My new sewing machine has arrived today (£32 from eBay - why pay more?) and it’s beautiful!

Well, it’s a bit old and cream coloured, but it’s in really good nick and it’s got everything I need (forward, back, ziz zag) to make lovely linen garments and it’s even got a “quick unpick” which you slide along seams to unpick them quickly.

Also arrived today was the www.WrapOnline.co.uk catalogue and my word, they have a vast quantity of beautiful clothes, but luckily I was saved from spending a fortune by the fact they don’t do black, white or navy. Lots of lovely sludgy colours that I probably should be wearing but just can’t bring myself to buy.

Indigo, prune and kingfisher, I ask you. Bitter Chocolate, Poppy, Aubergine…..What kind of colours are they?

I have emailed them with my suggestions on how to triple their profits - stock black, white and navy in addition to those sludgy colours.

Don’t make the same mistake as Marks & Spencers for heaven’s sake.

OK, retail rant over.

Why am I sewing? Can I be that much of a skinflint you may ask yourself?

Because I’m looking for a hobby, used to be designer and can pattern-cut and sew standing on my head, and I have a much loved long linen shirt that I want to copy in many colours. Starting with black, white, navy and pink (the new black don’tcha know?). Also I want to teach Phoebe - it’s something we can do together and it’s a useful and fun skill, a bit like good cooking.

Talking of hobbies, the gardening has taken a bit of a back seat but the live Monday night Apple League poker games are coming along nicely and are great fun. I came 2nd out of 27 the other night, in the first game, and just missed being on the final table in the second game. I am getting to know the other players a bit now, still very friendly, and the landlord from the Thursday night game in The Montague pub, Worthing, came over to the Crown & Anchor pub to play this week, so I now feel that I could go there on my own if I wanted to.

Sean, a young salesman who seems to have taken a shine to me, says I’m getting a bit of a reputation for being an aggressive player who can bluff well. Bit scary apparently! I did learn from the knee of the master, Mr Watson, so that’s no surprise.

I gave Giles, the new owner of the Crown & Anchor, the book “How To Make Your First Million” by Martin Webb which I read last week and thought brilliant. I know Martin (presenter of “Risking It All” on Channel 4), from my clubbing days in Brighton. My penchant for drinking in loud nightclubs helped him make his first millions LOLOLOL and it was a fascinating read to find out what went on behind the scenes while Martin and Simon - now an aspiring counsellor for Kemptown - built their chain of pubs, clubs and restaurants. Watch a video of Martin talking about the book here

I have also set up a little evening workshop at the pub, to do a condensed version of the Let’s Talk Money for all my Shoreham By Sea maties. They all keep inviting me for coffee to talk about what they can do with their equity but then life gets in the way and nothing happens.

I’m bored with talking about it so thought I would set up a workshop evening and see if they put their money where their mouths are. I’m not holding my breath!

Now, how do I get one of my videos on my Money Gym book page on Amazon?!! Ask Debs from Bookshaker, she will know.

But the big news of the week is that I am inches away from buying my first properties - one flat and one cottage - for £1 each. I have been following David’s step by step instructions as taught to us by his viralurl.com/moneygym/CashflowInvestor" target="_blank">home-study system and it only bloomin’ well works!

I have to keep pinching myself that making money can be this easy, and reminding myself that there are several hurdles to jump yet, but they are getting less and less numerous or frightening every day. And what is more, I’m really enjoying myself! Get’s me out of the house and away from the computer. And not a website in sight - weird! It’s all phone based. Me, with my phone phobia?

It’s like we have had personality transplants in this house, with Steve getting more and more passionately into internet marketing - the pure kind - where you create a blog, and drive traffic to it using blogging, Adwords, and Social Networking, then make money from recommending products and services you like and use yourself. He is targeting poker players who want to make extra cash by learning about internet marketing…..I feel a membership site coming on, one day!

His new site is www.ThePokerEntrepreneur.com and you should go and take a look - it’s really great. He has started working through Affiliate Project X which he says is excellent, and he has created www.myjob-athome.com of the back of it so far. We are both so looking forward to next week’s ViralSpiral workshop - we have a great boutique hotel lined up - The Hoxton Urban Lodge - and we will be with a bunch of Money Gym-ers - always good fun. Shame Jamie’s Fifteen restaurant is booked up.

Blimey what else have I got to tell you?

Tomorrow I’m off to London for our second property workshop of the year, and to see Greg Ballard (always a pleasure) and Maria Davies - love her too! Numbers are up dramatically on the beginning of the week - why do you lot always leave it to the last minute to book? Gives me a heart attack.

And finally, we have attracted a flurry of emails booking an intro call with Judith, on the news that from the 1st September the membership fee for Money Gym Gold will be going up, to more accurately reflect the value our clients get from it, in terms of return on investment. Book your call now, if you want to secure the current fee, even if you don’t want to start till September. Judith@TheMoneyGym.com

Have fun, we always are!

Nicola