Archive for the ‘Stuart’ Category
What is it with the word Free and Cash when put together in the same sentence?
Is it that we have become too jaded and when someone says “free cash” we only ever expect physical pound coins or notes to be placed in our sticky mitts?
I ask because getting cashback on your internet based shopping is big business and one of the big ones (that I use and like) is TopCashBack. So far with TCB I’ve saved free, gratis, nada, for nothing in excess of £500 on my shopping. The only downsides, as I see them, are:
- you have to setup an account with TCB
- you have to do a search for your product and / or supplier at the TCB site
- you then have to follow their links to the supplier and complete your order wholly online.
This works for electronics, white goods, insurance, etc, etc … in fact if you can think of a category / supplier you can probably find them offering cashback on top of the same price you pay by going direct to their website.
Some recent highlights of mine are:
- £100 cashback when we signed up to Sky – that was on top of the fantastic deal and was equivalent to an extra 5mths free rental
- £70 back on my mobile phone purchase
- £60 back on another mobile phone
- £10 back on a washing machine
- and so on
So why do I ask if people are jaded or suspect the words Free and Cash in the same sentence?
Simply because TCB (and other cashback sites) almost always offer affiliate or referral earnings. At present TCB are offering me £5 for free for every one of my friends or family that sign up. On top of that you also get £5. The only requirement is that you sign up and reach a minimum spend level (currently £5). The usual deal is £2.50.
Anyway, I fairly recently offered my F&F this via facebook and 96 of them clicked through to teh offer. A further 2 went the extra step and signed up. But as of today – not one of them has actively used their account.
So I conclude … you don’t like free cash.
If you do, simply click here: TopcashBack Referral.
But you could prove me wrong.
Tags: 
The October half term is upon us again and as usual the family are away with the grandparents and I’m home alone.
But don’t be sad for me. I get invited along and every year I decline so that I can have some much needed me space. I was once advised (a long time ago) by some0ne that had been married for longer than Kathryn & I have now (24½yrs) that every couple should have time apart every year. I agree.
Anyway, this year it happens to coincide with me also having my shift rota fit nicely so that I get 4 days at home.
Weather depending I have a lot of things to do.
I also want to contemplate stuff.
One of the things I want to contemplate is how to continue to encourage my children to continue on with their Tang Soo Do. I don’t know how to communicate to them (anymore) that re-doing stuff is par for the course and even if they become black belts one day then they will still need to re-do what they know.
So any suggestions gratefully accepted.
For now I just want to get them to their green belts which is at the end of November…. and I’m not even close to being ready!
I’ve never been a “gym rat“.
In fact I’ve never really been one for organised keep fit of any sort.
Growing up I certainly took part in organised group sports but the ones I excelled at mostly required individual skill, excellence and preparation…. swimming, 10 pin bowling, cycling. The only two to go against that grain were rugby and cricket. I loved rugby and was always disappointed I never did more with it whereas cricket is a leisure sport for me – something to be enjoyed and winning was very much secondary.
But I digress.
The point is, despite the stuff I did being individualistic I am very much a social person; a group joiner; a let’s share together person.
So when my doctor recommended “exercise by prescription” I went “what?”. He, being French, simply shrugged his shoulders and claimed to know little about it.
So colour me very surprised when 5 weeks into my “E by P” that I am still going to the gym and attempting to make 3 sessions a week on top of my Tang Soo Do. And what’s more I am actually enjoying it.
The difference as I see it is that the gym staff have all been trained on helping folks to rehabilitate themselves from being overweight; joint replacements; heart attacks; etc, etc … it is these dedicated few that take time to talk to you. To check on your progress. To make the time go by a little easier even whilst they make comments like “enjoy the pain” or “I think we should increase the resistance”….
It makes a gym human again.
It isn’t a sterile (or not) place full of sweaty bodies locked into their own little world. Or the bodybuilder who’s so vain they only have eyes for their deltoids or … well you get the picture.
Gyms are soul-less places.
They are the height of what is wrong with our modern world.
But. I’m still attending one.
And what’s more I do believe I can feel / see a bit of benefit.