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 started my first website in June 1999. At that time I new nothing about websites and got it built by a friend of a friend who owed me a favour.

In the following months, as I needed to update the site, I taught myself a little about html and went on from there. Throughout the last 11 years I have had a number of websites online and spent a fair proportion of that time earning enough from them to pay the bills.

I've never hit upon the idea that is going to make me a million, and I've put in lots of effort for fairly average rewards, but I live in hope every time I launch a new website!

Anyone can start a new business online. You don't necessarily need your own website, for instance there are many ebay traders who use the ebay platform exclusively.

If you do need your own website the domain name and hosting do not cost much and even if you need to get it built by a web designer there are plenty of freelance designers offering good deals.

Starting a business online is easy, making money online is much tougher. A website without visitors isn't going to generate much of an income.

Many people I know have come to me over the years with internet business ideas and wanted to launch new websites but have not thought about where they are going to get visitors from. This is the fundamental problem with most new websites.

So as well as a good idea you need to think about how to get that idea across to as many people as possible. This will usually involve promoting your business offline as well as online.

Does your new business have geographical limitations? If you are only offering your service in your local area promotion by way of leaflet drops and local advertising is the obvious first step.

It is also easier to achieve good positions in the organic search results quickly if you have a geographical limited keyphrase. eg. "plumber in Nottingham" rather than just "plumber".

A quick way to start a new business online is to buy a ready built website. We offer just such a service at Improve Your Future and along with the website comes a host of promotional ideas, help and advice.

For a very limited outlay you can be up and running with your new online business within 48 hours. To find out more follow this link - start a new online business - make money online.

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.

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.

However bad 2009 has been for you, and it's been a bad year for many, 2010 is a fresh start. Think positive, try to make things better by your own actions. Don't wait for a miracle (I've just checked our lottery account online and we weren't the £10m winners!). You are in charge of your own destiny - improve your future!

New years resolutions are a good way to start, although how many people actually stick to them? That could be because they are often a bit airy-fairy. For instance, many people will be promising themselves they will "lose some weight". It's much better to say that you will lose 5kg by 31st March 2010. You have set yourself a measurable goal and have something definite to aim for.

Once you've set your goal make a plan to get there. Between now and the end of March there are 13 weeks so make a chart to plot your progress. Work out what you will eat for the next 13 weeks and when and what sort of exercise you will be taking. Write it all down and cross it off once you've done it.

Weight loss will definitely be one of my New Year resolutions. I also need to make some more money. This one is a bit harder to achieve. I am looking at improving a number of websites I own and getting them to produce a small monthly income if possible. I'm going to set myself a target of £50 per month by the end of March.

Once that target is reached I can then press on with getting to £100, £200 etc as the year progresses. It's going to be hard work and not as easy as it might sound to many who think the internet is a gold mine!

I've also been trying to tie up a lot of loose ends before the year ends. I've moved most of our accounts away from the godawful Lloyds TSB, just one more to go. I'm in the process of closing my poker account. I just don't get any time to play, and any spare time should be used making money. Although, saying that, I was in profit on my account but it just takes up too much time.

As I haven't played on my bingo account for ages I was also looking at closing that. I've used their money so far so I couldn't withdraw. I thought I would play it all and get rid of it. But I got a line and full house double win on my second game so ended up increasing my balance.

So I've decided to keep my account and use it as a distraction when I get a few minutes downtime. The bingo games only last a couple of minutes so I don't need a huge time investment.

Whatever you are up to tonight to celebrate the New Year have fun and stay safe. Don't drink and drive! All the best for a happy and prosperous New Year to all.

Over the past few years I have dabbled with affiliate marketing with varying success. At the moment I don't have a steady stream of income from this source, although I have had in the past.

When selecting your affiliates you need to make sure that it could be worthwhile all of the time and effort spent amending your website and promoting their program. Some affilate programs don't last long and others pay a pittance.

If the commission payable is 3% and the average sale made is £20 then you are only going to receive 60p for each sale. You need a LOT of sales to make a living. Plus affilate links tend to have a poor conversion rate, so think of the number of visitors you need to generate even a tenner!

Concentrate on the bigger paying sectors. One of these that I had success with in the past was the finance sector. Unfortunately this sector is not paying out anywhere as much or as often as it used to. Plus finance affiliate programs seem to be closing all of the time at the moment!

Another sector that has paid me well in the past is the mobile phone sector. Payouts tend to be on a flat fee per sale and this could be around £30. A few sales here soon add up and could make into a viable business.

However, with the popular sectors competition is always going to be greater. If you are spending money to promote your site you are going to have to pay more for programs such as Google Adwords.

It is unlikely too that you can just set up an affiliate program on your site, leave it alone and watch the money roll in. At the moment I have several programs that need to be closed as the affiliates are no longer going and I need to find other programs to replace them. This is time consuming.

So affiliate marketing can generate you income, but it is not as easy as it looks (unless you already have a high traffic site within a specialised sector) and is time consuming. As with everything, the more you put into it the more you are likely to get out of it!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Further to my recent post about my new online money making project, I'm just letting you know the progress so far and the reasons why it's not up-and-running yet.

I signed up as promised to check it out and I really wanted to get it online this weekend. However, the first mistake I made was not pressing the right button after making my payment.

So instead of returning to the right website to complete my order I saved the receipt, closed the page and got on with other things. It was only a couple of hours later, when I had heard nothing, that I realised I should have clicked.

Luckily I had saved the receipt and could retrieve the website address I needed. Rest assured if you make the same mistake when signing up I can point you in the right direction.

Now I had a four step plan to follow to get the website online. I recommend you read everything fully and slowly complete this process as directed.

I had to purchase a domain name from GoDaddy, which was relatively straightforward (and cheap - around $11 for two years). I managed to get the domain name improveyourfuture.info which fits in perfectly with the main website.

I submitted all of the details for this domain as directed and waited for the new website. However after a few hours I got an email telling me that they had not been able to add this domain to their server.

Now I had to contact GoDaddy to resolve the problem. They are based in America but have an 0207 contact number from the UK so it is free if you have a call package with inclusive landline minutes.

I got redirected to Arizona and the problem wasn't obvious straight away. However after much brain scratching, and to cut a long story short, the problem was this:

Although I had bought the domain anew, it had previously been registered and used by someone else. They had allowed the domain name to lapse but had not cancelled the hosting. This hosting was still attached to the domain meaning it could not be transferred elsewhere.

So GoDaddy had to get the old hosting cancelled before it can be transferred. This they are doing, but it could take up to 72 hours to complete. So I've decided to wait until Monday and see if the problem is resolved.

Hopefully the site will be up-and-running Monday or Tuesday. So bookmark my new online money making website and wait for exciting developments.

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.

Are you looking for an online business opportunity? Aren't we all! If not a business opportunity at least a way of making some money online.

Don't be greedy, don't get tempted by all of the get rich quick schemes, do your homework and find the opportunities that promise realistic earnings for a sensible amount of work.

Or let us do the homework for you instead. We are actively seeking out and trying business opportunities that we think could work. Once we have evidence that they work for us we can pass them onto you with a clear conscience.

We can let you know the best ways of approaching your new business, tips we've learned along the way and any potential problems we've encountered.

Making money online is not as easy as some people would have you believe. It is not a matter of signing up to their programme, sitting back and watching the money come rolling in. If only it was that easy we'd all be doing it.

If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest business opportunities we are trying visit our opportunity home page and complete the form for all of the information.

If you have your own ideas and want to get started with an online business we can point you in the right direction for domain names, web hosting and website design and build.

It might not cost you as much as you think or have been quoted elsewhere. Just contact us for free advice and help.

A holiday would improve my future. I was planning a big one in December for my 40th but that is pretty much on ice now due to financial constraints.

For those that want to get some winter sun my parents apartment in Spain is available to rent for only £25 per night (plus £30 laundry charge).

It sleeps up to 6 so if you had a week there it would cost you £205 total, less than £35 per person! My parents recently got flights over there for only £10 each INCLUDING taxes so it would make for a nice cheap holiday.

I've been putting the website together at www.spanishgolfapartment.co.uk and on there it tells you a bit more about the local area, beaches, eating out, days out and the golf too.

The apartment itself is on Las Ramblas golf course with swimming pools, clubhouse and other facilities. Most people who have gone over so far have been non-golfers so it is suitable for everyone.

Give it a read and if you're not interested yourself pass the website address onto someone else for a look. We may be running a comp soon for a weeks free accommodation so keep in touch.

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.

It was around this time I anticipated posting my first excellent news about how much weight I had lost. However.....

Things have not gone to plan and I haven't lost any weight at all so far. Only good thing is I haven't put any on either. I've bounced around within a few lbs like a yo-yo.

In Wii Fit terms I have been bouncing between the top of overweight and the bottom of obese. Whenever I hit OBESE it gives me an extra push to exercise a little more just to get back to overweight.

I could go into a number of reasons for my lack of weight loss, however I'm old enough and wise enough to realise that I would just be making excuses. I just cannot seem to get motivated enough.

In an effort to motivate myself I'm going to set myself a goal of losing three stone by the end of the year. I might even consider getting sponsored to do so to give me a little extra push.

It is ambitious, but I would rather set a hard goal than make it too easy and try to do it all at the last minute. Three stones in four months means I have to start now and start working hard straight away.

I'm going shopping later and I will take a look at the diet pills and products whilst avoiding the cake and biscuit aisles.

Unable to access the National Lottery website at the moment and it's been the same all morning. Getting very frustrated now as my wife has given me some numbers to put on and she's not going to be very happy.

This isn't the first time I've had problems playing the lottery online. When they had the massive EuroMillions jackpot a little while ago I tried all Friday afternoon and it just came back saying it was busy. I couldn't play at all.

When I wrote to the "Customer Service Team" about the problem I got the most pathetic response I've ever had about any problem ever (which is saying something these days)! Basically they said the site was very busy because of "unforseen demand".

Unforseen? It was the biggest jackpot in EuroMillions history and THEY had been advertising it wall-to-wall on TV and radio all week! What were they expecting?

Anyway, for a few weeks after I didn't play with them in protest but the lure of the jackpot has got me again. I do still have time now to put today's numbers on in the normal manner, although that will also involve a trip to the cashpoint.

For your information my numbers today are 5, 10, 13, 22, 30, 41 / 6, 10, 13, 19, 22, 47 / 3, 13, 14, 21, 22, 32. Wish me luck.

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.

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.

I've added a health page to the website. After all, health is about the most important aspect of improving and enjoying your future.

I've been very lucky with my health over the years and have had little contact with doctors or hospitals, save for a couple of football injuries (which led to my retirement from the game).

One of the reasons for this is that I try to keep fit and healthy and prevent problems from occurring. Recently I have had real problems with my diet and being overweight but I still visit the gym as often as I can and my last health check showed that my actual fitness level was pretty good.

I have never smoked, and, for the last 10 years or so have moderated my drinking considerably (I used to be a binge drinker in my youth). I'm always looking into new pills and potions to keep me healthy.

For those of you who have health problems, or those that don't wish to get any in the future, please visit my health section where you will find links to a number of sites dealing with some of the problems many of us face as we approach middle/old age.

I have tried the hypnotherapy myself, and I also once took half a tab of Kamagra (generic Viagra) just to see what would happen. It most definitely worked!

I can't comment on the hair loss treatments as I've not started thinning on top too much (not yet anyway) although I may recommend them to my Dad.

In my case, YES! I met my wife via an online dating site. We have been happily married for nearly three years and have a lovely son together.

Could internet dating improve your future? I remember when I was single thinking that it was not that important finding a partner. But then I would have times when I was really lonely and the thought of spending the next 50 years or so on my own didn't seem too appealing.

It was at one of these moments that I posted my online profile to several different dating websites. Thankfully my wife saw me and decided to email. Apparently I had a very kind face (ie. I wasn't very handsome!).

I have no doubt that internet dating gives you a very good chance of a long-lasting relationship. Meeting someone on the basis of shared values and interests must surely increase the chances of longevity over a drunken meeting in a nightclub.

There are now hundreds of dating sites online giving you the opportunity to meet people not only from your own locality but also around the world. I've listed a few on my dating page.

Always remember to take precautions, particularly if you are a lone female. Be careful giving out your personal information. Remember not all men you meet on the internet are genuine or as nice as me (-:

If you do decide to give it a go let me know if you have any success or if you have any feedback about the featured dating sites.

I'm watching the football results now as they come through and keeping track of my Championship fantasy football side. It reminds me that I've just done the Football Pools for the first time in ages this week.

I played many years ago, without any meaningful success, as a result of which I received a mailshot reminder through the post with some free offers from Vernons. I've signed up for 100 weeks in order to get the maximum free entries, taking me through until 2011!

My thinking is that in a few weeks I will forget about it and then a (big) cheque coming in the post will be a nice surprise. Would a pools win improve my future? Absolutely.

I've also done the Euromillions and National Lottery online this week so things are pretty desperate here!

I started betting and gambling at a young age (it runs in the family) and always liked a flutter on the horses or a bet on the football. However as I've got older I've realised that £5 on a 5-1 winner, fun though it may be, is not going to change my life.

I think you can safely class me as a dreamer! Nothing wrong with that, as long as you are not betting more than you can afford to lose. But there are better ways of earning reasonable money, although they will require more effort.

In the coming weeks I will be setting up the business opportunity side of the website with some genuine opportunities. These will NOT be get rich quick schemes or promise unrealistic earnings.

They will require some work on your part but in return you could earn yourself an extra income or a full-time income, depending on your circumstances and requirements.

So keep reading and let me know if you come across any genuine business opportunities you think should be listed.

Just some thoughts on what might improve my future and perhaps yours too. In no particular order....

1. More money

Personally I don't need millions of pounds, just enough to live without having to worry about how I'm going to pay the bills. I have a day job but the salary I earn does not provide enough money for a life, just an existence.

2. A better job

Not necessarily one with a greater salary, but one that actually gives me some job satisfaction.

My current role does have its challenges at times but is generally boring and repetitive. This pretty much sums up my working life so far. Unfortunately, without any great ambition, I have tended to drift aimlessly through a succession of uninteresting jobs, even though I consider myself fairly bright and capable. As I approach 40 I wonder whether any potential employers could see my latent talent and I begin to think I may soon be unemployable! It's a chilling thought.

3. Weight Loss

This one is specifically for me as I embark on yet another attempt to shed some pounds. It could just as easily read weight gain for those people who need to put on some weight and perhaps should better be called "Improve your Self Image" which is what it's all about.

For many years I have had such a downer on myself due at least in part to my physical appearance (plus my social disabilities - more of those later) leading to a lack of confidence and failure to fulfill my potential. And it's a vicious circle - my problems lead me to binge eat and I just feel worse about myself. It's a familiar story for many no doubt.

4. Find a partner

This one is not for me, I'm happily married, but for many the love and support provided by a "better half" is missing in their life. The support of a good woman has certainly helped me with many of my other problems although there is still work to do.

5. Expand your mind

I've never been a great reader of books but I do love browsing the internet and clicking from link to link you can pick up some amazing facts and learn some worthwhile lessons.

There is also the opportunity for further study. Is there a subject you are interested in that you would really like to pursue? Go back to college or study from home. Knowledge is never wasted.

6. A positive attitude

This one I need. I have a great tendency to look on the black side, to assume things will go wrong (and thus never attempt anything worthwhile). I've read self-help books in the past and, for a few days afterwards manage to smile and think positively but it never lasts. I'm soon back to my normal pessimistic self, even though I know it can never lead to happiness.

For now these are the first things that popped into my head. I'm sure many more will come to me as soon as this entry is posted but I can save them for another day.