Trade show shinaniguns

This time of year sees us going to trade show after trade show, now don’t get me wrong its hard work, your legs ache and its a long day but at the same time its so much fun, and if you’re lucky you will get lots of freebies too, although carrying them home is no easy feat believe me.

Once time we watched a cat walk show for one of our suppliers LYDC, it was great fun all very “Paris Fashion Week”! Its not all fun though I also have to sit and listen to seminars to keep myself up to date within the business world, I enjoy learning and from one of these shows I went on to earn my Marketing Diploma.

But ultimately for us trade shows are all about getting our name out there with potential new suppliers, there is no wining and dining its all about the chat up.  We have to really sell ourselves to get a new supplier on board.  Its not as easy as you think, yep were good at selling ourselves but some suppliers have very strict guideline on who they will sell too, some only want boutiques and no website, some want a website with no boutique, some only want you selling their items where as some only want you selling certain items.  So we do not always get what we want but in the past we have found some real treasures.

So as we enter into the last trade shows for this year what do we hope to gain from them?  Just one little gem makes it all worth while, that new supplier or contact or piece of information learnt that will make a big difference to us and ultimately to you our valued member, after all it may sound cheesy but we do it all for you.

Thanks for reading, next week we talk about Toys and dare i say it…Christmas… so keep your eyes open for our next Homestyle blog 🙂

For more information see our website http://www.homestyle247.com

Dont fall into that debt trap…

Last weeks blog about making money was popular but I’ve been asked about getting out of debt so I thought id search about and give you some tried and tested ways to get out of debt.

First let me start by recommending anyone in debt that isn’t paying them off each month to get in touch with someone like the citizens advise bureau and seek help. Never sweep it under the carpet it won’t go away! Take ownership of the problem and be in control of it rather than the other way round.  Speak to us at Homestyle if you feel more comfortable and we can point you in the right direction.  We will have some links added to the end of this blog to help.

Next you need to get real and list your income and expenses.   Writing down your incoming and outgoing money is a great way to organise your finances and will help you see exactly where your money is going. Hopefully with this in mind you will start looking at your spending habits  and find ways yourself to stop spending and you will be surprised by how much money you spend on small items that you could easily live without.

Making cutbacks then, i think most of us have already tried all the usual tricks like buying Supermarket Value products instead of Brand Names at the supermarket and writing shopping lists and only buying what we need etc but there are other ideas you may want to try as well such as :

SKY or Virgin for example is expensive.  Try negotiating a better deal with them, downsizing your package or leave, many alternatives like Now TV , kindle fire stick, free view boxes are all now cheap and easily available and are just as good! But if you’re like me and love your Sky TV then you will need to cut back elsewhere…

SWITCH Gas and electric or other utilities, money man Martin Lewis is always telling us to shop around and get a better deal, he is right every so often spend a while making sure you have the best deal, saving a few quid every month is easy. Same with your home and car insurance never accept the renewal without searching alternatives first. You usually find your insurance company will match the better deal and if not just switch !  Check him out hes fully of handy tips and often knows all the best deals out there

SECOND JOB or ask for extra hours! Doesn’t suit everyone and isn’t always that easy but if you’re able then do it. The extra cash coming in will be worth it. (make sure this doesnt affect any benefits).  See last weeks blog for other money making ideas.

WALK dont drive … if you do not need to drive then don’t, not only do you do your bit for the environment, you save on expensive fuel and you also get some exercise and the kids will love scooting or riding to school or the shops.  Walking can help you clear those cobwebs away and give you a clearer look on things too.  I find it very therapeutic, and the dog loves it too which is a bonus!

Im sorry to say it but if necessary then LUXURIES will be the next to be cut back on.  Do you really need that coffee with your friends? can you take turns at each others houses instead and do you have to get that magazine every Friday?  Probably not, habits like these can be costly but no need to take away the fun.  Replace it with something cheaper or FREE!!  I used to be a serial magazine buyer but i realised a couple of quid every week was adding up so i now download my books for free on my Kindle instead!! Charity shops also have a large selection of cheap books, always worth a look.

Next tip is to make sure you are getting any benefits and entitlements such as the following:

• Job Seekers Allowance
• Incapacity or disablement benefits
• Child Maintenance
• Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit
• Income Support
• Income tax – make sure you are on the right tax code.
• Help with Housing benefit or council tax

Check with the Department of Work and Pensions if you’re not sure what you’re entitled to.

If you have fallen too far into debt and need more help than this and you’ve tried all the above and are still really struggling then we suggest you seek help from a debt management agency straight away.  You can do this for free.  Step Change, for example are fantastic they will contact all your creditors for you and arrange a suitable payment plan. This is their thing and they are good at it.  If you are not able to get yourself out of debt then this is what i would suggest.  They will help prioritse your debts so the important ones such as mortgages or council taxes are paid so you don’t loose your property.  This is very important, no one needs to struggle alone. There is no embarrassment in seeking help.  It takes a strong person to own up to their problems and tackle them head on.  Be strong, things will get better.

Thanks for reading , hopefully you have found some useful info here to save a few more pennies.

As promised here is the link for some contact numbers that may also help you if you have money worries

See you next week 🙂

Top 5 Tips for Making & Saving Money

So in 6 months time we will be smack bang in the middle of Christmas, which for most of us brings financial worries, now I know weve not even had summer yet but with the business i am in i’m always being asked for advice on how to save money for birthdays and special occasions so i thought id pass on some of my tried and tested ideas to you.

I’m no expert, i’m definitely no financial adviser and this is simply what i do to help me make some extra cash to ease the stresses of the more expensive times of the year.

Top of my money making list is eBay.  

The kids hate it when i declare im off to the loft to get stuff to sell on eBay.  They hide all their toys and beg me not to sell it.  Im brutal, if its not being used or has never been used or they have outgrown it then its sold. Simple.  Everything goes on here twice a year, once in time for summer holidays so i make enough for some extra spending money or holiday clothes and then again a couple of months later to save for Christmas presents.

Ive made hundreds doing this over the past few years and i only advertise when its free listing days.  eBay has become more expensive of late and i may venture into Gumtree or facebook selling pages in the future but on the whole im happy and feel safe using eBay.

I will also order off of eBay too if i see a bargain pop up and use the money i have made from selling on eBay to pay for it through my PayPal account.  This way this doesn’t come out of my wages and its like getting something for free!

Money Saving Challenge – A pound a day £££££

Did you hear about those weekly or daily savings schemes all over facebook throughout January?  Well, last January 2015 i skeptically decided to follow one of them.  I bought a money box that couldnt be opened and every day i popped a £1 coin in, or some days id put in more if i had extra change, i did miss a few too.  Reason being by the end of the year in time for Christmas id have about £350 saved up.  This year i have carried this on, so this December i will have about £350 to go on treats, drinks and my Christmas Dinner.  Google it, loads will come up and you can base it on your budget and even print off a template to help you along.  Its not too late to start now.

Secret Stash

Not everyone has the will power for this i know but i seem to have it, although not when it comes to chocolate i loose it completely then!!

Anyway , I have a secret stash, all birthday money goes in it after i have bought what i want of course, extra money i might get e.g from a night out il budget £50 and if i only spend £40 then the £10 i didn’t spend on wine goes into the secret stash 😉 any extra money i might get goes in, its not a lot but its something.  I like to see this money add up, I DO NOT TOUCH IT. Even when i really needed the money i left it alone, pretended it didnt exist, means i went without but im still hear to tell the tale.  But this is how i managed to save for my husbands 40th this year.  My secret stash was added to for two years and i saved enough to buy his presents and treat him without it affecting my income at all.  See told you i have will power.  Im now secret stashing again for my 40th to treat myself.  No one knew about this stash until now so this is exclusive haha, please dont tell my husband.

Boot Sale Bootie

Yeah this is not one for the heavy sleepers among you, you need to get up with the lark to set up and be ready for the boot sale regulars and you must be prepared to sell your unwanted stuff to rude people, people that rummage and mess your display or people who will barter over 50p but this can also be quite fun, especially when you see the cash start to add up, yes you can make a lot of cash.  Be a girl guide and be prepared in advance, get your tables and tablecloths (if your posh) ready, price up your items, get your change bag sorted with coins and dont forget you need to pay to sell here so keep that in mind too. Another good tip is to check the weather, rain means less buyers. Don’t bring the kids they will moan, trust me!.  Also the kids will find items on other stalls and spend any profits you may make… yep made that mistake too.  Anything unsold can go on eBay.

Sell your wares

Are you crafty ? make your craft and sell it at Christmas fayres or free on facebook selling pages.

So last year i took a gamble, with a friend we bought some jewellery well in advance so a few new bits each month so we didnt notice the loss of income. We made cute jewellery bags and little price tags.  By December we had a nice lot of sparkly items we then sold at our school Christmas fayre.  We made all our money back and a small profit,  we also had requests for more items which we later sold for more profit.  This is a risk but if you have a craft, have access to something you know will sell then this could be an option for you.  I will be doing it again this year, may even set up a facebook page with the items on too for more potential sales, this is free afterall so cant go wrong with this.

I also have a friend that paints and draws focal points in her local area, Eastbourne, these are good for the tourist market, maybe you can make your money at a different time of the year, summer, seasonal whatever works for you, you can always “secret stash” the money til Christmas or when its needed.

Another option could be Upselling, if you like to do up furniture for example then sell it make your money back and then some.  Ive a few projects on the go that i am intending to do this with if i ever get the time, unwanted treasures left on the side of the road that i will do up and sell, money for nothing! If this is your bag then give it a go, sell on eBay or specific sites for shabby chic items etc.

So there you have my little money making schemes,  there are plenty of others out there but i think the risks or the amount of hard work involved are not suited to me but that doesnt mean it wouldn’t work for you, for example door to door selling like Avon. Afterall dont forget Homestyle started out selling door to door and it worked out ok for us 🙂

Back to Avon, this is not something ive done myself but my friend has made a lot of money doing this, she puts her books around the local area door to door, the school mums and the clubs her children attend and the sales tot up,  i cant advise on how good this is for making money but shes been doing it for some years so it cant be bad, same applies for the juice companies that seem to be everywhere now, if there is a gap in the market then grab your chance and fill it.  This is great for the chatty and motivated person, if that’s you give it a go and let me know how you get on.

Good luck, hope this gives you some ideas or a kick to do something you’ve been thinking of doing.  Im in the middle of selling my bits for my summer holiday next month, my target was to pay for the car hire and ive already made it, so now its extra shopping money when i get there so its all good.

Set your goals, be realistic, don’t give up.  What doesn’t work today may work in a few months time, maybe team up with a mate or come up with your own ideas and share it with us.

Message me if you want to speak in more details im always in the personal shopper group on facebook or you can contact me via our website www.homestyle247.com Richard Branson WATCH OUT HERE WE COME

 

 

 

If you wanna be in my gang….

At Homestyle we try to give back to our members in as many ways as possible, its not all about providing you with an excellent service its also about providing you with extra benefits you wont get anywhere else.

What else do we have to offer then????

We have had a revamp with our birthday club this year which means our members can now add children up to 16, yeah i know anyone with a child over 7 will know their children already think they are 18!!  but we all know they are still only children and deserve a treat every now and then.

The new club will mean every child has a turn to win something every month, whilst at the moment were still slow starting with this club let me tell you i am aware of the plans that are in place for 2017 and they are excellent, it will be a whole different club and will be well worth joining, just have some IT obstacles to get over first but trust me its something to be a part of.  But back to now, were planning another giveaway so make sure your kiddies are all signed up or they will miss out.  Also any grandparents out there make sure you sign your grandchildren up too, any member that has a family member under 16 can sign them up.

Well this is something everyone should be doing.  For every friend you recommend that signs up and becomes a member you will get £10 credited back to your account.

There is no limit on this….yay!!

Ever had a friend ask where did you get that bed set or pink kettle?  well tell them and get them to sign up, you will then get paid for it.  So if you owe £100 say and you have 10 friends who can sign up then that;’ your account paid up.  Brilliant, now i hear you all thinking about how many people you can recommend, do it don’t wait.  Then go and make lots of new friends and sign them up too,  this amount wont always be available and some times they remove it altogether so don’t miss your chance.

Sharing our social media and facebook page is also a good way of getting friends interested too, once they see inside one of our mobile shops i can guarantee you they will sign up.  Afterall it worked with you didn’t it?

Yep next is our personal shopper group, we recommend everyone becomes a member of this fab group on facebook.  Its in its second year now and its busier than ever.

Want to be convinced to join….

There are loads of benefits to joining from finding delivery dates to upping your payments and increasing your limit but the main benefit is that its a convenience for you.  You want something, anything and all you need to do is ask for it.  if they can get it they will and even better they will order it for you and tell you when its done.  All the while they are dealing with your requests you can do whatever you want!

Not on facebook or social media you can call, text or email us too.  Were not exclusive to facebook anyone can request a personal shopper.  Ask for Lisa or Kelly who will help you.

Not used very much, this year we are supporting  CASPA and sponsoring Orpington Rovers under 9’s Lions.

We support them by sending donations for raffles etc and spreading the word for them when they host events etc.

We do have room for one more if you know of anyone who needs help with a registered charity, doesnt get much help or funding then let us know, if we can help we will.

Unfortunately we are unable to send donations to all clubs and associations like we used too

Text Back is a new service introduced several weeks ago, basically it allows you to text the word BALANCE to our new number 07860 041 435 (only used for this service)

We will text you back your balance and remaining credit available to spend.  So easy to use and its free as part of your package or its a minimum charge.  And you can do it out of office hours its always open.

if it doesn’t work when you try it then make sure we have your correct mobile number on our system 😉

Our latest edition to add to our free benefits for our members, our app available on iTunes and GooglePlay.  Its an information tool for you to use and it will be used to make push notifications so keep us enabled on your phone to make sure you keep up to date.

So far hundreds of you have downloaded it so we know were onto a winner with this one.

Phew that was a lots to re cap.  Thanks for bearing with me and keeping reading and being part of our gang, we hope we have convinced you to use some or all of our services and benefits and if we havn’t then get in touch and tell us why, this is how we improve and more forward and more importantly how we keep our members for years to come.  To contact us click here

 

 

 

App…arently its a winner

So this week saw another first for Homestyle, our brand new app.  Yay!

Its something we have spoke about for well over a year but never got round to doing it, one of those things i guess, always busy always something else to do.  But last month we made the decision to get together and do it then and there.  And we did it, and you know what it was fun.  With hindsight we wished we had done it earlier.

With all the excitement of getting it all figured out so that we were happy with it we (or should I own up and say “I”) didn’t read the small print *bangs head* .

So in my excitement im telling all family, friends and members that our new app is done but to my disappointment once submitted to the app stores you apparently need to get approval, one little thing i didn’t consider!  Ouch what a blow, but as per i got over it and realised it gave me the chance to  let everyone know it was on its way and drum up some interest, or at least i hoped people would be interested.  Time will tell.

Fast forward 3 agonising long weeks and yup we have approval and its gone LIVE with the app stores, Phew relief and excitement all at once, app downloaded immediately to my iPhone of course.

Now the fun starts, getting the word out there and getting it onto phones and tablets.  No idea how this will pan out but im always optimistic.  However and this is the great bit, within 2 minutes of it going live 22 people had downloaded it… trust me my excitement grew to addiction and now im sat here refreshing the screen every ten minutes watching it go up, 35, 49, 88, 102 wow 102 i thought that was brilliant.  However when i logged in this morning it was at 208 downloads and right now its at 218.  Not bad hey!

So worth the worry?  hell yeah but now the task of maintaining the app begins.  I can send out push notifications, tell you when were in certain areas etc this is all new to me so i may get it wrong while i learn or i may get it spot on, either way im glad youre here on the journey with me, ive already received a few messages via the app too which is fab and shows people are using it they way we intended.  We will respond to messages personally as we cant respond via the app but message us anyway, even if just to say good morning, it will bring a smile to my face 🙂

So future plans…. yes as per usual we already have plans to develop the app further.  The first things are adding the personal shopper and birthday club to it as well as this weekly blog. And a loyalty card is in the planning too.  All good stuff trust me.  The feedback weve had so far will also mean some slight changes are made, any changes will automatically be updated to your phones and tablets so you dont have to worry about missing anything, its all super clever how it works.  I Love it.

Want the app here it is https://homestyle.appsme.com or search for hometyle in iTunes or Google Play, scroll down a bit if you cant see us, look out for the red and blue HS square logo.

Righto back to the planning as i must live up to my promises afterall.

Oh one last thing, wheres my manners, thanks to those of you reading this blog, please share it with friends i need to get the word out about us as many places as i can.  Thanks muchly.  Now excuse me while i go refresh the screen and see how many downloads ive got since ive typed this…. 😉

http://www.homestyle247.com

 

What type of Shopper are you?

Were all busy, whether its working, looking after our children or juggling both its difficult sometimes to find the time to replace that broken kettle or order that fab toy you saw us advertise last week for little Johnny and that is where our personal shoppers can help you.

What does a personal shopper do exactly?  A personal shopper is the liaison between you and your purchase. Their job is to provide you with the best item to suit you or your home by identifying trends, gauging whats right, and promoting products that work for you or your home. Our goal is to give you what you want at a price you can afford.

So Why should you use a personal shopper? 

Shopping with Homestyle often depends on your credit limit and the items you have in mind but sometimes getting on our website or getting a mobile shop visit (van visit) isn’t easy and that’s why a personal shopper is a great idea, you can use a personal shopper for lots of reasons… we have over 500 members so far and if you fancy joining up we would love to have you, while you make up your mind and decide if you want to become a member why not take a look at our top 10 types of personal shopper….

1 I need help….

 Incorrect Password – how many times have seen this infuriating message appear?  grrrr this makes us want to get up and throw the laptop/mobile phone across the room.  STOP don’t do it, in our group we know lots of our members by name now as we have regular repeat shoppers, if we cant find you on our system we will ask you for your post code… we all know that right!  So no more trying to remember your account number or password – hoorah, this should make you want to join up straight away!!!

2  We have our own Stalkers

yes you! the members in the group who join but never shop with us or then go on line and order themselves.  Thats ok with us, as long as you get to see the items were selling its all good, maybe one day you will reach out and say hi and give us a try.  Until then sit quiet and watch and hopefully you will see items that take your fancy.

3. Always want what you cant have?

Yes we welcome these members, you cant see what you want on the website or mobile shops so you ask our personal shoppers for it instead, this is the fun part….. we then talk to our suppliers and can usually find the items for you and ta daa perfect match.  One happy member and we add a new item to our website so its a win win.

4 shopaholics

Don’t apologise for asking for items all the time. Its what were here for so keep asking.  We want to provide you with what you need so if you don’t ask you don’t get.  If you make repeat orders we will try to combine postage and save you money too, plus we sometimes offer special deals and giveaways for our regulars so there is a perk to shopping with us.

5 Loyal Mobile Shop Van’ers 

We know you love a home visit of course you do, its great to see the items your buying in the flesh on the mobile shops. Buuuuut do you really want to wait for it to come to you?  What if the item isn’t on the shop when they visit or what if you cant get an appointment?  Well that’s why were here, to bridge that gap.

6 Balance Seekers 

I don’t want to place an order but can you tell me how much do i owe? what can i spend? did my weekly payment clear? can you cancel my payments? can i raise my limit?  yes yes yes i can tell you all of this but the good news is you will soon be able to find out this information for yourself with our “Text Back” service coming soon , this means i will have more time to shop for you :)… yes I love shopping have you guessed that yet!

7 The Accountants

Lots of loyal members now recommend their family and friends to the group, we can then set them up to become Homestyle members and you get a tenner every time one joins and starts paying, you can recommend as many as you want so why not get your friends to pay off your bill haha and of course this leaves you more credit to shop with us again 😉

8 The Swopsies 

Youve ordered something and changed your mind or when you want something only to be told its OUT OF STOCK, sometimes we simply cant get the stock for what you want, either our suppliers let us down, deliveries disappear, end of line stock runs out or whatever the case may be we will always seek to find you an alternative, this is not a problem and a perk of being a personal shopper member.  We wont stop til your happy.  This also applies to items you want to return if you are not happy with them or they are incorrect, finding an alternative is always a priority for us.

9 The Grumbler

ok so unfortunately things from time to time go wrong, items get broken or stop working, we cant get what you want or get it in time, delivery couriers let you down etc etc we do try our absolute best to give you the best personal service we can but were only human and sometimes we get it wrong.  We don’t always see this as a bad thing, firstly we will do our best to help sort your problem but also we learn from our mistakes and make changes for the better so we always try to put as positive spin on any negative thing that may happen.

10 The Satisfied Member 

We do love the easy shoppers (not that we don’t love you all!), they tell you what they want and you simply order it, its in stock and they have enough credit – no questions asked,  so it probably goes with out saying that my favourite of all 10 types of shoppers is “the satisfied member”, the one who thanks us and sends us pictures or messages when they receive it.  We love getting these, not only does it make our job better but it also shows the other members in the group how good our products are, this is a fab way to promote our products and we THANK YOU mwah.

So what sort of shopper are you going to be?? Will you fall into the above types of shopper or will you create your own category,  Lisa Drew and Helen Turner are on hand all week to do your shopping for you.

Join our Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/groups/homestylepersonalshopper or look us up on our website http://www.homsetyle247.com