C'ville Entremom

When our first child was born, my husband and I decided that I would stay home with the baby, meaning we needed to make some spending changes in order to still meet our financial goals. I started to look for ways to save and before long, we were cutting our household budget dramatically, saving as much as 80% a week. And we were saving significantly without sacrificing our lifestyle, actually living a higher quality of life on less. Out of my journey to save and help others do the same came my blog, Frugal in Virginia.

Whenever people ask how they can start saving too, I love sharing how easy it can be. As a mom to two young children, I know that people don’t have time to spend hours a day clipping coupons and scouring sales ads. But saving money doesn’t have to require such a time commitment. There are just a few easy steps you can take to begin cutting your budget in pretty painless ways.

1. Begin looking for coupons.
   Did you know there are lots of places other than the Sunday newspaper to find coupons? Besides store displays, magazines, and checkout lines, you can find coupons online. Sites like coupons.com, redplum.com, and smartsource.com are full of coupons you can print straight from your coupon, allowing you to select only the coupons you want.

2. Organize your coupons.
   Using coupons while shopping can be very time-consuming if you go into the store with stacks of coupons shoved into your purse. Before you shop, organize. I have a coupon organizer (the Couponizer) that works well, but others enjoy using recipe boxes, binders, or files to organize their coupons. Find something that works for you and how you shop.

3. Match your coupons with weekly sales.
   Before you shop each week, look at my list of store deals for the store you shop. (If you don’t see your store on my list, a quick Google search should turn up some results.) Then look over the store sale list for items you would like to purchase. My coupon match-ups make it easy to find the coupons that match with the store sales, maximizing your money. For example, if Colgate toothpaste is on sale for a great price, I’ll show you where you can find a coupon to sweeten the bargain even more. As you begin couponing more, you may want to begin shopping at different stores each week based on their current bargains.

4. Stockpile

   As non-perishable or easily frozen food items that your family uses are available at deep discounts using coupons and sales, buy enough to last you until the next big sale. Create a “stockpile” using these items. For example, if you are able to get 5 boxes of cereal this week at 75% savings, buy enough now to last until you can find another good cereal bargain. Put these extra boxes in your stockpile, and the next time you need cereal, shop from your stockpile rather than the full-priced breakfast aisle at the store. Within weeks, you’ll begin to see the savings resulting from having a stockpile.

Start small with the money-saving process, doing only so much as you can manage. It won’t take long before you’re a pro. By changing a few things about the way you shop and think about spending, you can quickly see your household costs decreasing. Saving money is easier than you think!

Dana Adams is a Lake Monticello resident and work-at-home mom to two young children. She can be found helping families live well on less at Frugal in Virginia. You can also follow Dana on Twitter.

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Can’t live with us….can’t make a decision without us.  At least that’s what the current research is showing.  Are you talking to us?  You should be!

Research has shown that 83% of all consumer purchases are made by women.  We now make up 50% of the work force.  From 1970 to 1998, men’s median income grew .06% while women’s grew 63%!! 

When it comes to buying power, consider these numbers;  women make 80% of the household spending decisions, 53% of the investment decisions, 80% of home improvement purchase decisions, 60+% of new car purchase decisions.  And guess this one, women make 80% of the buying decision when it comes to?   RIDING LAWNMOWERS! 

 Women are the most intriguing creatures.  Most men would say just say frustrating!  We are so difficult to reach, incredibly loyal, slow to trust and unbelieving of clichés! We have hundreds of things on our mind in a given minute.  We are thinking hours, days..even weeks ahead!  Getting a message to us, let alone convincing us that we should do business with you is nearly impossible.  So why try? 

Well, if you earn our loyalty, we will rarely change it!  If you earn our trust, we are a client/customer for life.  If you tell the truth and stop using clichés, we will tell our woman friends about you!  Not to mention since we now make up half the workforce and make most of the buying decisions…you really have no choice.

Earning a woman as a customer is worth its weight in gold…but you have to be creative!  As women we are on the go constantly.  And when we are at home theoretically relaxing, we aren’t!  We are making dinner, helping with homework, making lists…  You must not only reach us, but connect with us.  If utilizing mass media, think about our habits.  Where can you GUARANTEE we will be?  Me?  I’m in my car 70% of the day!  I rarely have time to read a magazine or watch an entire TV program.  But I’m also on the internet throughout much the day….but that’s just me.                                                                                                 

When using mass marketing, it is the message that is crucial!  Use EMOTION to get my attention.  Whether it’s humor or fear….Woman make the majority of buying decision based on emotion! Social marketing is the new wave to really connect with us!  Just imagine….talking one on one with the “power of the purse”?  You can so easily create a personal connection, get to know me and tell me why I should do business with you.  Over 74% of women feel companies do not understand the challenges of being a Mother!  Twitter, Facebook and others give you the opportunity not only to connect personally, but to initiate proactive conversations about what women want!  If your business isn’t exploring these opportunities you will miss out. 

Talk to us…connect with us…..earn our trust! 

Women make 89% of the decision on which bank account to use!  So if you’re a guy wondering what which bank to choose?  Check with your wife.

 Catherine Maino (an Entremom)  is co-owner of Mosaic , Innovations in Marketing.  To find out more visit her website:  www.mosaicinnovations.com.  Catherine can also be found on Twitter (MosaicCatherine) or contacted via email:  cathy.mg@hotmail.com.

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As the Holiday season approaches, my photography business goes into full swing as families begin to call for both family pictures and Holiday Cards.  I have to say I’ve spent countless hours lately looking for the perfect Holiday Cards to offer my clients… believe me.. it’s an overwhelming experience.  I’m also finding more and more that with the price of digital SLR cameras as low as they are now (You can get an entry level DSLR for under $500 – WOW), clients and friends are opting to take their own Christmas pictures.  Anyway, I thought that this week, I would share some tips with you to take better pictures this Holiday Season.  Just and FYI, I am gearing this towards those of you with a DSLR, but if you don’t have one, the same principles apply to point and shoot cameras.

Get your subject out from the middle of the picture. You will often notice in the pictures that I take a child is off to the left or right of the picture or if it is a headshot/portrait the subject’s face will take up most of the picture.  Make sure that your eyes are drawn to the focal point of your subject.. for me that is always eyes.

Avoid Full Sunlight. Full sun creates really harsh shadows & what I like to refer to as “raccoon eyes.”  Find a spot with open shade or take your pictures and hour before sunset.  Another option (and my personal favorite) is to take your pictures on a cloudy day!

Forget the flash. Although I sometimes use it.. I loathe flash!  Find a nice spot by a window and use that to light your subject.  If you have a speedlight, don’t aim it directly at your subject.. bounce off the ceiling, a window, bounce card or use a diffuser.

Check out the background. Is there clutter or garbage?   Find a new location.  Another option is to zoom in on your subject so that the background doesn’t matter as much.  The best idea.. go take pictures this weekend w/beautiful leaves as a backdrop.

Don’t always pose or ask your subject to smile. Kids are kids and they don’t like to take time out to stop and smile.  Create memories of what they are really like on a day to day basis.  Enjoy the moments of them just being them.  Also, if they have a favorite toy, incorporate that into your picture.

Learn Photoshop. Seriously.. it’s a must.

Angie Brement is a portrait photographer and owner of Angie Brement Photography.  She is also the founder of C’Ville Entremom. If you would like to find out more about Angie Brement Photography please visit her website:  www.angiebrementphotography.com.

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OpenSpace, a new place to work, collaborate, conference and create community.

Charlottesville is a great place to live, work and play. It is full of people with an entrepreneurial spirit and it is a town where professionals thrive on socializing and connecting with other community members.

However, those without traditional office space are forced to work in isolation at home, from our cars, our local coffee shops, or on the Downtown Mall.. most of us wishing we had room to work and a way to find others like us.

As of October 1^st, the wishing can stop. After months of anticipation, OpenSpace is here with a welcome alternative.

OpenSpace provides users with spacious worktables, high-speed wireless internet, business needs such as printing, faxing, and all of the comforts of home or a coffee shop. By partnering with local companies for snacks, drinks, coffee and catering, OpenSpace is building its own community and supporting local vendors.

OpenSpace also provides several styles of conference and collaborative studios to host meetings and events, complete with staff to help plan and coordinate.

Late last year, Jeff Gunther (CEO), an entrepreneur with two Charlottesville-based technology firms, Meddius and Intalgent, had an idea to provide the Charlottesville community a space that would meet the needs of the new economy’s independent professionals. A year later, the idea has been realized in the warehouse district a quick walk from the Downtown Mall.

A pay as you go plan and discounted monthly membership options allow users the flexibility to customize how they use the space, whether working alone, with colleagues, or making presentations to clients. Best of all, under our introductory pricing the first month of any membership or any first non-profit event is FREE with the payment of a nominal sign up fee. No long term commitment is required.

Get OpenSpace, and find your new room to work! (http://getopenspace.com)

Guest columnist Nikki Haffey is Director for OpenSpace.  You can find out more information on their website or contact Nikki at hello@getopenspace.com.  C’Ville Entremom and the Social Media Club of Charlottesville will be partnering with OpenSpace to host a seminar led by Marijean Jaggers of Standing PR and STLWorkingMom on “Using Social Media to Market Your Business.”  The event will take place on November 18th, 2009 at 7:00.  Looking forward to expanded networking with all 3 groups.  A bit thanks to Nikki and Jeff for allowing us to use their new space.

Photos courtesy Billy Hunt Photography

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Everyone knows that a healthy plant needs the right combination of elements to thrive: water, sunlight, and possibly some plant food. But, we often overlook something that can be as important as food or water: pruning. A well-pruned plant or tree is healthier, yields more fruit and/or flowers, and has more opportunity for growth. 

So what does pruning have to do with people? We are not so different from any other living organism. Old habits can hang off us like dead leaves or branches and eventually become toxic if not addressed. As busy working moms, we all have had the experience of too much on our plate or being at our wits end with business deadlines, housekeeping, field trip slips and book orders. The majority of what is on our plate needs to be there, but somewhere between landing that new client and making dinner, there are some filler tasks that just need to go. I haven’t run into a mom yet who would admit that EVERYTHING on their plate was both necessary and in line with their values. It’s time to prune off the dead in order to make room for new growth and more fruitful activities.

 Here are some questions to ask yourself if you are not sure if you need to prune:

 1-Do you accept duties or roles out of guilt?

 2-Do you say “yes” when you mean “no?”

 3-Do you find yourself browsing the celebrity gossip web sites or doing other non-work related tasks during your designated work hours?

 4-Have you put someone you love on hold to give your time to something you “dread?”

 5-Do you make a habit of making plans you later regret?

 6-Do you often over-commit both work and family schedules?

 If you answered “yes” to two or more of these questions, here are a few easy steps you can begin to take that will help you minimize unwanted obligations and relationships so that you can focus on what’s most important:

• Create awareness of your values and then only accept people and activities that are in line with those values. For example, if you’re involved in a stressful friendship/relationship or an activity that drains your energy and time, prune it out. Eliminating these time and energy “vampires” can instantly free up your to-do list and create a more peaceful and grounded life.
• Don’t say “yes” when you mean “no.” If you’re going to dread going to the party, or it’s going to stress you out trying to fit the new volunteer position in your busy schedule, don’t do it. I have a rule I share with all of my clients, Do it with JOY or don’t do it!  If your business and family are most important to you, then give them your undivided attention and eliminate everything else that’s not in line with your values. Some things that do not make the “honoring your values” list are: “Everyone else is doing it,” “I feel obligated,” “I should,” or “What will everyone say/do?”
• Take a careful look at every moment of designated work time and prune out activities that are not 100% business related or revenue producing. One of the biggest struggles for working moms is the careful balance of work and home. Being distracted by “housekeeping” tasks, social outings, or big home projects can be areas to prune that will help increase productivity. Instead of cleaning the closets out during work hours, turn it into family time and an opportunity to discuss the value of passing things on that we no longer use for the benefit of others. Also, create an orderly workspace, so you spend less time cleaning/organizing and more time producing. 

Get out those pruning sheers and re-evaluate what you are spending your time and energy on.  You may be surprised by what you need to eliminate from your world. The result of proper pruning will be a more peaceful and fruitful life. 

 Sharon Hart is a life coach specializing in coaching women in transition. Through her company, Birth Your Dream Life Coaching, Sharon has helped countless clients find their true passions, change careers, start businesses, find balance, and connect with motherhood in a deeper way. For more information, visit her web site or contact Sharon at Sharon@birthyourdreamlife.com.

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