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.

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.

Just been notified that you can get a further 10% discount on your health products during August 2009 by using a checkout code with Health Express. Full details are on my health page.

If I receive any other discounts or freebies I will let you know via the relevant pages on the website.

Health Express specialise in treating impotence, obesity, smoking, hair loss and the flu. The medication on offer includes Viagra, Cialis, Reductil, Xenical, Propecia and Tamiflu amongst others.

They offer free online consultations before doctors diagnose and prescribe relevant medication.

I haven't used them myself so I cannot vouch for their services, however they have been around for a long while (since 2002) and they do have plenty of positive testimonials on their website.

If you have any feedback (positive or negative) on Health Express please let me know.

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've been catching up on all the competitions I've missed during the week whilst I've been at work. I've probably entered a couple of hundred this weekend.

Some of these sites require you to be registered to enter. Once you have logged-in it makes it easier to enter the comps as they already have your details. Often it is one click per comp.

I'm currently updating my details on sites where I'm registered as I recently changed my email address. Which brings me to another golden competition rule I forgot earlier: keep your details up-to-date.

Whilst changing my email address I've come across several sites where some of my other details where out of date. For instance some had my old home address on them, others had my old mobile number.

It's quite possible that I have won prizes which have been sent to my old address or that people cannot get hold of me to tell me I've won (and therefore I forfeit the prize!).

You don't want to spend time entering competitions when you have no chance of receiving the prize because your details are out-of-date. So make a regular check of the sites you use a lot to ensure they have your correct details.

Many competitions are run in order to obtain your email address/details for future correspondence. Usually there is an option to opt-out of future contact.

I have read people asking the question: "Will I still win if I don't sign up to the newsletter/request further details?". In my experience it doesn't make any difference, although it wouldn't surprise me if some sites "drew" regular customers rather than strangers.

However, I always opt-out to keep my email inbox as free as possible from unwanted mail and I have certainly won my share of prizes. Take a look at my competition wins.

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.