Daydream thread... without the rose-tinted specs

RAS

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

phoebe, funny you should mention claiming...


we are with the Halifax, and up until now we have had a standard yearly summery, etc... this year the summery changed, so I phoned and asked questions.


Also in the post yesterday was a renewal for the insurance that we have never had before, PLUS when we took our mortgage out, they said we had to have this insurance to have the mortgage, they did tell us it would cover critical illness, but when we had this form through, it said hubby was only covered if he lost his job??? plus on this schedule it does say you can get quotes elsewhere...


so why haven't we had this type of thing before???


so do you think we have a case to claim? and what do we do? We are


We have never missed a payment, even when we have been totally on our backsides..

Ohh lummy yes.

An OP on here discovered that the insurance she had to take out paid out if her HUSBAND lost his job. He was unemployed and she was working but not covered!

Got is all back plus interest.

Head over here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=169

What you do need is reducing term life insurance on the outstanding mortgage to pay out on the first death.

Then think whether you want any other life insurance or critical illness cover given you are self-employed.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

thanks Ras..


we have a separate life policy one for me, and one for hubby, this was taken out a few years ago, when we agreed a mortgage to buy the 20 acres with the huge barn which was in the Brecon national park.. we were at the point of signing, we phoned the national park to find out about a planning application that was put in for something or other, and they told us it was automatically refused, and wasn't even going to go to planning.. which the vendor did know, but didn't say anything, he only told the estate agents it was put in, and this was put into the estate agents details.... so we pulled out... but still kept the life policies going... ( hope all that made sense lol)

RAS

CTC

If you want to reclaim the insurance that pays out when OH loses his job, the startiing point is a Subject Access Request. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1475553

Cost £10 and they have to give you every last bit of info they hold on your account.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

RAS wrote: »

CTC

If you want to reclaim the insurance that pays out when OH loses his job, the startiing point is a Subject Access Request. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1475553

Cost £10 and they have to give you every last bit of info they hold on your account.

thanks Ras, also on the schedule hubby is self employed, so what would happen if he had made himself unemployed???

RAS

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

thanks Ras, also on the schedule hubby is self employed, so what would happen if he had made himself unemployed???

CTC

I like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go for it. You need the money for other things now.

Dave - got over 50% germination at the mo but am somewhat later then you.

What was scary was the fact that the Meteor was 100% in a very short time. I suppose that Meteor just gorws that bit faster. Hope everythign else is OK.

Rummer and everyone else making difficult decisions, be kind to yourselves and hope it works out somehow.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

RAS wrote: »

CTC

If you want to reclaim the insurance that pays out when OH loses his job, the startiing point is a Subject Access Request. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1475553

Cost £10 and they have to give you every last bit of info they hold on your account.

so this is what I send the Halifax in the first instance with £10 yes?


as hubby is taking youngest to some sort of work related event ( son's work) I am here on my tod for most of the at... did want to go to ffairfach... but have decided not to go.


FK will catch up with you at another time....




davesnave I know fashion changes with plants etc...but what is/are the best stable bread and butter of someone selling plants? the odd couple that continuely sell ? or is it anything in flower to attacked people lol

Davesnave

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

davesnave I know fashion changes with plants etc...but what is/are the best stable bread and butter of someone selling plants? the odd couple that continuely sell ? or is it anything in flower to attacked people lol

The latter, mainly.

There are few plants that continually sell, but those like geraniums, which can be cut right back mid-season and then re-flower in late summer are obviously better than those which flower once for three weeks. The trouble is, the easy ones are the same old, same old, that everyone else has.:o

Flower is the most important thing, unless it's veg, of course.
Half the people who buy have already decided to get some plants, but the other half have to be nudged to do it on impulse. Big sellers know how to nudge.;)

You have a van and stall equipment already, which is a good start, but I'm not convinced that you can make any serious money from plants while keeping your head above water in other areas. You haven't the propagation facilities for a start. Sorry to be blunt, but I think that's a big problem.

It's a huge commitment going beyond the car boot sale stage, and so much work has to go in before anything is sold, like a year of preparation, ensuring there's a continual flow of stock.
And where does it all go?

So I'd focus on the car boots/local sales with cheap and cheerful things, whether it's veg, like trays of beans, or cheerful annuals like marigolds, plus some perennials, like those geraniums, which can just be divided, and divided, and divided.....See how you do. Competition is pretty fierce these days.

We didn't sell much that wasn't perennial and divisible, because I soon worked out that we didn't have the room to do anything else. Our business model was simply arranged around harvesting £12k+ worth of plants annually from a site of 1/5 acre. :eek:To do that, we needed a 'posh' image and 5 years of hard slog to achieve it. On the stall we were 'plantsmen,' but back home, our set up was really just a perennial sausage machine! :o:o

There are other models. For example, two ladies we knew grew and bought-in annual and tender perennial stock, which they held in large greenhouses. They then worked the plant fairs and markets, selling plug plants straight from the trays for about 60p each. By July, when the market collapses, they were all done, binned whatever was left and cleared off for their summer holidays. Reckon they were probably smarter than most! :rotfl:

COOLTRIKERCHICK

thanks for the info Davesnave, yes totally agree.. I got to much going on to do anything seriously at the moment... this year, and prob next year too, it will be 'dabbling' and a suck it and see attitude to see what potentially is worth taking further...and just generally gleaning info etc...


I know a lot more people are growing things now... and alot more people will be trying to sell surplus, or grow to sell.


Maybe I will be better off selling small buckets of pig poo, to add to people's compost bins.. lol....as they do do big poos lol


EDIT... there is one plant I could try and concentrate on and build up a clientele ... and no its now 'those' plants lol

Davesnave

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

thanks for the info Davesnave, yes totally agree.. I got to much going on to do anything seriously at the moment... this year, and prob next year too, it will be 'dabbling' and a suck it and see attitude to see what potentially is worth taking further...and just generally gleaning info etc...

When you are out and about at shows or boot sales, really study the stalls and see who is successfully selling. Take photos to remind yourself about the good ones.

Try to figure out why they are doing well. Is it presentation, clear pricing, offers (4 for price of 3) or whatever?

The hardest people to match will be those like we were, with a made-for-the job stall, professional labelling and everything colour co-ordinated. That's great, and it makes people confident to buy, but it really costs and isn't worth it, unless it's a long-term commitment. Similar can be achieved much more cheaply.

We had someone copy our style and it confused Joe Public so much, we decided to dump all our coloured table coverings and go for a new look. :mad: This shows just how much people were going by the look of the stall rather than the name above it.

P.S. Thanks for the additional info. I'll reply later.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

I know exactly what you mean about copying..when I started our business, we were the first business to offer a certain service, and now everyone is trying and jumping on the band wagon.. I ont mind competition, competition is healthly, but when its not on a legal playing field... then we just cant compete, considering our insurances and over heads are through the roof..


I know I am cheeky lol.. but have you got a pic of your stand all set up? and pm it to me..


I have been looking through the internet for display ideas etc