Exercise your mind and your willpower in 2006

New Year is all about making resolutions. Get a new job, earn more money, be more careful with the finances ñ all promises that thousands of people across the UK make to themselves each year. Now Pitman Training, the UKís leading office and IT training provider has come up with an easy solution to all three resolutions. Theyíve delved into the bottom of a typical office workerís bag, found those screwed up receipts and worked out just how your hard earned cash disintegrates each month, and how, with a few minor tweaks you could be putting some of it to good use by investing in your long term career and financial goals.

Maybe youíve gone mad at the sales. Perhaps you indulge in too many take-aways or too many nights on the town, or perhaps you fritter your money away on sandwiches, chocolates and expensive fresh juices. But have you thought about how much these little treats are costing you over the course of a year?

Saying no to that final drink at the pub could save you from more than just a hang-over. It could pocket you around 260 a year Treating yourself to a couple of CDs a month to make the morning journey to work more interesting is likely to cost you around 263 a year ñ putting this to better use is surely music to your ears. Swapping your daily sandwich, juice and dessert at your local eatery and digging out your packed lunch box could put as much as 1219 in your money box. Wake up and smell the coffee ñ do you realise that you could save more than 400 a year by ditching the morning latte? Forget expensive bottled water and go back to tap instead ñ guaranteed not to drain your finances ñ this could save you 354 a year. Forgo the delicious but pricey weekly take away ñ at a cost of roughly 15 for a meal for two, you could save yourself over 890 a year by giving the chop suey the chop. If youíre a smoker, knowing that youíre puffing away nearly 800 a year, is sure to make you think twice about the habit. Let the cash you save burn a hole in your pocket, rather than let it go up in smoke.

While these may be just a few ideas of how to cut back in one area of your life to fund another, there are numerous ways to ensure that you get the training you deserve and which will put your foot on the next rung. Michael Graham, managing director of Pitman Training said: ìDuring the working week, itís all too easy to spend our money on expensive cappuccinos every morning and gourmet sandwiches for lunch without giving it a second thought. But when we worked out just how much money you could save by substituting these with slightly less extravagant alternatives, the results are staggering.î

He added: ìThis may not seem like that great a sacrifice and Iím sure most people would see this saving as money they could put towards a new car, or a designer outfit. But weíre encouraging people to consider the long term benefits of using new found cash to invest in a training course which will undoubtedly help them climb the career ladder and hopefully the pay scale too. For example, the sum of money saved here would go towards the cost of a legal or medical secretarial diploma or cover the price of several shorter courses such as Shorthand, Executive Secretary or Book-keeping.î

Find out if youíre eligible for any funding or financial support, or maybe even speak to your boss. More and more workplaces are offering training packages to their staff as a way of motivating and retaining their best workers. Whether you just want to brush up on some existing skills or gain completely new ones, give Pitman Training a call to find out how. By learning more, you can certainly look forward to earning more in 2006.

For more information on Pitman Training courses call 0800 220454 or visit: