Author: GroanUp

ZipZero

I heard about ZipZero via an online review and thought I’d give it a try.

I am trying to cut down on spending this year. Most days I’m being successful with this, but ZipZero allows me to reclaim a little bit of cash back from purchases that I do make which I can use to put towards bills.

ZipZero is a free app. When you buy something from a shop (it doesn’t work with online receipts) you scan the receipt. ZipZero recognises the information in the receipt and adds about 1% of the total into your account. When you have enough money (above £1) you can withdraw the money to a utility provider or similar and it takes just a little bit off your bill.

When I read about it I thought it all sounded a bit too good to be true. But having tried it for a week, it has been every bit as good as it sounded. I have scanned in every receipt and the app recognised the info and added some money to my account. Once I had accessed the correct pay info for my utility bill provider, and I had enough money in the ZipZero account, I withdrew it and it has indeed paid off a little money from my bill. (I use Igloo so can instantly see any payment made.)

So far, I’ve used receipts from supermarkets, the post office, pubs, newsagents and coffee shops and they’ve all worked. I have had two that didn’t – one was a car park receipt and one was a receipt which was badly printed (and I didn’t realise until I got home).

How the scanning works, I don’t know, but it does.

How on earth can ZipZero afford to give you money back? Apparently: ZIPZERO and their retail partners have created a circle of user consumption. ZIPZERO provides retailers with an opportunity to offer products and services directly to app users in exchange for a system that rewards users with cash to directly pay such bills. I don’t really get it, but that’s not going to stop me using it.

It’s really worth a go.

Live Quiz

Recently I’ve started playing the Live Quiz on my iPhone.

Live Quiz is a free app and you could win real money (although it’s not going to make you rich)!

Twice a day there are quizzes. All you have to do is answer all ten questions correctly and you can win a share of the prize fund. Most nights it’s £100 and one night I managed to win 83p.

The questions are usually not too challenging and are guessable in most cases. But you don’t get too long to answer and that’s where I make most of my errors!

It’s all a bit of fun!

Things that are useless

There are lots of useless things around at the moment. Here are just a few.

Paper straws

Who’d have thought that putting paper into liquid would make it soggy and useless? Everyone except McDonalds. I get the idea of using less plastic so it’s time to come up with something new. But PAPER straws. Not a great idea.

Easter egg packaging

Everyone goes rightly mad about cutting down waste created by too much packaging. Except at Easter, where it seems to be ok because it protects the chocolate. I’ve never seen so much plastic and cardboard. Let’s see if it’s different this year…

Some hand dryers

Hand dryers are miles better than paper towels, etc. But they actually need to blow out actual hot air. Lots these days are useless.

Amber traffic lights

What is the amber light for?

AMBER means ‘Stop’ at the stop line. You may go on only if the AMBER appears after you have crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to pull up might cause an accident

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/light-signals-controlling-traffic

So actually, what’s the point in it? Everyone I know speeds up to beat the amber, or uses it as a way to pull away and get away as fast as possible. Why don’t we just go to green and red?

Cake pops

A tiny cake on a stick. Sure they look tasty. But what’s the point?

Those sauce pots at McDonalds

One is never enough. So you always need two. Just make them bigger! Although I’ve heard about this trick.

Rulers that aren’t see through

The teacher in me says that opaque rules are useless. Rulers need to be see through to measure, underline and draw accurately.

Bottled water

Full frame of still water bottles in rows

I am getting on board with this whole cutting down waste thing. Buying plastic bottles just feels wasteful these days. I now use a water bottle and try to keep that with me.

DVDs

What is the point in selling these any more? We either watch it on Sky or stream absolutely everything these days. Digital is the way. It’s time to ditch your DVDs (and Blu-Rays).

Life and Lessons Podcast

A couple of years ago I got into podcasts. I’ve become a loyal listener to many. Every so often I thought I’d share the one I’m enjoying the most.

At the moment I love listening to Sean Spooner’s Life and Lesson Podcast. (If the name is slightly familiar, you might recall that he appeared on the Young Apprentice once.)

For the next 52 weeks, I’m going to document the life I live and the lessons I learn as I move towards my 25th birthday. I’m Sean Spooner, the 24-year-old co-founder and Creative Director of Dreem, a fast-growing marketing agency based in South Wales. After 10 years in business and lots of twists and turns in life, I want to get on record the realities of growing a business, evolving as a person and navigating my way through my mid-twenties. This is Life and Lessons, a place where I’ll share my unfiltered inner thoughts and honest truths each week, like you’ve never heard before

I like listening to it as he seems like an interesting and honest guy. He’s ambitious and it’s good to hear about how he is getting on with his business. He talks about good and bad life decisions that he’s made and it’s made me reflect on my own life and particular how I didn’t really think about the future properly back when I was his age.

Something else I like that it lasts for no more than half an hour each week which means it fits perfectly in a journey to work!

41

So, I’ve been 41 for a month now. And, I have to say that I hate it.

41 is a prime number and although I like prime numbers, I don’t want to be one. I don’t subscribe to the prime number age theory.

Prime numbers are awkward numbers. Nothing fits in to a prime number and that’s how I feel right now. I’m not fitting in.

I’m really fed up, if I’m honest. Things aren’t going too well and life is getting to me. Financially things are really hard. Work is hectic and I can’t switch off from it and I can’t keep on top of everything that I need to do. There are not enough hours in the day. I’m not seeing enough of my friends because I can’t afford to. I cannot keep the house tidy. I need to do some improvement work to the house but can’t afford it right now. I can’t eat properly as food seems to make me ill. My car needs replacing.

I love my job but it is really tough right now. The only thing that gets me through each day is my gorgeous family.

Things have got to improve this year and I’ve got to sort my life out as I can’t go on. I’ve heard that people feel unhappiest in their forties so I have got to get a change of mindset soon.

Sorry for the honest post.

Favourite Theme Tunes

Here’s a list of my favourite theme tunes ever!

80 Days Around The World
The Big Bang Theory theme song is instantly recognisable and one of the most memorable.
Although I didn’t watch the show until I was in my thirties, I remember the theme song from when I was a child. I would love to go to a pub like the Cheers bar.
If you can do this rap then you are cool. There is absolutely no doubt about this.
One of the few theme tunes to actually cross over into the charts. I’ll Be There For You is such a great song.
Maybe it;s because I loved the show. But sitting through the full intro was vital to understanding the show and this is non-negotiable.
What a theme song! I remember the show a little bit, but the theme tune will be forever etched into my brain!
Such nostalgia. Neighbours was always the better programme, but Home And Away had the better theme music.
Howard’s Way is probably the best theme tune ever!…
And the jazzy end song version is bloody brilliant! The full version of this is called Barracuda by Simon May.
An absolute classic theme! I’m not a fan of dogs, but I’m a fan of this theme song.
How has this show not had a film remake?
Just brilliant!
Lots of love for the theme song!
The Raccoons. You can run with us!
The best show that was ever on in the school holidays!

Chartr

A few months ago I signed up for the Chartr newsletter.

Chartr is a free newsletter – which has just increased its output to twice a week. It features charts and headline information about business, technology, politics and entertainment.

Each week three stories are picked to explore and the research is supported with a graph or chart. I am a bit of a maths nerd so really enjoy looking at this.

The stories chosen are always interesting to read as they aren’t based on the highest profile stories of the week so you always learn something new.

The newsletters are always free, so it’s well worth considering signing up at chartr.co.

Bad driving

Don’t drive like a dick and remember these rules!

Say thank you – I don’t care if you wave, raise a finger from the steering wheel, smile, nod, flash your lights or whatever. Just say thank you. It’s basic good manners. Doing nothing makes me hate you.

Don’t dither – If the roundabout is clear, or if nothing is coming along at the junction, just go. Don’t hang around. We will hate you if you do.

Use your indicators – Don’t be a dick. Just use your indicators and especially at roundabouts!!

Park properly – Make sure you’re in the middle of the parking space. And if your car isn’t in the centre, reverse and have another go.

Pay at the pump – If you use a pay at the pump pump, then pay at the pump. And if fail to do that and you go into the shop, don’t make eye contact or you’ll get the death stare.

Keep to the speed limit – I have slowed down in my driving over the years – I don’t speed any more. But not I get annoyed by people who drive below the speed limit when it is perfectly safe to do so. 40 is 40 so don’t trundle at five miles an hour below.

Use the correct lane on the motorway – Move to the left lane whenever it is clear. Don’t be one of those muppets who gets into the right hand lane and just stays there. Move left! (And, on a similar note, do not undertake – that makes you a complete tosser.)

Sit in traffic – We all hate sitting in traffic. But just because you’re a dick it don’t make us hate you more by razzing past traffic on a red light or on a bend or something stupid just to cut the queue. Also, don’t block exits as that just gets on everyone’s nerves.

What are your driving hates?

Stamps

I decided that I would look into collecting commemorative stamp releases.

There’s something about the idea of these stamps that appeals to me. It’s a bit nerdish; a bit quirky. It’s probably not something I’d own up to in the pub. But having bought some Star Wars, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones in the last few years and displayed them in frames, I quite like the idea of adding to my collection.

I always figured that the stamps might actually be worth something one day. Maybe they will one day, but not for many years.

So, I am purely doing this because I like the look of them. I’m not intending to collect every set released, but only the ones I think look cool.

The 2020 Royal Mail release schedule has been announced.

The 2020 Royal Mail Commemorative Stamp Collection

Without having seen most of the stamps (in fact, only the Video Games collection have been announced), here are my thoughts:

Video Games – these look REALLY good. The games featured include some of my childhood favourites including Dizzy, Sensible Soccer, Worms, Lemmings and Micro Machines. These have already been ordered!

Visions of the Universe – not sure what this will be. I probably won’t be buying these.

James Bond – definitely on my wish list! I love James Bond films, so these will be a great collector’s item.

The Romantic Poets – I hate poetry. No chance.

End of the Second World War – these sound interesting. I might buy these depending how they look.

Coronation Street – I don’t watch Corrie, so I will give these a miss. If Neighbours stamps are released though…

Roman Britain – I’m not a big lover of history. I doubt that I will buy these.

Queen – These sound great!

The Palace of Westminster – I hate politics right now. I don’t want to have stamps reminding be of Boris.

Sherlock – These sound intriguing. Again, it might depend how it looks. I’m not a massive Sherlock fan, but I did enjoy the BBC series. One to think about, maybe.

Rupert Bear – I didn’t even know this guy was still around. If stamps have been announced, does this mean he is due a comeback? Will yellow scarves be back in fashion. I might consider the stamps for nostalgia.

Brilliant Bugs – I don’t think bugs are brilliant. Not for me.

Christmas – Can I shock you? I like Christmas. These always make a nice set.

Star Trek – Not for me – Star Wars all the way. I liked the JJ Abrams films, but that’s about it.

So I’ll definitely buy four and maybe two or three more of the fourteen sets that will be released this year. Which ones do you have your eyes on?