I have mentioned before that I use a prepaid credit card to help with my budgeting. Because I have to load it in advance I don't have to worry about getting into credit card debt.

That doesn't mean it is easy to manage. I normally spend just about every penny it's loaded with each month so the online management facility is particularly helpful, especially approaching the end of the month.

For people with credit problems a prepaid credit card is definitely the way to go. There are no credit checks and 100% acceptance for many prepaid cards. 

A prepaid card also enables you to rebuild your credit record. Following credit problems, even if they have been sorted out, there is usually a black mark left on your credit file. This can slowly be repaired with good financial management - a prepaid card helps in this respect.

Prepaid cards can be used in exactly the same manner as normal credit cards. They will carry either the VISA or MasterCard logo and be accepted at millions of outlets worldwide. They can also be used for online shopping.

You can find out more information at the Credit card debt plan website - prepaid credit cards page.

As well as dealing with credit card debt this site also offers ways in which to avoid debt in the first place and to recover your credit rating following completion of a debt solution.

Credit card debt is so easy to run up. There are so many ways in which you can use your card, in the shops, online, over the phone, and it's so easy to get carried away as it doesn't feel like you're actually spending any money.

Unless you are super organised and keep all of your receipts and enter them into some form of log (for instance a money management program on your computer)  it's so easy to forget the odd transaction or two - that is until the bill arrives!

Most of us will have received a bill in excess of what we were expecting. Then trawled through all of the transactions only to realise we had indeed overspent. If you are doing this regularly, beware, credit card debt looms.

If you are not paying in full each month then you are going to feel the full force of the high interest rate your credit card provider charges. This adds up over time making it more and more difficult to get on top of your debt.

There is an answer in the form of the recently launched Credit Card Debt Plan website. This sets out a simple three step plan to overcome credit card debt. In fact their plan is ideal to be used with ANY debt, not just credit cards.

They will find the best debt solution for your individual circumstances from a range of solutions including debt consolidation loans, debt management plans and IVAs.

All applicants are welcome and there is free debt advice on offer for everyone.

Don't delay, debt problems will only get worse if not tackled.

Following on from recent posts regarding the changing nature of this website there is a new page all about debt problems. This is going to be the main focus of this website going forward and several other pages have been/will be adapted to reflect this.

When the website was originally set up it focused on a particular business opportunity. This has now faded away and I am no longer involved in it. Other business opportunities have been and gone but, to be frank, I am rather dissillusioned with them all.

The lure of easy money tempts us all but there is no substitute for hard work and that is why I am now focused on a new project and why I'm still working at 23.24!

I already have a number of debt related sites such as Financeworx Debt Management and I will be working hard to promote them any way I can to achieve my objectives.

Rather than just hope enquiries come my way I have set a goal of 50 debt enquiries by the end of August. This might be ambitious as so far I have only had 1 but this is no time for excuses. A positive attitude is needed and I need to make it happen.

I'm also working on Debts 2 Go website and I've just posted an article on the blog about becoming debt free.

Why focus on debt? Debt is one of the growing areas in many people's life. Did you know total personal debt in the UK stands around £1.5 trillion?

The name of this site is Improve Your Future and for anyone who is struggling with debt an opportunity to reduce and ultimately become debt free would do just that.

It's not impossible no matter how bad your circumstances. It might be hard and you might have to make sacrifices but it will be worth it in the end.

Visit the debt problems page to find out more and to make an initial enquiry to see what can be offered. Some solutions can write off your debt by up to 70% before reducing your monthly repayments, making it easier and quicker to get out of debt.

Debt - it's a big business. It's estimated that the total level of personal debt in the UK is around £1,460 billion! This is an almost unimageinable number. It does mean that a large proportion of people reading this blog are in debt.

Debt in itself is not necessarily a problem. For instance many people with a large mortgage do not class themselves as "in debt" as they can manage the debt without problem, making their monthly payments each month.

When debt becomes a problem is if you are struggling to keep up with repayments of your monthly bills. If you recognise this situation you should act as soon as possible. Failing to address debt problems will only make them worse.

For free debt advice visit IVA Debt Problem who offer a complete debt solution. This includes debt management, debt consolidation loans, and IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements).

With so many people in debt in the UK there is an opportunity to help them by training to become a debt counsellor. This allows you to work from home with hours to suit you.

Not only is it a way of earning a living (and it could be a good living) but you will be helping solve debt problems for many people who are struggling.

We are currently formulating a debt training package including a two day training course which will take place in the Midlands. At the end of this training course you will be straight up and running with your new business.

Leads in your area can be supplied to get you off to a good start and you can quickly start to generate an income. We provide help and support at every step of the way.

If this sound of interest please use the enquiry form on the front of this website to register your interest. Full details will be available at the end of August including online brochures and marketing materials.

Just been told about a new work from home business opportunity. It's VERY early days at present and the website is not yet fully up and running but the details I have heard make it sound interesting.

This business opportunity can be run from home and fit in around your existing commitments. It does involve some training but most people would be able to learn it in a relatively quick timescale.

You are not on your own as some leads will be supplied as part of your package meaning you can be up and running and making money relatively quickly.

As with all business opportunities you cannot just sit on the sofa and expect cash to roll in without any work. You will only get out of it what you are prepared to put into it.

Being self employed and working from home is not for everyone. Many people who are currently in 9 to 5 jobs and wishing they could make that change might be surprised how much self determination you need to make a go of it on your own. Also you don't have the safety net of a steady income when you first go self employed.

So think carefully before getting involved with any type of work from home opportunity, although if it is part-time to start with (fitting around your main job) and does not involve a large financial commitment what have you got to lose?

I can't post too many details at the moment but will do so as more information is made available. In the meantime keep your eyes on their website, New Home Career, which will launch fully in the coming weeks.

A good Cheltenham festival for me. Started off with the first two winners on Tuesday at 12/1 and 6/1. Added 7/1 and 14/1 winners on Wednesday, a 9/1 winner on Thursday and very unlucky on Friday with a 33/1 second place. Made a very small profit but at least better than losing money.

So no debt problems for me currently, although I'm not retiring either. On the subject of debt I'm currently working on a new debt problem blog for one of my website clients. This should be fully up and running by the end of the week and will offer debt advice and help for anyone who find themselves in this tricky situation.

UPDATE - 31st March 2010

This post was cut short as my wife was taken ill and ended up in hospital for an operation. Many thanks to my employers, 21c Telecom Ltd, who have let me take time off at short notice to look after my wife and son.

21c Telecom offer business phones to all UK businesses. This includes mobile phones, landline phones as well as broadband and mobile broadband. In fact they specialize in providing converged communication solutions for businesses large and small, handling all communication and IT provision ensuring the best possible mix of cost and efficiencies.

Not sure when the next blog post will be as I will be looking after my wife for a few days yet as she recovers. Fingers crossed it will be about a big competition win as we need a bit of luck at the moment.

The financial crisis we have all been experiencing over the past 18 months or so has led to lenders tightening up their criteria and made it difficult to get any type of credit. This applies to personal loans, mortgages and also to business loans.

Slowly things are starting to change and more lending seems to be available now than, say, 6 months ago. However it is very slow progress and many people will still be unable to borrow any money due to bad credit, lack of earnings, insufficient equity etc.

On the subject of business loans I am currently involved promoting YES business loans a website specialising in lending to all sorts of businesses throughout the UK.

All types of business finance are available including business loans, business mortgages, bridging finance, start up finance, buy to let. Credit problems are accepted including ccjs, arrears and debt problems.

It's easy for your business to get a quote, there is a simple online form which will only take a couple of minutes to complete.

Rates are extremely competitive and they are often able to help where others have turned you down. For more information visit the Yes business loans website.

For individuals looking for loans the situation is still difficult, although not impossible. If it is debt problems that are leading you to think about taking out a further loan make sure you get professional advice. Another loan is not always the best answer depending on your circumstances.

Specialist debt website IVA Debt Problem can guide you through all of your options. They have a very handy comparison table detailing the merits of the different debt solutions including IVAs, debt management, debt consolidation and bankruptcy. This will give you an idea of which is best for you.

Alternatively you can call them on their debt helpline or make an online enquiry from which they can give you the best debt advice.

Reducing or writing off some of your debts will help you Improve Your Future. Act fast as failure to deal with debts will inevitably lead to further debt and more problems.

I consider myself to be reasonably lucky, all things considered, and one area in which my luck has been good is that of debt. I did get myself into debt when I was in my early twenties, but not so badly that I couldn't get out of it.

In fact being in debt at that time made me vow never to do it again and so far I have stuck to this, although it gets harder every year as living expenses continue to rise faster than my meagre salary!

The problem with debt is that if you leave it unchecked, making minimum repayments for instance, the interest continues to pile on and you make no headway in clearing the initial debt, the situation just gets worse and worse. If you're not careful you can get into a very steep downward spiral and lose control over your finances.

I hope no-one reading this has reached that stage, and if you are in debt now is the time to try and regain control and sort out your finances. It might mean tightening your belt and enduring more hardship than normal but clearing the debt and becoming debt free is well worth it.

I have some contacts in the financial services sector, having worked on a number of financial websites, and one which has recently re-launched is IVA Debt Problem dealing specifically with debt and how to get out of debt.

The three areas they concentrate on are:

• Debt Management
• Debt Consolidation
• IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements)

Which option is best for you will depend upon your current circumstances and the amount of debt. They will guide you through all of your options and discuss the best way forward.

So if you are in debt, looking for a debt solution, get in touch with them via their debt advice helpline or online enquiry form and see if they can help you regain financial control.

I've been working on a project for some friends of mine building a mortgage comparison website called MortgageFinda. It's nearly finished now, just needs them to start entering their latest mortgage plans into the database.

As credit brokers they have suffered tremendously during the financial crisis but things do seem to be perking up a bit and mortgage lenders are starting to appear again.

Although it is still not easy to obtain a mortgage, particularly if you are self employed or have had credit problems, there are mortgages out there and if you have found it difficult getting a mortgage elsewhere try the mortgage finder service to see what they could offer you.

It literally only takes a couple of minutes to enter your details into the simple system and get quotes for a new mortgage or remortgage (or even a buy to let mortgage). Indications of monthly payments are included on the site for both repayment and interest only mortgages.

These are subject to status and the final payment could be more depending upon your circumstances. Applying for a mortgage will take a little time and effort but if you can save money each month or get the property you really want it will be worth your time.

You can borrow from £25,000 to over £3million. The amount you can borrow will be based upon your earnings and circumstances. If you are self employed proof of earnings will be required in order for you to obtain a mortgage.

By using a mortgage broker you keep your options open and can choose from a number of lenders, many of whom will offer specialist mortgage products for applicants like yourself. Don't restrict yourselves by going direct to a bank or building society. You might end up paying more than you have to and over the course of 20 or 25 years this can add up to several thousand pounds.

For your own personal mortgage comparison visit MortgageFinda.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas. Ours was very busy and I'm looking forward to a few days off now to relax (as much as you can with a 15 month old in the house!).

Nearly at the end of the year, in fact the end of the decade. It's a good time to look back on what's happened and take stock of the past, present and future.

2009 has ended well. My competition wins in December (three arriving in Christmas week) cheered me up no end. Although I have had a few problems this year, particularly with work, I am at least in work and nothing disastrous has happened this year in terms of death or illness.

We are a bit poorer financially than this time last year, a trend which looks like continuing for the forseeable future (lottery win permitting), but things could be a lot worse and there are plenty of people worse off than ourselves around the world.

I'm already looking forward to 2010. I've been hammering the competition entries over the last few days and am extremely confident that prizes will be showing up in January. I've already set up my 2010 competition wins page in anticipation.

I desperately need to lose weight and something drastic may need to be done on this front. My gym membership has had to be cancelled and I haven't had chance to try out my new running shoes with all of the snow and ice underfoot.

Need to do something with this website too. The money making DVD is still available as is the free money making ebook but neither have been making me any significant money so I'm looking at changing track. Not quite sure where to go at the moment but I have some time now to give it some thought and come up with some ideas.

Happy New Year to everyone. Hope 2010 brings you everything you wish for.

My latest competition win arrived today and has been added to my list of 2009 competition wins. It's an Anthony Worral Thompson Breadmaker from the Gadgetspeak website advent calendar comp.

According to the invoice enclosed with it it's worth around £100. A nice win. It's going to get some use to. My wife made some pate (following Jamie Olivers recipe from last week) and it is going to taste even better on some fresh home made bread.

We just need some time now to look at the instructions and work out what to do. Time is in very short supply at the moment as our toddler seems to get more of a handful with each passing day. At the same time I'm moving all of our family bank accounts from Lloyds TSB and it's taking a lot of time and effort to get it all sorted.

Unfortunately Lloyds TSB have let me down badly. I was with them for around 15 years but this apparently counts for nothing with them. Nor does the fact that during this time I paid all of my bills with them for loans, credit cards and mortgages on time by direct debit.

I'm still trying to sort out problems with my mortgage with them after several weeks in which they appear to have forgotten I exist. It will end up with a formal complaint being made and, ultimately, I will be moving the mortgage elsewhere too.

They are not only losing my accounts but those of my son and wife too. Don't suppose they care much, although they should do judging by the empty branch this morning when I went in. Only one other customer in, I've never seen it that quiet before. Clearly others are being treated in a similarly appalling manner and leaving in their droves!

Once you lose a customer in that way you will never get them back. I certainly won't be using Lloyds or any of their subsidiary companies again.

Good service on the other hand should be rewarded. I recently wrote about a good experience with Virgin Mobile. As a result I've upgraded my phone with them and taken out a new contract for my wife in addition. It has all gone through smoothly and she's happy with the new phone, and I'm happy with the tariff. I would recommend them to anyone.

This is probably going to be my last post before the 25th so have a Happy Christmas everyone and a prosperous New Year.

As promised in a previous post I've now added the new bumper DVD to the website. To find out more visit the "make money online with our bumper DVD" page.

The reason it's on DVD is simply that it contains so much data - over 4GB in total! You would have to package a number of CDs to contain that much. There really is an incredible amount of stuff on there.

There is something for everyone. I don't believe there is a single person out there who wouldn't benefit from at least one of the programs, ebooks, manuals etc. At only £4.99 it represents incredible value even if you only use one of the hundreds of software items.

How do you make money out of it? As well as money making ideas, ebay tips and tricks, advice on starting a business etc. there are a number of useful programs that can be re-sold seperately. For instance there are a number of hypnosis CDs.

You could record these individually onto CD and sell them seperately. The subjects of weight loss, stopping smoking, and improving confidence are bound to be sought after by many. Each CD could potentially sell at £4.99 (or more) giving you a 100% profit from just two sales!

You could sell them online as audio downloads at £1.99 each, or send them to people by email. The money making possibilities are endless.

There are also a number of artworks and images which could be turned into posters, key rings, mouse mats, coasters and other items. Plus a variety of programs which you could use to offer services or sell on CD to other.

This bumper money making DVD is available now at £4.99. Payment is handled by Paypal and it will be despatched within 24 hours of your order.

It doesn't come with any fancy packaging - it's the contents that are important! Get your copy now and have some fun with it.

I've just finished entering my competitions for today. It feels like ages since I had my last win. In fact it's just over a month according to my record of 2009 competition wins.

That was only a promotional glass, it's been a couple of months since my last "proper" win. My lack of success in comping this year pretty much mirrors how life has been this year.

Despite my best efforts we've really taken a couple of steps backwards this year. We're in a position where our income is not really enough to cover our outgoings. It certainly isn't going to cover extras such as a holiday or anything that is not absolutely essential.

It doesn't leave me very hopeful for 2010. We've already cut back about as much as is possible and most of our shopping is now done at the car boot. I don't want to buy anybody any Christmas presents this year. After all, what is the point of spending money we can't afford to buy presents that people don't really want?

Miserable, miserable, miserable. I just need something positive, something to go right to cheer me up.

I know I should count my blessings. I'm healthy, as are all of my family, and although life is a struggle financially it's not all about money.

I once read a book called "How to enjoy your life in spite of it all". Quite a long read considering the thought behind it was pretty simple. Too many people are striving to make their life's better in the future without enjoying the current blessings they have. Although I can see that this is correct, and that it applies to me as much as everyone else, it is very difficult to get into the right mindset to really enjoy life as it happens.

I find myself regularly looking towards retirement, wishing my life away, when I might not even make it that far! I bet retirement is not all its cracked up to be either.

So I need to sort out my current situation. I'm going to start some training in computers (CompTIA A+) as it is something I'm interested in and would enjoy doing as a job. This should also, in the fulness of time, lead to a better salary and perhaps enough to pay the bills with a (little) bit left over.

In the meantime I will continue to keep this site updated in the hope that it will eventually start to bring in some money. A bit of a vague plan but I'm finding less and less time to concentrate on it and give it the necessary focus.

Bottom line is I need to stop worrying and be happy. I'm putting a smile on my face now. Cheer up, life is good.

The quest to make money online continues. I've had a little time to make a start on Financeworx and I've just remembered I have another site I could use, both for finance and business opportunities, called Cash 2U.

Again this site was set up ages ago and has been languishing without any effort being put into it. I need to get more visitors coming to all three sites to start making some sales and thus make some money.

That's the key to making money online - visitors. It doesn't matter what you're trying to sell online, carpets, light bulbs, accountancy services or business opportunities, without visitors to your website you are not going to make any sales.

There are a variety of ways to get traffic to your site, many of which are free but require time and effort listing your site. You can also pay for traffic by pay-per-click or participate in banner exchanges etc.

Once you start to make sales and make money you can apportion a percentage of your profit to ongoing marketing to keep traffic coming in and to continue making money online.

Getting started is the hard part and it can be a daunting prospect and easy to give up too quickly. Websites require a little time to gather some momentum and need plenty of work in the early days. But once the traffic starts coming in it can snowball.

When I have more time I will compile a list of traffic generation methods which will help anyone participating in the online business opportunities listed on this site. Sign up with me and you will have my support available by email 24/7 (Well you can email me 24/7 and I'll reply as soon as I get it!).

The dream of running your own business, rather than working for someone else, is a dream shared by many people bored with their 9-5 jobs.

However, setting up your own business can be costly, time-consuming and entail a lot more work than you think.

Setting up a business from scratch needs a lot of commitment and full-time focus. If it fails it could spell financial ruin! Not everyone is cut out to run their own business.

Rather than give up your current job (and income) to start from scratch, why not consider starting a part-time business which could expand into full time if successful.

There are plenty of business opportunities out there that require very little in terms of funding and are flexible, meaning you only have to work your hours of choice. If you find that the business is not for you, either you don't like it or cannot make any money from it, then you have only lost a small initial investment and a few hours of your time.

It might be that by trying one business opportunity that doesn't work out it focuses your mind on what would work for you or gives you some ideas for the future.

So our advice to improve your future is to think big but start small. Don't commit money you cannot afford to starting a new business.

Give it a try and see how it works out for you. Everyone is different and we all want different things from our lives.

Visit our home page and complete the online form there and we will contact you with current opportunities that suit your requirements and let you know of new business opportunities as they arise.

Still not cracked it. Business is slow on Improve Your Future so I've had a look round at other websites that have been left dormant.

One of these is Financeworx. This site deals with personal loans for tenants and homeowners as well as debt management and other finance related products.

I must have updated it at some point during 2009 as it has a 2009 copyright notice on it but I suspect that was done in January and since then I haven't touched it.

It is very out-of-date and needs work on pretty much every page. I've just added Google analytics to see whether it currently attracts any traffic and, when I get time, I will start to go through each page and replace all of the old programs with new ones.

I've got a few similar sites that are sitting idle, gathering dust, so once I get this back up-and-running I'll move onto some others to try and get some more visitors across a range of websites.

Hopefully I can get some referrals between sites and cross-sell on them. I have to do something. Last months bank statement is in and it looks like we are spending around £100 more than we are generating each month.

A slow, steady descent into the poorhouse beckons unless I can reverse this trend. So need to start generating some income quicker than I had anticipated.

Making money online is not easy. Not everyone can do it and it is not a matter of simply switching on your computer and watching the money roll in.

However, plenty of people ARE making money online, and as the amount spent online increases exponentially year after year the slice of the pie you need to make a reasonable living reduces.

What do you need to make money online? A good idea is a start plus, if you don't want the expense of employing someone to get your website up and running, some knowledge of website design and protocol. This can be learned fairly quickly or there is plenty of software out there that will help you get set up in no time.

Of course if you have a product to sell and need an online shopping cart and payment processing this is going to take longer and be more expensive unless you use other peoples systems.

When you are starting out research is key. There are plenty of websites, this one included, who will point you in the direction of the next big business opportunity or method of online money making.

Some will promise you untold riches (not us, we know that is highly unlikely) but remember - if it looks to good to be true, it probably is. I call this the first rule of business opportunities.

If you don't want the hassle of setting everything up yourself, or just don't have the time, a turnkey business is probably ideal for you. This is where everything is set up for you, the website, product delivery and payments, and you just have to get visitors to your new website. For an example of this download our free money making ebook.

You could have your new website up and running within 48 hours and open for business. Then it is up to you to find visitors who are interested and want to sign up to. All of the knowledge of where to find them and how to get them to your site is included, as is ongoing email support.

Many people who are employed, and have always been employed, dream of breaking free and setting up in business on their own.

However running your own business is not for everyone. People tend to only think of the advantages of their own business without thinking of all of the things that can make running a business a nightmare.

For instance, they want to break free from a 9-5 job and be able to set their own hours. In theory an excellent idea but often your customers will want you to be available outside of these hours at THEIR convenience.

I worked as a self-employed Domestic Energy Assessor for a while and in order to make ends meet had to visit my clients in the evening and at weekends when it suited them. I had little or no say over my hours if I wanted enough work to pay the bills.

When you first start the business it is likely that longer hours are going to be the order of the day until things get up and running and the business starts to build some momentum.

The business opportunities listed on Improve Your Future aim to get around the many problems you can come across when you set up a regular business.

For instance, rather than setting up a business needing premises, staff and stock (all of which come with their own problems) you can set up a business making money online.

Our free money making ebook shows you how easy it could be to get started with your own website. Everything is done for you in fact and within 48 hours you could have a website online which you can start promoting.

It's not going to be as easy as that. You will need to put in some effort getting visitors to your site and following up on any leads you generate to turn them into sales but there are no ongoing overheads (other than your time) and you can work from home and fit it in around other commitments if required.

Plus if you sign up at Improve Your Future you will be able to contact me anytime by email for ongoing help and support. Remember I'm doing it too and will often have experienced the problems you are coming across and have already worked out the solutions.

As promised my new money making website is now up and running. I've also added a page on my main website where you can download the free money making ebook.

Is it easy to make money online? I've been working online for a few years now and am completely self taught. I've used a mixture of books and online research to enable me to use html and asp. I've also spent a lot of time and energy learning about search engine optimisation, not that I'm an expert by any means.

All of these skills should stand me in good stead for making a go of my new money making venture. In fact I've already had my first free ebook request which I've sent out this evening.

So fingers crossed that I will soon be making money online and I will be reporting back here on this blog from time to time with my results.

For the complete novice this will obviously be a little bit harder, although the website set up is done for you and you just have to learn about promoting it.

The materials that are provided will give you a good start and should enable you to get your first sales to at least get your money back. After that it's all profit.

You need to look at it sensibly, you are unlikely to become a millionaire but could make a nice few quid or more if you get it working right for you. You will only get out of it what you are prepared to put into it.

I'm looking long term for when this site gets a few more visitors and generates its own income without me having to work too hard. At the moment it's all work with the promise of rewards in the future!

Anyway, to get started download my free ebook about making money online and see what you think. Good luck.

I've been doing my research on business opportunities and ways to make money online and I promised I would be "road-testing" them myself before offering them up on this website.

Well I've found my first one and am in the process of signing up now. It should take around 24 hours for everything to be set up, including my new website, after which I will post the links here.

It was a bit of a no-brainer, as it is a turnkey business (everything is set up for you and everything you need is included) and I estimate it is going to cost me around £30 (subject to $ exchange rate).

So the worst case scenario is I lose £30, whilst the best is I receive an unlimited income....

This opportunity doesn't promise millions or easy cash for doing nothing, there is a little bit of work involved (working from home)  and in return you should receive a steady ongoing income.

In fact 1 "sale" should recoup your initial investment with everything else pure profit.

They even offer email support if you have any questions. I emailed them just to test it out. I sent my question 23/9 (16.51) and received the answer 23/9 (23.04). Around a six hour turnaround, very impressive.

So if you are interested in making money online come back to this website in the next couple of days for full details of this business opportunity working from home.

I will also be posting my results here so you can see if I make any money out of it before you give it a try!

All the best and good luck.

It's been slow going updating the website as I've been busy with work and family commitments (this is also my main excuse for failing miserably in my weight loss endeavours!).

I should have more time soon and I hope to be focussing on the main reason why this website was set up - to help people make more money.

I want to feature a range of different ideas. Over the years I have tried many of them myself plus I have my father and sister who have also tried out different ideas themselves.

As none of us are now rich you will gather that they have not been spectactularly successful, but some of them were only to make a part-time income.

Having been through the process I can also point out some of the pitfalls, scams etc. which many people don't manage to avoid.

I will also be putting up a page about saving money. If you are currently struggling to make ends meet, as many of us are, it may be that you could save enough money to balance the books and get on top of your finances.

These pages should be up this week so keep your eyes open and keep coming back.

The lack of service from Camelot about their lottery website did get me thinking about the other companies I've received terrible service from (Lloyds TSB and Vodafone being the two worst recently).

I've just got off the phone to Virgin Money and I had to laugh about it. I've moved to a prepaid credit card and so decided it's time to cancel my card with Virgin.

So I ring the number on their website. Straight through to an automated system, but no ordinary automated system, instead of pressing buttons it uses voice recognition technology.

It asks me about my problem. I tell it that I want to cancel my credt card. It doesn't understand. I make up an answer it might understand in order to get put through to a real person. It doesn't understand. I try again, this time using cancellation instead of cancel. It understands!

Now it wants to know what I wish to cancel. My credit card or payment protection (which I don't have). Easy enough.

Now it wants to know my card number. Gets it right first time. Then my date of birth, this bit took two goes. After all of this it tells me it will connect me with someone who can help. Hooray!

Then I get another automated voice - "we cannot connect you now as no-one is here. Our normal office hours are....Saturday until 1pm"!

Another four minutes of my life wasted. Why didn't they just say the office was closed to start with?

Only consolation is that the call was freephone so Virgin were paying for it. If I was in any doubt about cancelling my card this has definitely made my mind up. Cheerio Virgin, you won't be getting my custom again.

When will companies realise that automated systems and foreign call centres don't provide the level of service that customers want. Just put me through to someone I can talk to.

I've added a new page to the website about personal finances. It definitely pays to think about your future finances and getting them in order will lead to a happier future.

One of the things in my life I regret is getting into debt when I was younger. I spent well beyond my means, mainly on a succession of credit cards, and it was only by luck of selling my house during the housing boom that I managed to get it repaid.

Since then I vowed never to get into debt again and this is why now I am very keen on budgeting, buying bargains and getting free stuff.

Now I have a son I realise that I don't just have to worry about managing on a day-to-day basis but I very much have to plan for the future of the whole family. Not easy when your wages barely cover the bills.

However I have set up a child bond for my son, plus I pay in a small amount every month into his bank account. Although the amounts are small they should accumulate over the next 18 years into a reasonable start for him. Maybe a university fund.

I'm also considering a savings bond with a Friendly Society for us as a small part of my "retire at 50" campaign, although "semi-retire at 50" is probably nearer the mark.

To find the extra money needed to put aside I have already embarked on a series of cuts to the household budget. Not sure my wife is too happy about everything coming from charity shops, markets or car boots but she is just going to have to live with it.

The budgeting tool I'm using for our monthly shopping is a prepaid credit card. Normally these are seen as only being for people with bad credit histories who cannot get a "normal" credit card but people need to think again.

My wife recently ran up a large bill on her visa card with a number of small impulse purchases which she bought and forgot about. Her statements come every three months and when it arrived it came to £500, all in small amounts of £7 here and £12 there.

These unnecessary purchases have now been cut out! We have a monthly budget and we are going to stick to it, come hell or high water.

Loading your card up-front with a fixed amount does make you think harder about what you are buying, it really feels like you are spending REAL money rather than the normal mindset with a regular credit card of worrying about it when the bill comes.

It does involve a more hands-on approach and, if you are running a tight budget (like me), you need to keep on top of it. However the reward will hopefully be an earlier retirement so that will spur me on.