If your money means a lot to you, we’ve got you covered.
Many large families have trouble fitting everyone in the car. While a people carrier may be a good choice for some, if you have a particularly active family and children who play sports, and need enough boot space for pushchairs and the weekly shop then a van is becoming a popular choice for many.
With high street banks and building societies offering rock-bottom interest rates and little protection against inflation, perhaps it’s worth thinking about an alternative home for your money.
If you have an adventurous disposition and tolerance towards risk, there are various low to high risk investment strategies you may wish to consider, always remembering:
Starting a business is exciting and nerve-wracking. Doing it right will mean taking on a lot of responsibilities and making a lot of sacrifices. It will also mean working harder than you ever have before…but you knew that already, didn’t you?
For these reasons (among others), running a business is not for everyone. If you don’t have the right skills work ethic and commitment to operate a business, you’ll be in trouble before you make your first sale.
With the bank holiday just around the corner, the temptation to spend money dining out with the family is high.
But, you’d be surprised how easy it is to rustle up something all the family can enjoy – like this recipe for Southern fried chicken. Just add some finger food, desserts and punch and you’ve got yourself a good spread!
Setting up a new business is something that can be very exciting, but it can also be a daunting process in a number of ways.
One of the most worrying prospects that people face when setting up a new business is the potentially crippling set-up costs that may be involved.
If I had a pound for each person who has told me about spending unnecessary money getting their website built, and then more on the products, posters and other promotional activity without testing the waters first I’d be on a beach somewhere adding more tan to my tan!
All jokes aside, though, an online business needs as much research as any traditional business.
Many a successful company starts with just one person, who creates an illusion of being a lot bigger than they really are.
But when the first big contract comes in, you can change your fortunes. The only problem is, when it’s just you doing the day-to-day admin, providing the products and/or services; it can be a challenge to make big clients think you’re worth working with.
Here are some things you can do:
This is a question that we get asked a lot on Motherswhowork.co.uk, and the answer remains the same…no customers and no traffic equal no sales and no business!
But many people expect to start seeing money as soon as they launch their new website – just because it’s online…often not realising that it takes a little while before you can start to see that kind of traffic. So, you have to start generating it in other ways:
When it comes to internet marketing, there are some basic things that you need to avoid so that you will not waste your time or irritate your audience.
These are very common mistakes that even those who are more experienced should know better about (but often forget) and if you are able to avoid these, you will have an edge on your competition.
Young dad Rhys Davies, 21, left school at 14 and jumped straight into his first six-figure business venture. Today, he’s dad to Ruby, four, and Dylan, two, juggling parenthood with a successful online store (www.yourjigsawpuzzles.co.uk) that he set up with just £25.
Living a green and sustainable life has long been publicised in the media but, surprisingly, there still remains some uncertainty about the actual meaning of sustainability with many people reluctant to actively change their way of life to accommodate this.
Offline marketing methods are still important to small businesses. Even with all the hoo ha about social media, if you’re trying to target a local audience, then things like flyers, brochures, business cards etc still work, and they should be an integral part of your marketing and promotion.
When it comes to brochures, bigger doesn’t mean better. It’s about the quality of the design and, more importantly, what you have to offer. If you package it correctly, you will grab attention and start to see an increase in enquiries and sales. Get it wrong, and your efforts will end up in the bin.
However, the best-produced brochure on the planet is going to be useless unless it is distributed effectively. So what is the key to effective distribution? Here are some tips:
Victoria Beckham has recently been quoted saying she often feels guilty about being a working mum and has to juggle like everyone else – millionaire or not!
Speaking at the Vogue Festival in London she said: “It’s difficult juggling working, having the children, having a husband who travels. I do have a bit of help, I have a nanny, I can’t do it all myself.
“I really enjoy being a mum, I love them [her children] and I’d do anything for them. But I also love what I do. I think anyone who says it’s easy is lying.”
Her sentiments are shared by working mums across the globe. We have to work for one reason or another, but the guilt of leaving our children with someone else, or missing school events because of work, or always being too tired and time pressed to chat and spend as much time with the kids is all too real.
So does the guilt ever go? The answer is no, but here are some important things to know:
Making the best impression at job interviews is not always about what you say. Your clothes, hair and overall look can speak volumes.
If you’ve been out of work for a while, or are branching into a new career or sector, you may wonder what the protocol is style wise…it can get a little confusing to say the least. and the pressure of making the best first impression you can doesn’t help matters, either.
Here are some tips to get the balance right and win over a recruiter:
A family favourite that the kids can help make and can be very easily tailored to suit different people’s tastes
Are you sitting on a small fortune at home with unused it’s you’ve left to collect dust in cupboards, in the shed and everywhere else in between?
If you’re thinking about decluttering and don’t want to just throw out unused possessions then why not get some money back for your efforts?
Here are six ways you can do just that:
There’s been a lot of publicity on government cuts since the Coalition’s budget reforms last year. But it seems that many families are just trying to get by without claiming benefits that they are actually entitled to.
New research published by Turn2us, part of national charity Elizabeth Finn Care, has found that families who could be in most need of financial help are not accessing the financial support that is available to them.
The UK’s shortage of foster carers has been keenly do unwanted and advertised in the media, but according to one of the UK’s foster agencies, Compass Community, ignorance about fostering is hindering efforts to combat the issue.
More than half the mums surveyed on the Netmums website thought they would receive less than £5,000 a year for fostering a child, and nine out of 10 thought they would receive less than £15,000. The real figure is actually £20,000-40,000 a year depending in the needs of the child (disabilities etc).
If you claim tax credits, your renewal pack will hit your doormat anytime this week until June, ahead of the 31 July 2013 tax credit renewal deadline.
HMRC is urging people to let them know about any changes to their circumstances that they haven’t already reported, such as changes to working hours, childcare costs or pay. Claimants may also be asked, to provide details of their income last year, so make sure you’ve got your P60 and payslips handy.
Are you thinking of starting a business but don’t know whether to set up as a limited company or declare self-employed income to the taxman?
