too, but it is quite tricky to keep five blogs updated on anything other than a very sporadic basis.
I have found that the new templates are not always directly compatible, so some widgets may need to be rearranged, but on the whole the experience has been smooth and very effective. Making design changes is much easier and the scope of elements that can be incoporated into the design is considerably expanded.
There is still the danger that your blog may look very similar to someone elses, but with a bit of work, you can still exercise your own creative flair - and the combinations are certainly more varied than before. Thumbs up to blogger (still going to seriously explore WP one day though!)

iPhone

I am resisting the nagging from my brain "buy iphone!", "buy iPad!" and all those lovely gadgets that issue forth from the house of Apple. Apple products have become far more than functional items, they say a lot about personal choice, aspirations and persona of their owners.

Apple have gone out of their way to make products that are desirable for more than their functionality alone. There are alternative products widely available, many of which represent better value and better functionality, but because they are market leaders, you may well find yourself saying "Well it may be better than the iPhone, but it's NOT an iPhone, and therefore I won't buy it!"

Liftmaster door opener

The internet is a wonderful thing, of that, there is little doubt - however, I find that although most of my internet purchases, although certifiable bargains, lead me to spend even more money when I realise the full range of options available.

For example, I was looking into liftmaster garage door opener parts, and when I started browsing through the online product catalogue, I found a whole load of other stuff I wanted to buy. The Liftmaster range includes not only remote transmitters to open your doors for you, but intercoms, parking aids, remote control lighting.. the list goes on. I can't help feeling that although most online purchases are saving me money...I am still spending MORE money!

Some thoughts on Google

Every good blogger should have an opinion on Google, and I do...and it's not all bad! On the one hand I LOVE Google, they set out to be the best search engine - and there is no question that they are exactly that. However Google are a lot of other things, and most of them are good: Google Maps, Google Groups, Google Sites, Google Mail, Google Docs - it's all great stuff, and largely free which is no bad thing.
I especially love Google Adsense which gives me a bit of spare cash in my pocket, but here's the thing... because (via Google search) Google controls the internet, I have a problem with some of the hypocrisy... How come it is fine for me to advertise with Google Adwords, and make money with Google Adsense, but if Google discover that you have paid someone else to promote your site, or find that you have charged someone for a blog-post... they manipulate rankings in an attempt to reduce your earning potential?
I understand their desire to keep the search results 'organic', but I have to take issue with some of the apparent duality of their moral high-ground. If you want 'pure' search results, why would you put paid adverts right at the top of the results? On the other hand, if you feel that the paid results are legitimate (I happen to think they are OK) - what gives you the right to manipulate the rankings of sites that sell their own advertising space? If advertising is bad, why do it? If it is good, why punish others who do it?
The truth is that it just makes people more resourceful, in fact better at what they do when it comes to being paid for advertising. Although it is not possible to make as much through paid blogging now than when it was at it's peak, it is still possible to make a nice little second income, and I am sure that if you 'went at it' full pelt, you could actually do very well indeed despite Google's best efforts to hold you back...

Oxyelite Pro side effects

The latest in a long line of weight-loss medications, Oxyelite Pro has a 'recipe' that has some unique ingredients. Like many products however, the oxyelite pro side effects are not so well publicised. My simple argument is that the more effective (or 'aggressive') a product is in this arena, the more likely it is to have serious long-term consequences.

One of the problems is that there is as much misinformation out there as there is genuine information when it comes to weight-loss medication. My advice, as always, is to enlist the help of a health-care professional if you are considering medication to help you lose weight. It is also worth noting, that medication alone cannot help you, some healthy lifestyle choices are going to need to be made, and who knows? maybe those changes alone will be more effective than any medication in the long run...

Pureprofile pays out

Finally, I have been able to collect from one of the two remaining survey companies that I use. Pureprofile actually paid me the day after I last wrote about them - they said to allow 30 days for payout, but actually only took about 10.
I won't recommend survey as a good way to earn online, they do give you an additional string to your earnings 'bow', but are only just a bit more profitable than paid to read or paid to click as far as I can see.
It would be easier and more fun to reach payout in MyLot, which is another scheme that I no longer participate in. Having said that some surveys pay reasonably well, and sometimes there are other benefits such as vouchers etc..
When compared with time spent writing paid posts, I can get $5 for 60 words with PayU2Blog, so there is no real comparison...
On another track, I have been doing more cassette conversions lately and expect a few more jobs in this line of work over the coming weeks. I have some definite plans to develop these earnings, but am finding that there is little time to devote to development.

Diet pills that work

I must state right now, that I don't have the type of body-shape that calls for dieting... So for me personally, I have never been concerned with diet pills. I firmly believe that healthy living and plenty of physical exercise is the key to staying trim (plus being lucky enough to have a metabolism like a steam-train...).
If you are not lucky enough to have a metabolism like mine, you may well be interested in diet pills that work... But this type of treatment should only really be embarked upon as a short-term solution. The problem with diet pills per se, is that they don't really prepare you for a life without diet pills, so unless you plan to take them for the rest of your life (NOT recommended..), you are going to have to make some lifestyle changes sooner or later....

Does Alli work

Well you might say 'Who's Alli' if you have had your head under a rock, but as this fat-fighter grows in reputation, plenty of people as asking the question: does alli work?
In fact, I notice now, that other mainstream branded products are starting to state that they have alli in their ingredients, adding to the reputation of alli itself.
However, it is worth noting that any product that may have a significant effect on your body, even a positive one like weight-loss, can also be detrimental. It is always advisable to seek as much information about products like this before you think about embarking on a course of treatment.
Conversely if a product has few 'side-effects', it is probably fairly ineffective...

Reached survey payout!

At last I have reached payout in one of my two remaining survey schemes... I am looking forward to getting £25.55 paid directly to my bank in the next few weeks. I have been doing PureProfile suerveys for nearly four years! This is very much a 'long game' - I have parted company with plenty of other survey schemes, but have kept true to this one and YouGov - YouGov have a higher payout, but I seem to be making money faster with YouGov.

My view is that in general, surveys are not a great way to earn online, but of all those that I have used, YouGov are probably the best - assuming they will pay out...
I will post on the blog to let you know when the payment from Pure Profile comes in - rather annoyingly, after 4 years of doing surveys - have to wait another 30 days for payment....

Laser Inkjet Cartridges

Printing equipment is a great example of where running costs should be considered above the capital cost of the instrument itself. After all, we are all familiar with the costs of laserjet ink cartridges. At one point a few years back, retailers were literally giving away printers in the knowledge that they would take far more money from selling the consumable ink cartridges than they will from selling the printer.
Nowadays, printers are sold very cheaply - and it is only recently that I have noticed manufacturers starting to advertise printers by empahsising the low running costs. For those of us not willing to make a further investment, we are left scouring the market-place for the best prices for replacement cartridges. Although some may advocate the use of re-fill catridges to keep costs low, I have to say I have tried home refill kits, and unbranded replacement cartridges, and I would never try either of these again...

Cheap Car Insurance

As one of my money-saving ideas, I have been thinking for a while about handing back my company car and saving a load of income tax. I have a little saved and have been getting quite excited about what car I might buy. However there appears to be a problem... even though I have been searching for the cheapest car insurance, I can't afford fully comprehensive cover. If I were to spend my nest-egg on a car, I wouldn't want to risk losing it by insuring only third party.

I have come up with a compromise, I won't spend my savings, I will get a super-cheap car that someone wants to off-load (there are always cars that people are glad to get rid of if you know the right people..). It will need to be a car that is cheap to insure, so it won't need to be top of the range - I will insure that for a couple of years on third party to see if I can build up some no claims bonus, then maybe I will be in a position (hopefully with more eggs added to the nest!) to purchase something a bit flashier... Actually, I have never really gone out and bought a car that I liked for myself, I have always 'made do' with cars that friends or relatives were selling on... It would be really nice one day to actually buy a car that I wanted!

January 2011

A slow month this month, which is normal for January... Nonetheless, money has come in and more will follow next month as a result of this months activities. I spent £21 renewing a couple of dot com domains, otherwise profit would have been a more respectable £80. I am within a few pence of reaching payout for one of the survey companies that I use, but I expect that I will 'resign' once I have the money in my hand. Surveys are easy to do, but I believe I could spend the time more profitably...

I am determined to push forward some web projects next month, another birthday is coming along which always serves as a good reminder in terms of what I want to achieve. I am not getting any younger and I want to see some of my projects taking off a bit and generating some respectable income. As ever...I will keep you 'posted'.

Overshoes

The weather in the UK has hit unprecedented levels recently. In previous years, I used to think it was cold when the car external temperature gauge alarm 'pinged' at 4 degrees C to warn me that driving conditions could be affected by the weather. However, for weeks at a time recently, we have endured below zero temperatures this winter, and I have started to think of 4 degrees as being quite mild....

This has led many people to consider winter strategies. Items such as gloves, scarves, car screen scrapers, overshoes and hand warmers are piled up by the door. Winter tyres, snow socks, grit and a shovel in the back of the car are now considered normal rather than 'over the top' reactions to a 'bit of snow'...

We have seen some spectacular snow scenes whilst driving around the country, but while acknowledging the power of winter, and it's undoubted beauty, I would still rather it wasn't so darned cold!