Save £1000 in 30 Days Challenge

Why did a Tribe Called Quest just pop into my head?

"Can I kick it?"
"YES YOU CAN"

OK.....JUST for the nostalgia....then onto serious matters

*Beautiful long drawn out sigh* No booty shaking, hood rats, derogatory lyrics, n*gga this, n*gga that all up in that video. Can we have those days back please???

Alright "CLASS IN SESSION"

Last week I had time to kill whilst after work before going out to dinner, so I decided to browse all types of books in Waterstones. Then I came to one of my favourite sections…

Money. Making it. Saving it. Investing it.

I’m pretty good and organised when it comes to all three so finding a book that was going to help me with what I already know was going to be a challenge within itself.

Whilst flipping through a book I noticed a save £1000 in 30 days challenge. I didn’t read into it specifically, but thought “hmmmmmm”

So now a week later I’m still thinking “hmmmmmm” and even if I don’t make the target figure in 30 days, isn’t trying to accumulate £1000 in 30 days better than not even bothering with the challenge at all?

OF COURSE IT IS!

Your aim may be to save £1000 but only manage £350 or even less. That will still be great, because your intention yesterday may not to have been to save AT ALL. Whatever you manage to keep is always a bonus over it going into a retailers pocket. And maybe next month you won't become so pissed looking at your bank statement wondering “where the hell did all my money go last month” if you instill a little discipline when it comes to finances.

I remember tweeting something last week off the top of my head, along the lines of:

“I’m enjoying NOT shopping, as I can SEE where my money is NOT going.”

It’s NOT going to Selfridges, Niketown, or Swarovski. I can SEE the money in my account staying put.

So today as of February 5th [being Day 1] I’m going to attempt the challenge. March 6th will be Day 30 and at the halfway mark on Day 15 [19th Feb] I’ll update you all with my progress.

So Miss ReTweet [she knows who she is] on Twitter asked: “how does this work?”

You just put some money aside, when you get it, every day, every week, at the end of the 30 days, whenever you can and whenever it suits you. Best to have a bank account separate from your main one to put the money in. If you don’t have one, no problem, but it makes it much easier to keep track of.

“I can’t afford to save £1000”

Shoot I may not be able to either but I'm gonna try. It’s fine though, I chose £1000 because that's the challenge I saw in the book. Plus the higher the goal the more effort in the challenge to achieve it. Choose a figure that best suits you if you find £1000 uncomfortable or not at all attainable. Could be £100, £500, £700 whatever amount you want in your currency [as I know my blog readers aren’t all British].

I say find that comfortable figure you know you can achieve and add an extra £100 onto it, so that will make it your final goal amount.

“Aside from my job, how can I earn more money for this challenge”

Off the top of my head and I'm no expert by any means....

• eBay – don’t look at what you have as being rubbish. “One diva’s trash is another diva’s treasure." I sold a Guess watch I’d only worn once with a non-working battery for £80. Used clothes sell, so do new ones. Try it and see. Although look out for FREE listings days on eBay to save money. I store all of my listings in Turbo Lister 2 and upload them all at once. My sister is an avid ebay seller. I spoke to her this evening and she said she sets herself weekly goals of selling £100 a week of items. This is of things she has at home. She doesn't import anything to sell. She also said the other night she made sure she listed at least 3 items. You don't have to list every single item you have in one go, but 3 items daily [or whatever you can manage] is 21 items a week. Better than nothing!
• Mystery Shopping
• Selling scrap gold for cash [I’ve done this twice and recommend the top one in the country [UK] ‘Falkos Gold’] I’ve blogged about them here before.
• Clinical trials
• A 2nd job
• Blood donation [if they pay for blood in your country]
• Trading Forex/Options/Spread Betting [spread betting it illegal in the USA] ONLY if you’re experienced and knowledgeable]. Don’t attempt this if you’re not!!!
• Do you have any old mobile/cell phones? Sell them! Even if you get £3 or £10 for an old phone. That’s £3 or £10 CLOSER to your saving in 30 days goal. Use Mobile Valuer to compare which company will pay the most for your old phone. 
• Enter as many online competitions to win money. [I don’t do this but may start…someone has to win right? It could be you!]
• Have you checked your bank/credit card statements. Are you owed any money for unlawful bank charges?
• Go back over your taxes for the last 6 years [5 years 10 months to be exact]. Type 'rebate tax calculator' into Google, and for each tax year enter the gross amount and tax paid. If you're owed any money you'll get a cheque from the Inland Revenue in weeks. I did this years ago and got over £3,000 back over 3 different tax years. It's well worth a few hours work just to see if you're entitled.
• Check your utility bills, especially gas and electricity. Sometimes on a direct debit you over pay and are rarely unaware of this.
• Water bill. Will it be cheaper for you to go on a meter? I live alone in a 3 bedroom house the previous annual bill was about £230 based on a family of four. I switched to a meter because I knew little old me wasn't using that much. I now pay £9 a month for water.
• Home contents insurance. I used to pay £273, went on a comparison website and got better insurance coverage for only £65 a year. It's now increased over the year to £89 since then.
• The same with travel insurance. Don't be afraid to change insurers. I was with Columbus Direct [I always buy Annual Multi-Trip insurance].  My policy was £29 a year when it came time to renew Columbus wanted to charge me over £60. Good old faithful price comparison website,  I got out of my comfort zone and am now insured with OUL Direct for £25.47
• Have you gone through all of your direct debits and standing orders recently. Are you paying for things you no longer use?

For me I call this a financial clean up. Where I went though any and everything that had the £ sign before it and saw what needed to be changed, refunded, stopped.

There maybe other ways to make/save money, but you get my drift on different ideas to come up with. If you think of any other ways then please let me know.

For the UK folks Money Saving Expert is a well known and good resource for the money saving and making. Check out their forum too.

For the US Scrooge Strategy  Now there maybe better US financial gurus out there. If you know of any websites then let me know in the comments and I'll edit the blog to add them.

Also think of ways in which you can SAVE money!

• Do you really need THAT dress/shoes when you have 15 you thought you needed and have never worn?
• Is your fridge/freezer/cupboard is well stocked? Do you really need to spend £20 on a take away tonight?
• Going to the cinema? Go to the supermarket and get your popcorn for under £1 and stop paying close to £5 for it. I get my popcorn from Tesco for only 85p. Same with the drinks and sweets and smuggle them into the movie.
• Put down the Starbucks! Total them up over a week/month/year! Now get over the shock and bring a mug and some coffee granules to work.
• Near a Cineworld cinema then invest in an Cineworld Unlimited pass £13.50 a month to see as many films as you want. One film may cost £7-8. If you see only 2 a month you’ve already saved money. I live no where near a Cineworld but at that price a train/bus ride to Wandsworth from South Norwood is worth it than paying £7.00 at the Vue cinema in Croydon which is only 5 minutes away.
• Do you need to buy breakfast and lunch at work today? Breakfast maybe an average of £2.50, lunch £3.50 that’s £30 a week £120 a month. Spend 5-10 mins the night before and bring your food into work.
• Get to the club before 11:30 or somewhere where entry is free. Go with a friend who's a driver and you have a pretty much free night out.
• Want a social night in. Call up the girls/boys, bring a bottle/snacks and have a social gathering at your place. Siddown, chat, drink, laugh. Some of my best social moments have been in my living room and not at the club. I've done these in the past. Better still the host usually gets left with the snacks and alcohol that's leftover. Trust me there have been moments where I've started my Sunday mornings with alcohol. In moderation of course.
• The same can be done with an informal dinner party. Instead of bring a bottle you all cook and bring a dish.
• Make the most of the coupons that the supermarkets send you. I ONLY use the ones that relate to the products I buy regularly. I don't see the point in using a coupon to buy something I don't use. That IN THEORY doesn't help me save money, but spend it unnecessarily. If I don't buy wine why am I going to buy wine JUST to make use of the coupon???
• Love going out to dinner? Register on Toptable and check out the 50% off food bill offers to save money if you do go out. I ALWAYS book through Toptable and have done for years.

Whatever you do don’t turn your nose up at small amounts and think “I can only save £10 today” I would have loved to have saved £10 a day/week from when I started working at the age of 16 and stuck that in a high interest account. In the same breath don't think oh it's only £3 for lunch today that's not a lot. It adds up trust me!

Every penny you save is one step CLOSER to your financial goal.

Don't scarfice bills or debt payments just to say "I did it!!" that's just retarded. Take care of your bills, food etc then see what you can save from what's left or think of ways to make some more.

I've been doing fine weeks before not even thinking about a saving money challenge. So why is it the same day I decide to start this the following happens and I've had to stop myself in the last 6 hours from.

• Being in Convent Garden and NOT going to the Indian Restaurant that serves the most delectable food.
• Actually called Domino's Pizza, made the order and then said "I don't want it"
• Refrained from ordering an Indian when I got home that have the BEST naan bread EVER!
• Saw Finnair were doing return flights to Japan for £499 and where I would have done a spur of the moment thing and booked. Actually didn't.
• Got an e-mail that New Kids were doing a North America tour and went on-line to Ticket Master to book a ticket at their NYC show in June. I did this 3 times before I stopped myself. 
• Went to Amazon to buy Lee Daniel's movie Tennessee starring Mariah [you all know I'm a fan], Season 4 of Girlfriends and Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself.

I'll give myself a pat on the back! I think now that I'm concious of the challenge it may be harder. But hey I love a challenge, so why not!

I could go on and on and on about different way to attempt this challenge so first things first.

Pick a figure whether it be big or small and just have a go! The worst thing that could possibly happen is you could actually save some money over the next 30 days!

Want A Food Discount At The Train Station?

I stumbled across this site where you can get a FREE BiTE 20% discount card for some of the following outlets at UK train stations.

Burger King
Millie's Cookies
A Piece of Cake
Upper Crust
Cafe Ritazza

...and many more!

Click here to have one sent to you.

I think this is one of those hidden gems that nobody bloody tells us about!!! And seeing as we're always on the flippin concourse due to a delay and often get the munchies, I see this card coming in handy!

I'm A Hustler!!!

Whatchu know bout me???

My 2 MJ tickets sold for £225 each.

Am I happy?

Dumb question!!!!

On my way to the bank to deposit this weeks £485 cheque from selling my gold.

God is GOOD!

**Does the George Jefferson strut**

WELL DONE HAYLEY FOR SELLING YOURS TOO!!!!

Sell Your Mobile For Cash!

It's that time again on April 4th…every 11 months I take advantage of a FREE upgrade from T-Mobile.

My Blackberry 8800 is leaving me and I'll hop to my next and fourth model the Blackberry Bold 9000. I don't wanna hear NOTHING about a Google Phone. It's Blackberry for me…OKAY!!! I've had one from before they had colour screens, I'm devoted, loyal and faithful.


So, go here to see what your phone is worth. **LondonDiva goes to check**
Ooooh nice £31.37, considering when I sold my 8700 model I got £18.00 for it. I still thought that was good.

I'm always on the hustle tip, looking to make a lil extra cash…by any means necessary.

So here's a link for you folks….Environfone…and don't worry they even send you out the free postage labels it doesn't cost you a thing but time!!!! I've used this company before. It's so easy. I recommended this to a Facebook buddy and she was very happy with it, even took the time out to send me a sweet message of thanks once her transaction had gone through.

Save the planet and MAKE SOME MONEY!!!

Who's Bad?

I managed to snag 4 Michael Jackson tickets for this summer's This Is It extravaganza at the O2.

LondonDiva will NOT be going. I'd rather miss it, than go and be a hypocrite [supporting off key folks].
Two tickets have gone to my co-worker and her sister for face value, and the other two I will be selling on, yes for a profit…watch all the MJ fans come up in here tell me I'm disgusting! Mi nah business. This IS business!! I'll give 10% to charity from what I make anyway. Let's hope MJ is doing something good with the cash raised himself before anyone wants to bash me. In case you missed it the first time, mi nah business!

Well there are 6 more dates added as I type this raising them up to 16 shows in July/August. I knew they'd do this. This isn't rocket science. I was able to get a pre-sale code [not all pre-sale registered users were lucky to receive one, so this is pretty much a lottery]. Then they went on sale at 7am, didn't get a ticket, went to work and got 4 after 9am. Result!!!

May not seem like a big deal but around 1 million people around the world who have pre-registered [even though it was only open to UK residents]. These tickets aren't even on general sale until Friday. So even though they are on the upper tier of the O2 arena, some people never got tickets at all. My sister and friend are still trying [for seems like an hour] to get some. It took me 6 minutes. And I was looking on the MJ forum and some people are seated to what seems to be near the back of the stage. What inna di raas???? So I'm lucky to have gotten these.

Sunday July 24th 2009
O2 Arena

Level 4
Section BK411
Row K
Seats 697 & 698

Tickets are available from Ticketmaster

Update: Scrap Gold

Remember this blog post?
Just got a call from Falkos Gold!

LondonDiva is £485.27 richer today!! The cheque is in the post!

Woo Hoo!!!

10% to charity and the rest in my ISA!!

RESULT!!!

Hi Ho. Hi Ho. It's Off To Falko's Gold! Make Some Money. Sell Your Gold!

My 50g stash to the left [minus the 2 rings and bangle]

If it's one thing I'm good at, it's all different ways big & small to make some extra cash. For some times are hard in 2009. I'm doing well, but won't snigger at more abundance coming my way.

If you love jewellery like me and have a ton of it you may have the odd broken necklace, anklet, one earring left after losing one on a night out or on a plane [in my case] just piling up. Well my scrap gold has piled up over the years. I'm clearing out the whole house at the moment, room by room to make way for a lodger for some more wonga, and came across my gold stash. I've been meaning for years to sell it as scrap. I have 18 earrings with no pair and a bent sovereign from my teens in my stash. So I gather up all the bits [pictured above] and get out my digital scales.

Hmm 50g of 9ct gold. Market value of £361.70

Then I remember I tossed 2 gold rings yesterday. Yes tossed them in the trash, dug those bad boys out.
Another 8g of 9ct gold for the pair. Market value of £57.87

JUST NOW I just went into the room and saw my gold out of shape bangle I never wear.
10g, a market value of £72.34

A £491.91 TOTAL value.

Well I've packaged it safely, printed out my postage online with special delivery and insuring it with a £500 value [The total postage was £5.05] and will go to the post office tomorrow to get a certificate of posting. [THIS IS A MUST]

Hopefully they'll call me on Saturday [or Monday] to let me know they've received it and to tell me what the market value is.

Gold is around £7.20 per gram at the moment. So see if you have any old, broken gold lying around, could bring in some extra cash for you.

I went with the leading UK Gold scrap merchants Falko's Gold and yes I've done my research and read reviews.

Whether it's £40.0o or £400 I don't care, it's money I didn't have before and need to appreciate every penny. 10% will go to charity the rest in my ISA, it's best to put unexpected cash away like you never had it.

I will update you all in a few days, as I'll be the guinea pig. And don't worry if you haven't got any scales either for a deposit they'll send some out for you.

Got A House? Spare Room? Want Extra Cash? A Little Time To Yourself?

My mother knew about this website for 2 years and couldn't even tell me about it. I should have bitten my tongue, but I ended up having words with her about stuff like this. How hard is it to pass on information to somebody? Especially when you know they may want to rent a room but don't like the idea of someone in their space 24/7.

My set up is nice. I live in a house and have a spare room. The other two are my own bedroom and an office. I have it [the spare room] semi-ready [just have to get rid of some things out of the decorated spare room] and it'll be good to rent out. I even have a spare fridge/freezer in my kitchen for a lodger too.

Now I take everything as a sign. I was getting ready for work determined to tackle that room, this evening and this weekend. To get to moving on bringing in some more money into LondonDiva's pocket. I mean High Interest ISA. [Seriously, no clothes shopping with this money].

My colleague is reading the Daily Mail and mentions an article about renting out a room. He kindly gives it to me and I see a website for renting specifically for Monday to Friday. You make money and still have your house to yourself when it matters. The weekends! That means singing and dancing, loud music, having my little cousin and friends over, waltzing into the the early hours and not being concerned with waking anyone up. And if they have a car then I can add on more money for the use of my garage. Imagine that, you give money away willingly and freely, and then a way to make some money falls right into your lap a few hours later. I wasn't expecting to feel blessed so soon.

This is perfect!

My sister didn't use this site for her when she took on her second lodger, but lives around the corner from Mayday Hospital. Her lodger was a nurse who only needed a room during the week. I envied this set-up and could only envision this being the perfect way for me to comfortably have someone in the house on a full-time basis. Especially as I need my space. Monday to Friday I can contend with that. The weekend you better recognise! God being on time and the Law of Attraction working in my life again it seems. I've a had a few instances of this today alone. **raises brow**

The website is called Monday to Friday, I don't know about US sites but this is specifically for the UK. You do have to pay to register to use this site to search for compatible lodgers £29.95 for 3 months. That doesn't bother me compared to finding someone suitable and making over £400 a month.

Here are some other websites listed.

Easy Room Mate
Flat Night Fever
House Pals [UK, USA, Australia]

Just Rent A Room
Spare Room

Remember anything up to £4,250 made in a tax-year is TAX FREE.

The Act Of Giving

Let me see if I can try and keep this one short. [Yeah right] This whole 10% tithe thing. Oh I've been in churches before and passed the plate right on by me for two reasons.

1. I don't carry cash.

2. I don't trust my money given to the church.

YEAH I SAID IT.

Money to fix the church roof fund? How many church roofs need repairing from London to Lagos. Japan to Jamaica?

I've wanted to give, but I am tight with my money. I like to keep it to myself and only spend it on others when the mood takes me [which in all fairness is a lot] I have no problem in treating those close to me. In fact that I can do with ease, and I like giving.

I just never liked giving to the church, because I didn't trust those in the church and a lot of the time still don't. I don't go to church but after listening to Joyce Meyer daily over the past week that's one thing I've skipped on and that's the whole 10% tithing. I hear it I know I've should do it, but I don't.

"Oh but I want those shoes. That DVD box set of CSI. That dress. More make-up from MAC. Shit, I just want to keep my money in damn bank account!"

That's how I feel. [I told you I was honest didn't I?] I have to make a little change and give more. Going to church and putting 10% on a plate is not the only way you can give to God or just giving in general if God is not 'your thing.' Well 10% to a different charity each week of my weekly salary is still doing God's work so that's what I will do. And to be honest I'll prefer to give to charity than to church to help others.

As Jade [Goody] is on my mind and I lost a grandmother to Cancer in 1985, I think my first contribution this week will be to a Cancer charity. I'll be posting about each charity I donate to [in case anyone who came across this blog wanted to donate to a particular charity], and look into how the money is spent. That's very important to me. If I'm going to part with my money then I need to know where it is going. Sorry the church roof fund is not seeing my cash.

Money Saver - Premium Rate Phone Numbers

I've known about and used this site for a few years Say No To 0870. My memory was jogged this morning when mentioned on the radio by Melvin on Kiss. Anything we call from banks to insurance companies has a premium rate telephone number.

Well use this website and:

a) You bypass "Press 1 for Bombay, 2 for Mumbai or 3 for somebody who has no bloody idea of how to assist you" and end up dialling straight through to Customer Services.
b) If you have free minutes on your landline or mobile it won't cost you a penny.

Don't worry if the premium number you have for a company doesn't begin with 0870, it's for any premium rate telephone number prefix within the UK.

Use this before you dial it will save you time and money. Don't forget to bookmark it.

Money Saver - Contact Lenses

I'm always shopping for a bargain, and during 'these times' its best to save where you can. If you're a contact lens wearer like myself ,I came across a sight called Daysoft Lenses which start at a 1 month supply for under £14 [including postage] I just ordered a 2 month daily disposable supply for £19.96 [4 boxes, 2 for each eye] as this was more cost effective.

I had to Google the website for a review and came across this one click here, and also check that the company were UK based, as I used one before that was a UK website, which was based in Mumbai and shipped from Singapore...go figure.

They do ship globally and you do not need to provide the address/prescription details of your current optician. Unlike other websites, Daysoft show the prices for 2 boxes [right and left eye] rather than the price per box, per eye, thinking you get a bargain when you indeed don't.

I was paying £38 for a one month supply before. Compared to £13.98 for a one month supply that is one hell of a saving.

UPDATE: I've received the contact lenses and wore them for the first time today from 7:30 am until 10 pm. I've been advised by my optometrist not to wear contacts for any longer than 8 hours as I have very very dry eyes which are very light sensitive also [something to do with the size of my pupils and the amount of light they let in I was told]. I'm talking about in bright daylight I'll need sunglasses where most people can see quite comfortably. Well they feel very comfortable and very soft. I was on Acuvue and Acuvue moist before. Moist my ass. I totally forgot I was wearing contacts and my eyes weren't feeling dry either. To test when I removed them I left them in the sink to see how long it would take before they felt all hard and crispy. It usually happens within minutes with the Acuvue. These after about 15-20 minutes were till soft to the touch before I threw them away.

The postage took less than a week [they are shipped from Jersey] I received a confirmation e-mail as soon as they were shipped, and all in all I'm very happy with the price.

10/10 for me, and no more Acuvue or hella expensive contact lenses ever again.

Have You Been Crunching That Credit??

Credit Crunch!

Now that's a term that has been overused this year and will no doubt be used well into 2009. We're just beginning to recoup the term recession back into our vocabulary over here in the UK, but trust me, I don't care for either one.

So what have you been doing that's slightly or dramatically different since the tightening of the purse strings came into effect? We're reminded daily of job losses, interest rate cuts, savings accounts potentially in jeopardy, repossessions [foreclosures], stores shutting down all over the place and blah blah blah. It's hardly a time to be feeling financially secure, because for many the reality is setting in on whether their job is up for the chop in the near or long term future.

Some good has come out of it, but it all surrounds spending money.

We've had a 2.5% VAT cut
More sales with higher discounts
And cheaper flights out of this godforsaken doom and gloom

Those are the only things that seem to come to mind. I've noticed only a few differences in my spending habits.

I don't use my credit card anymore, unless it's for booking a holiday to make sure I'm protected.

I only buy food as and when I need it to save from wasting it.

I make sure I don't go straight for the MAC counter and see if I can get it cheaper from Boots [I managed to save 50% on what I usually pay on MAC]

Speaking of make-up I make sure every last grain of powder is used. Where I didn't before I could have had 6 weeks more use out if it. And at £23 a time I'm not wasting a bit of it anymore.

I don't buy clothes anymore. I have no more wardrobe space left and a few months ago before this recession got really big I'd done a few weeks of racking up a few grands worth of clothing and accessories which will literally keep me going for the next year. I got rid of half the clothes and replaced them all.

I've cut down on the DVD's dramatically to literally not spending at all, but I need a lil something so I will treat myself to a box set every week. Realistically £14.99 a week is not going to hurt. Now it's just a case of deciding which one.

Bringing in lunch to work. This hasn't worked very well for me recently but will try and be more disciplined rather than spending £5 each and every day on lunch.

I've stopped using Itunes and now use Legalsounds instead. I paid $1.17 [£0.82] for Britney's Circus album compared with the usual £7.99 on Itunes. Each song is $0.09 on Legal Sounds. I'm not using Limewire anymore I'm not able for my ISP to send me a letter giving me a warning for downloading from there.

I buy the cheaper brands in the supermarket which shaves £'s off my weekly shop. I still keep the dairy and meats organic though.

If you're a UK blog reader then invest in the Cineworld Unlimited card. I get mine for £11.99 a month and can see as many films as I like for that price. Considering it costs £7.00+ to see 1 movie it's well worth it and during these times it's one thing you can do that doesn't cost the earth and will get you out of the house. I however go one step further and buy the Cinema Sweet flavoured popcorn for £0.54 a packet and half a litre Pepsi for £0.80 from Tesco into the cinema with me. The popcorn in the cinema costs £3.00 and the Pepsi £2.20 **shakes head** So I already save myself £3.86 every visit and I see about 4 films a week on 2 visits.

I opt for the at home DVD rental through Tesco which are the cheapest and powered through Lovefilm. I pay £14.97 a month and have 3 DVDs at a time. That is the most expensive package they have. And being a movie buff if I'm not buying them, I'm renting them, or out at the cinema.

Going to the Far East isn't as costly as it once was. You can now fly direct from London Stanstead each way from £179 on Air Asia to Kuala Lumpur. Don't forget there are still the low budget airlines like Easyjet and Ryanair for cheap hop, skip and jumps to Europe.

Toptable I've been a member of for years. Great for booking restaurants and tons of special offers. You also gain points with each booking you make. I never pay full price for a meal. Why bother when you can get 50% off the price of the meal.

Right let me go and see if they have any decent Mexican places on there…probably not.

Common Sense Prevails In A Turbulent Market

I work with a bunch of fucking idiots. Sorry to be so blunt on a Wednesday morning, but there is no other word to describe these fools that goes right to the core of what I think and feel about the mentality of these people who should be smart but are severely lacking in common sense. This further proves my point that letters after your name and university degrees don't mean a damn. An idiot is an idiot, I don't care how many text books you've read or exams you've taken.

Case in point: A trader in Sao Paulo, Brazil shot himself on the trading floor just yesterday. You've heard similar stories over the recent months and there will probably be many more to come. A number of things contribute to these fools losing their damn minds, work pressures and the current market. If you haven't heard already we are pretty much bordering on and in some countries have already entered the recession.

So yesterday we’re having an office discussion and my belief on the situation and others like it is this, any person that takes or attempts to take their life over a job loss where you've earned a lot of money like traders do, is down to lack of preparation. Financial preparation. Granted you'd be devastated at losing a job you've been in for 10 or 20 years, but the thing that makes people lose their minds and the tears start falling [á la Lehman's] is the fact you have no money saved to live off of comfortably in the event of such things happening.

POINT BLANK

Don't believe for one second that all traders have money. I've worked a few feet away from them and seen them broke and living from pay check to check. Hefty salaries and bonuses, and with a big pay check comes a big house, a big closet, a big car or three, big nights out and fancy holidays. The mentality exists that this life, the bonuses and the pay checks are going to last forever. When shit hits the fan and you are told to clear your desk you then realise the mortgage payment, the electricity, gas and council tax money is no where in sight. You are on the same playing field as somebody who gets financial assistance from the government aka welfare. Why do you think in such cases wives leave their riches to now rags husbands and they lose everything. Lack of preparation. Smart people save and invest wisely, fools do not.

Traders and my colleagues alike have this mentality [especially the ones that are permanent member of staff] that "this is going to last forever" they think that this time next year they will be sitting at the very same desk. They get comfortable and complacent never thinking that their beloved firm is going to be hit with the news of X amount of people are facing the chop. I on the other hand, a contractor and have been for the past 5 years out of 11 that I've been doing this knows how this works. I've seen people fired who were permanent when I was a temp, the very same people who thought it would never happen to them, that got so comfortable in their roles thought that it was OK to spend October money because November money was right around the corner as would be December's and January's. More fool them. I know although my contract is up at the end of the year I could be asked to leave today. As a contractor I have eyes and ears all over the place, I make sure that the money I make sits in the same place and doesn't move, build it up like a little comfortable cushion and granted if 'Tha Boss' says it's time to go I can only get pissed at the fact the nucca never called me at home to save the trip in when I could have been at home poppin bon bons. I know the ropes. I have the agency contacts and am willing to take on roles that I can do with my eyes closed but pay over £25 p/h. If you ask me to clean the toilets for £30 p/h bitch I'mma take my sweet time.

A lot of permanent to contract type folks who have no choice but to look for temp work now are going to have problems in just taking anything. The mentality of these folks is that contracting is like starting from the bottom up. They had a career and now everything they've ever worked for has been stolen from them. So that coupled with the complacency of that monthly pay check and annual bonus causes these damn fools to lose their minds. Plus they've been out of the game so long have no idea about what is entailed by going through an agency or even the damn names of them. If you have £50,000 saved up in the bank and other investments I'm sure you'll be very disappointed in your job loss but the fact you have savings may just be all you need to keep you on your toes for a year or so if the recession continues to become bleaker than it already is. Why you gonna kill yourself and your family too if you got money to survive like a lifeboat and jacket in rough seas?

Every time we talk about the current climate and recently about Citigroup getting rid of 52,000 employees I see my manager squirm, he's the boring, comfortable one that lives for this place. He has nothing to add to these important discussions, he's a play it safe man, one who yesterday was talking about the company pension. I just cut him off saying "I don't believe in pensions" which he took as cue to not even discuss that foolishness the black girl with more sense than him. Did you not see all those Lehman's folks lose their pensions and have come away with nothing? God forbid if he ever lost his job. A house, wife and two children to support having to lose his managerial title and 12 years of service to resorting to a temp role and being paid by the hour. He is the typical white man gone postal case who would come in here shooting up the place. Black folks would just go and catch up with their friends they don't have time to see in the week, get mad for a minute and be on the trail the next day.

Do not feel sorry for us contractors we are like the hitch-hikers of the job world, we get there eventually. Why do these fools think I can afford to vacation about 4 times a year with ease. Because I don't piss my money up the walls at the pub and buy £5 lunches every day. I log every transaction from every bank account and credit card that I have and pay my bills on time. I don't refuse jobs based on the specifications of that job and take the money because I see this sector as a place to make money and not to base a career on. And I also make sure I make alternative plans to get O.U.T. and do something else if this industry takes years to recover. Becoming a childminder and teaching English overseas are two get O.U.T plans I have up my sleeve at the moment. And most importantly I don't live above my means, I have a little safety blanket should anybody tell me to clear my desk I can go home chill on the couch and watch DVDs for months if I pleased or even take a vacation.

I remember on the news when the Lehman's ship was sinking one former employee was being interviewed and said the mood in the office was that of despair, people were crying and wondering if they were going to be paid, but he said he was OK because he had money saved so would be alright, and smiled with it too..like he was saying "those punk ass bitches."

SOMEONE WITH 'SENSE IN THE CITY'

I met with a consultant from one of the agencies I'm with and she said the day it happened they had just been bombarded with calls from people just desperate and crying, who didn't know what they were going to do and older people who were working up to their pension who have now just lost it all.

[INSERT NON-SYMPATHETIC FACE HERE]

There are tons of people in finance that think like this…so many it's scary. Before this recession talk I always used to tell permanent staff there was no such thing as job security. These fools really think they are more secure than temps. I told them there is no difference but 3 week notice and some severance pay. I get a weeks notice you get 4. I tell them as a temp I've watched permanent people escorted out by security after being given the boot. Fast forward to November 2008 and now these same fools have NOW cottoned onto the fact that nobody is safe.
SEE I TOLD YA!!

On top of that, you have the smarts to be a trader so why are you taking a salary making millions for an already rich firm when you can trade from the comfort of your own home and pocket the profits tax free. People with little knowledge from trading make money full-time from home, sounds like the smarter option to me. And that's where I'm gonna be.

It's funny in 2008 people will rely heavily on employers to make it through comfortably to tomorrow and not make -plans to secure themselves. Thank God I have Jesus and some common sense.

"How Much Money Do You Make? What Car Do You Drive?"

Let me just start off this blog by letting out a big fat SIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!!

I just asked my 3 male co-workers who are 30, 34 and 44 years old whether in their personal experiences of dating women have they ever been asked that question? They all said no. One stipulated he would actually be offended if he were asked that in an initial meeting of a woman. And quite rightly so.

Whenever I have ventured overseas to the US and spoken to guys, I usually hear at some point from pretty much every single one of them that they have been, or are continually asked that question. "How Much Money Do You Make?" or "What Car Do You Drive?"

Is this an American thing? As I don't find it that common or widespread in the UK.

I don't know of any woman in my family or social circle that feels the need to ask this question or even use it as a basis to determine whether somebody is worthy of dating or even speaking to.

OK, so everybody has standards, there is nothing wrong with that. A lot of us in our right minds aren't going to date a guy who's idea of a job is "a little of this and that" or "right now I'm pursuing other options" which is code for VOLUNTARILY unemployed, with no hope or desire in looking for work. But in the same breath I don't see how much a guy has or even what car he drives has anything to do with me or you for that matter, especially if I have my own shit together.

Do some women in the US really have a monetary limit on how much a guy earns as to whether she'd actually date him or not? Does it go something like "men earning under $60,000 need not apply?" What about the car? What's deemed as acceptable before he's worthy of dating and what is not?

Listen, when it comes to the car I'm not driving his. I'll either have my own or I'm getting around the same way I usually do via public transport. I don't own a car in London because I don't need to and it's also quite expensive as I'd only be driving it on the weekends. But I'm not about to date a guy specifically who have a vehicle for the sake of it. I don't even think Mrs H's husband had a licence when they first met. She would have passed up a great man if owning a car was on her list of specifications. And I would have slapped her.

What if a man earns $35,000 has a decent enough 2007 or 2008 model car but is $25,000 below your threshold. Does he get a pass? Does his personality, manners, respect, count for anything or is it not even considered if the salary just isn't right?

On the message board that I frequent which is geared to toward black women I've read some of the craziest things when it comes to parameters for dating men. One woman stated she would never date a man that didn't even own a car. Well good for her that she doesn't live in London because her black ass would be single for a very long time. It is not uncommon for men over here to not have a car, or have a drivers licence and no car. As long as they are smart, decent, respectful and are interesting in an initial meeting, that's all I care about.

If one of my girlfriend's met a man and we do the whole girly chit chat thing over the phone, how much he earns and what he drives has never come up before in conversation. Maybe it's because we were raised and not drug up. Our parents taught us to be financially independent, taking care of yourself and relying on the assets of another man is extremely alien to us. I think it takes some real balls to ask a man impertinent questions like that, and these are the same women who get offended when they are called or labelled a gold digger.

The way a man treats us and not what he can offer us in material possessions should be paramount. In this economic climate which may or may not at some point mirror the 1929 Great Depression, if you dated or married a man who had a decent level of wealth and then suddenly lost it all, the chances of you sticking around are pretty much nil, based on the very things that initially attracted him to you in the first place. I'm not saying that women have to marry dirt poor broke men in order to have a fulfilling relationship or anything like that, but sticking ridiculous parameters on how much a man earns is crazy to my ears.

For women like that, it's all about the bragging factor. You want to be able to showboat to your friends about his big house and fancy car, the restaurants he may take you or the gifts he occasionally surprises you with. Whoop-di-frickin-doo!! What's going on with your game that you cannot give yourself the big house, fancy car and the rest? Wouldn't you rather brag about your own creature comforts than that of a man? That's your man's stuff, not yours!

Then there's that whole other factor that if you're a professional woman getting with a construction worker just wouldn't work, and that a professional man is always better suited. Says who? If you click, you click. Professional men seem have no problem in dating strippers or waitresses. In the real world my longest relationship lasted whilst my ex was in college and university. Whilst I was working for Citigroup and Merrill Lynch, he had a bus pass and definitely no car in sight. If his status was a problem for me then that was my problem and vice versa. Luckily he was man enough to not let the fact he had student loans and I had a regular salary living in a 3 bedroom house be a problem. Of course over the 8 or so years it got a little frustrating but it was a minor factor if the relationship was strong enough. If you're mature enough to make it work, then it can and it will. In the fictional sense I remember on Showtime's Soul Food, Terri the successful Labor Lawyer dated Damon who was the delivery guy. Realistically her status caused problems for him and his male ego, but they worked through it. Tough, but not impossible.

Sometimes having a guy with money doesn't necessarily equal an easy life or an easy relationship. I have a general rule that I stick to when it comes to men and money, that as long as he can support himself via legal and honest means and he ticks all the right boxes in other areas particular to what I'm looking for in a man, then it's OK with me. The minute you start to get all technical with it you, you end up making a lot of wrong decisions. Just by being open and receptive to a nice guy who doesn't want to leech off you should be enough. If you close the doors on the ones that don't necessarily earn as much as you'd like, you could potentially be throwing away the best thing that could ever happen to you without you even realising it in the first place.