mega-fix number 6!!

so, ive made a short list on the gomighty.com site, but i think its a good start!  like 'project: un-hoarder', i need to attack a large project by cutting it up into small and manageable steps.

i have 10 goals now!  :)  and theyre goals ive had on mind for sooooooo long and now i have a place to put them and this blog to track progress with. 

today im going to talk about one of them that needs to be taken care of asap! 
my only business goal so far...

#6 - mega-organize my mystery shopping

between finding new companies, applying for shops, confiming shops, scheduling dates for locations, doing the shops, tracking payments, cleaning out emails and files, etc, this is a big job. 

i need a better system as i have more shops now than ive ever done before.  if i miss a payment here and there or forget to apply for shops one week, im out of $$$.  and being unemployed, every little dollar counts.  even if it is a $5 phone call. 

so tonight, im cleaning out some october receipts, grouping sept & oct checks, and looking at paypal and excel to figure out how to organize my month better.  the more shops i do, the harder it gets to keep track of receips and emails..  and tomorrow i need to take a certification test to get gold certified!  :)

its a mystery to me...

ive been doing mystery shops since fall 2001.  ive done all kinds of shops in all kinds of industries for all kinds of companies.  but now, being unemployed, ive really had to step up my game.

this month ive taken on 30+ shops.  and already ive made enough extra money to pay my car insurance for this term. 

there are different types of shops - reimbursement, flat fee, or reimbursement + fee.  right now ive been trying to do pay shops only, but ive been doing reimbursement shops to do dinner with friends, put gas in my car, etc - things i would have to do anyway. 

although this has always been something ive done on a monthly basis, i now see the huge potential it has for me in my current situation.  so in october, ill get payments for my september shops, and so on. 

if youre paying for mystery shopper information, its a scam.  all the info is free and all the companies to shop for are free.  PAYING IS A SCAM!

look for companies like A Closer Look, Bare International, Shop N Check, Intellicheck, Sinclair, Person to Person, Bestmark, etc.  Basically google 'mystery shop'.  :)  theres something for everyone.

and if you have kids and do attractions often, theres Amusement Advantage.

coffeemates!

im a super coffee drinker.

lattes, chai tea lattes, pumpkin things in the fall.... and when i was working i drove thru a coffee place every morning.  cha-ching.

so now that money is an issue...  i make my own.

coffee, ice, vanilla creamer

and my favorite new flavor  is vanilla natural bliss by coffee-mate.  this one is extra good because its all natural, flavors, cream and thats about it.  not all the other stuff products usually have now.
get a coupon for it here and save another couple cents

and of course the international delight creamers which are super.  get a coupon here.

power up!!

so may-june was in the $236 range.  june-july was in the $370s.

this definitely was not what i expected.  i thought i was going to make small changes that would LOWER our power bill, not raise it over $100!!

and we just got our most recent bill (july-aug).  yep.  another $373.32.  what?!?

now in all fairness, it is summer & we've been running the a/c a lot more, we had family in town for a few weeks and being out of town for a few days left some lights on endlessly.  but $100+ increase?

this is not ok with me.  so ill have to start over.  and start today. 

- ill have to double check items that are plugged in at all times, small appliances, etc.
- set the a/c temp a bit higher
- double-check  lights that are usually left on at all times
- check our local power company site for a power-saving checklist

not only do i want to see a reduction in the bill due to less a/c usage, but a big difference due to our changes.
round 2!!!

power trip

its mid-July.  the operating cycle for our next power bill is starting.  its also mid-summer which means we're running a/c constantly.

ive been wanting to do this for a looooong while - see if i can single-handedly reduce our power bill. 

may - june: $236.54
june - july: no bill yet.  im assuming its in this range though...

can i make july - august less?  im certainly going to try. 
1 - i know theres a window in the house that doesnt close completely.  you cant tell by looking but its slightly open at the bottom.  im fixing this.

2 - i know theres rooms in the house that go unused for weeks at a time whose vents are open and using a/c.  im fixing this.

3 - i know that theres lights on where theres no people.  im fixing this.

4 - i know i have extra fluorescent bulbs that aren't being used.  im fixing this. 

i also know that power company websites often have tips on saving energy.  and they'll even send someone to your home to do a power inspection.  to tell you where youre wasting power.  wasted power = $$
http://www.georgiapower.com
http://www.georgiapower.com/earthcents/residential/energy-checkup.asp


i dont like losing $$$ because i dont have any.  therefore, im fixing this.