Audrey Poltor

Well, last week I posted about my new venture of money saving madness. I am thrilled to report that Tuesday's grocery shopping trip proved to be a complete success!! I bought $100 worth of groceries (including diapers) for $45!!! It was pretty simple; all from printing coupons that were emailed to me. No scissors required.......

Also.........I got absolutely FREE baby food at Publix!!!

here's how......

Publix Buy 1 Get 1 Free Beech Nut Baby Food

2 manufacturer coupons for $1 off of 3 jars

got 6 jars for FREEEEEE!!!

just go to www.beechnut.com

-sign up for the newsletter....and watch your inbox for $avings!

(I also scored a raincheck for next week too)

join the Publix Baby Club on www.Publix.comfor even more $avings

stay tuned for more great tips!

Hello all! In this economy, we are all searching for ways to scrimp and save. I have decided that the first place I could start was at the Grocery store. I have been clipping coupons for years, as I'm sure all of you are as well. But, are we really taking advantage of the power of coupon saving?

So, over my next few posts, I will be documenting my adventure into the world of coupon shopping! I read the following blogs; (these have been highly beneficial)

www.fidledeedee.com

www.thecouponmom.com

Also, the following video shows how The Coupon Mom bought $114 worth of groceries for $1.62!!!!!!!

Coupon Mom

I have made myself a "Coupon Binder" to organize all of my coupons. It is just a simple 3 ring binder with clear plastic sheet protectors inside. I used my beloved label maker to index my categories such as baby, pantry, cleaning etc.

I have also designated one hour on Sunday morning to clip coupons and plan my weekly meals. This week, I am setting a goal of reducing my weekly grocery bill from $100 to $50.....including diapers and formula.....

Check back to see my progress!!

for more posts, go to www.carolinarealtyforme.com

thanks!!!

We are all very aware of the benefits of good time management:

• you actually gain more time by taking some time to manage your time efficiently
• you will become motivated and energized
• you will reduce procrastination or "the dread"
• you reduce anxiety when you know you have plenty of time to complete everything on your list

But, HOW on Earth does one actually do this? First, there are a few key things you must do before you can organize any aspect of your time:

Find something enjoyable in whatever you are doing.

Try to be an optimist and seek out the good in your life. I know, I know....this is the most difficult.

Find ways to build on your successes. This seems to have a domino effect.

Stop regretting your failures and start learning from your mistakes.

Remind yourself, "There is always enough time for the important things." If it is important, you should be able to make time to do it.

Continually look at ways of freeing up your time. Are you wasting time doing unnecessary things on your computer???

Examine your old habits and search for ways to change or eliminate them.

Try to use waiting time­­-review notes or read goal related material.

Keep paper or a calendar with you to jot down the things you have to do or notes to yourself.

Examine and revise your lifetime goals on a monthly basis and be sure to include progress towards those goals on a daily basis.

Put up reminders in your home or office about your goals.

Plan your day each morning or the night before and set priorities for yourself.

Maintain and develop a list of specific things to be done each day, set your priorities and the get the most important ones done as soon in the day as you can. Evaluate your progress at the end of the day briefly.

Look ahead in your month and try and anticipate what is going to happen so you can better schedule your time.

Try rewarding yourself when you get things done as you had planned, especially the important ones.

Do first things first.

Have confidence in yourself and in your judgement of priorities and stick to them no matter what.

When you catch yourself procrastinating-ask yourself, "What am I avoiding?"

Start with the most difficult parts of projects, then either the worst is done or you may find you don't have to do all the other small tasks.

Catch yourself when you are involved in unproductive projects and stop as soon as you can.

Concentrate on one thing at a time.

Put your efforts in areas that provide long term benefits.

Be sure and set deadlines for yourself whenever possible.

Delegate responsibilities whenever possible.

Ask for advice when needed.

ok, so more than a "few" things.....but trust me; try them for a week.

You will be amazed at how much more productive you will become.

www.investingrocks.com

Happy Monday Charleston Real Estate!!

I have experienced working in a Business Casual environment where there were "grey areas" of appropriate vs. inappropriate. I would like to think that common sense tells people that something you might wear to do yard work or to the beach might not be suitable for work. Even in a business casual work environment, clothing should be pressed and never wrinkled. Torn, dirty, or frayed clothing is unacceptable. All seams must be finished. Any clothing that has words, terms, or pictures that may be offensive to other employees is unacceptable. Clothing that has the company logo is encouraged. The term "casual" is often misleading.

We run our company from a very relaxed yet professional atmosphere. We work in a professional office setting in an executive office suite. However, we are a young couple and feel that we should dress as ourselves and portray "Real" Real Estate professionals. Joey usually wears nice flip flops with his dress slacks and a very nice polo shirt on top. I normally wear dresses and sandals. Nothing is ever inappropriate.

We are trying to develop a brand image for our company, BSO. We feel that relating to our clients is highly important in helping them to feel comfortable with us. Think about it: when approached by a salesman wearing a suit and tie, you instantly feel the urge to reject whatever he is selling. He could be giving away free gold coins, but you start preparing yourself to say no before he even begins. I know that I do. I start to feel pressured and anxious to leave. When we are approaching a homeowner with a property of interest to us, we try to relate to them in appearance. We have found this to be extremely effective when dealing with lower income areas.

What are your thoughts on this type of attire when put into a business situation?

www.charlestonrealestateinvesting.com

Good Friday Charleston!

Although our brokerage is in its infancy, we have been an established Real Estate Investment Company for quite some time. We are building a successful name for ourselves here in Charleston, SC. In a previous post, Joey mentioned that we are currently seeking help to locate some new properties. We are finding less time to devote to the most important task in Real Estate Investing; PROSPECTING!!! We are recruiting and interviewing new candidates immediately.

It is very important to have excellent organizational skills when running a Real Estate office, or any office for that matter. I'm not talking about having labeled bins and paperclip holders, although being tidy is equally as important to remain efficient. When I say organization, I mean having goals and priorities in place and implementing them.

First, develop your strategy. A strategy is a coherent set or plan of personalized actions designed to push your intentions in the right directions. I like to think of it like this: You can know the name of all the streets in town, but without a map; how will you navigate through them. Think of your strategy as a Roadmap For Success. You must communicate all aspects of your strategy to every member of your staff. In our office, we have a giant dry erase board that clearly states the goals and necessary duties required to achieve those goals. Nothing has been omitted.

You then want to make absolutely sure that your team knows what your expectations are of them. Ensure that they fully understand your core values. We make it very clear to everyone that we do not "hold hands". We will try to make sure that our staff has every tool they need and are fully aware of their duties. But, we do not tolerate or have time for people who need constant guidance. Maybe that's wrong for some organizations, but for us, it works.

After organizing your goals and staff, make sure that all of your priorities are in place. Financial aspects are number one. If you can't pay your bills, then you can't have a business. Marketing is the next priority. If no one knows you are in business, you will eventually lose your business to the guy who marketed his. Then, just be consistent with your strategy and make sure everyone else is doing their part.

More to come in Part 2............stay tuned

www.investingrocks.com