Friday, January 11, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The PPI Ill Wind
The old saying "it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good" has been proved by some statistics released by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
The FOS, which deals with PPI claims when banks and their customers cannot agree a settlement, said it had increased the number of expected new cases for the 2011/2012 financial year to 375,000.
In view of this increased workload it has taken on 1,000 extra staff to deal with the backlog.
The FOS, which deals with PPI claims when banks and their customers cannot agree a settlement, said it had increased the number of expected new cases for the 2011/2012 financial year to 375,000.
In view of this increased workload it has taken on 1,000 extra staff to deal with the backlog.
Organizing the Little Things
At my house, it drives me crazy when one type of thing is scattered throughout the house. I have to collect everything and have it in one place. It's just a weird, annoying habit I have. Zip lock bags (that come in all sizes) are great for corralling small things together. But, I had a bunch of things in zip lock bags that I knew could be better organized.
Even though having things contained in bags is better than having things all over in different drawers or cabinets, it's not always the best practical solution. Every time I needed to hang a picture or was looking for a hook or outlet cover, I had to dig through the bags and I couldn't easily tell what I had. I found a pair of small acrylic storage boxes at The Container Store for $14.99 that would be perfect for these little items.
Removing the packaging helped me fit everything into the little drawers.
I like that the container is clear so you can see exactly what's inside, but that didn't stop me from making labels. I printed labels in my labeler and affixed them to colorful Martha Stewart tags. You can find those at Staples. She has a beautiful collection of office accessories.
Even though the drawers are clear, having the pretty labels makes me smile.
The zip lock bags of stuff were previously in my pantry, but these boxes fit perfectly in the mudroom cabinet shelf.
So much better!
How do you keep your little things organized?
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Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Jessops On The Verge of Administration
The Telegraph reports that Jessops the camera retailer is on the verge of administration.
As such there is a risk that, once in administration, Jessops's gift vouchers may no longer be accepted if the administrator decides they are no longer valid in the stores.
UPDATE
PwC has now confirmed that Jessops has now filed for administration.
As such there is a risk that, once in administration, Jessops's gift vouchers may no longer be accepted if the administrator decides they are no longer valid in the stores.
UPDATE
PwC has now confirmed that Jessops has now filed for administration.
The Emperor's Clothes of Banking
Kudos to Vernon Soare, executive director of professional standards at ICAEW, for exposing the emperor's lack of attire in yesterday's Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards wrt the banking "profession" by noting that there:
"isn’t actually a banking profession".Well said!
Media Cabinet Organization
Continuing with my January organizing theme, I've been digging deep into those pockets in my house that have been neglected and in dire need of some organizational attention. We are fortunate to have a large built-in media cabinet in the living room with lots of storage. It's got four deep drawers and four cabinets with double shelves. It looks so nice from the outside . . .
But inside was a complete mess!
I'm so glad that I finally got in there and cleaned it out! I ended up with an empty drawer and cabinet when I was finished!
I have no idea about this video game business but at least it's organized now.
We don't really watch DVD's either, but now I know what we have.
Having a dedicated drawer for diapers, wipes, and diaper cream has been awesome- so handy!
I love having all the batteries and light bulbs in one place. We could use more spare light bulbs, but at least we have room for them. I also like to light candles in the evening, so the tea lights are ready to go.
The batteries are stored by size in an extra silverware divider that I wasn't using. It's a great solution for being able to see what batteries we have at a glance. With kids' toys, we always need batteries.
I'm most excited about making room for James' crayons, coloring books, and play dough. Then, we parked his "special" cars on the bottom shelf.
I printed "James' Art Tray" from my computer and laminated it, then stuck it to the tray with double-sided tape.
The crayon and marker holder is just a plastic dollar-store type container. I went through and got rid of all the dried out markers and markers missing their caps. It's nice to be able to pull the whole thing out if he wants to color and then put it away behind closed doors.
I used to keep James' medicine in one of the drawers for convenience, and I'm glad now to have moved it up to the medicine cabinet where there is no chance he can get into it.
Are y'all still in the organizing/cleaning out spirit?
* * * * *
Also, on my fitness blog, Honey We're Healthy, I'm proud to be featuring my friend Jenna of Small Fry Blog and her amazing weight loss story. I'd love for you to visit and read about how she adopted a healthy lifestyle and transformed to a size 4 after having two kids. Very inspirational and motivating! Thank you Jenna for letting me share your story!
* * * * *
But inside was a complete mess!
I'm so glad that I finally got in there and cleaned it out! I ended up with an empty drawer and cabinet when I was finished!
I have no idea about this video game business but at least it's organized now.
We don't really watch DVD's either, but now I know what we have.
Having a dedicated drawer for diapers, wipes, and diaper cream has been awesome- so handy!
I love having all the batteries and light bulbs in one place. We could use more spare light bulbs, but at least we have room for them. I also like to light candles in the evening, so the tea lights are ready to go.
The batteries are stored by size in an extra silverware divider that I wasn't using. It's a great solution for being able to see what batteries we have at a glance. With kids' toys, we always need batteries.
I'm most excited about making room for James' crayons, coloring books, and play dough. Then, we parked his "special" cars on the bottom shelf.
I printed "James' Art Tray" from my computer and laminated it, then stuck it to the tray with double-sided tape.
The crayon and marker holder is just a plastic dollar-store type container. I went through and got rid of all the dried out markers and markers missing their caps. It's nice to be able to pull the whole thing out if he wants to color and then put it away behind closed doors.
I used to keep James' medicine in one of the drawers for convenience, and I'm glad now to have moved it up to the medicine cabinet where there is no chance he can get into it.
Are y'all still in the organizing/cleaning out spirit?
* * * * *
Also, on my fitness blog, Honey We're Healthy, I'm proud to be featuring my friend Jenna of Small Fry Blog and her amazing weight loss story. I'd love for you to visit and read about how she adopted a healthy lifestyle and transformed to a size 4 after having two kids. Very inspirational and motivating! Thank you Jenna for letting me share your story!
* * * * *
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Eurozone Unemployment At All Time High
The number of unemployed people in the Eurozone rose to record levels in November, rising to 11.8% from 11.7% the previous month. Spain, at 26.6%, had the highest level of unemployment.
In total 18.8 million people were unemployed in the Eurozone, an increase of 113,000 from the previous month.
The seeds of the Eurozone's destruction have been sown, the only question is when will the harvest be reaped.
In total 18.8 million people were unemployed in the Eurozone, an increase of 113,000 from the previous month.
The seeds of the Eurozone's destruction have been sown, the only question is when will the harvest be reaped.
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