Mistakes Making A Mountain Of Your Moving Costs

You’ve got the new home, you’ve got the down payment or deposit gone, you’ve finished with conveyancing and agents and all of that lengthy process. Now moving day is coming up and you may feel that your budget is quite tight. You can’t afford an expensive process, so what mistakes do you need to navigate to make sure you avoid that?

Moving absolutely everything

If you haven’t given much thought to what you’re taking with you, you might find that you have many more boxes that you expected to be taking. Simply put, this might be down to the fact you’re taking a lot of unnecessary junk. Take the time to make an inventory of everything in the home and find what you really don’t want or need anymore. Instead of bringing it with you, sell it to make some quick cash that can work against your expenses. If you can’t, then simply donate it (which might earn you a tax cut) or bin it if nothing else works. You’ll have less packing to do, and less stuff to pay to move.

Not knowing what you need in advance

You should have everything itemized and packed long before you talk to any local movers. Once you know exactly how many boxes you have and how much space you’re going to need, you can get into specifics. Rather than asking for estimates, you should be able to get a direct quote based on how many vehicles and what kinds of vehicles you will need to take all your belongings from one location to the next. Make sure you confirm ahead of time that there are no hidden costs involved in any quotes, too.

Not getting what’s there for free

If you haven’t packed yet, then reconsider how you do it. If you get boxes and packing materials from either the moving company or your local supply stores, you’re spending money that might be unnecessary. A lot of businesses such as grocery stores, hardware stores, and the like might have boxes they would otherwise crush and recycle. You can get it free from them. Instead of bubble wrap or packing peanuts, you should consider using paper to pack your boxes. Blankets, sheets, and even old socks can fit just as well. So long as your possessions are well cushioned, the material isn’t the most important thing.

Make the distance

If you’re moving long distance, there are a few ways to prepare in advance. Rather than having the moving company help you unpack and set up all night, extending your costs, just have them bring the boxes in and leave. You can save money and unpack yourself the next day, bringing an overnight bag to spend the night there. If it’s a very long distance and you’re moving your stuff yourself, see if you can stay at a relative’s or a friend’s on the way there instead of having for fork out for a motel.

Moving day can be surprisingly expensive on top of quite a labor. But it doesn’t have to be. The tips above are going to help you prepare in advance not just to budget things but to make the move as painless as possible.

Beat The Rising Costs Of Driving With These Useful Tips

Each year the cost that comes with running a car goes up, which is why more and more people are having to use public transport instead of their own cars to get around. It’s a shame that so many people are now no longer able to afford to drive just because of the rising cost of running a car. However, the good news is that although car running costs are on the rise, that doesn’t mean that owning a car is unaffordable, it’s just a case of being smart about your spending and knowing how to cut costs. To make this easier, below are some tips and suggestions to take note of.

Find ways to reduce the cost of your insurance

One of the biggest costs that most drivers face is the price of their car insurance, which is a legal requirement if you want to be out on the road. The good news is that when it comes to cutting car insurance costs, it’s actually relatively easy to do. You see, car insurance premiums show how safe a driver you are, so the safer you become on the roads, the lower the cost of your car insurance will be. One way to reduce the premium that your insurance company is charging you is to undergoing a defensive driving traffic school online course or a course that is completed in person. By completing a defensive driving course, your insurance company may reduce your premium based on the assumption that you are a safer driver.

Make car maintenance a priority

Another reason for the high costs that come with driving is because cars have a tendency to breakdown and can often need replacing, which can be costly. However, if you are willing to make car maintenance a priority, you can reduce the likelihood that your car will break down and need to undergo costly repairs or will need replacing.

Be a more efficient driver

Another way that you can reduce the costs associated with driving is to be a more efficient driver. This means driving in a way that will mean your vehicle uses less gas, and so, you have to spend less money running your car. Driving your car efficiently means always driving in the correct gear for the speed that you are traveling at. Otherwise, you will use less gas than necessary.

Take out breakdown cover

A lot of drivers report that one of the most expensive parts of running a car is dealing with a vehicle breakdown. However, that’s only true if you don’t have breakdown cover in place as if you do, then breaking down doesn’t tend to be expensive as your car can often be fixed or towed for free as part of your policy. However, if you have no breakdown cover in place, this is when things can get pricey, which is why it’s worth taking out breakdown cover, to ensure that should your vehicle breakdown, you are covered.

There you have it, the best advice for beating the rising cost of driving.

How to Fight Fraud on Your Ecommerce Site

Making money online is pretty easy, and getting conned is equally as easy too. If you own an ecommerce site, you need to be extra cautious in dealing with customers. The following are some helpful suggestions on how you can fight fraud on your ecommerce site:

> Be sure to put up fraud notices on your website.

Clearly state that necessary action will be taken against all violators. By doing so, you will be sending out an open message to scammers to keep off. Most importantly, this will tell scammers that you can track them through their email and IP addresses. The thought of this will be enough to keep them off.

> Analyze all your orders carefully.

Instincts always work best in business. Always trust your instincts whenever you come across suspicious orders. Check them out thoroughly to put your doubts to rest. Look out for signs like:

* Orders that don?t seem to be keen on the features of the specific product in question.

* If several orders are being placed for the same expensive item.

* Large orders that are requesting urgent overnight shipping or delivery.

These are some red flags you should always keep in mind. Most importantly, make sure that the customers fill out all the compulsory fields on the order information forms.

> Perform AVS (Address Verification Services) on every transaction.

This will help you make sure that the information provided by the customer matches that of the information on the file of the card or payment issuing bank. However, this service doesn?t work for countries outside the US. This means that you cannot exclude all orders that have different addresses, unless you?re running a business locally within the US.

> Get the card verification numbers and expiry dates.

Credit cards, master cards and visa cards generally have 3-digit security numbers at their back sides, and expiry dates at their front sides. Make sure you verify these codes and dates before authenticating any delivery. Make sure that each and every digit matches. If customers are providing account numbers to make payments, make sure that the account number is correct.

> Be extremely cautious when handling orders from abroad.

Most fraudulent cases originate from overseas countries. The most fraudulent activities are usually reported to originate from African and Asian countries. Always be extra cautious about accepting orders from such countries.

> Be sure to use software that help prevent fraud.

There are several fraud prevention software out there in the market, which help track any fraudulent activities automatically. Make sure you get authentic software. Master card and visa card also provide free tools that help in fraud detection. You can also use those as alternatives.

Over the last 3 years, Richard has been working on the Magento Enterprise platform developing large ecommerce sites. Aside from work, Richard is a regular blog contributor for several sites.

Be Well Equipped for your Catering Business

Food and cookery has never been more popular, with the ubiquity of cookery programs and celebrity chefs. As a result, in relation to food, our standards have rose considerably, and now people know more about food, what constitutes great cuisine and the importance of quality ingredients.

With the above in mind, there has never been a better time to establish a catering business. In these tougher economic times, catering is one sector that is thriving, and represents a great business model for anyone with a passion for food.

As the people that you serve will have more knowledge of food, it is key that your catering business cuts the cake but doesn't cut corners. A key aspect of this is ensuring that your business has the right catering equipment, and thankfully you can look on-line for anything that you need, such as catering cutlery sets.

Catering is an extremely equipment heavy business, and often you will be required to serve hundreds of customers. This necessarily requires not only manpower, but equipment power: so you will need larger refrigerators, disposable items and uniforms for your employees.

Scrimping on this kind of gear is not a good idea, and if you do you could end up flouting legislation, pertaining to food safety. As a result, when establishing a food-based business like a catering business a key aspect is ensuring that you source the right catering supplies.

Bio: This guest blog post is written by Webmaster of 3663cateringequipment.co.uk, offering catering equipment and cheap catering equipment services!