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.

I've launched a new blog on the Word Press website. You can find it by clicking - http://a21cntony3.wordpress.com/. I have put a permanent link to it in the "Navigation" links on the right hand side of this blog.

It's not my first Word Press blog (I previously used one on a website I worked on) but it is my first online blog at the Word Press site. It will deal with all of my website work plus random other stuff happening in life.

As I get so little time to update this blog it might seem a little strange to be taking another one on but my Word Press blog will be very much work orientated so will feature a lot more work content. This one can then deal with more personal stuff, rather than resembling a website promotion board.

I haven't finished changing the look and feel of it yet - primarily because I haven't learnt how to yet! The initial photo of a person walking in the countryside is quite nice though so maybe I won't change it too much.

My first post has been made though - http://a21cntony3.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/hello-world/ - dealing with my latest finance related website (car loans and car finance) and my new foray into camping.

My competition wins have been updated - Competition Wins 2010 - with another small win. No sign of a biggie at the moment even though I'm finding enough time (just about) to enter plenty via my favourite competition site - The Prizefinder.com.

This site has recently had a complete overhaul and the changes have not been universally well received. I have found it to be a change for the better, after the initial learning curve which comes with all change.

Fingers crossed for a big win soon - we could really do with it.

Not much time to post on the blog as I continue to try and work on a number of website projects. Early days for all of these so it's wait and see if any will be successful.

• Around Arnold

A local portal for Arnold, Nottingham. It can be incredibly difficult to find local events, tradesmen, classifieds etc, even with the full power of the internet at your fingertips. Having everything in one place should assist the folk of Arnold find everything they need within a 10 mile radius.

• SME Business Resources

Small and medium sized businesses often miss out on the best deals. This website aims to point them in the direction of a number of services specifically aimed at small businesses with cost savings and service improvements in mind.

There will also be business help and advice, articles, news and more.

• Car Loans

This site has been around for years and I used to look after it a few years ago. I'm now back with the aim of propelling it further up the search engine rankings.

It offers car loans to all types of applicants, tenants and homeowners, with good or bad credit histories. The site will also carry car loan news, motorsport, a new blog - it will be expanding with new pages and information at a rapid rate.

2010 hasn't been a particularly good year so far. No competition wins for a start - a bit disappointing considering how many I've entered recently.

Plus the weather is playing havoc with travel plans and getting to work. Can't wait for the snow to go and things to get back to normal.

I've added a little free download to the free stuff page. This is an analysis tool for your computer. It tells you, amongst other things, the make and model of the motherboard and chipset. This is useful info for anyone looking to upgrade their computer.

I'm also working on a new project in conjunction with Britcover Home Insurance. They offer really good savings on home insurance, buildings insurance and contents insurance. If you are currently paying £20 or £30 each month you could be paying £10 or £15 instead. It adds up to a big money saving over the course of a year.

I will be posting more info on this and putting up a dedicated home insurance page on the site in the coming weeks.

Another site I've been promoting is The Online Business Directory. This lists businesses across the UK in a variety of categories. If your business has a website you can list for free and drive targeted traffic to your site.

Finally I have a number of items posted on Ebay for sale currently. If you are looking for a 42" rear projection TV, 6MP Olympus digital camera, King Keg half full of beer, Reddyvac vacuum cleaner, old computer bits or a DVD recorder visit my ebay page and get bidding!

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.

Can't believe this is my first post in November. Just haven't seemed to have the time to update the site or even write a few words.

My day job is getting in the way, causing me untold headaches and putting me under a fair bit of stress. I've had so much on my mind recently, none of it positive, and it's been a very unproductive time.

Hopefully this post will herald a return to a more regular blogging pattern as there are a few things coming up which will hopefully make me some money!

The first is selling trainers online. Through a contact on a car boot we've managed to source some ridiculously cheap Nike and Reebok shoes. They are originals, not copies, and should yield a few quid profit on each. We're trialling different adverts and prices on Ebay to see how it's all going to work and if the first few sell well we will look into getting some more.

We've also found a source for cheap food to sell at car boots and markets. It's either out-of-date or nearly out-of-date but most of the items are still going to be OK to eat. I've never had any problems with buying out-of-date stuff in the past, it's a good way of saving money.

The first order has been placed and is being picked up tomorrow with a view to running our first car boot stall this weekend, weather permitting.

I've also taken delivery of a great money making DVD. It contains over 60 CDs worth of stuff for resale. One sale will get my money back and then it's into profit.

It contains hundreds of ebooks, ringtones, clipart, hypnosis tracks and lots, lots more.

I'm going to be selling this DVD on this site for £4.99 and for people looking to make some extra cash you could do worse than get your own copy to re-sell yourselves.

Actually all of the stuff on it is worth far more than £4.99 and with so many different programs on there you are bound to find something useful or interesting for your own pleasure. It's an absolute no-brainer.

All being well this new money making DVD will be available by the weekend. Come back soon for your copy.

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.

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.

In 2007 I re-trained as a Domestic Energy Assessor. I was lucky that I had a contact in the Estate Agency business so I got the training cheap. Unfortunately things didn't pan out as I had hoped.

Lots of other people had the same idea, so there were plenty of trained assessors, and when the housing market slumped there was little work to be fought over.

I spent a few months working as a DEA, made enough money to cover my training costs, my bills and pay for a nice holiday abroad, and got out when work started to dry up. I was lucky that I found a job fairly quickly and I'm still working there now.

Not a very good example to lead me into my training page but there were plenty of positives that came out of my training.

Firstly I had left school over 20 years before so passing the necessary DEA exams had given my confidence a boost. I now feel I could re-train myself again in pretty much anything.

I have a new skill, one that I can always go back to in the future, and I can list my qualification on my CV making me more employable.

Training, even for its own sake, can be a good thing, but if you have an unfulfilled vocation now is the time to grasp the nettle and give it a go.

We spend near enough 50 years of our life in work. Spending this time in an unfulfilling, dead-end job on low pay is not going to give you a happy future.

If you don't like the job you are in, chances are you are going to need some extra training to get started on your new career. If you study from home you can fit your training course around your existing committments or job.

It doesn't have to be expensive and once you get back into the swing of it it can be enjoyable, particularly if you are studying a subject of genuine interest to you.

Whilst my training didn't make me rich or deliver everything I wanted from it I still feel it was worthwhile and would definitely do it again in the future.