It's been a while since I've updated the blog as I've been busy with various things and thinking about a complete change of direction for this website. I haven't finalised those plans yet so can't report anything here at the moment, you'll just have to wait and see.

What I have been doing is working on some new websites for a friend of mine who is in the EPC business. He was in the HIP business but that's now dead and buried so he needs some help getting some EPC work.

I may have mentioned before on this blog that I was once a DEA (Domestic Energy Assessor) but this was short-lived. I must have done 50-100 EPCs (Energy Performance Certificates) during my brief stint but work dried up and I needed a full time job to support my family.

At the moment the EPCs are available throughout the East Midlands counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. I have knocked up a quick webpage on three sites as follows:

• Derbyshire Energy Assessors
• Leicestershire Energy Assessors
• Nottinghamshire Energy Assessors

Regardless of size of property or location the cost of an EPC is £34 plus vat (£39.95 total). This is actually a VERY good price and you would be hard pushed to better it.

My house has been on the market for a few months and I arranged my HIP (including EPC) with them. The EPC was emailed to me on the day of inspection - they are very efficient.

So if you are looking to get an EPC in Derbyshire, Leicestershire or Nottinghamshire please consider them and visit the above websites. A couple of minutes filling in their online form and you will quickly have your £34 epc.

For those looking for an EPC outside of the East Midlands they also have contacts throughout the UK from their days as HIP providers. They built up a national panel of DEAs so could be able to offer you a £34 epc wherever you live in the UK. Just contact them to find out.

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.

As previously mentioned I have discovered a new home insurance company offering a range of benefits, best of which is cheap premiums!

I've added the details to my finance related website and you can find them at Financeworx Home Insurance and I've also added a link to my saving money page.

If you've never looked into home insurance online and got a quote it is very likely you are paying too much. It is possible you are paying a hundred pounds or more above what you need to pay. Every penny you save on your home insurance is an extra penny in your pocket to spend.

You might have used price comparison websites in the past. A good idea, but I've found that for home insurance I was better off elsewhere, saving quite a bit of money on the best compared quote.

It's always worth getting a second opinion. So before you renew your home insurance spend a minute of your time (that's all it takes!) filling out the online home insurance quote form to see what they can offer you.

It's low cost, not low cover so you don't have to worry about getting less for your money. Additionally they don't charge for payment by monthly direct debit so you can spread your payments making your budgeting easier.

You can choose from buildings cover only, contents cover or a combined policy. No claims discount is offered and there is a dedicated 24 hour claims line.

It's easy to sign up and it gives you peace of mind that your possessions are covered should the worse happen.

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!

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 saving money page has been updated today with a new savings scheme from Scottish Friendly.

Their child bond enables you to save between £10 and £25 tax free for each of your children. It's tax free and available for long term savings from 10 years plus.

By investing over the long term you avoid the peaks and troughs of short term trading and should benefit from a steady growth giving your child a good start in life when they reach adulthood.

The child bond can be taken out in addition to an ISA, giving you even more tax-free allowances to use. And you don't have to be a parent to open one.

Grandparents, aunties, godparents - anyone can open a child bond for their nominated child.

Scottish Friendly also operate a Scottish Bond which has all of the benefits of the child bond but doesn't have to be used as a savings account for a child.

Anyone can take one out, Scottish or otherwise, and receive their proceeds tax-free when the bond matures.

A friendly society has the benefit of sharing out all of its profits between its members rather than paying shareholders. Currently they are offering £15 high street vouchers as an incentive to sign up for either bond.

Saving money tax-free makes a lot of sense. If you currently have savings in the bank and are paying tax on the interest you should consider moving some or all of it into a tax-free method of saving such as the Scottish Bond.

After all, no-one likes paying taxes and if it can be avoided (legally!) all the better. I'd rather have the money in my pocket than the chancellors.