Mooloo’s Managing it in 2018

Savvy_sewing · 29 April 2018 at 10:13AM

I try to get the money first, but most of them ring up.
I will have a chat with the staff and ask them to take a card payment over the phone.
I will have to write a letter to the parents and give them a warning.
I worried that it would stop bookings, but as I am definitely loosing funds I have to act now.
I am my own worst enemy as I have the terms and conditions on the Shop wall but I still find it difficult to ask for money upfront.

Re the girls night out! We never got the meal as a certain few were too drunk and the restaurant wouldn't let us stay. So I put one of them in a taxi and came home leaving the rest to carry on partying in another pub. So I had heated up leftovers!
Not quite a night out I expected. I am definitely too old for all that nonsense.
Having a cuppa before I go and get Dgd.
Have a trip round Aldi and change my Mum's bed as we didn't get to do it on Wednesday.

Savvy_sewing · 29 April 2018 at 1:20PM

Petrol put in car, £30 I use the select button in increments of £10 so I don't ever go that 1p over. Added up the shopping and stuck to my list apart from some extra fruit in Aldi as pineapple was 80p and strawberries £2.69.
£21.94 spent so I am happy with that. Now to make sure that I eat from my menu plan and not shop on the way home from school etc.
Dgd collected from Biggest. Drove home and then while putting the shopping away realised I forgot to go to Mum to change the bed. Spoken to her on Skype she is ok to wait until Wednesday.
Going to watch F1 before I do the office work later.

Savvy_sewing · 29 April 2018 at 3:29PM

Enjoyed the race. Now I need to summon the energy to do some jobs around the house.
First job peeling potatoes for dinner.
Washing machine load.
Wages.
Update Price List
Update website
Try to work on a blog post. They really are not on my radar properly yet.

*max* · 29 April 2018 at 8:28PM

*Robin* wrote: »

Just what I was thinking. Pay on booking, no refunds - if a child is not going to attend, let their parent gift the lesson to a friend if they wish..

Definitely. I'm thinking, would it even be worth selling the lessons as vouchers? As in, you could have two types, adult and child vouchers, and people would buy however many they want (on the spot!), and they could then use them to book a lesson on available dates - making the vouchers valid for say, 6 months? That way you have the money upfront, and if people don't use them, it's their own fault and you're not out of pocket! Plus, they could easily be bought as gifts!

beanielou · 29 April 2018 at 8:56PM

Great idea on the vouchers.

Savvy_sewing · 29 April 2018 at 9:51PM

We do do gift vouchers already.
We also have a buy it now button on the website, only one of the families takes advantage of the discount by buying a block of lessons. I am going to start to tell everyone that they must either pay on booking via the website or with a card details if they call.
I won't accept Facebook requests unless a payment is made in advance.
The price list has been updated and printed out. The website updated with prices and dates for courses.
I didn't get the blog done as I had problems with my phone not talking to the computer.
I watched escape to the Chateau and washed up dinner.
Time for bed.

*max* · 29 April 2018 at 10:48PM

I wasn't talking about gift vouchers. I was talking about vouchers, in the same way as Groupon.

It would be the only way to purchase a lesson - no more people booking and not turning up, and you losing money because you don't get it upfront.

Really, it would be quite simple, and would allow you to budget properly because you actually have the money. People not turning up would not be a problem anymore.

*max* · 29 April 2018 at 11:25PM

Mooloo wrote: »

We also have a buy it now button on the website, only one of the families takes advantage of the discount by buying a block of lessons. I am going to start to tell everyone that they must either pay on booking via the website or with a card details if they call.
I won't accept Facebook requests unless a payment is made in advance.

Do you mean your "Buy it now" button doesn't actually charge people?? Then it's not "buy it now", it's "book it now" - completely different, and the reason why you are failing on the lessons front. So people are able to book however many lessons, without paying for them, and you just have to turn up and hope some of them have turned up and have the cash?

Mooloo, this is wrong.

How have you not fixed this in all those years?

Savvy_sewing · 30 April 2018 at 6:59AM

*max* wrote: »

Do you mean your "Buy it now" button doesn't actually charge people?? Then it's not "buy it now", it's "book it now" - completely different, and the reason why you are failing on the lessons front. So people are able to book however many lessons, without paying for them, and you just have to turn up and hope some of them have turned up and have the cash?

Mooloo, this is wrong. How have you not fixed this in all those years?

No, you miss understood. The button is a pay now via PayPal. There problem is those who message me on Facebook or just telephone the Shop, or tell staff as they leave that they will be coming next week. Then they don't turn up.
I have one lady who is always booking her daughter in and then doesn't turn up, or turns up late, and has sent her with au pairs or her ex husband and conveniently forgotten to pay.
She is on my Radar for telling her that I will not be taking bookings unless paid in advance as she is loosing me money. Worst is she's supposed to be a millionaire.
I am getting tougher as I am more on top of the finances and doing the accounts and analysis more now. So I see the problems sooner now. Part of my a Managing It year.
My Portuguese is coming along slowly. I can understand more and more, although I don't find the system I use really helps me with talking it.
I will be writing it down to be understood.! So I need to find a way of practicing speaking!

Today I am awake fairly early, Biggest is dropping off DGS4 so I take him to school as she has the Doctors at the hospital this morning. I need to get moving sooner so I will be showered and ready half an hour earlier than normal.
Dgd left her lunchbox at school so I will be raking through the Tupperware for something suitable this morning for her lunch.
I also need to take my own lunch to save £2.50-£2.80 on sandwiches from next door.
I was researching the costs involved in buying property in Portugal and will need about 20% above the price of a house, so I will have to try harder at building the savings pot as I don't want to never reach my dreams.
The original retirement by 55 went passed in handouts to the children. Biggest and I worked out that in the last 12 years I have given away £60,000!!! Between them all. No wonder I have nothing left even after years of scrimping and trying to save. That is a serious amount of money wasted.
I don't think I have ever felt so disheartened in my life.
So tomorrow is the first day of a new month, and keeping a tight lid on the money has got to be the most important thing to do.
I have 10 years until my retirement date. That will be 12 years after my original plan!

If that doesn't keep the padlock on my purse nothing will!

beanielou · 30 April 2018 at 9:48AM

I like that.
Keep the padlock on my purse

Mooloo’s Managing it in 2018

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