I’m a pretty prolific cinema go-er, as you well may know.  My Last Week’s Highlights posts often feature at least one film I’ve seen and there are always plenty more that I wouldn’t mind watching given the chance…

…and the money.

See, the cinema is an expensive game.  Even if (like me) you only pay for a ticket and bring your own snacks (yeah, I’ll admit it corporate cinema chains, I SNEAK MY SNACKS IN!  Deal with it or slash those crazy prices!).

Anyway.  Edinburgh is an especially lucky city when it comes to cinemas.  Sure we have the usual big chain players, but we are also blessed with a generous sprinkling of independent cinemas.  Cinemas with old-fashioned red velvet chairs and gold-fringed curtains that swish open at the beginning of the film and closed again at the end.  My favourite cinema in Edinbugh – the Dominion – takes the experience a whole step further with its comfy two-seater sofas, each one replete with cushions, armrests that are actually as wide as your arm(!) and foot stools.  Real foot stools!  Squeak!

And I love the independents.  I love the fact that they are locally owned and managed by people who are genuinely into film.  I also love it that some have been around for decades, not attempting to take over the world, but simply plodding along, quietly showing their movies to those of us who care to watch them.  The independent cinemas represent a little slice of my ideal world – a world where old-fashioned, family run enterprises are the norm, companies are content to just ‘be’ as opposed to ‘grow’ and our towns and cities feel unique, and not just the same as we already know with different street names.

But here’s the thing.  This last year, I’ve been a student and so have had the benefit of a generous discount on my cinema ticket prices.  Which was great while it lasted, but lasting it no longer is.  The other night I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows mark II** with a friend and, my student card having expired, was resigned to handing over a small fortune just to see the film.  Forget drinks, forget snacks, the ticket itself was almost £10.

And I was so surprised/horrified at this that I went home after the film and did what I’ve always sworn I’d never do.

I signed up for a Cineworld Unlimited card.

I know, I know, principles out the window; moral code ripped in half; poor, independent cinemas floundering at the loss of my custom (OK, not quite)…  But you guys?  I can’t afford my principles!  I can’t afford to pay over a tenner each time I want to see a film, even if it does go towards a local, independent business and not a giant money-spinning conglomerate!  Who can?!

And you know?  As much as I like to moan about big companies taking over the world, I’m also not made of cash.  And the Cineworld deal is a good one.  For £14.99 per month I can watch as many films as I want, as many times over as I want.  No limits (but you got that from the title, didn’t you?).  Rainy Friday with no plans?  I can see three films in a row.  Don’t understand something the first time round?  I can watch it again the next day.  All I have to do to be saving myself money is go to the cinema twice a month.  Easy, considering I sometimes go twice a week as it is.

So there you have it.  I’ve sold my soul to the commercial devil.  I have no right to cry when the independent cinemas start closing down.  I am a Bad. Person.

But I’m also quids in…

What are your thoughts on independent cinemas?  Would you sign up for/do you have an Unlimited card?

Image above from here.

**LOVED the film right up until the final three minutes (you know the bit I mean, Potter fans) which I will forever count as some of the most uncomfortable moments I ever spent in a cinema.

One of my highlights from Monday’s list was that I made around £100 in extra income over the course of the last week.  Now I did say that that was a pretty good run, and it was – £30 is the norm for most weeks and that’s usually only if I’m lucky.  Nevertheless, I know that if I’d read “I made £100 in extra income last week” on someone else’s blog I’d be curious to know how.  So here we go.  My sideline income Summer, and how it’s panning out…

eBay

I’m a total eBay devotee.  Yet I hardly ever buy anything.  I’m wholeheartedly addicted to the sell.  I absolutely love watching unwanted goods go to better homes, and despite the tedious nature of the listing process and the fact that some things either don’t sell, or sell for only a minimal sum, there’s a sizeable part of me that eBay really satisfies. In terms of what to sell, I’m currently working a mixture of my own stuff and things I’ve picked up for cheap at car boot sales and the like.  The latter can be risky, so make sure you’re prepared to lose your investment if the thing doesn’t sell.  If you pick your pieces wisely, however, you’ll usually end up with more than your initial outlay.   Just yesterday I sold for £4.95 a bag I originally acquired for 99p.  Now when is Alan Sugar going to come a-knocking?!

Top tips:

• I try to emulate the person I am offline on eBay.  So I don’t mess people around, I’m honest about the condition of my items and I avoid trying to profit from the postage allowance.  Treat others as you would be treated yourself is the cardinal rule of eBay selling, and it’s the surest way to upping those positive feedback scores.
• Take time over listings.  Remember that the buyer is relying on you to tell them everything they need to know about an item.  If it’s clothes, I try to be as descriptive as possible, giving accurate measurements and suggesting some outfit ideas.  The same amount of detail, however, isn’t required when selling a mobile phone charger.  Judgment call required!

Amazon

I didn’t get round to even thinking about Amazon until last week, when I noticed a pile of old and dusty uni textbooks in a cupboard.  Thinking it was worth at least a shot (it takes literally ten seconds to list a product on Amazon, and as far as I’m aware there are no fees until the thing actually sells), I decided to put a few of them up and see what happened.  I was on the brink of forgetting all about having listed them when an email popped up to tell me that a uni textbook I will literally never use again (seriously, it’s about buying and selling houses, bleurgh) had sold for £17.  Now for someone who rarely makes more than a fiver from a single online sale this was little short of a stinking fortune.  So, Amazon people.  Worth a shot if you happen to have a few esoteric books that might fetch a little bit more than the standard 1p plus postage.

Top tips:

• Check how much the books you want to sell are going for on the site generally.  If something is selling for only a tiny amount, you’ll have to rely on your postage allowance for any profit.  High risk people!
• Avoid really heavy books unless you’re willing to take a dip in your profits.  Amazon charges all buyers a flat rate of £2.80 postage which is credited to the seller, but if the book is heavy it’ll cost you way more than that to package and post it.  Also beware of Amazon fees, which come off before you get paid.
• It sounds obvious, but be honest about the condition of the books.  If there are bend marks on the spine or a coffee stain on one page, say so.  I love old battered books, but not everyone feels the same way.

Research Participation

These are the most fun of all my sideline activities.  Over the course of the past year I’ve had my eye movements scanned and recorded more times than I care to remember; I’ve played video games while being assessed on my ability to multi-task; I’ve learned and applied umpteen alien languages and I’ve even been blindfolded, spun around in a chair and then instructed to carry out various bizarre tasks in the dark.  It’s a lot of fun, and you learn the weirdest things about yourself in the process.  For example, I now know that I can listen to a sequence of ten numbers once and then repeat them immediately without mistake.  Most people only manage six or seven.  Cool, right?  Who knows when I’ll be called upon to actually use such a skill in real life, but it’s nice to know it’s there in the meantime.

Top tips:

• Psychology departments of colleges and universities are usually looking for people to participate in their research projects.  Try browsing the websites of colleges near you (the ones I use always come through the university careers service), or simply phone them up and ask what’s available.  Chances are you’ll find something.
• Don’t be put off by poor rates of pay.  Remember that the people doing the testing are often students themselves, and they might well be paying you out of their own funding (aka their own pockets).  Also remember that the minimum wage is £5.93 – if you get £6 for a one hour experiment that is actually little more than a laugh and a chance to learn something about yourself, I’d say that’s a pretty good deal.  Do several of them and the pennies will soon add up.

And the best of the rest…

Gumtree – a local marketplace for selling things that might not be suitable for eBay, usually because they’re too heavy to post.  Cases in point: furniture, camping gear (particularly good at festival time) and other bits of outdoor equipment.  I’ve also had success selling concert tickets on Gumtree – after 20 days on eBay with no interest they were snapped up on Gumtree within a couple of hours.  Worth a look if you live in or near a city.

Etsy – hub of all things hand-made and vintage.  Great place to make some money from your own creative efforts (think big: home-made stationery and jewellery sell just as well as clothes, knitwear and crochet).

Car boot sale – I’ve never done one of these, so I’m perhaps unqualified to speculate, but there’s always cash to be made from flogging unwanted homeware, clothes and electrical items.  And the benefit of the car bootie is that you’ll get rid of it all at once, unlike eBay where things can hang around your home for weeks.  Always be prepared for haggling though, and don’t overprice!

Whatever medium you choose for making some extra cash, the biggest tip I feel qualified to give is this:

Accept that you won’t make a fortune overnight!

It takes time to list your old clothes online.  It takes effort to go to the post office and stand in the queue every second day.  It takes a strong will to keep going when those descriptions you spent hours over bear no fruit.  I persevere, however, because I really think it’s worth it.  Every pound I make from my own initiative pleases me far more than the pounds I’ve made working for other people.  And I spend them far more carefully, because I know exactly what it’s cost me to get them in the first place.  And when you have a really good run, like I did last week, you’ll wonder what you were ever doubting yourself for.  Honestly!

Image above from We Heart It.

Monday morning again!  How is everyone?  And more importantly, how were your weekends?  I spent mine lazily lunching, gossiping with a friend and beach-walking.

So to last week’s highlights.  I went home to my parents’ house on Wednesday and spent most of the week walking on the beach, reading books or writing blog posts while drinking tea.  Tres tres relaxing.  Here are my highlights:

• Making shepherd’s pie for dinner on Tuesday night.  Ovened to crispy perfection with plenty of cheese on the top.  Nom.
• Heralding the return of The Apprentice!
• Spending the whole of Wednesday’s train ride from Edinburgh to Aberdeen reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.  Saying hello to a friend who works in a cafe beside Aberdeen train station and scoring a free cup of tea for my onward journey.
• Watching the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night and revelling in the all out cheesiness of pretty much every performance (including the UK’s!).  As far as I’m concerned, Azerbaijan may have taken the title, but the real stars of the night were the Moldovans.  How they failed to score 12 points from everyone with their bizarre but surprisingly well-orchestrated combination of thumping drums, cone hats and unicycling I’ve absolutely no idea…
• Having four no-spend days during the course of the week.  Four!  That must be a record.  Of course it helps if you go home to your parents and let them buy all the groceries (thanks guys)!
• Cycling ten miles round the countryside with my brother on Friday.  Spending twenty minutes at the side of the road fixing a jammed chain (only possible thanks to a tub of trusty Vaseline I had in my pocket).  Chain duly fixed, finding ourselves caught right in the grip of a vicious burst of hailstones.  There was nothing for it but to laugh…
• Having a long, lazy and carb-fuelled lunch with a friend on Saturday.  And a mighty good gossip as well.
• Catching a glimpse of the elusive Moray Coast dolphins on Sunday.  I lived by the coast for about ten years and this only the third or fourth time I’ve seen the dolphins in action.  Aren’t they lovely?
• Finding time to read the whole of the Sunday paper.  This never happens to me.

And that’s your lot!  I’m off to Italy this Thursday so I suspect posting will be a bit scatty for the next few weeks.  If there’s time before I go, I’ll put some ‘out of office’ posts together for your viewing pleasure.  My other plans for the week include last minute pep talks from friends over coffee, writing lists about packing and “useful phrases” cramming from my Italian dictionary!

What’s on your agenda this week?

Image above from Flickr – Peter Faretra.

I hadn’t given Lent a moment’s thought this year until yesterday, when I realised (too late, may I add) that it was pancake day, and that the beginning of Lent was therefore imminent.  And as soon as I realised it was about to start, I got myself into a stupendous whirlwind of panic over finding something, ANYTHING, to give up.  Foodstuffs?  Charity shopping?  Needless hours spent watching re-runs of Friends on E4?  This frantic self-interrogation carried on for oh, about an hour, until I finally decided that I was simply trying to find something to give up for the sake of taking part in the gimmick, as opposed to using Lent as a means of introducing a change in my life that I actually think is necessary and that I really want to see through.

So the upshot is, I’m not giving anything up this year.  Long-term followers of the blog might remember last year’s challenge, which basically involved me giving up buying almost everything that wasn’t groceries.  Clothes, books, cinema tickets, meals out etc.  Volunteering to go without those little luxuries that I normally take so much for granted afforded me a stark reminder about the world of difference there is between want and need, and it also taught me a lot about my own spending habits.  Those are lessons that I hope I’ve continued to bear in mind ever since, and while it was a good and interesting challenge to take on at the time, I’m not in the same place anymore.  I’ve pared down my belongings tenfold since this time last year, and I’ve also become a much wiser spender, partly because I’m now a struggling student, and have to keep a much tighter rein on my finances than before.

That’s not to say that I consider myself nigh-on perfect with no bad habits remaining to kick into the gutter (seriously, seriously not the case!).  It’s just that right now, there’s nothing on my mind that I really want to give up, so I’m simply not participating.  There are still changes I’d like to make in my life, but most of those relate to adding things in, rather than cutting anything out.  I’d like to use my sewing machine more, for example, and to spend more time creating things with my hands.  I’d also like to become a little more committed to exercise, and to make sure I get to bed early as many nights of the week as my social life will permit.  As far as I can see it, however, these are lifestyle changes that need to be phased in gradually.  Cutting something out of my life that I don’t actually want to get rid of permanently isn’t going to aid me much in bringing new habits in.

So that’s where I’m at this year.  No challenges, just the continuation of a happy normality.  What about you?

Image above from Flickr – vanherdehaage.

I’ve been neglecting you again, haven’t I?

In my humble defence, I have been horribly busy.  Friends have been coming and going for dinner and sleepovers, I’ve had a fridge delivered (it really is wrong to get excited about new kitchen appliances, isn’t it?)  and I’ve had presentations to make, training sessions to attend and essays to trot out, as well as red wine to drink, amazing films to watch (this and this) and early springtime sunshine to enjoy…oh life, it’s a wonderful thing!

Anyway, I’m back now, and I hereby promise to do a little better at the whole posting thing this week.  Starting with this one.  News!

My finances got a colossal boost on Thursday when I received a cheque from HMRC (opening the letter was eerily reminiscent of exam results day).  As it turns out, I have overpaid tax to the tune of around £700 this year, and what’s even better, I got it all back in one.  Now I’m all in favour of paying my taxes like the diligent and dutiful citizen I am, but what’s mine is mine dammit!  I have second-hand china plates and felt and lace to buy!  (Actually, I’m not going to use it for plates, or unnecessary but desirable crafting supplies.  Instead, I’m going on a little trip with it when I finish my exams.  Here, in case you’re interested.  More on this later.)

My boyfriend and I took ourselves daytripping au velo on Saturday, which turned out to be one of our best impromptu outings yet.  We cycled along the Union Canal in the direction of Glasgow and ended up in a little village called Ratho (above), which I have to say takes quaint to new and rather dizzying heights.  White-washed houses, stone bridges and picnic benches?  It was like something out of a James Herriot novel, and my chintz radar was screeching.  Here’s me with my obligatory flask cup of tea and overworked bike…

…and my newly-dyed hair!  I thought it was time for a little restyle, and seeing as I’d rather spend my money on lattes and newspapers than haircuts, I decided that a new colour would do the trick.  To be honest, it’s not hugely different.  A tad more lively, I guess.  At least it’ll keep the inner voice that screams “Your hair is booooooooring” at me on all too a frequent basis at bay for a little while.

And while we’re on the beauty note, I’ve stopped drinking milk.  From a cow, that is, not completely.  I’m trying a little experiment for a month or so to see if quitting dairy will encourage my breakout-prone skin to clear up.  I’ve struggled with my skin for as long as I can remember, and have tried all manner of lotions, potions and pills to make it better.  Giving up milk is a bit of a long-shot, but I’m willing to have a go.  In case anyone is interested, I based my decision on this article, which suggests there might be a link between the hormones in milk and breakouts.  Three days in to the experiment, and my relationship with soya milk is flourishing.  It doesn’t seem to alter the taste of tea too much, which was definitely my prime concern.  I could put up with abstaining from most things, but no tea?  Well, let’s not even go there.

What have you been up to this week?  Tell me tell me!