Budget-Saving Tips For Weddings

The average wedding cost has soared well over $20,000 in the past ten years. As ceremonies and receptions get more elaborate, sometimes it seems like your budget is going to be busted before you so much as meet with a florist.

If you find the costs spiraling out of control, there’s no harm or shame in scaling things back a bit. You’ll have more money for your honeymoon and starting your married life if you can keep the budget under control.

Here a few subtle ways to save money on your wedding that cut costs without cutting corners.

Wedding Finance

Flowers: Go Green

The most expensive part of your floral arrangements is those big showy blossoms–the roses, peonies, and calla lilies that look great but cost a pretty penny. Instead of trying to wow with overstuffed bouquets, opt for lush greenery with just a few accent flowers.

You can also save by opting for in-season local flowers rather than exotics that have to be grown in a hothouse. And of course it makes more sense to re-use the decorations from the ceremony at the reception than to double up on the decorations.

Cake: Go Small

Instead of a mammoth three-tiered confection that is both a decorative element and the dessert for all your guests, opt for a small fancy cake that you’ll augment with sheet cake kept in the kitchen area and brought out by your servers.

You still get your cake-cutting ceremony and a delicious dessert for the bridal party.

The guests still get a piece of cake to mark the occasion. But you save hundreds of dollars by not scaling up the fancy cake to feed the entire guest list.

Go Off-Peak

Plan your ceremony in … Read More

Take Easy Loans

If you need a loan you can approach either licensed money lender or bank. In many countries money lenders needs to get a license and be registered under the registry of money providers.

The limits, interest rates and policies are regulated by this registry.

Advantages Of Taking Loan From Money Lender:

Rapid funding of loan: Getting a loan from a bank is not that easy. There are a number of formalities and documentation that needs to be undertaken when taking loan from a bank.

All this takes a lot of time in securing the loan. Private lenders provide the loan at a faster speed. There is less documentation and formalities involved when taking loan from money lender. They can speed up the process of providing the funds.

Flexible term structure: Banks do not provide any flexibility in providing the loan. They need to follow all the terms and policy. They cannot make any changes or compromise with their policies. Private lenders are very flexible. They can restructure the payment and collateral release process for the borrower.

No prepayment penalties: Banks charges certain fees for prepayment of your loan.

If the loan is repaid fully or in part before the due date, the bank charges certain fees as prepayment charges. This is not in case of money lenders. There are no prepayment charges charged by the money lenders.

Advantages Of Taking Loan From A Bank:

Tax and financial planning advantage: One can get the benefit of tax deduction on the interest charged by the bank on the loans. This can enable the business to plan their budget and make other financial planning.

Speed: The approval for the bank loan is almost immediate after making an … Read More

Electronics Retailers

Electronics retailers say they are seeing strong sales during 4th qtr 1994 largely due to new products, more consumer disposable income and new merchandising strategies.

The retailers expect 1994 sales figures to be larger than those of 1993, but margins will be slim. Some areas, especially the West Coast, are still suffering from a poor economy.

Retailers’ main complaint regards the limited supply of large-screen TVs due to a glass shortage.

For The Second Year In A Row:

Christmas Appears To Have Been Kind To Consumer Electronics Retailers

Electronics retailers canvassed across the country reported generally good fourth-quarter holiday business, most indicating that strong sales will most likely top last year’s figures.

Double holidays, new products, an upbeat customer mood, more consumer disposable income, and revamped merchandising strategies were among some of the reasons cited by retail operators to why their sales figures for 1994 will top last year.

However, industry observers noted that fourth-quarter profit margins again will be slim, particularly for those retailers carrying PCs or software.

Both national retailers Best Buy and Circuit City have already indicated their fourth-quarter profit margins will be lower than last year.

And some sections of the country, most notably the West Coast, are still feeling the crunch of tough economic times.

For certain retailers, the biggest complaint came in the form of limited inventory of certain large-screen TVs, the result of an ongoing glass shortage.

In the Northeast, Farmingdale, N.Y.-based P.C. Richard & Son reported Christmas ringing twice with Chanukah’s early arrival providing an extra boost in sales.

“In the metropolitan New York area the Jewish holiday is very important for gift giving. By being separate from Christmas by a matter of several weeks in effect will give us … Read More

How To Choose The Right Essential Oil Diffuser?

The myriad of information that can be found on the various broadcasters to choose sometimes becomes tricky.

We offer you all the information to help you fully understand what the different categories of broadcasters in order to better choose the one that will meet your expectations and needs.

There are basically five categories of essential oil diffusers. Each has its strengths.

The Foggers

Also called essential oil misting diffuser, it is the most traditional and probably the most effective diffusers.

They always consist of a glass portion and a generally concealed pump in the diffuser base. The principle is, the essential oil is then sucked and blown propelled at high speed against the glass wall, creating a mist of pure essential oil (that is to say, thousands of micro oil particles essential in air). These micro particles are then propelled the top of the glass in your room.

The Strengths Of These Broadcasters Are Numerous:

•     First, the broadcast is cold, the properties of essential oils are perfectly preserved.
• The molecules of essential oils are split on impact against the glass (they are micronized, hence, the name sometimes given to this micro diffuser), this frees up active ingredients and scents. This is the best way to leverage the properties of your essential oils.
• The distribution is based on pure essential oils. These diffusers are powerful and can quickly treat large areas (up to 100 m2 in 30 minutes).
• The power is adjustable to suit the size of your room and your needs.

Cons:

• It requires minimal maintenance (cleaning 1-2 times a month depending on frequency of use)
• Avoid leaving your essential oils stagnate too long so they do not clog the appliance.

Gentle Heat Essential Oils Diffusers

Their principle … Read More

Whirlpool’s North American Appliance Group

Whirlpool’s North American Appliance Group has been realigned in 1994 in order to market separate product groups better and to provide better customer support.

Sam Abdelnour will retain his trade marketing director of Whirlpool products title as well as market all dishwasher, laundry and compactor products. Mark Wilson will become marketing director of KitchenAid products. Doug McQuillan will become marketing director of Roper and Estate products.

Kitchenaid Products

If it’s yearend, it must be time for Whirlpool’s North American Appliance Group to realign some staff.

This year’s shifts are designed to improve coordination of brand presentations in the field. According to an official here, salespeople currently make separate pitches for each label.

In the future, someone will be in charge of a unified sales plan by product, part of a double-duty setup.

Sam Abdelnour remains director of Whirlpool-brand trade marketing and takes on responsibility for nearly all laundry, dishwasher and compactor products.

Mark Wilson, previously national manager of Roper and Estate marketing, becomes director with KitchenAid brand focus and takes responsibility for most refrigerator, freezer and air-control products.

Doug McQuillan, who was national manager of Roper and Estate contract-trade marketing, becomes director with Roper and Estate brand focus and control over nearly all cooking products.

Each executive is responsible for all brands in his product category, except Kenmore. Each one also represents trade marketing in the appropriate product business teams, or PBTs: Abdelnour in the laundry and dishwasher teams; Wilson in the refrigerator and air-control PBTs, and McQuillan in the cooking PBT.

In addition, Herb Rose is director of trade-marketing deployment. He continues as director of allied trade marketing.

All four report to Mike Piraino, the North American Group’s general manager of trade marketing.

According to a Whirlpool … Read More

Mass Merchant Home Centers

Mass merchant home centers such as Home Depot have made life difficult for independent home furnishing retailers, but there are examples of smaller stores that are surviving.

In the lighting sector, independents have tried to avoid competing on price and looked for particular niches for which home centers are less suited, such as high-end items.

Increased competition has forced independents to become more efficient and more customer focused.

There’s one big advantage to being a little fish in a sea of big ones:

You Become A Strong Swimmer To Avoid Being Swallowed

Such is the case of the independent lighting showroom. As such massive home centers as Home Depot, Builders Square, Hechinger, Rickel and others move into town and compete for the consumer’s dollar, the specialized lighting experts must work harder to make it.

According to industry estimates, home centers’ share of the $1.06 billion market for lighting fixtures jumped to 41 percent in 1993, up from 29 percent in ’92, while the specialty stores’ share declined from 58 percent to 51 percent.

In number of units sold, home centers may have surpassed the specialty stores. To counteract this shift, showrooms are becoming more business savvy.

Realizing that they can’t match the buying or promotional power of their gigantic counterparts, the mom-and-pops have had to redefine themselves, often playing up the advantages of their small size and flexibility in order to effectively – and profitably – coexist with the volume retailers.

Successful independents have refocused their merchandise mix, learned to better manage their space and inventory, taken advantage of educational tools offered by vendors and industry associations, and concentrated on customer service.

A New York-based manufacturing executive, Murray Feiss, said he believes the small independents are stronger for … Read More

What Makes a Good Meat Grinder?

The meat grinder is an essential kitchen utensil to make your healthy and tasty preparations of meat recipes. Take care to follow our advice to buy a good meat grinder. Consider the three following characteristics before making your choice of meat grinder: the grills and accessories, flow and power for the electric models.

Buying Guide A Good Meat Grinder?

Grids And Accessories

Those who do not know how to buy a meat grinder of a better value must consider the grids and accessories available on the various models proposed.

Choose your future meat grinder according to the use that you will make. With that, a model comes with several grids of different diameters offers the possibility of various preparations: mash, stuffing, sausages, meats, hamburgers.

With a grid with very small holes, you can chop meats, grind the toughest ingredients. With a grid medium sized holes, you can shred softer ingredients to cook your burgers or meatballs. With a coarse grid holes, you can chop big things.

Before using a price comparison, evaluating also what additional accessories you want to get with your meat grinder. Depending on the model, manufacturers can provide an adapter in addition to kebabs, sausages a funnel, a tray or a grater. For storage of these accessories, some models are equipped with a compartment for this purpose.

The Device Speed

Expressed in mg / h or kg / h, the speed is a determining factor in choosing your future meat grinder. That is why we will explain its importance in our purchase of the best meat grinders guide. This rate determines the amount of meat or other chopped ingredients in an hour. Of the semi-professional electric models, it varies between 0.3 kg / h … Read More