How to Save Money on Home Renovations

By Mona Sabalones Gonzalez

We have been slowly renovating our home. At first, it was a project I did by myself. I would learn a lot by going to youtube and googling things. For example, when I changed the lanai French doors to sliding doors, I knew exactly how to install them by watching "how to" Youtubes. So when we'd hire people they would be surprised when I would tell them how to do it.

When choosing paint colors, I'd go to Google images and look around. Eventually, I started a Pinterest account so that I could get more ideas on what I wanted for the house.

But it was expensive, because since it was a one-woman job, I had no idea how much money to pay laborers and a job that could be done by one, would be done by three, making the pay higher.

That's why I'm so glad my hubby finally realized that if we were going to renovate, he'd have to help me out. He is VERY good at knowing how to deal with people and finding alternative solutions, and he will only pay the going rate.

Example: we wanted to paint the front of our house, but the surface is not smooth. It's not stucco, but the bricks are placed in a way to have different levels. It's pretty but its a dust collector, too.

I chose  a nice, Savannah Brown color, thinking it would also make dirt less visible. The workers, who dealt with Ed had HUGE suggestions.

1. To remove the dirt (because the surface levels, being uneven, are pretty but also a dirt holder) one said get a super strong sprayer. We'd have to rent the sprayer, use a lot of water, and get an extension cord which would cost a lot of money.

2. We consulted another laborer. He said we needed a carver machine to get the dirt out, since it's embedded. The machine would cost a lot to rent, again require extension cables and raise our electric bill. Plus, we weren't sure how safe a carver machine would be to use on our walls.

3. My husband asked around. The solution: Muriatic acid. That's all.

4. Naturally, the workers exclaimed it wouldn't work. They wouldn't get a cent if we used muriatic acid. They talked to our maid and insisted their way was right. So, I youtubed the use of muriatic acid to clean cement, and found one. I showed our maid, and she went back and said yes, it would work.

5. My husband saved thousands of pesos by just buying muriatic acid and safety stuff for the workers and some plastic bottles. THOUSANDS. They spent the whole day cleaning the front and when they were finished, it was so clean, it seemed the house didn't need a paint job anymore.

6. But I knew our savannah brown paint would be a good long term solution to "blend in" with nature's ways. Besides, the paint we got is a bit more expensive, but I've tried so many brands and this is the BEST. It even repels dirt.

Our house is a lovely Savannah brown, and the job was done in just two days. I'm not gonna photograph the house yet because we still have to do accent painting. But I love the fact that we saved so much money because my husband and I are now working in tandem. Guess he realized the house renovation is inevitable, so if you can't fight it, join it. Thanks, hon:).

Ranting over Elance

I'm not going to go over the terrible experience I've been having with Elance lately. This was my first time to get a job on this site, and trying to withdraw my payment has been a horror movie. I'll get to the details later.

For now, let me say that I am not alone. After doing some research, I found other rants about elance. They are here:

https://forums.digitalpoint.com/threads/do-not-use-elance-as-a-buyer-or-provider-or-contractor.2628843/

https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/Sending-money-Archive/payment-wont-process/td-p/422591

http://blog.diniscruz.com/2012/05/making-payments-using-paypal-at.html

My personal story will follow when this frustration I feel has settled down.

Before then, I will continue with my series on social media marketing.

Marketing on Social Media (2)

Note: This is a work in progress. As a result, it is not infrequent that as new information arises that gives more clarity to what I'm writing about, it will be incorporated into parts 1
and 2 to further explain each item in a clear, understandable and easy-to-follow format.

At the same time, to enhance clarity and present the info in an orderly fashion, pieces of info that may have appeared in part 1 may suddenly appear in part 3. I'm doing it this way so that the information I uncover can be presented in a more orderly way, making the content more user friendly and understandable.

Things that are useful to know about your ideal audience:

At this point, you may think you know your ideal audience quite well. However, the advantage of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest et. al. allows you to discover a lot more information than you could get from a conventional survey, and you can get the information a lot quicker, too. This unconventional information must be constantly updated in real time, as must the information you receive in your surveys. Use this to your advantage, as unconventional information can be useful to your marketing strategy.

Some things you can learn about your target audience through social media are;

Their likes and dislikes. Ask yourself: what does this information tell your about your market? How can you relate this information to your business?

Their values. For example, if you are selling a complementary health product, it will help to know that your target audience advocates alternative health.

Lifestyle. What do you know about their lifestyle? Do they live off the grid or are they city folk? If these people constitute your ideal market, it's up to you to figure out how to present your product in a way that fits into their lifestyles.

Knowledge. What magazines and web content do they read? What TV shows do they like? (Action, comedy, drama, history, others). This knowledge can give you clues to other social media sites that you can look into. It can also guide you on ways to present your business.

Product use. What aspects of your product/service are most appealing to your ideal audience? How do they use your product? This may sound simplistic, but coconut oil has many uses, and I use it primarily on my dogs after they are bathed, like a shampoo rinse. So I'm a regular buyer but I don't use coconut oil in the conventional sense. Also, know when they use your product or service. Is it on special days, or a special time of the day?

The better you understand your Ideal market, the better you can make your product/service relevant to their lives. Also, knowing your ideal market well will guide you when it is time for engagement (this will be explained in a future blog).

Don't forget to keep an eye on leads

You want to focus on your ideal market. But you also want to keep your eye on leads -- people who may not be your ideal audience now, but have the potential to someday be your ideal audience in the future.  

Your objective is always growth, so focus on your ideal audience; and when it comes to expansion, keep your eye on leads. Gather knowledge about them to guide you on the proper time to engage them, and how to engage them. 

Now that you have an ideal audience for your product or service, you can prepare to engage them in a way that is very subtle. This will come in my next blog.

Marketing on Social Media (1)

Note: This is a work in progress and so I am constantly doing more research and putting it all together in a simple, doable fashion that will help people to learn about social media and how they can become social media practitioners themselves, especially if they are on a budget and want to promote something of their own.

As I have been writing my series, new information continues to come out, which helps me to see that there are better ways to organize the information that I am giving to my readers. For this reason, don't be surprised if you find Part I updated along with Part II, and Part III as I continue to write this course. 

Part I (updated three times so far)

I have been trying to learn about marketing on Social Media for a long time, but I keep getting bits and pieces of information, yet never really get a cohesive, structured picture of how it is done.

I realized that oftentimes, this is because people who write about social media will give a little bit of information, but not all. They will leave gaps in between, and then sell you their services.

As a result, I decided to do a little research and write down an orderly approach to social media marketing, with all gaps in between answered. In that way, I will better absorb what I learn and can pass it on to whoever wants to learn, too.

Why Social Media Marketing matters

These days it still feels good to see your byline on a print publication such as a magazine or newspaper. The same could be said for advertising of products, services and gaining traffic to websites and blogs. 

But statistics indicate that 76% of businesses today use social networking; and businesses that introduced social media marketing to its overall marketing strategy saw increased revenue of up to 133%.

Steps for marketing on social media:

1. Have a targeted plan. Plan your social media strategy with your specific target in mind. From there, make sure that everything you do on social media aligns with your target market, and your goals for both your short and long term social media marketing plan.

What goes into making a targeted social media marketing plan?

a. Define your target public. You can know who your target audience is in two ways. First, look at your product and determine who would most be interested in what you are offering.

Ask yourself: What are you selling, and what makes it different from other, similar products that can be bought in major stores? Maybe you are selling rare food items that are difficult to access, such as third wave coffee or extremely high-end olive oil. This means your target audience is likely may be a chef, gourmand or an habitual homemaker epicure.

Who do you want to sell your products to? If your product targets families, you may want to focus on the decision maker of the family, the one who decides how to spend the money. In the earlier mentioned example of selling of rare food items that are hard to access, you are targeting high-end restaurants, hotels, resorts, chefs, gourmets, and families who love to cook and don't mind spending a little bit to experiment with something special. You may also want to include people who are old and health conscious, because a number of high-end products focus on squeezing the total potential health nutients within their food products for the benefit of the consumer.

Why should people buy from you? Whether you are selling a product or a service, you have to offer more than just your product/service to convince people to buy from you. Do you sell from a store? If so, are you open 24 hours? Do you run an online store? Free delivery of items would be an added convenience to consumers. Or, you could offer package deals with discounts. It's all up to you.

At this point you have analyzed your product, and figured out why people would have an easier and more pleasant experience buying from your website. The next stage of the job is to know your market better.

Know your market

Demographics: This is the best way to know your market. Are you only selling in your community? Do you sell statewide? Nationwide? Overseas? You have to know the demographic you are reaching for, because this is where you will focus your marketing efforts.

Next you want to zero into your target market in a focused way. Ask yourself:

1. Who is your primary market? Maybe your products can be used by a wide range of people. But you want to identify your IDEAL consumer. This is your target market, and this is where you focus.

2. Get first hand contact with your ideal audience. Join a food fair or convention featuring products similar to yours. This will get you involved with your ideal buyer, and give you a chance to oversee strategies of your competition -- especially your strongest competition. Doing this is an important part of your overall strategy plan, and it will augment your online media source of data and information that can beef up knowledge of your ideal buyer.

Seek out potential customers and ask for informal feedback. For example, if your product is food, offer taste tests, then have a handy laptop where they can fill out survey questions that are vital such as You can, for example, hire a food booth in a food fare and offer free taste of your your ideal audience' name, economical status, food preferences, preferred condiment, and social media sites that they frequent. 

Find out if they've ever bought a food product online, and why or why not. (Especially important if you have an online store). Prepare surprise gift rewards for those who fill a survey that will help you more keenly know your ideal audience. 

Have a raffle afterwards and offer a free sample product to the survey winner. Take pictures and upload them on your website.

3. Publications: You may also be able to find information in publications, which may track demographics, sales information, trends in your industry, and other useful consumer information through:

Learn their obvious characteristics. Once you have settled on your demographic and ideal audience, you can expand beyond learning the obvious special characteristics of your market. You can get a lot of information about your ideal audience by social media that will not be covered in a form. this can include local values, preferences in pop culture, general likes and dislikes, etc. You are looking for patterns in these types of information that can guide you in the look of your website and how it will function;  the content that you will put on your website, the ads you will make for your products, your website blog, and the like.

What is The Coolest Way to Save Money?

By Mona Sabalones Gonzalez

I plan to save P68,900 by the end of the year. This chart to your left is the most doable approach I have ever seen in my lifetime.

I'm gonna spend the money on a vacation for the family here in the Philippines. If there's some money left over, I'll start putting it into stocks or a mutual fund or something.
Where did this amazing, doable money plan come from? Only from the most fantastic Filipina blogger I have ever come across. Her name is Kuripot Pinoy  and if you visit her site, you will find different ways to adjust this format to suit your earnings.

This has inspired me all year so far (it being only February). And, I'm passing this onto you. I visited Kuripot Pinoy today and found out SHE'S GETTING MARRIED. Good things happen to good people who show you good ways to live a life where dreams are reachable.