Knee walker

I have seen all types of mobility devices in recent years, but up to now I had never seen a knee walker. Thankfully, I have never needed one either, but never say never...
A knee-walker is apparently a replacement for the antique idea of needing crutches and hobbling around like a land-locked pirate.. and when you look at the device, although at first it might seem a little unwieldy, I have to admit that this has to be a lot better than sticking lumps of wood under your arms and swinging drunkenly around the place.

These devices are becoming increasingly sophisticated with a basket to carry a few knick-knacks, a comfortable-looking 'seat' for your knee, and even brakes for when you get a bit ahead of yourself. Some are collapsible and lightweight, ideal for a quick shopping trip.

Windows 8 - what's all the fuss about?

You will have heard by now (surely?) that MS are on the verge of launching their latest version of Windows - and there is some good news for all concerned. Here's a few Q & A's:

How will it differ from previous versions? 

Well firstly, Windows 8 is just a working title, it may come out with a different name - but in essence this will be a platform geared towards touch-screen technology. Initial reports indicate that this platform will be quite 'light' and therefore may be suitable for older systems to upgrade to... talking of which..

How much will it cost? 

From initial reports it looks as if there will be a special upgrade version available for a reported $40 ($15 if you have recently bought a Windows 7 machine), and the upgrade apparently goes all the way back to XP - which is good news for a huge section of the population who never liked Vista, and didn't see the point of Windows 7 (including me...).

When can I get it?

No official release date is yet available - but news can be expected in September, it is DEFINITELY intended for release in 2012...

T-phentermine

The web is littered with advice and comparisons for different medications, especially diet supplements like: http://www.shoppharmacycounter.com/t-phentermine.aspx. Like much of the internet, you have to dig quite deep to find any really good advice, and the first port of call for any medication should be a real live health care professional like your doctor.
Despite great testomonies from friends and colleagues, it may be that some drugs are not suitable for everyone to take, it always pays to first of all get good advice, and then make sure you get medication from a well-trduted source.
For what it's worth, a change of lifestyle is likely to be much better for your health than a temporary course of medication.

Cleaning Vertical Blinds

I have finally finished the very last step of the office refurbishment by cleaning and refitting the vertical blinds. It occurred to me that tips on cleaning vertical blinds might make a good 'frugal living' post.. Our blinds have been pretty much untouched for about 14 years! - maybe the odd dusting, but never a proper cleaning, you can only imagine the state of some of them - and my better half was thinking of throwing them out. I 'googled' for some cleaning tips and weighed up the suggested methods. A few people had put them in the washing machine with varied results - most people seemed to agree that a gentle washing in the bath was the best method.
I used about 4 inches of hot water in the bath with first of all some washing up liquid, and then later some liquid used for hand-washing clothes (the results were the same). I also found a clean nail brush that I used to scrub the worst parts (the top and bottom of each blind - mostly the top). Although they still looked a bit grubby whilst still wet - once they were hung on the line to dry, they looked fairly clean. (they must be hung out straight to retain their shape, not hung over anything)
I should issue a few cautionary notes - don't use too much cleaning solution or water that is too hot as it might adversely affect the glue that holds parts of the blind together. Do this on a day when you can leave them on a washing line to dry for a few hours otherwise you will have pools of grubby water wherever you leave them to dry...
Earlier this week, I took delivery of some bottom chain links for the blinds that I found on eBay, they even have the weights and the tops that you may need for blinds that have parts missing. The links were only £1.65 for 100 links (20 were needed for the blind in the picture above), and they finish the job off really nicely. The blinds have been in place overnight and look fantastic compared to how they looked before, I just have about 7 more sets like this throughout the house to do now....

Stylish maternity clothes

Ladies all want to look their best whenever possible whatever the circumstances, and it's no different when expecting a child, hence the need for stylish maternity clothes instead of what might be perceived as the standard 'frumpy' wear..

Of course, skimpy outfits and high heels nay not always strike exactly the right note, but there's no need to step out of the current trends completely with the range of outfits available. The best deals are always available online, and mail-order means you can try them on in the comfort of your own home at your convenience.

Buy iphone 4 cases

The simple truth of the online world is that high street shops cannot keep pace with the influx of new products as efficiently as an online store. You may be looking to buy iphone 4 cases, when your local shops still have a stock of iphone 3 cases. When they finally do get them in stock, the price is a good 25% more than the high street stores. Admittedly there are a lot more counterfeits available on-line than in-store, but buying from a reputable on-line retailer should ensure you only get genuine goods.

Annuities rates

Finding the right annuities rates for your investment portfolio becomes more difficult when the rates are low like in the current financial market. There is little to choose between rates, and a percentage point difference can have a big impact on longer term investments.

It is difficult to know what the longer term rates are going to be, but in the short term rates look fixed to stay low. Nett investors will need to look for higher risks to get better returns, those that rely on investment returns face some difficult decisions.

Munny 4 Hunny

I started this blog some years ago now with the idea that I would discover if it is possible to make a bit of cash online. The experiment proved fruitful, and although I have not made mountains of cash, I have certainly provided a bit of extra cash for treats (hence the 'hunny' in munny 4 hunny). It has been possible in the past to earn hundreds of dollars a month with paid posts, I have also picked up a few affiliates and continued with my first online 'venture' which has me converting tape cassette recordings into CD's. I have since begun a few other blogs to provide me with a wider base and catch more opportunities to earn a bit extra, but this one remains the most active. Nowadays, the opportunities for paid postings are less frequent and not so well-paid, but there is still money to be made, and if you had the time and energy, it would be possible to turn a half-decent bit of spare income. I have not myself, had the opportunity (or misfortune) to find out how much could be made if it were done full-time...

 On this blog alone, I have to date, racked up 1180 posts - and about another 800 posts on other blogs - in fact, when I add them up properly, this turns out to be post number 2001 in a little over five years... I have experimented with websites from time to time to see if I can boost earnings with static sites as well as blogs, but there is no real 'quick fix' easy way to create earning websites despite the adverts you might see.

There are legitimate earnings and they take a lot of hard work to get rolling, but once the money starts coming in, the satisfaction is quite pleasing. However, I find that even static sites need work to keep driving traffic to them - some are driven by good SEO techniques, some by posting in forums etc.. but I find that unless you keep working at the traffic, it falls away fairly quickly. The one thing I found initially is that there are others all trying the same thing, and establishing links with them, and swapping ideas can be very helpful. When I think back to when I started, it has been fascinating to see the different paths that fellow income-seekers have followed. There are still opportunities out there, and a little original thinking can go a long way in the online world.

Data storage software

It is well established now, that backing up your computer files, even in the home environment is a no-brainer.. I have three large backup drives running every day (I have them on a timer to come on at mid-day, complete the backups and turn off).
I have rarely needed to delve into the backup, but knowing it is there gives me peace of mind, especially as I run a 'paperless office' at home - everything scanned and then burned for security.
There are plenty of data storage software solutions available commercially, and a business, even a small one, should consider an offsite professional solution to compliment their own onsite operations. Backing up online data is also a must for many companies who may run an online business such as an online shopping operation

Church chairs

A church chair is different to a standard chair that you might use at home, simply because it needs to be so much more robust. High quality chairs for meeting places such as churches and schools come in a variety of designs and with a variety of fabrics allowing a certain amount of freedom of choice.

Other characteristics of this type of chair would include the ability to be linked with other chairs to form connected rows, and the ability to be stacked  when the chairs are not needed, leaving an open floor- space

Dyshidrotic eczema

I am fortunate not to suffer from allergies or dyshidrotic eczema, but I do get dry skin patches from time to time. I have not figured out what causes the patches, but as they are not too noticeable, I have not sought any treatment as such.
Occasionally I use a cream, and I avoid after-shave completely, preferring to use a moisturiser rather than a traditional after-shave.
Two major contributors to skin problems (apart from environment) are stress levels and the types of food that we eat - it's remarkable how our lifestyles affect our health without us truly appreciating the impact.

Up to date

Although there are still one or two little jobs to do in the new office, I am more or less back up and running now, and seeing as I am losing interest in the European Cup 2012.. I have been catching up with paperwork.
I had omitted to complete any transactions since April, and have now got all my ingoings and outgoings up to date, with the result that I am yet to make a profit this financial year.. I had some outgoings that negated all my current income, but making less profit has the welcome effect of reducing my tax bill, so it's not all bad.

I was thinking of offsetting the cost of the office furniture against online earnings, but that would have taken quite a large chunk of profit for the whole year - instead of doing that, I am offsetting the cost of my new monitor speakers which I will be legitimately using for cassette to CD conversions. The initial cost of the speakers has now been allocated to last years outgoings, but this year will carry the cost of the refurbishment (a complete re-build).
I am almost ready to submit my earnings for 2011-2012 to the taxman, as I am promised my P11D form soon from work (this is for my company car), and I can't complete the submission without it..

I have also gone against my own advice and purchased one or two laptop-related items from eBay - with the result of a working laptop made up from two purchases totalling about £30 - should be able to sell it for £60, so am reasonably pleased with myself... I do also have an extensive selection of spare parts that I could put on eBay once I have taken to time to sort it all out...

Outdoor ceiling fans

Although the weather here has been fairly appalling lately, I am mindful of the work that needs doing on the patio and in the garden. We are not quite ready for outdoor ceiling fans, but we are on the lookout for sail-shades this year. However, with the current spate of weather, a shade is not exactly needed.

I can hardly find a dry day to get the grass cut let alone bask in the rays from the sun... It would be nice to get something done to the patio, if not sail shades, then maybe a pergola or something structural that offers both shade and decoration.

Luminox 3051

I recently treated myself to a new watch, and although my intention was to get it from a duty free shop on one of the recent occasions I went abroad for work, I ended up getting it from Amazon.

 I wasn't looking for anything as exotic as a Breitling or a luminox 3051, however I couldn't find the exact watch that I wanted in duty-free.
I don't like large chunky watches as a rule, understated elegance is the style that I usually go for - you could say typically British..

I do also like rugged stuff too for work-related tasks, so although my wardrobe holds a few formal jackets, shirts and ties, it is also littered with combat trousers and jeans for work.

Bargains..

Really happy with myself today!
I have been looking for additional RAM for my laptop recently - it's quite an old laptop and the going rate on eBay for a 1GB stick is anything between about £12 to £20, I have bid on a few sticks but won nothing as yet.... I don't want to pay very much because I bought the laptop cheap and don't want to waste money on it. There is already a 1GB stick of RAM in my laptop, it takes 2GB, so ideally I could do with another 1GB.

I was in Staples stationary store today and there was a 'bargain' table - imagine my astonishment when I spotted a 1GB stick of laptop RAM reduced to £3.99... I picked it up and checked all the specifications, and although I wasn't 100% sure, I bought it because I figured I could sell it on eBay even if it wasn't right for my machine. As it happens, it worked fine and my little old laptop now soprts a mighty 2Gig of RAM...

I am still pinching myself that I managed to spot such a random bargain without even getting it from eBay, and I suppose the moral of the story is that it is always worth sniffing out a bargain and maybe I shouldn't restrict my bargain hunting to eBay alone.

Dixon Drums

Since I was a kid, I always wanted to learn to play the drums, but never really pursued it. I did learn to play some other instruments, but persuading my parents to buy me a set of Dixon Drums was never really on the cards.

I did have an impromptu lesson once from a genuine percussion teacher who thought I could make a go of learning to play properly, but I didn't get another chance to take it any further. You need a lot of space to keep a full drum kit, so unless I get a massive change of fortune, I think me as a drummer will always be a bit of a pipe-dream.

Hospital bed sheets

In today's news in the UK, there are reports about local NHS trusts making huge losses this year. I suppose they have huge outgoings, but honestly you would have thought they could budget for their wages, services and sundries such as hospital bed sheets without overspending by millions.

Home carers are a hot topic in the UK too, with many youngsters highlighted and publicly praised for the care they are already providing for their less able parents, and many more who continue to offer daily support with no recognition whatsoever. The good news is that this is highlighting the need for good support for home carers who are not only in a good position to offer care to their loved-ones, but also save the government a lot of money by caring without payment.

Summer 2012

This Summer is the most sport-laden Summer in my life that I can recall - we are currently half-way through the Football European Championship, and my team, England are on the cusp of either progressing or coming home tomorrow.
Wimbledon tennis championship is just around the corner, and the Olympics (with a GB football team for the first time ever..) is just a few weeks away too.
Normally at this time of year, there is little of my favourite sport (football) going on, but this Summer you can barely get away from it, and with playing twice a week myself, this is set to be a superb Summer for me, even if the weather persisits in being singularly British..

TV stand

I have had a bit of extra money at my disposal lately - but this was all very quickly swallowed up by purchasing furniture for my newly-decorated office at home.
One other purchase that I was seriously considering (but now can't afford until the next windfall) was the acquisition of a new flat screen TV and tv stand. They have become almost affordable now, certainly since the days when a plasma telly could set you back thousands.
I am pretty sure that the current price of an LCD TV in our local store is pretty much the same as the old TV that we purchased from there about 10 years ago. Not that there's anything wrong with our old TV, but each time we play some games on the Wii, I keep wishing we had a bigger screen.

Online Earnings

I have yet to complete my tax return this year - mostly because I am still waiting for my P11D from my 'day job' employers. Last year I completed most of my tax return whilst waiting impatiently for my P11D - this year I have done nothing yet as my paperwork has been tied up while I was redecorating. No excuses now, I can catch up with the revenue that I haven't recorded over the last two months, and I have my P60, although I am still waiting for the P11D.
I am less anxious this year because I know the P11D won't come very quickly, and the fact that I was delayed by redecorating has not bothered me at all. I have been really lax in recording income and expenditure since I closed the books for the financial year 2011-2012, in fact I don't think I have recorded anything since the start of April. It's time to dig out the paypal account and start recording all the transactions for the new financial year, although whether I shall get back into the habit of recording monthly income remains to be seen...