I have a big bag of tricks I use to jumpstart my head when I’m in a writing drought. Reading the paper, making lists, pretending to stare out the window while I take a nap. . .
Sometimes it takes a while for something to float up at you, or sometimes, as with this cartoon, they jump out and hit you between the eyes.
combined with a bad sales graph pretty much writes itself. And I got to draw a cow! Win-win!
Recent reports and figures have recently shown how the cost of vehicle insurance cover in the UK is soaring, with premiums now thought to be a massive 30.8 percent higher than they were a year ago. This is especially troubling for drivers in the current climate because of the soaring cost of fuel, which is already financially crippling many drivers. The rocketing cost of insurance is an added problem to the many drivers who are now struggling to keep their cars on the road.
For many people these costs are unavoidable, because they need to use their cars to get to and from work in order to earn money but at the same time they are struggling to earn enough money to pay for the cost of running their cars. With many having their pay frozen and having to cope with other living cost increases too the financial pressure it getting too tough to handle.
For those that have seen their car insurance costs soar there are a number steps that they can take to try and reduce these costs.
A big part of your family’s monthly budget goes to food. And food prices have been on the rise, following the rise of the price of gasoline somewhat closely. This is not good news, but there is some good news down the line. Because you might not have as much control over your mortgage, car insurance or even the amount you you spend on gas each month, but you do have a high degree of control over how much you’ll spend on your food budget. And this doesn’t mean that you’ll have to eat noodles for the whole month either, it just means that you’ll have to put some hours into planning the family meals. We’ve put our heads together and came up with a few tips on how you can get away with spending less on food without compromising the quality of the meals you put on your plate.
BOSTON — Eight Bristol County, Mass., municipal projects for drinking water or clean water infrastructure received loan offers from the state on Thursday.
To receive the state’s 2 percent loan, the Bristol County projects must get local funding authority by June 30, apply for the loans and receive approval from the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection. The eight projects total $86,944,000 in expected costs.
Massachusetts is offering these loans to 88 clean water and drinking water projects across the state.
Fall River was deemed eligible for state funding for two drinking water projects and one clean water project. All three are marked as projects targeted toward “environmental justice communities,” or areas where low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental damage. Some of
E-commerce is the fastest growing segment of the retail industry. Online sales hit a record high of $165.4 billion in 2010, according to estimates released by the U.S. Commerce Department. The 14.8 percent increase from the previous year was one of the largest in the history of the growing market. Why are more Americans shopping online? There are many reasons.
To begin with, online sellers consistently offer lower prices. Because they do not need an actual storefront or a large staff (in most instances), they are able to cut overhead to the bone. They can then pass these savings along to their customers. Not surprisingly, many young entrepreneurs are opening e-stores rather than traditional retail establishments.
Accepting Payments
As you might expect, electronic businesses usually accept payments electronically.
You know the benefits of using Facebook and Twitter to help promote your business, but another social media site is making big waves for merchants everywhere called Foursquare.
Foursquare is a social media where members ‘check in’ when they arrive at certain destinations. It is meant to help users “find their friends and explore their world.” However, the juicy part for merchants is that you can entice your customers and their friends to check-in at your retail store to earn discounts and receive other rewards.
Major companies like Starbucks to even the Bay Area’s Rapid Transportation (BART) System have been early adopters of Foursquare, and the list keeps growing longer. When Coach launched its first men’s store, they gave away free cologne to the first 200 Foursquare checkins. During that weekend alone, 10% of the traffic had Foursquare checkins. Not a bad way to increase your foot traffic!
Claiming Your Venue
To get your business started on Foursquare, you simply claim your venue by searching for your location. Creating a merc