After a good start to my new year's diet I'm finding myself going down the slippery slope again. Although I'm not due to weigh myself again until tomorrow morning I have a fair idea that I'm likely to be back where I started at the beginning of the month.

I haven't had any major problems, like a chocolate binge, but I'm just not stringing together enough good days to keep my weight going down.

What I'm finding is that in any given week one bad day can easily undo the other six good days, and I'm having enough trouble managing six good days.

This week has been spoilt by a buffet at work which my boss insisted I ate and a meal out on Friday with huge portions. It's the portion control I really struggle with - I just cannot leave anything on the plate going to waste.

This is OK at home where I can cook less, but when going out I am at the mercy of the restaurant. By the way, the pub/restaurant concerned, The Old Spot in Arnold, Nottingham, is highly recommended, although not perhaps for dieters unless they have a lot more willpower than me!

The staff there were all extremely friendly, helpful and professional. The restaurant was spotlessly clean and big enough to spread out a bit and the food was not only excellent tasting but incredible value (we had some vouchers from the internet). It's the first time we've been there but it won't be the last.

Anyway, back to the weight loss (or lack of it). It looks like I'm going to have to start again tomorrow. Maybe it's time for something drastic to really get things going.

Whilst sensible weight loss of a couple of pounds a week is the best way to go, if you have a bad week it's too easy to undo all of the good work. I need to crash through the 90kg barrier to give myself some impetus to get down to the 75kg I really should be.

It's exercise that's really let me down. I'm finding it so hard to motivate myself to do any sort of exercise which I need to burn off the calories. I'm going on Ebay now to look for some cheap exercise equipment.

Despite my optimism in previous posts, and my continual entering of hundreds of competitions every week I'm still awaiting my first competition win of 2010.

That's just the way it goes, I had a great December which has spurred me on to enter more comps but I've just been unlucky so far this year. But the luck does tend to even out so a big competition win could be around the corner.

I have enjoyed a competition prize this year, although it wasn't won by myself but by my Mum. She received an email from a PR company last Monday informing her that she had won two tickets to the Strictly Come Dancing tour taking place on Tuesday!

Very short notice which is always a problem with ticket entry prizes. They should allow at least a week so that people can move any plans they have made and sort out their travel plans. At least this one was for a local venue.

Anyway with only two tickets she couldn't really choose between either of her two best friends so passed them onto me. The tickets had to be collected from the Box Office on the night so myself and my wife went along.

When we got there we were informed that we had actually won 4 tickets and a meet and greet with the stars after the show. Very annoying as we wasted two tickets and couldn't go to the meet and greet as we had already made travel plans to return home after the show.

The seats we got were fantastic (front row) which made it all the more galling to waste two of them. It was a brilliant show which I would recommend to anyone who likes the TV show.

Anyway I'm still entering all of the online competitions I can at the moment, even though slightly disheartened, and keeping my fingers crossed that the next prize is a big one. Good luck to all the other compers out there.

I've recently been looking into moving house. This would entail moving my mortgage to another property so I asked C&G whether this would be a problem. Unfortunately so! Despite having several mortgage over the years with them and making every repayment on time I am not eligible for a new mortgage to the value of my current mortgage!

This leaves me unable to move house, and C&G still lending me an amount they consider I cannot afford (despite making every repayment on time over several years).

It is a ridiculous situation but it does underline how ludicrous the current mortgage market is. Whilst the mortgage lenders may have been a bit too cavalier with their lending in the past, they have now become seemingly incapable of lending any money to anyone.

I'm lucky as I still have an existing mortgage but I wouldn't like to be a first time buyer looking for a new mortgage at the moment.

So what is the answer? Use the internet firstly, there are other lenders who may not spring instantly to mind who may have a more flexible approach to mortgage lending. There are also still some mortgage brokers left, although not as many as there used to be before the recent financial disasters.

A mortgage broker can look at a number of different mortgage options for you, dealing with many lenders and able to help with bad credit and credit problems too. They may charge a fee which can be added to your mortgage loan.

Mortgage comparison websites abound, allowing you to compare mortgages, view the latest mortgage rates on offer from the lenders and the best deals on any given day.

If you are in the lucky position of being eligible for a mortgage you then have to make a number of choices. Although interest rates are historically low, many mortgage lenders are not passing on the low rates to their customers. You need to check and compare the mortgage interest rate on offer when comparing different mortgage products.

Do you want a tracker mortgage, fixed or capped rate mortgage, flexible mortgage? A repayment mortgage or interest only? I was in the process of fixing my mortgage rate a few weeks before interest rates were slashed. Luckily I used the 28 day cooling off period to switch back to the standard variable rate. Had I not I would be paying around £160 per month more than I now am! This illustrates the need to make the right choice.

Interest rates look set to stay low for another year to 18 months, that is the "word on the street" from the banks and estate agents I talk to. If that is the case you don't have to worry about a sudden surge in rates so can focus on current low rate deals.

Many mortgage websites have mortgage calculators on them which can indicate how much you might pay dependent upon the amount you borrow and prevailing interest rate. Be sensible, make sure you can afford the repayments, you do not want to be facing repossession or get into credit trouble in the future.

If you are self employed the bad news is that there appear to be very few self cert mortgages, if any, still available. This may leave you with nowhere to turn if you don't have the necessary accounts and proof of income required by mortgage lenders.

Those who are employed might be shocked at how little they can now borrow based on their earnings. 3-3.5 times salary appears to be the norm now. Perhaps mortgage lenders think everyone is spending their wages on booze and fags instead of paying their bills. They certainly don't seem to appreciate that people are all different and their spending habits differ too.

Unfortunately the "one size fits all" model doesn't work with mortgages. More variables should be taken into account. Applying an arbitrary multiple to peoples earnings regardless of their spending is nonsense.

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!

First of all a happy new year to everyone. Hope 2010 will prove to be a great year for you all.

I've just been looking back at the start of my weight loss quest and seen that on the 1st August I weighed 95kg. I've started my new diet this morning and weighed in at 97.7kg. So my last effort yielded a 2.7kg gain. Doh.

Again I'm not going to follow a set diet, just try to eat sensibly, drink more water, less coffee, less stress, more exercise. I'm writing everything down on a weekly diet sheet (pictured right).

This is stuck to the front of my fridge and should help me keep track of everything I'm doing in order to reduce my weight.

I'm using it as a tracker, but you could also use it as a plan, writing down everything you are going to eat in advance, planning all of your meals and daily exercise, and crossing/ticking them off as you finish them.

I've set myself a goal of getting under 90kg by the end of March. That's a loss of around 8kg (17lbs?) in 12-13 weeks. Not much more than a pound per week, which should be achievable if only I could stick to it!

There are no birthdays or celebrations in the early part of the year so I have no parties to go to. The biggest problem is going to be work where I tend to overeat, mainly due to stress. I'm going to take a packed lunch and try to avoid the chocolate, crisps and biscuits which seem to be a staple feature of the kitchen.

Hopefully my wife will be more helpful this time. At the mention of diets she normally rolls her eyes and tuts (I think she knows how little willpower I have). She's going to have to stop buying crisps etc. in the weekly shop - I can't resist them if they are in the house.

If anyone else has set themselves a new years resolution of losing weight I wish you all the best and hope it goes well.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The first of my two "mystery" competition wins has arrived today and can therefore be added to my list of Competition Wins of 2009.

It is a pair of Salomon XT Wings running shoes, courtesy of the SAAB in motion website. They look absolutely fantastic and they will certainly get used as I will be starting running again soon now my gym membership has ended.

A quick search online shows them to be worth between seventy and eighty pounds. A nice win and the type of thing I could never justify buying in "real life". I would have to look for a second hand pair of running shoes on Ebay if I were paying for them myself.

Just in time for Christmas too. I might wrap them up for myself as we are having a VERY low-key Christmas this year. Than and I aren't really buying for each other and will probably only buy a couple of little bits for our son. He's still a bit too young to really understand what's going on at Christmas.

A lot of people I talk to at the moment are doing the same. For many people Christmas has lost it's magic. It's just become far too commercial and starts far too early.

As a reaction to this more and more people I meet seem to have an anti-Christmas feeling. I know I would rather be on the beach in Thailand supping a bear on Christmas day. Maybe when our son is older we will feel differently. But for this year we aren't getting involved.

Anyway if I don't post again before Christmas have a good one, whatever you are doing, and here's hoping 2010 will be a LOT better than 2009, which has been a pretty miserable year chez nous. All the best.