Oliver - the elephant who wants some more!

 Meet Oliver...

This little elephant ushers in a month that will see him, just like his namesake, asking for more!

This month I'm going to research and (hopefully) take some action to increase my income. Not anything as big as a new job - after all I've been looking forward to more freedom with retirement. But I know there are avenues to explore, especially after all the discoveries around the bungalow of 'stuff' I don't need even though it's in good condition - just not needed by me!

Month 3 - Bite 1

The first move is some preparation. I need to find a home for any 'extras' I raise so that I can see just how much the exercise raises. An account is required to stash any new money in easily and quickly before it just gets spent elsewhere.

My banking app has a savings account which is empty since I raided it for a holiday. That's where I'll start. In this account will go anything that comes in from the steps I take this month and hopefully keep on taking! Some of the amounts will be quite small so it might pay me (sorry) to pay in once a month unless a large amount turns up. (Mind you if I win big on the Premium Bonds I might just splurge - but I'm not holding my breath.) I can use the app I record my spending on as it's got a money in option so I'll just pop off and set that all up....

Month 3 - Bite 2

One of the final tasks from last month was based on the DVDs and CDs that are no longer used along with the emptying of the bookcases. First off these must go as they're taking up rather a lot of room. There's a number of companies that take them and resell them. The amounts they pay are very small, but with so many to dispose of that's my first port of call. All those I've been recommended send labels for postage so that part doesn't cost anything and there are drop off points at local venues (including the garage at the end of our road and the local Post Office), so that's where I'll start..... Operation scan it, box it and post it starts here!

Month 3 - Bite 3

Some of the items sorted and ready for going out are saleable - stamps, coins, brooches, programmes... So today is all about dusting off my old account with an online auction. It could be a long day of photographing, writing descriptions and posting items, but I'm hoping that by downloading their app it will be speedier than it was the last time I tried. Mind you, that was when we had both just left the classroom and had lots of our tools of the trade and reference books to shift. That time we raised enough to pay for new winter jackets and walking boots for our 'new life'! I'm not sure there's enough to raise that much now, but as they say it all adds up.

Before I start listing anything there's the small maths task of checking the cost of fees and postage to make sure the process makes sense financially.....