Add it all up

Part of designing my spreadsheet for my £5K challenge was to look at all the points I am accumulating at various loyalty and bonus schemes - and I was really pleased at how it is all adding up!

I used the vouchers which Sainsbury's sent me towards Christmas and the bonus points came through last month, for 5000 Nectar points - that's £25 in benefits!  My Nectar balance is sitting at just over £42 now.  And then there are the Tesco Clubcard vouchers which plopped onto the doormat this week - another £12 which could be worth more if spent carefully: the coupons can be doubled up to use in store on specific items, and can also be used to buy deals.  Current total on that system is £33.50.....adding up nicely.

I've stopped ignoring the YouGov survey alerts and started doing the surveys again - and that is slow to accumulate!  I am only on about £17 there, and it won't pay out until I get to £50....maybe next year!  And then there is the Shop&Scan payment - I usually choose to take this in Amazon vouchers and I am heading towards £30 there in the next week or so.

I'm also waiting for a £30 giftcard to come through from Tesco Insurance after I got a good deal on the car insurance there last month, but that could be six weeks before that is issued.

So, casting YouGov aside and not counting giftcards until they are in one's hand, I am still about £100 up - and for not doing an awful lot really!

And how to spend this bounty?  Nectar points are likely to be hoarded and added to until the girls' birthdays in the summer, or even Christmas if I can hold out that long!  Clubcard vouchers are also possibly going to be doubled up for clothing in the long run - I am a fan of a fairly basic wardrobe and my jeans are going to need replacing this year!  The Shop&Scan points will eventually be traded in for Amazon points - again, possibly towards items for birthdays, or books that I need for church reading!  It saves me spending cold hard cash that I have had to earn, anyway, and in the main, this is money earned by doing things we do everyday.......but it does all help in the grand scheme of things :)