26 May 2009

Calling all provisional license holders

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This blog post specially goes out to those who have a UK provisional driving licence, who are in the process of taking driving lessons or who are considering taking driving lessons.

I am looking for provisional license holders out there for driving lessons. The lessons will be conducted in a dual controlled Vauxhall Corsa. The Corsa is rented from Arnold Clark at South Street and rental charge is £9 an hour, which gives you 10 miles of fuel and covers insurance and tax etc. I would usually rent the car for two hours which would cost £18, giving us 20 miles to use and more time to drive.

As I prepare for the final stages of my driving instruction course, I will be looking to use these lessons to practice my teaching techniques as well as give my 'pupil' the chance to learn to drive for the first time or to brush up in any areas of their driving which they feel they need to improve in. The lessons will be conducted in a professional manner which won't be any different from the standard given by your normal instructor. I have covered all aspects of driving and am familiar with what is required of your for your driving test and driving safety.

This is good for people who have not started driving lessons yet or for those who have been taking lessons, who may even be test ready but need to top up in their lessons, to get more practice but find their current hourly rate quite expensive.

The current price of an average lesson is about £22-£24 an hour. If we take lessons in the hired Corsa, it will be £18 for two hours, which gives us 20 miles of usage and 120mins of driving time to get to the desired area for practice - most likely Anniesland or around the industrial estates near the Arnold Clark garage.

The dates available so far are:

Saturday 6th June
Sunday 7th June

Saturday 13th June
Sunday 14th June

Saturday 20th June
Sunday 21st June

Saturday 4th July
Sunday 5th July

Saturday 11th July
Sunday 12th July

Saturday 18th July
Sunday 19th July

Saturday 25th July
Sunday 26th July

I can only do weekends currently because I work full time during the week as well as study. But if you are free for lessons on these weekend dates, please contact me as early as possible so I can book the car from Arnold Clark and we can discuss lesson times and how we pay for the lessons too.

Drop me a comment if you have any questions. Thanks!

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22 May 2009

Money-saving shoppers

So another Friday has come upon us and it's time to look at money-saving ideas.

This week tip is one shared by James (thanks!) who recommended a website I could go on that compares prices of groceries between Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury and Ocado. I had never heard of Ocado before, but after some quick research found them to be an online groceries retailer who represents Waitrose (whom I have heard of! Hehe!).

Basically this website is a price comparison site similar to confused.com or moneysupermarket.com where you would search for the cheapest/ best companies for your car, home or travel insurance etc etc. Well this site lets you find (and purchase) products that you'd normally go for in your favourite supermarket, lets you add these things to your shopping basket and then compares the price of your shopping with the other three supermarket. You can compare the price of individual items E.g. An own-branded Fresh Whole Chicken Small (roughly 1.3kg) would cost £3.89 in Tesco, £2.99 in ASDA and £3.74 in Sainsbury's. A 12-pack of Red Bull will cost £9.44 in Tesco and ASDA, but cost £9.48 in Sainsbury's. Only four pence difference for Red Bull you might say, but that's only one product. Just think how much money you can save per month or per year overall if you bought them from the cheaper of them? And the chicken? Big difference between £2.99 and £3.89!

Of course, one can go to Morrison's or Somerfield and check out their prices there. You might get better prices there or find different deals like B.O.G.O.F. or 3 for 2 or whatever. Some people like to shop whilst they are actually in the store. They let the offers and the flashing tags inspire them on their purchases. Yes, this might save money on certain things, but it can be dangerous too. As sometimes you might end up buying stuff that you didn't originally plan, stuff you don't really need and end up paying a higher bill than you had expected. Yes, entering the supermarket with thoughts of getting a loaf of bread, some milk and cereal - leave the supermarket with £40 worth of shopping and then asking yourself "What did I buy?!" Lol! That has happened to me before - figuratively speaking of course!

So tonight I will be going to Tesco to buy some stuff for tomorrow and the weekend. I will be going to Edinburgh with Elaam. We'll be going some place in Edinburgh. Somewhere I have not yet disclosed to her, so can't say much. However, I want to go to Tesco for fuel and for snacks and lunch. Will need different drinks, sandwiches and stuff to put in my backpack to carry around with us. Would be nicer to bring our own lunch than to buy from there. So I'm off to compare prices right now =P

Oh yeah... the website that you can have a look around in is...

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/Home.aspx

Select your 'favourite' supermarket and Click on Start.

The Quick Shop link on the top bar will allow you to create a shopping list of the things you want e.g. coca cola, bread, margarine, dairy milk etc etc. Clicking on Find under the list you will be able to shop for each item and compare prices until all your desired items are in your basket.
You will then be able to compare the total price of your basket in your favourite supermarket with the other three retailers.

What's good about this is you don't have to be a registered user to use this site. It's all free! =D

So... compare (prices) and then go (shopping)!

Enjoy!!

n.b. Thanks to Oz for his tips in my previous money-saving post. For some reason I am unable to write in my own comments box.

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15 May 2009

Special offers for you!

Some of you might have noticed that I started a new 'Label' for my previous posts of 'Voda surprise' and 'Engine problems'. I usually use labels like 'Love', 'Health', 'Stuff to share' etc etc. The recent addition of 'Money' was related to money issues. Obviously fixing a car costs money and Vodafone was trying to save me money (so they say). So I've been thinking of sharing some of the ways I save money as well.

Most of my readers are Chinese, right? [If not, please leave me a comment, so I get a better idea of who is reading!]. And the Chinese are known for saving money, being thrifty, being shrewd etc. We work hard, we save hard. At least some of us do anyway. So we always like bargains. Ok, I speak from my own experiences and from what I hear from around me. Whenever there are bargains to be had, we all share it with one another.

"Oh! Did you know Morrison's are doing Buy One 2ltr bottle of Pepsi or 7Up and get Two Bottles FREE?"

"Oh! Did know Pringles are half price at X now?"

"You're going to Subway? I have these vouchers, wanna have a look first?"

or "Costco are doing a great deal on 24 pack toilet rolls, let's stock up!!"

These are the common stuff we hear around us every so often. We all like to save and we like to share the good news too. Well I've made good savings in my time. Yes, I like to bargain hunt too. I don't believe it is a 'woman's thing' to shop around looking for the best price to buy an item. I mean, why buy an item for £X when you can get it £1 cheaper or more elsewhere? Why shop in ASDA for grapes when you get the same sweet grapes in Lidl for much cheaper? As I grow older I find the need to spend less, to save more in order to buy my house, in order to save in the bank, in order to have money for emergencies etc. I rely on myself you see. Many people I know rely on their parents for handouts. They want stuff, they ask their parents for it and they get it. Not everyone is like that of course, but let's just say most parents provide for their children, even if they are older. I am 26 years old, I am the man of the house. Since my dad passed away 11 years ago, I started turning independent and mature in a faster rate than my peers. Not by choice some might say, but hey, 'C'est la vie'. One of things I have developed in my 'growing up' is financial independence. I don't turn to mum for money. I feel I should be the one providing for my mum, not the other way around. Whenever I want something, I would save up for it myself, or if I really can't wait, I will put it on credit card and pay it off myself, interest and all. I don't see the need to draw from my mum. So of course, I have to save where I can right?

So... I want to start sharing of ways I save when out shopping and eating. I want to share news of bargains on this site as well, so my readers are somewhat 'rewarded' for reading my posts, which I know can sometimes be loooong! Haha! I have heard they are entertaining, so this will just make it more interesting. So far, off the top of my head I have the following items to blog about... Ketchup, Orange Wednesday loophole, Unlimited card McDonald's and IKEA*. I will blog about these special saving tips once a week... probably a Friday which means you'll have the weekend to try out the tip or check out the store or whatever. For time-limited offers I will post up exclusives which you will have to pay attention to to catch them on time. Which means you might have to log on to this page through the week just in case something new comes up :)

Let me start with Ketchup. Ketchup is an American burger joint which originated from Los Angeles and which made its way over to Glasgow in 2008. It is situated at Ashton Lane in the West End. The menu is famous for the different variations of beef burgers, chicken burgers and for the more adventurous - venison burgers and kangaroo burgers etc. Their milkshakes in an old-style milk bottle are lovely too! Don't take my word for it, try it yourself! We'll besides, the advertising here, what special offer is there? Well, click on the link below...

http://www.socialanimal.co.uk/downloads//Kethcup/Ketchup%202%20for%201%20PDF%20Voucher.pdf

And you can download yourself a "2 for 1 burgers" voucher to use Monday to Friday between 3pm-6pm! There are other 2 for 1 offers for Ketchup, ones like, "password of the week" sort of thing where you can say the password to your waiter/ waitress who takes your order and you get 2 burgers for the price of 1. You can find out out from the Social Animal website:

http://www.socialanimal.co.uk/GlasgowWestEnd/Ketchup/pages/384/

But if you don't plan to go to Ketchup, but bump in to a friend in the West End, between the hours of 3pm-6pm it would be great to have a copy of the voucher in your bag, so you can whip it out and head into Ketchup in Ashton Lane for some burger fun! Those who have exams right now, this would be a great way to unwind post-exams. Students love to save too! Don't be shy, just print the voucher out, fill in your details pop along to famous cobbled streets of Ashton Lane.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next tip next week :)

*(Disclaimer: there are many money saving websites out there, the main one being Moneysavingexpert. But I only blog about the ones which I have experience with, the tried and tested examples :) )

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14 May 2009

Engine problems - Conclusion



After three phone calls to and fro, and the charge of three-figure sum I got my car back from Arnold Clark yesterday at 5:20pm.

They washed it for me as well which was cool.

The drive to Mitchell Library felt very comfortable. Though the sun was blistering outside, it felt nice inside my car. The roads were not as busy as a usual Wednesday at rush hour, so it gave me the chance to test out the drive. It had a service done as well, so everything went smoothly, even my door hinges which were all oiled as part of the service. Haha!

No more juddering or crawling when getting from 15mph-25mph, no more dangerous journeys. Haha!

:)

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13 May 2009

Voda surprise!

Dropped car off at Arnold Clark yesterday morning at 08:05am when the service department was opened. Got a call from them at 1:35pm advising the need to replace coil pack, leads and spark plugs. That the source of the problems I've been having apparently. Ok, no argument with that. These things do wear out through time. In fact, having its first repair since I took ownership of the vehicle in June 2004 is pretty good. Since I've driven this vehicle, I've only done just over 21,000 miles, and average of 4,300 miles a year. The total stands at 24,897 (as seen in previous post).

I just called them at 1:15pm. The work has been carried out and they are awaiting the paperwork to come through before they confirm the cost and will call me.

On a positive note, I received a call from 08080000133 yesterday. Looked like a dodgy marketing call and since I was at work I was a bit hesistant to pick it up. However, I was glad I did. It was apparently Vodafone calling me as one of their loyal customers. The guy wanted to see if there were anything they could do to improve their service for me or give me better deals. I had to cut the conversation short as I was at work, but I asked if he could call back after 5pm. He said ok. I then Googled the number and it appeared on many forums infamous for silent calls and the Vodafone retention team. Apparently people get a call from this number after they ask Voda for their PAC code or threaten to leave and give them the 30 days notice, so this team will call you in hope of keeping your customer. I hadn't contacted Vodafone about my account so was a bit surprised I got a call from them. I didn't think anything else of it until 5:45pm when the same number appeared on my phone. I was in two minds about picking up, cos I didn't think they could "do anything more" for me. But I thought I'd give it a chance and picked up.

The guy was different from the one earlier. This one called himself Matthew, and had on him the cheery, polite and friendly tone that would tick all boxes in his performance review. After the greetings and introductions he told me the reason he called was because I am one of the long standing customers (since Sept 2006) who has spent a lot of money at Vodafone and he called to review my account and see if there were anything else they could do for me. I told him I was quite happy with Vodafone so far and that one of the best things that happened in November was when I called Vodafone to ask if I could drop my 'Stop the Clock' feature and get free Mobile Internet on my tariff instead. I was told that was not possible for free, but they could put it on for me if I would like to extend my contract another six months. I declined that offer and thought I'd just forget about going on Facebook and Gmail via my phone. Then a few days later I received an email telling me they reviewed my account and made some changes to it. In place of my then current tariff - Anytime 500 with 'Stop the Clock' and 1000 texts, they were gonna give me Anytime 600, Unlimited text messages and 500MB Mobile Internet at the current tariff plan!! That was fab!! I couldn't believe it when I received the email. In fact, thought it was a prank! Haha! After receiving further confirmation I accepted the offer with open arms. However, since being with Elaam, I have occasionally longed for the Stop the Clock feature to extend my call allowance which come in real handy especially on the days when she stays in Rosyth. I hadn't thought I'd ever get it again, not for free anyway.

So back to the call with Matthew. I told him about the brilliant experience I had with Voda - the above story, but in two - three sentences only of course! and told him how good the service was. It is nice to sweeten him up and big up Vodafone I felt. He said that the reason the phone call said No, but the email said Yes was because the two departments operate differently and that the online department can sometimes offer better deals. Then he asked if there was anything else they could do for me. I said they were already very good, but I don't suppose I could get 'Stop the Clock' back on again? He started typing on his keyboard and said, (and I quote):

"Hm.. normally we would not be able to do that... but! No - However - However is a more positive word eh? However, because of your loyalty to Vodafone, I can put 'Stop the Clock' back on for you." *a very brief pause when he hit his Return key on keyboard* "There! Done!"

"Just like that?"

"Just like that! It is activated after midnight tonight."

"Oh, thanks!"

"That's a really good package you have there Kwok. You now have 600 Anytime minutes, Unlimited texts, Unlimited mobile data and Stop the Clock for £35. It's going to be hard to get that anywhere else."

"Yes, that's right. That's really good, thanks."

And without quoting anything else, he just basically said I was on a good package and might want to consider staying with Voda when my current contract ends in September. Hahaha! We'll see about that eh! I'll most likely stay really and might get a new handset. OR I could opt for half-price line rental for 18 months, which will save me £315!! =D

Yep, so I just wanted to say that Vodafone is good. The only gripe I had with it was when there was no signal in the Cairngorms Christian Centre back in Easter. I guess that's the 0.01% black area within the 99.9% coverage. Hahaha!

p.s. Vodafone stands for VOice DAta FONE ;-)

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11 May 2009

Engine problems

So as I drove to the library today after work I noticed the car did not have much throttle when I stepped on the gas. Though the pedal was down and I was in second gear, expecting the revs to quickly pick up and allowing me to slip into third gear easily, I found myself watching the speedometer struggle to get from 15mph to 20mph. The rev needle waved up and down and the car just did not pick up pace as it should. Fortunately I was driving through rush hour traffic which meant I did not upset the traffic flow as it was mostly start and stop anyway.

The car was parked for two hours whilst I was studying. Before I drove home I checked my oil content, it was fine. Coolant was at the max. Windscreen wash reservior still full. Had no idea what could be causing the lag, but had to drive home. Once I got to a set of traffic lights before the motorway, the dreaded light came on...the engine light!! (bottom-left of picture below).

The lagging, I felt, got worse and I struggled to bring my speed up to 40 mph in pace with the car behind me. Fortunately he was a patient driver and did not get irritated. This wasn't good. I stayed in second gear until I could feel the car would be ok for third gear and then remained in fourth gear for the two-minute 50mph journey on the M8.

Once I parked at home, I looked at the manual in hope of answering some of the many questions as to what could be causing the engine malfunction. It definitely was not engine overheating. That I've experienced with my first car, Fiat Brava, which consequently blew cylinder head gaskets and subsequently blew a big hole in my bank account too. My coolant and my engine oil levels were in check in this Ford Focus. So what else could it be? Thinking back to my days at Ford Customer Relations, any customers who had engine light problems were always advised to bring their car into the nearest garage to get it checked out. I know I will have to do that tomorrow. I know they will plug the car into a computer which will diagnose the error codes the engine computer is giving off and it will tell the garage what the problem is. Only question remains will then be...how much will this cost?! =S


Pic taken AFTER I parked safely near my house


What the manual says about this light...

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