The Secret

All is well, very well in fact. Last Thursday as reported in my last post I was dreaming,I didn't realise it but I was positive dreaming, visualizing my family on a warm sandy beach.

On Friday last week I bought The Secret by Rhonda Byrne started reading it this week, on Saturday I received a letter from Abbey/Cahoot confirming I had been mis-sold my loan insurance and they were refunding me over £2000 !

Now I'm not about to book tickets for the four of us on a fully inclusive two week holiday in paradise, but I am starting to think this positive attitude is something to be taken more seriously. Yes I wrote and instigated the action on the PPI claims, but I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think I stood a chance.

It's an interesting book, many have claimed it's mumbo jumbo and that the quotes by empowering figures such as Winston Churchill are taken out of context. It's not the easiest book to read, very repetitive, and the layout is unusual, but it has me thinking and feeling good things.

Reminds me of a poem:

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will—
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can never ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
but soon or late the man who wins
Is THE MAN WHO THINKS HE CAN!

I'm happy today.

The Only Way Is Up !

I've shut the door on my bad week. Something I've really noticed is that as a Mum, wife, daughter, colleague and other roles I play if I'm down it causes a ripple effect. I have two sons and lovely husband. My negativity caused a general bad feeling, I'm not blaming myself, just coming to terms with the fact the it's so easy to wallow in self pity, in turn I felt selfish. No more of that it's just wasted energy.

So last night I sold a book on Amazon, that's three this month total £11.51. One of them a boot sale purchase for 25p sold for £4.50. Would love to sell books, but I must focus on the jewellery. It's payday tomorrow. Today I must menu plan and then write a list.

My EF went out the window, due to the phone/internet bill (just changed the contract and reralised that BT's confusing calling plans dupilicate themselves so that was £39we didn't need to spend. Attention to detail is one of my downfalls.

It's great to see so many other UK PF bloggers on the scene, I really must update my blog roll.

Head In A Book

Several bloggers pf and otherwise have sung the praises of library facilities. I love the escapism of a good book or film. In fact many a purchase of a bestseller has added to the cost of my financial situation. Somewhere I have a mint copy of The Devil Wears Prada, unread, saw the film, just didn't bother with the book. Now I'd be lucky to sell that for pennies on Amazon. The same with the Da Vinci Code, every car boot I go to there are loads of Dan Brown bibles for 10p. Why I didn't just go to the library I don't know.

There is something highly enjoyable about browsing for books, more enjoyable at the library because it's free, I've shaken off the Waterstones habit of buy two get one free, even if I did sell them afterwards I rarely got my money back.

But recently I've started to enjoy motivational and positive thinking literature, and unfortunately my library isn't overloaded with this sort of material, so I did visit Waterstones to buy Change Your Life in Seven Days by Paul McKenna. This wasn't a good choice for me. It really is a visualisation technique and I'm just not good at that, always something going on around here to distract.

I think my non fiction will be The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, that's if I can get my head out of a James Patterson.

Attitude Change

Tell me fellow PF bloggers, I hear so much about Dave Ramsey, is it worth me ordering from the library ? Or is much of his advice geared towards the American financial system ? i.e 401k IRS etc. I'm assuming he is the equivalent of our Martin Lewis.

My positive thinking and general change in attitude yesterday resulted in spreading a little happiness, at no expense, made two clients at work 'belly laugh' . Bearing in mind the people I work with are of the older generation and have to deal with ill health and dependency on many people for the little things in life some of us take for granted. Coupled with that upon arriving for work, one of the managers expressed a pleasure in seeing me because I was always 'bright and cheerful the mornings'.

That's more like it.

A bit more delving into the car insurance world, and I am happy to report one company can beat my cheapest quote of £189.95 by £10 and if I get it right online I also receive £95 cashback.

Pile of stuff ready for the ebay cheap listing day tomorrow, no procrastination allowed, I find listing on ebay tiresome, probably because I used to it as my 'job', but it has to be done.

Have a good day all

Milking the cow !

I'm not usually a philosophical person but I've been up since 5.00 am, not for a sleepless worrying reason, because I have things I must do. Less talk more action. Feeling positive and up - perhaps that penny interest yesterday was the start of my turnaround ?



My quote for the day :

“If you want milk, don’t sit on a stool in the middle of a field in the hope that the cow will back up to you.” Old English Proverb.



Think that's what I've been doing, sitting on a stool in a field waiting for a cow, oblivious to the fact there's a whole field just over there.



So I've checked my online accounts this morning and paypal came through as expected have £60.12, transferred £5 in e-fund, buying a weeks top up groceries, throwing the rest at the late credit card bill.

Today I will do something nice for a stranger, what goes around comes around. Law of attraction etc etc.

Marbles ?

The marbles refererence is for two areas of my life.

First my way of thinking - you know like 'loosing my marbles'. I'm not a very confident person, low on self esteem, not a very positive person. Not depressed, but want to up my game so to speak. Make my life better instead of lurching from one day to the next in total disorganisation.

Second, I have a marbles credit card that I owe a small fortune on. And I want to focus on clearing that debt, with the help of the MSE - Debt Free Wannabe Forum.

I'm 40 next year ( in 367 days to be exact) and all though it's just a number it's also a state of mind, I don't want behave like I should, just because I'm 40, I want to do stuff because I can.
Sometimes I think that Harry Enfield sketch where Kevin turns 13 is true, teenagers behave that way because society dictates they should grunt and declare everything is unfair for the whole six years.

So the next year I'm going to change the things I don't like and improve the things I do.

Here's my target list to begin with:

• Stop smoking, this is a big thing for me now. Stopped a year ago, for 4 months, but fell back into the trap late Summer 2006. I've been faffing around for the last month trying to stop, but find excuses and battle with the nicotine monster eventually giving in. I can't afford it, mentally, physically or financially. Mentally because I find myself to be one of those irritable, shouty, people when under the influence of the weed, forever wondering when I can have the next 'fix', hate smoking when I smoke, want to smoke when I can't. Stupid habit. Physically, goes without saying really. I know how bad it is. Financially, it costs a small fortune, on an average of 20 a day that's £1952.75 a year, at pre- budget prices. So justify that ? I can't.


• Psoriasis. I suffer mildly but enough to annoy me. Can't go swimming. This is stress related, but I'm sure diet and smoking don't help. So generally taking better care of myself would help. I don't eat much junk, however partial to chocolate (not every day) and crisps, and drink too much tea and alcohol.


• Stop drinking alcohol, might aswell, a couple of lagers a night won't be missed.


• Mealplan everyweek. This helps with the finances. Instead of racking my brains every night about what to feed the menfolk, plan, shop via Tesco, no impulse buys. Will eventually set myself a budget for the month.

My first task is to stop smoking.

Jo