Posted inMoney - how to keep it and how to make it

3 tips to save time, money and hassle

As a working mum, you may be quite familiar with the feeling that you’re always trying to keep up with something – your child’s social calendar, your work commitments and managing the family budget.

There will doubtless be days when you feel that the demands of your family life are pressuring your work life, or that the same thing is happening in reverse.

20120618-154419.jpgThere are some things you just won’t be able to avoid, but you can avoid a good deal of the stress by managing your business and financial life with care. This sounds obvious, but often finances can take a backseat to other tasks.

If you’re busy all the time taking the kids to school, going to work, picking them up from school, etc., you may find it hard to take the time aside to make sure that you are budgeting your finances well, and doing things to save money.

However, spending a little bit of time on these things can pay off in the long run.

A good place to start is by looking for simple, easy ways to save money on everyday expenses or products. Of course, this is easier said than done, but here are a few specific ideas that may help you to get started:

Posted inHow to look for a job Work and career tips and advice

Job interviews: 40 questions you could be asked…

Job interviews are a two-way thing. You go to showcase your skills, show them the type of personality you have and that you can fit in and work well with the existing workforce a d you also go to see if the employer is the right one for you.

types if interview questionsIf you go fully prepared, the experience will be less daunting and you’ll look like the true professional you rally are.

Preparation is key – and that’s why we’ve got 40 common interview questions you’re likely to be asked at the job interview, so you can prepare for them in advance:

Posted inHow to look for a job Work and career tips and advice

How not to get a job: tired of interview rejections? 10 things you need to know

Looking for a job can be very enjoyable – honestly, if you know what to do and have the right skills to showcase on your CV and at job interviews, it can be a doddle. Ask anyone who isn’t and hasn’t ever struggled to get a job.

20120612-085838.jpgIf that reality doesn’t sound like yours, then here are some things you need to bear in mind when you go for job interviews. These tips might sound simple, but, you’d be surprised how many people make a mistake without thinking much about it during job interviews and then wonder why they don’t get the job time and time again.

How to increase your value in the workplace and get a pay rise or a promotion
Posted inCareers Coach Blog Work and career tips and advice

How to increase your value in the workplace and get a pay rise or a promotion

Although money shouldn’t be the most important factor in the career decisions we make, it often has a big impact on our lives. How much money we earn will dictate where we live, the lifestyle we enjoy, the schools our children attend, the type of holidays we go on (if any) and how and when we will retire.

have a plan - get the promotion you needWhen you work for someone else, you have a limited amount of control over your salary. You negotiate your starting salary and then you are usually given increases at your employer’s discretion following annual reviews and promotions… and during these austere times, some employers have put a pay freeze on, so even that small increment every year has been taken away.

Do you want more control over your salary? It’s. It impossible – credit crunch or not, many people are still earning more money. The trick is to understand your value and learn how to increase the value you provide to your employer.

So, are you ready for that bug pay rise?Here are five ways to start increasing the value you provide at work and ultimately, the salary that you earn:

Posted inBusiness ideas Starting and running your business

10 hobbies that can become a business

If I had a fiver every time someone said “it’s only a little hobby” I’d be a rich investor on Dragons Den!

20120608-090228.jpgHobbies are often a goldmine that people just cast to the side as something they do for themselves, or help friends an relatives out with and that’s it. But if you’re looking for a way to make some extra money, why not earn it doing something you love doing?

Here are 10 hobbies that you can turn into a business or use to make extra money:

1. Organising – call it obsessive compulsive if you like and laugh off your organising skills, but use them wisely and you could be laughing all the way to the bank!

Don’t take your skills for granted – people will pay (a lot) to have someone come into their homes and businesses and organise things for them – wardrobes, filing you name it!

Are you making money online, but not letting the taxman know? You have until 14th June to let them know before they find YOU!
Posted inA mix Money - how to keep it and how to make it

Are you making money online, but not letting the taxman know? You have until 14th June to let them know before they find YOU!

Making money online is a perfect way for many mums to get around issues with childcare and earning a crust. And it’s a great way to earn extra money if you already work for someone else. But, it doesn’t mean you can get out of paying tax.

online traders pay taxIf you sell things online – eBay, Amazon, Etsy among others – or run your own online store where you’re not just getting rid of old possessions, you need to get in touch with the tax office (or HMRC).

Posted inReal mums

Real mum profile: Anna Wreford, Big Bird Boutique

?Running a hobby/craft-based business sounds like fun, the cost of supplies or ingredients leaves you laughing all the way to the bank…right?

Anna Wreford
But is it really that easy – married mum Anna Wreford, 33, talks about running Big Bird Boutique and and how she makes sure she doesn’t get left out of pocket – even when doing favours for her friends.

What work did you do before you set up your company?
I was the design director at a furniture consultancy company that specialised in the education sector.

?How did you fund the business?
I’m funding the business with my personal savings, and using my hoard of fabrics I have been collecting for years.

Posted inWork from home how-tos

Online storage solutions: to use or not to use?

Are you making good use of online storage options? If you’re not, you could be missing a trick…and most of them are free.

online storage has many benefitsThe likes of Google Docs (soon to be Google Drive), Egnyte, Dopbox, Microsoft’s Live Mesh and many others give you the opportunity to free up space on your laptop, PC or tablet and access your documents wherever you are (as long as you have Internet connection, that is).

These days, you can access your important documents from your mobile smartphone across these online storage platforms, so you’ll always have access to them when you need them.

Here are some things to consider before you take the plunge:

Posted inReal mums

Real mum profile: Yuliana Topazly of Phase 1 Enterprise Training

Married new mum Yuliana Topazly, 31, is passionate about entrepreneurship and is the director of Phase 1 Enterprise Training and juggles this with managing enterprise activities for London-based universities. She tells Motherswhowork.co.uk how she has managed to juggle a new business with motherhood, and how it has helped her overcome postnatal depression.

Yuliana Topazly Phase 1 Enterprise TrainingWhat work did you do before you set up your company?
I have worked in high education sector lecturing small business development most of my working life, managing students’ enterprise curricular and extra-curricular activities in London-based universities. I have a large portfolio of businesses I have supported from pre-startup stage, so I decided to use my knowledge and experience and my passion for entrepreneurship to start working for myself.

Posted inA mix

Get your car seat kids fit and exercising the fun way…on a scooter! They won’t even know they’re exercising!

Research shows that the number of children travelling to school by car in the past 20 years has doubled, and the number of children walking to school has reached its lowest level ever. Just 47% of primary school-aged children now walk to school, with the figure falling to a paltry 36% among secondary school pupils.

So, it comes as no surprise, then, that the government’s Chief Medical Officers say that 68% of boys and 76% of girls aged between two years and 15 years do not meet the minimum recommendation of an hour of moderate physical activity per day, and that they are therefore at risk of obesity, weak bones and future heart disease.

micro scooterIf walking is too much of a chore for your child and becomes a bone of contention, scooting is the latest craze, which has become a must for most primary school aged children. If you haven’t seen, bought or been gifted with a Micro Scooter then you you’ve really missed a trick!

Bump to work: 10 tips to successful pregnancy wellbeing at work
Posted inWork from home how-tos

Bump to work: 10 tips to successful pregnancy wellbeing at work

Pregnancy is often the time when most women start to think about being healthier, which is easily done in your free time, but what about the hours when you are at work?

pregnancy at workIt can be a challenge between balancing the health of yourself and your baby, with the ability to keep up at work. Here are some tips on how to stay well at work whilst you’re pregnant:

Posted inA mix Courses for mums What's in the news?

Free courses and support to mums – can you afford to miss out?

If you answer yes to any of the questions below then you need to book yourself onto one of our courses (prices start from FREE!):

  • Are you at a bit of a crossroads in your life and need some help and support to propel you to the next level?
    • Posted inA mix

    Is life insurance the newest way to say ‘I love you’ to your other half?

    Long gone are the days when men would say it with a box of chocolates – ‘I love you’, that is, according to a recent survey. They – and women included! – are doing it with life insurance cover.

    20120516-093021.jpgBucking traditional gender stereotypes it’s the men who most want to be protected with a gift of breakdown cover should the worst happen. But how much do modern couples really know about each other?

    Posted inWork from home how-tos

    Would working from home really be right for you?

    If you’re a stay-at-home mum who is looking for ways to make money,mother working from home can be a good balance – you maintain your current presence from home, raising young children and still make money. Perfect…but is it really right for you?

    is working from home your best optionIf you’ve just started looking for work-at-home jobs, you probably have a beautiful concept of what working from home is like. Maybe you imagine yourself waking up whenever you want, sliding your feet into fuzzy slippers and shuffling to the kitchen to get some coffee, then shuffling along to your home office (kitchen able, or laptop in bed for some!) to put in another wonderful day at work, fitting in chores and school runs around it effortlessly… I hate to burst your bubble, but it doesn’t work that way. Actually, let me clarify that and say it doesn’t always work that way.

    The truth is, working at home is usually a lot harder than working in your employer’s premises, especially when you have children at home. Hyped-up home business opportunity adverts and scam artists playing on the emotions of those needing extra cash have given us the belief that working at home is oh-so-easy. We just relax on a tropical beach after a few weeks and watch the money roll into your bank account. I’m sure you’ve seen ads like that. Those of us who already work at home know better!

    Here are some things you should consider before jumping into a work at home job:

    Posted inA mix

    Thinking of buying a new car or selling your current car?

    Whether you work a nine-to-five job, have a family to take care of or are studying full time, finding the right car for you is very important. If you’re thinking to yourself, “I should sell my car with Auto Trader”, and feel that an upgrade is absolutely necessary, then there are a number of great value new and used cars which are ideal for women who lead busy lifestyles and need something to make it all a little bit easier.

    20120510-134127.jpgSmall city cars which are perfect for getting to and from work are often features in Auto Trader’s used car sales. Buying a recent model such as a Chevrolet Matiz for as little as £1000 seems too good to be true, but, despite the reduced price, you get all the features you would expect to find with a brand new model.

    Having a bookkeeping nightmare? Free accounting software
    Posted inWork from home how-tos

    Having a bookkeeping nightmare? Free accounting software

    Accounting has a bit of a reputation attached to it involving hefty ledgers, endless reams of legislation, long wait times and high costs.

    Crunch free accounting softwareIt’s not exactly a positive image, but it has been hard-earned and leads to many a groan when it comes time for a quarterly visit to your bean-counter.

    Thankfully, technology has come to the rescue again and provided a new, better way to do your accounting – in the cloud!

    Can’t we all just get along? How to avoid conflict in the workplace…
    Posted inCareers Coach Blog Work and career tips and advice

    Can’t we all just get along? How to avoid conflict in the workplace…

    These days many of us are holding on tight to our jobs – even those who want to leave aren’t looking for jobs to move on to because of the economic climate the impact it’s having on the job market.

    office fights, office conflictsSo, what you may experience is some angst in the workplace sometimes – people who really don’t want to be there making life a misery for other people because they hate their job.

    Whether you like it or not, interpersonal skills play a big role in the office. However, not all of us are aware or have the ability to get along with people at work, and these days it’s essential that you try harder to make things work, or face being miserable for a sizeable portion of your day, and week. Here are some suggestions on how to get along with others:

    Posted inA mix Courses for mums

    Crossroads no more: FREE course for mums on making money

    We all need it, we all want a way to do it that fits in with our lifestyles…yes, you guessed it – money!

    how mums can make moneyThere are some things in life you can’t do much about – the fact that the cost of living is getting higher, and that the cost of fuel is ever increasing, and that you may be on a pay freeze at work (especially if you can’t leave because the other benefits are too good to leave!).

    But you can decide to do something to help improve your financial situation - find other means to make extra money, and that's exactly what you'll get from our FREE What Now? course!

    Posted inA mix Careers Coach Blog Work and career tips and advice

    How to make the leap and change your career

    Are you finally ready to move on with your life and take the career change plunge? While it may sometimes feel like you are the only one in the world trying to change your career when everyone else seems settled in theirs and loving what they are doing, the average jobseeker actually changes careers seven times during his or her lifetime.

    career change for mumsSo what are the options for successfully making the transition to a new career? Here are some mum-friendly career change options to consider: