Not a LBM but awareness of heading towards debt crisis

themarsbargirl

hummingbird wrote: »

That website rings a bell with me....think I signed up to it once but I don't think I ever got as far as a cash out from it!

I gave up last time I did it but decided to do it as a slow burner just doing the £1 surveys this time...as long as the money makes it's way to me eventually.

I think you used to have to get up £50 to cash out.

themarsbargirl

So what has Ruthie been doing with herself today...
Contacted local food standards as hadn't heard from them re inspection and got a phone call from them within an hour and have arranged for next wednesday.
I've actually taken 2 phone calls today (one was from a very distressed lady trying to get hold of my Dad-he's a church leader), which is totally fricking amazing for me as I have a severe anxiety around using the phone and usually don't pick it up and have panic attacks if it rings!

So a quick round up...
* Steps - will input later when I go to bed as I pace quite a bit in the kitchen in evenings
* Jam stall - 2 jars sold today
* Debt overpayment - 1% extra paid off
*Spends - £2.50 on milkshake powder and chocolate...I still have just over £4 in my purse so if the weather is good enough to walk into town or a parental will give me a lift will visit the cheap market stall and see if he has any cheap chocolate for me.
*Surveys - hit payout of Vivatic but looks like it won't come till the end of June :mad: should hit swagbucks target for today, not entirely sure, depends how much SBTV I can get through before my parents kick me out of their bedroom.

I think I've had a pretty amazing day today...even if I've not got dressed at all which is becoming far too common....Dad doesn't even comment on me going out in my pjs now

themarsbargirl

Did 2924 steps today.
Hut daily target on swagbucks.
Did the first stage of making Lemon marmalade today but decided I was too tired to boil it up, so will finish it in the morning.

Why is it that the boring ones like strawberry jam and lemon marmalade sell best? I would have thought people would want something more exotic that they can't buy in the shops!

NotNormal

I knew I wasn't going crazy... Okay maybe I am. I recognised your name. I actually read your thread the day before you started commenting on mine!! I could have sworn I commented, but it doesn't look like I did.

How are things going with you today?

In regards to the jams etc. Where I used to live we had a farm shop that did regular jams and the more exotic kind. They had mini ones of the exotic kind as well as the big. Mini ones were like 50p/79p or some were free when you bought others. As well as doing samples. They said everyone wants something exotic in theory, but are scared of the flavour combinations. So you need to encourage them to try.. Could you do something like that maybe?

themarsbargirl

Things are okay today, I'm very tired and had a stressful morning because I went out shopping with Mum and I don't like people.

I have a plan to do a sort of garden tasting party when the weather is more predictable. Unfortuantely mini jars are so expensive that it wouldn't be worth it

NotNormal

Oh no, I know that feeling. Try and rest up for a little while, I know it doesn't shift that easy but I find curling up with a movie helps me to de-stress a little.

Ah yeah, small jars can be expensive I suppose. Have you checked if there are any good deals around? There is a deal on amazon for 100 mini jars for £30? Maybe you could save up towards doing it. Would be worth it if it improved your business. Also it's worth checking once you have all your checks, you may be able to sell online. I'd certainly be interested and I'm sure plenty of other people would be...

themarsbargirl

NotNormal wrote: »

Oh no, I know that feeling. Try and rest up for a little while, I know it doesn't shift that easy but I find curling up with a movie helps me to de-stress a little.

Ah yeah, small jars can be expensive I suppose. Have you checked if there are any good deals around? There is a deal on amazon for 100 mini jars for £30? Maybe you could save up towards doing it. Would be worth it if it improved your business. Also it's worth checking once you have all your checks, you may be able to sell online. I'd certainly be interested and I'm sure plenty of other people would be...

Yes, The minimum per jar cost for mini jars works out at about 30p a jar and most people wouldn't be interested in paying any more than that.

If I am going to do distance selling instead of direct selling then there are lots more regulations I have to meet and I'd have to get a refractometer to declare the sugar percentage of the finished product.

Also, with the cost of postage it would be hideously expensive, unless buying a fair few jars at a time the postage would equal or exceed the cost of the Jam!

If I decide to develop my business further then I may consider doing it, at least for the chutneys (no protected descriptions I have to meet for chutneys and pickles )

I have been thinking about doing a facebook page and a email newsletter if people sign up to it with a 'what is being sold this month' and 'where you can find me to buy this month' but that's kinda a future thing when my social anxiety has calmed down enough to allow me to craft fairs!

At christmas I may consider doing some online selling of chutney gift packs....I have seen gift packs with mini jars that sell for £5+ for only a few mini jars of jam! I just look at it and think "what a rip off!":rotfl:

NotNormal

themarsbargirl wrote: »

Yes, The minimum per jar cost for mini jars works out at about 30p a jar and most people wouldn't be interested in paying any more than that.

If I am going to do distance selling instead of direct selling then there are lots more regulations I have to meet and I'd have to get a refractometer to declare the sugar percentage of the finished product.

Also, with the cost of postage it would be hideously expensive, unless buying a fair few jars at a time the postage would equal or exceed the cost of the Jam!

If I decide to develop my business further then I may consider doing it, at least for the chutneys (no protected descriptions I have to meet for chutneys and pickles )

I have been thinking about doing a facebook page and a email newsletter if people sign up to it with a 'what is being sold this month' and 'where you can find me to buy this month' but that's kinda a future thing when my social anxiety has calmed down enough to allow me to craft fairs!

At christmas I may consider doing some online selling of chutney gift packs....I have seen gift packs with mini jars that sell for £5+ for only a few mini jars of jam! I just look at it and think "what a rip off!":rotfl:

Christmas deals - they used to do a hamper you could win full of jams, chutneys and some cheese. They had the selections like you said. They said the main time business was great was christmas because that's when people want the fancier stuff.

Have you looked at any b&bs local to you? I find they always try to have local stuff. You may be able to email some and see if they want to order some for their breakfast or sell some of it. I used to love that sort of thing when I stayed away from home.

Also if you check out bigger stores, they do fancy selections. You could use that as an idea of what people are buying, what prices.

I love the idea of a newsletter. You could do a flavour of the month, with maybe a discount to encourage them to try it.

Could you market online but sell locally? So people can order online to collect? Or would that come under the same rules?

Also instagram is great for getting attention, people love pretty pictures.

I used to do a bit of online marketing at previous jobs, so if you want any advice or just some help let me know. I would be happy for a new project. I miss doing stuff like that. I wouldn't expect any payment or anything, just would be nice to be busy lol.

Hmm yeah I suppose if you can only get 50p a jar, when you've paid 30p a jar it is a bit of a tight squeeze. Although maybe if you only did one or two in each flavour it could work out a good investment. Maybe trial run by having an open jar set up for tastings? Check out your local farmers market, people pay more there. You may not feel up to going to one yet, but you may be able to get someone to go for you. Or find out if there is anyone going that may take some along.

I know one of the stores at our old one did fancy breads etc. They paired up with a jam and chutney maker and sold her stuff there taking a small fraction from it, but it helped both their businesses as people would be a gorgeous loaf and a fancy jam/chutney.

In case that is a massive essay...

- Check local b&bs and hotels. See if they can sell some, want some to use or even just give out a newsletter/brochure.
- See if you can pair up with any other businesses.
- Social media to advertise, but sell locally still.
- Consider selling what you can online (you said chutneys have different regulations)
- There was a "tea" room near where I used to live. It was basically a stall like yours, but she set up a couple of tables and chairs so people could sit and have a coffee while they enjoyed her products.
- Work out if the small jars could be used as an investment. As you said you won't make money on them, but if they encourage new flavours they can ONLY get from you...
- Newsletter is a brilliant idea.

Also having some business cards, brochures etc you give out when people buy, encourages them to come back/spread the word. Could you maybe do one of those stamp cards? They get it stamped each purchase and after the 9th one they get the 10th free/reduced?

People love an offer!

themarsbargirl

* I've checked out the local speciality shops and other stalls, my price undercuts most of theirs...marginally. I did a lot of price research when I was considering setting up.

*B&Bs, I've not looked into this extensivly, but my suspicion is that it would count as distance selling regulations wise. I had considered trying to get some local cafes etc to switch their jam to me, but it comes back to the little jars and I simply cannot undercut tiptree and cut even.

*I can't do open jars and tastings at boot fairs/craft fairs (well I could but....) because of the Food Hygeine regs I would then need portable handwashing stuff etc etc and it would just be more trouble than it's worth.

*Making up some business cards is on my to do list, we have some sheets for printing business cards onto from my Grandad's house that I'm planning on using. Especially as I also cook to order (I have a friend who wants mini jars of jam as wedding favours when she gets married <BF hasn't even proposed yet:rotfl:> which I would do at cost for her for the advertising)

*Marketing online but selling locally is what I plan to do - mostly through Facebook and the newsletter (I even have a special business email address set up as I have to put an address on labels) hence the this month/this week you can find me at...

*I hadn't thought of doing a loyalty card, as at the moment I'm just selling from a stall in the front garden with an honesty box which makes it trickier to implement. I suppose I'd have to look at stickers that would be removable from the jar to stick on a card and then they could leave the full card in the honesty box.

*I need to sell enough to cover the cost of the 800 jars I got first, then look at other stuff. I have already thought about getting some presentation boxes to sell for christmas (which I will be hopefully doing from september...making christmas chutneys in August :rotfl:) I am seriously considering a small batch of mini jars....buy 2 and get a free taster when I'm craft/boot fairing. But I think that needs to wait for now. What I do sometimes do is put the ends that won't make a full jar into any empty mini jars we have lying around...but legally not allowed to sell (and I presume give away) stuff in reused jars...but my friends will get one slipped in

I had thought that come summer doing drinks from the front garden may get a fair bit of business because if people come out for an afternoon walk in the sun and get thirsty there are no shops near here, but I don't know if food standards are stricter on that (they're fairly lax on jam and marmalade cuz it's virtually impossible to poison someone with it!)

I don't do instagram. The internet in general scares me lol

themarsbargirl

Oh, and I do a multibuy offer if I'm asked specifically for one