Tag: budget

by Incredible Planet Staff

6 Ways to Save for Your Dream Wedding


People

The wedding is one of the significant milestones in life. It is a special day, and that is why everyone looks forward to making it memorable by going all out to make it big and memorable. Everyone dreams of a big wedding, beautiful cars, gorgeous flowers, a lavish reception with hundreds of guests to share in the joy of their special day. However, all those big wishes cost a lot of money.  Although it seems brilliant to have a glamorous wedding, nothing is encouraging in starting married life in debt since arguing over money is the root of most divorce.

It is, however, wise to start your married life on a firm footing by planning and having enough savings for your dream wedding. To guide you in planning your wedding, here are 6 ways to save for your dream wedding and avoid starting out with huge debts and bills to settle.

  1. Start Saving

An average wedding costs about $40,000. You should start saving towards the amount if you do not have that sum already, else, you may end up borrowing. As soon as you have your wedding in sight, start saving at every opportunity that comes your way. Have regular amounts of cash you will be saving into a special account for your wedding. Ask around; you can even find a savings account paying a nice interest rate. Hire a financial advisor to help you plan out your finances when it comes to saving.

  1. Have Priorities

A wedding has several aspects that require a lot of cash. However, you should prioritize certain aspects to cut down on expenses, and yet have a memorable day. Wedding aspects you can prioritize include wedding videography, wedding photography, dresses or clothing, transport, ceremony, reception, wedding rings, and entertainment. Allocate more fund to aspects with higher priorities and reduce spending on the rest.

  1. Have a Budget

Consider your estimated savings and the cost of the prioritized aspects of your wedding to create a workable budget for your wedding without breaking the bank. Having created a budget, make sure you stick to it under any circumstances.

  1. Do It Yourself

While the popular belief is to hire an event planner to handle your wedding from A to Z, there are several things you can do by yourself to save money. You could ask someone you know that can make a fantastic wedding cake to help you with one and other things you ask family, friends, and relatives to help you do.

  1. Negotiate

As you are trying to stay within budget, negotiate with any wedding service providers you contact for reasonable prices – bridal stores, caterers, florists, car rental companies, wedding videographers and photographers, reception halls, and lots more. Tell them you are looking for god prices to make your choices.

  1. Cut out Statement Items

As you are trying to save money for your wedding, you have to remove certain statement items from your list. You can drop buying a designer wedding dress and choose the “off the rack” dress and still look fabulous while you save money.

Start your home on a firm financial footing by following the 6 ways you can save for your dream wedding.


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by Incredible Planet Staff

Business Risks Your Start-Up Needs To Be Aware Of


Business

No matter how much you plan when it comes to setting up a start-up, there are always scenarios where your business could be at risk. The first year of the business is the most important and is often the tell-tale sign of whether or not the business is likely to be successful. Here, we’re taking a closer look at the business risks your start-up needs to be aware of, prior to setting up.

Financial Risks

One of the biggest and most obvious risks for a start-up is maintaining strong finances throughout the first year of business. While it is unlikely that your business will breakeven in the first year, due to the extensive amount of costs when initially starting up, making sure that you are able to cope with the additional pressures on the financial side of your business is important. It is important that you protect your business from any additional financial risk too, such as loss of income, or the possibility of legal fees due to an accident caused by your business’ activities.

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This is especially important for businesses who work around the public, where health and safety can be compromised due to the work you’re carrying out. Each business is able to take out a specific type of insurance, most suitable for them. For example, a cleaning company would be able to take out specific cleaner insurance, and an electrician would be able to take out unique tradesman insurance best suited for them. Make sure you are prepared for every scenario in order to help minimise business risk.

Market Risk

No matter what you’re looking to sell, whether a service or a product, the market risk is one of the biggest considerations. If the market is slowing down and people aren’t purchasing your products, then you will need to ensure that you have some form of a back up plan. Make sure you have thoroughly researched all of your market opportunities prior to setting up, as this will provide you with a gateway into seamless transactions. Even if your initial customers are consistently purchasing from you, keeping an eye on upcoming competitors will help to ensure that you maintain your slice of the market share.

Legal Risks

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Alongside the possibility of having to deal with a member of the public making a legal claim against your business, there are a number of other rules and regulations that you will need to take into consideration. These will vary from industry to industry, with construction businesses, all companies will have to register under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS). In addition to this, there are various internal regulations when it comes to hiring staff that you will need to keep in mind, labelling requirements, advertising rules and much more. Health and safety regulations are subject to change on a frequent basis also, so make sure that you keep this in mind.

With so many risks to consider, having a business plan which is thorough, but also flexible in order to encompass the changing legal and market landscapes, will help to ensure that your business is prepared for any event in order to succeed.

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by Incredible Planet Staff

Best Camera Tripod Position for Photographers


Technology

All photographers require a good camera tripod mount to make sure the camera is stable, to get the best camera tripod position and to produce sharp, professional pictures. If you are taking those difficult photographs, either still images or motion shots, a tripod is ideal for keeping your camera steady. This item of kit is used extensively by the very best photographers operating at a professional level in order to achieve the best possible standards in their photography. Good tripod position can help you to take great photographs if you have shaky hands.

So many different photography situations demand the use of camera tripods. There are a variety of tripods from which to choose. Mini camera tripods can be used to fit on top of a table to get the best possible camera tripod position. There is a wide range of prices as well as sizes of tripods from cheap basic tripods to expensive multi-featured large tripods. However, there are still bargains to be had for the amateur photographer on a budget.

You get what you pay for. Expensive tripods come with premium features such as improved camera on tripod mount connections and stronger feet to help grip the tripod to rough ground. At the very top of the range, many good tripod mounts are pricey and made of wood for professional studio use.

Small mini tripods can handle weights of around 50lbs. To be completely anchored to the ground, a full-sized tripod is required for heavy equipment. If you are using compact equipment, carry a small portable tripod to help make travelling around easier.

Finding a good camera on tripod position can be very useful when taking family portraits. You can use the timer on your camera when you set up the camera on the tripod. Once the camera is in the correct position and the timer is set, take your position with your family for a great photograph.

Another example of using tripod position is when taking school photographs. Place each child in front of the camera in turn, once it has been set up. This will result in perfect pictures every time. It is easy to take many photographs of subjects in the same place. As long as the subject is placed in the correct position in each photograph, the placement of the camera on tripod is the same every time.

When choosing a tripod, consider what it will be used for before buying. You may need some features more than others so these should be prioritised. The weight of your camera is also important as the tripod must be able to bear this weight and you will need a good tripod mount if you plan to use heavy kit. Also consider the locations in which the camera tripod will be used and whether you require the facility to take images from a height.

Finally, make sure you keep to a budget so you don’t end up spending too much money. You can find many high street photography stores on any high street or on the internet and prices vary wildly. Do the due diligence and find out as much as you can about each dealers reputation before making your choice.

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by Incredible Planet Staff

How to Budget for Holiday Shopping


Lifestyle

Christmas season is a time to be jolly and to be thankful for all the blessings that we have received. For other people though, they perceive the holiday season as a time for shopping at the last minute and being stressed about the pressure of gift-giving.

How can you avoid feeling like Mr. Grinch and instead channel your inner Santa Claus during this festive season? You’ll be able to enjoy the holiday season more without stressing out too much if you have made a good plan for your shopping. Follow these tips to a headache-free and hassle-free gift-giving season:

Start Saving Early

Avoid the headache caused by holiday gift shopping expenses by making a plan early. You don’t need to wait a month or two before Christmas and start saving. You can start as early as beginning of the year, or a day after Christmas. If you allocate a portion of your savings towards your holiday shopping as early as you can, you’ll have a lot of money saved when the gift-giving season comes.

Set a Budget Within Your Reach

Though we love to lavish our loved ones with luxurious gifts such as designer bags and clothes, not many of us can’t afford it. To 3 avoid bankruptcy and credit card debt, make sure that you are planning a budget that is realistic.

Sure, money is not an issue if you’re earning a 6-figure salary every month. However, if you’re just like the majority of people who make a average earnings, setting up a budget within your means is doable and wise and can help with you avoiding high bills after the holiday season.

Create a Shopping List

Making a holiday shopping list is like creating a layout when you’re designing a house. This list will serve as your guide for the holiday season. What should be included in the list?

First, write down the names of the people that you’re planning to give gifts to–you can even use an app. Next to their name, create an estimate budget for each individual and what gift are you planning to give to them. This way, you have a rough estimate of how much you would be totally spending.

Do Your Homework

We all want to get the best deal there is, don’t we? It’s a bummer when you purchased an item at a higher price when it’s offered at a much lower price at other shops.

Check with different shops first and see which one offers the lowest rate. If you’re shopping at your local stores, visit each store first and compare their prices. Local business usually have promotions going on so checking out which shop you will get the best value for your money is a good idea. If you’re shopping online, you can use websites that compare products offered by retailers.

Countdown to the Holidays

Not in the mood for holiday shopping yet? One way to beat procrastination is by counting down the days before Christmas. You can either put an X mark on your calendar or use countdown apps on your mobile phone.

If you know how many days left before Christmas, you can plan your shopping really carefully. You can even create a task once in every two weeks to do your holiday shopping. This way, you won’t cram all of your shopping into one day when the holiday season is near.

Be Thoughtful When it Comes to Your Gifts

The goal of giving gifts is that the receiver would love what was given to them. You just can’t give presents just for the sake of giving. Be thoughtful and creative with your gift ideas.

Take into consideration the things that your recipient wants and if it’s going to be useful for them. When all else fails, giving a gift card is a great gift option.

Get on Your Shopping Game

After all the sleepless nights spent on brainstorming and creating holiday shopping strategy, it’s time to put that plan in action. Shopping is one of the most pleasurable experiences so enjoy every moment going through shops and looking for unique items. Be on the lookout for great deals and promotions. Saving a few dollars per gift item will go a long way.

Make use of coupon codes and cashback offers as well. There are also lots of online retailers that offer free shipping–don’t be shy on taking advantage of as much freebies as you can.

Be wise and creative when it comes to holiday shopping–it is only one of many ways your spending money this season. If you carefully plan out everything as early as you can, you will be able to look forward to a festive and happy holiday season.