Tips

Tips for Saving Money

We all know we need to save. Yet, few of us do save. Why? Because there are too many competing priorities for money in our lives. But, you can you can save for those larger purchases, for the emergencies that are sure to come, for your children’s college, for a home, and for your retirement. You may not think you have enough money. You may think you are living paycheck to paycheck with nothing left over after meeting your expenses. You may think you have to earn more money in order to have enough money to save.

The truth is saving isn’t a math matter. It’s an emotional one. Once you make saving a priority, then and only then will you save. Until you decide to pay yourself first, you won’t save. By the time you get to the end of the money, there won’t be enough left over for you. Here are some quick tips on how to save money.

Tip #1 – Know where your money is going
Keep track of what you spend for the next month. Write down each purchase, or ask for a receipt. But at the end of the month, your assignment is to account for every penny.

Tip #2 – Get control of your debt
Unsecured credit card debt and car loans are two of the biggest drains on personal finance. Adopt the attitude that if you can pay cash for it, you don’t need it. Stop using your credit cards and paying high interest rates on things you probably don’t need anyway. Stop buying new cars on credit that lose their value as soon as you drive them off the lot. Use the snowball method to get out of debt and then stay out!

Tip #3 – Are you a collector?
Many people spend money collecting things. Maybe you collect records, books, antiques, coins, dolls… look at your collections. Do they have any real value (a limited amount with a high demand), or are they one of thousands with no real resale value? Do you have duplicates? Are you buying more than you can enjoy?

Tip #4 – Review your gift giving budget
Do you buy expensive gifts for a huge list of friends and relatives? Can you make something instead that might have even more meaning to the person receiving the gift? Sometimes giving a consumable, homemade gift to someone whose house is cluttered and including a handwritten note will be the best gift they receive.

Tip #5 – Use the “sleep on it” rule
Before you make a major purchase (for most people, that would be anything over $300, but your personal threshold could be lower or higher), sleep on it. Why do you think a salesperson tries so hard to close the deal before you leave the store? They know that if you have time to think about it, you may decide that you really don’t need to make the purchase right now. So, go home and sleep on it. If you are still sure the next morning that buying is the right thing to do, then go ahead and do it (assuming you won’t be violating Tip #2 by using a credit card or otherwise going further into debt!).

Tip #6 – Always write a grocery list before you go shopping
Shop with a list, and don’t buy anything that isn’t on the list. A lot of research has gone into the creation of store displays to get shoppers to make those impulse purchases. If you stick to your list, you won’t fall prey to that marketing ploy. Another good technique for grocery shopping is to use the envelope method. When you get paid, write a check out for cash for the amount of your grocery shopping for that pay period and put it in an envelope. When the envelope is empty, you stop buying groceries until the next payday when you can refill the envelope.

Tip #7 – Throw a party
No, I don’t mean an all-out, expensive affair. But, instead of going out to dinner, why not invite some of your friends over instead. You could even ask them to bring their favorite dish and have a potluck meal. You could discuss a good book or watch a $1 Redbox Rental. Entertainment can still be fun without being expensive.

Tip #8 – De-clutter
Go through your closets and dressers and sort through your clothes. If you’re like most people, you have clothing that needs to be mended, clothing that needs to be thrown out and clothing that either no longer fits you or you just don’t like anymore. Set aside the mending and actually mend it instead of replacing it. The clothes you don’t want anymore can be sold in a yard sale, taken to a consignment shop, or even donated to Goodwill for a tax deduction (just ask them for a receipt for your taxes).

Tip #9 – Buy used
Not everything needs to be purchased new. Did your washing machine break down? You can get a used one from your local appliance store for $75. Does your son go through video games in a day? Buy used from Hastings or your local video game store. You can also buy pre-owned movies from your local store or from your nearest Redbox outlet. Never, ever buy a new car. It will lose thousands of dollars of its value within the first couple of years. Let someone else take that hit; buy used.

Tip #10 – Cut back on convenience foods
It’s easy enough to cook in bulk and freeze leftovers to create your own “convenience foods”. You can take these to work with you saving that $6 – $9 fast food lunch bill. Not to mention, the food you prepare at home will probably be much healthier than what you buy from your local fast food restaurant.

These are just a few tips to help you find ways to save money. But remember, unless saving becomes a priority for you, it will never happen. So, start today, even if you save just a little. Make saving a habit, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your savings account will grow.

Restaurant

Preparing Your Restaurant For Families

If you have children then you probably have stories to share about experiences going out to eat with them. Most of the time children enjoy eating out with their family at a restaurant to celebrate their birthday or just to enjoy some family time out of the house. However, most parents will tell you it isn’t always easy to keep everyone happy during the event. Eating in a restaurant that is well designed for children does make it much easier for them though

Anyone that is thinking of owning a restaurant really needs to keep that in mind. Of course not all restaurants are a place to take children but for those that do allow them, it needs to be a good experience. Family dining is a huge part of the market and if you play your cards right you will be able to take advantage of it. Parents are very loyal to those restaurants where they feel comfortable taking their children for a good meal.

You will be surprised at how many restaurants hire staff that have no clue how to handle families. They seem very overwhelmed by a table with so many little people. Make sure you train them in this area so they can take good care of families coming in for a meal. Remember that they are representing your business and if they don’t do an excellent job then you will be losing out on repeat customers. You don’t have to make your restaurant into a child’s play area for it to work well though. Simple things like offering extra napkins and drinks with lids make a huge difference.

Offer pricing for families too so that they can have the budget to eat in your restaurant. Sometimes there are great family deals such as two large pizzas, breadsticks, and a pitcher of soda. This is much easier for the family than individual orders and it is more affordable. Parents aren’t going to be happy about being charged for a full price meal when their child eats very little. Offer a children’s menu with some tasty selections for the little guys at a very cheap price.

It is a good idea to offer meals for older children as well. They may want the same types of foods as the adults but definitely not the same portions of it. Make sure all of the kids meals you offer are a great price too. You will be surprised at how many buffet places don’t offer a discount for children. As a result though many parents don’t return with their children to experience it again.

Children often get impatient when they are waiting for food, so offer something fun for them to do. It doesn’t cost very much to offer a place mat with a few games or a coloring page with crayons. Parents will be able to relax as they wait for their food because their children will be entertained with these activities. Some restaurants offer games on the table to where you jump pegs over each other or you create things out of links. These types of games offer a fun way for the whole family to spend time together while they wait for their food.

Make sure you offer plenty of accommodations for children when it comes to seating as well. Booster seats are the perfect way for smaller children to be high enough to reach the table. You also need to have plenty of high chairs available to meet the demand for them during peak business hours. Make sure each of the high chairs is in good condition and has safety buckles that work so the child isn’t at risk of getting hurt.

Cleaning up from children in a restaurant doesn’t have to be difficult. High chairs and booster seats can be wiped down after each use. Have a quite push vacuum available so clean up is easy and it won’t disturb other customers. It is very easy to make a restaurant friendly for children. If you don’t have any of your own though this is something you may miss as a restaurant owner. Parents will pick up on this issue quickly and it is going to influence their decision to dine with you or not. Don’t lose out on your share of this huge market when you can invest a small amount in making your restaurant the best place to eat with children in tow.

Hotel

Guest Friendly Hotels in Pattaya

Pattaya is a city with multiple personalities. For some it is a place to learn about Thai culture, for many it is a shopping paradise, for families it offers a host of activities that everyone can enjoy and for a millions of single men, it’s a nightclub centre and a place to meet some of Thailand’s most beautiful women.

You can meet Thai girls at bars, go-go bars, at the beach or just about anywhere in this friendly town. The question that guys often ask is where do I find a guest friendly hotel. If I want to invite my new friend back to my hotel, does the hotel welcome an extra guest, is it “girl friendly” or will I be charged a “joiner fee”?

5 Star Hotels

While many people think of Pattaya as Asia’s most vibrant nightlife centre, this is just one part of the tourist activities in Pattaya. Judging by hotel bookings, the lion’s share of hotel revenue is from older couples and families. Hotels target their business at one or more of these tourist groups, so you’ll find that the 5 star hotels and family oriented hotels like the larger resort hotels are generally not guest friendly. There’s one notable exception, Pattaya’s top rated hotel, the Rabbit Resort on Dongtan beach offers hospitality to all visitors, including their friends.

Walking Street Hotels

If you’re looking for a guest friendly hotel you’ll find that virtually all of the hotels, guesthouses and apartments close to the night life areas are guest friendly. In the Walking Street area you’ll find a good choice of popular and highly rated hotels.

On Soi Diamond, the street with more than a dozen go-go bars, there’s Diamond Beach Hotel, Galaxy Suites and Green View Serviced Apartments. Just nearby on Soi 14, there’s the Grand Hotel, with 80 rooms in a choice of styles, and Jasmine Hotel with 62 rooms, recently refurnished and a new indoor swimming pool, one of the highest rated Pattaya hotels on Trip Advisor. On Walking Street itself, there’s the Walking Street Guesthouse just above Sweethearts Go-Go and P.72 Hotel, with the street level bar that opens onto Walking Street. A great place to sit and watch the activities on Walking Street before going out for the evening.

Soi Buakhao Area Hotels

The Soi Buakhao area is another popular nightclub area. Here you’ll find an interesting mix of guest friendly hotels and guesthouses for visitors and apartments for Thais who work in the nightclubs and bars.

On Soi Buakhao itself, you’ll find Katesiree House, Laguna Buakhao House with Thai style furniture, Target Regency Guesthouse, and Rabbi’s Elephant Guesthouse which is also a meeting place for the Pattaya Golf Society.

Just off Soi Buakhao on Soi LK Metro mingled with the go-go bars, coyote bars and beer bars you find a bunch of guest-friendly hotels and guesthouses. If you like to hang out with aliens you’ll love Armageddon Guesthouse and Bar, and there’s Irish Rovers Guesthouse and Kilkenny Hotel with an Irish flavour. Close by you’ll find the popular Stags Head Guesthouse, and in the corner of the street, there’s Pasadena Lodge with a choice of 20 beautifully furnished rooms, in 4 different room styles.

Just across the road there’s Soi Chaiyapoon, famous for Crazy Daves café that serves breakfast 24 hours/day and Neeroys late night restaurant that offers fish ‘n chips and English style curries. Guest friendly guesthouses don’t get much friendlier than Canterbury Tales Café that has a bookstore and restaurant on the ground floor. Just further down the street, near the popular Maggie May’s bar there’s Chaiyapoon Inn & Restaurant.

For a more comprehensive guide to Guest Friendly hotels in the Pattaya area, and a guide to the city’s nightlife, check out my website at www.pattaya-discover.com.