Why pay?

My PC is drawing it's last breaths. A cast off from work, where it was put to hard labour for at least three years, it has spent the last two years in the PC retirement home that is our house. It is time to do the merciful thing though. Between turning it on and being able to get onto the internet, it is quite possible to make the perfect cup of tea, brewed for four minutes. Yep, the old boy was getting painfully slow and the decent thing has to be done.

Thinking of saving some space in the rather cramped small bedroom that we call the study, we (Helen and I) decided to go for a laptop as a replacement. There's a PC World in Salford Quays. Bugger it. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Nicked a hoodie and a baseball cap, given it to Helen, and she's away on a mission. She looks like a menacing Tony Pulis. Naturally she's taken our son with her, who is lightning on his feet. Show him the ropes, as it were. Anyway, why pay for a laptop when all you've got to do is smash a few windows and have it away?


Getting back to gambling, here is the rest of Banaz's comment from last week:

"A more realistic goal for the punter in a consistent winning groove over a long enough time period might be to work part time. For me for a long time this has been a goal of mine. I would like (and indeed for mental stability would need) a security blanket of some sort of regular employment especially in the current climate. The work I do I could do a half day albeit unlikely to be able generate ½ my current salary. I would however forego a certain level of income if I could be relatively certain that I could generate enough from my punting to bring my overall earnings up to say 75% to 80% of my current level of income. The loss of income would for me be more than offset by the increased freedom to do something I enjoy. It would also make getting back into employment full time in the event of a punting meltdown much more easily manageable. Last September I actually thought by the end of this year (2011) that I might be in a position to achieve this but for various reasons (self inflicted and otherwise) I took an absolute 6 month pounding and am now rebuilding. Realistically I have put myself back a year if not 18 months in this quest but it is still a goal for me and one I am pursuing vigorously.

For other winning punters not interested in going full time or part time I think a decent goal is to provide a regular secondary income for either “treats” or to supplement their income. A good piece of advice given to me was that if you are not building your bank (or have built it to a level that your stakes are comfortable with) that you should pay yourself a “salary”. I’ve used money in the past to amongst other things – repair the roof of the house, take an extra few days holidays with the family, upgrade my laptops etc. The satisfaction to be able to do this without dipping into salary and savings was immense and is tangible reward for the hard work put in and lets face it there is a serious amount of effort involved here."

There's not really a great deal I can add to this. I've already covered the importance of having a financial safety net in place for the sake of mental wellbeing. It's great to see someone accept that mistakes they've made have perhaps put them slightly behind schedule but who is determined to persevere until they get to where they want to be. I find that sort of thing inspirational. And those "treats" that the profits can allow - yep, been there, done that too. :)


Today's Betting

Damp squib of a day, and that's not simply referring to the dreadful weather we've had in these parts. No real joy for anyone.

The Market Examiner: Staked 2pts, -2pts.
ProBandit: Staked 1.333pts, -0.766pts.
Winning Racing Tips: Staked 1.2pts, -0.18pts.

Wednesday 10th August: Staked £144, -£62.40.
Month to date: Staked £1,893, +£526.31, roi 27.8%.
Running total (inc. fees): +£217.51, roi 2.37%.


Right. Where is she? I want my laptop.