Today's secret's - 06/03/14 - Speaking well saves you money - tips and hints.

It is no secret that people are judgemental.

Sad but true.

If you speak correctly it opens more doors and people will listen.
Rightly or wrongly if you are confident and conversational in the way you speak you will find it easier to haggle for a bargain and to get people to agree with you.
If people can't understand you or don't take you seriously you will not get their cooperation.

Learn the correct words for things and the correct way to say words or else you may come across as unintelligent and lose the respect of the person you are trying to get to listen to you.

Make eye contact and be friendly, know your facts. Why should you get a discount? is the item cheaper elsewhere? does the item have a mark or smudge?

Don't be afraid to ask for a deal if you are buying a lot of something. Ask about store discounts or loyalty schemes.

Don't be rude always be polite and nice to the person. Be ready to walk away if you can not get a discount try this with mobile phone contracts and holidays.

Most services can offer something to keep you but be ready to have your bluff called if you are saying give me a discount or I am going to your competitor they may say bye then!!
Be a great customer so that they do not want to lose you. Pay your bills on time and don't be a problem customer or they may just be glad for you to go elsewhere.

To help you annunciate your words try a few tongue twisters (She sells sea shells on the sea shore) practise them and work on your pronunciation.
Record yourself and listen hard to your voice, practise breathing before you speak and then breathing between sentences. Keep your pace steady and your voice at an appropriate level.
Practise moving your lips and mouth, exaggerate the natural movements and see how that effects your speech.

The sounds m,v and f get lost in speech so try to make them active sounds. Stretch your mouth and practise the vowel sounds.

If you have difficulty with certain words whisper them to yourself a few times and then try again. It can often help.

Don't waste money on voice coaches or public speaking teachers just have confidence in your ability.

If you are required to speak in public for any event remember to speak clearly and not to rush. Try to have a guide line of what you want to say written down but don't read it out word for word or it sounds mechanical. Use your natural flare, be animated, enjoy what you are saying and use the tone and pitch of your voice to emphasise the important points.
Use your arms and hands more, be a bit of a caricature of yourself and move around a little if you can.
If you make a mistake just laugh it off and move on, don't dwell on it or you will begin to stumble over other words.
Breath and relax, if you have the time before a hard conversation, meeting or speech do a few stretches, your neck, back and shoulders need a good stretch and you need to stand up straight to keep your lung capacity at it's best.

Today's secret's - 04/03/14 - Fish for eating - save money and get the best.

Fish. Maybe an odd choice but there can be some real bargains to be had.

Did you know you can buy a salmon carcass from a fishmonger for a very cheap price? The meat on it is still salmon and can be used for fish pies, salads, soups and lots of other dishes.
Ask your fishmonger if there are any other bargains he has, he may have some fish he couldn't sell or some other bits you could use in a pie.

Buy cheap fresh fish at the end of the supermarket day (when it get's reduced to pennies) and then freeze it, you can wet it first to make a protective coat of water on the fish. It will keep for ages and can be used once defrosted like it is fresh, just don't freeze it again.

Make a tin of tuna go further. Add lots of sweetcorn and a little crumble of cheese and then mix with lots of mayonnaise or salad cream. It can now be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days and used on sandwiches, salads or in toasties. If you separate it before adding the condiment you can use half for a tuna bake and the rest can be kept as above.

If you want to buy a fish and need to check the freshness check the scales are bright, the gills are pink, the tail should be stiff and the eyes should be clear and not sunken.

Don't buy plaice that has roe in it as it will be tasteless.

Ray, skate and shark should be soaked in water for 20 min before cooking or they will taste of ammonia.

Don't always discard a mussel that doesn't open check there is enough room in the pan for them to open and stir regularly. Try to cook them in smaller batches as this lets them open freely.

Before you skin or gut a fish rub your fingers in salt to get a better grip. You can flash grill a fish first in a very hot grill as then the scorched skin is easier to remove. Clean the fish on newspaper or kitchen roll as this means no mess at the end, you can just throw out the paper.
Mustard will remove a fishy smell from a chopping board. For wooden/plastic chopping boards use a piece of lemon dipped in salt to remove stains and help with smells.
You can also use lemon on your hands to get rid of fishy smells.

Cover a fish with batter or breadcrumbs by putting them in a bag and then put in the fish and shake gently.
Half a teaspoon of sugar in a batter mix will make it stick better.
You can used crushed up crisps as a coating for fish. Yummy!

You don't need an expensive steamer for fish just place a colander over a pan of boiling water put the fish in and cover with a lid. If you are shallow frying the fish dip it in boiling water first so it won't fall apart once cooked.

To get a few drops of lemon juice for a dish by piercing a lemon with a cocktail stick and then squeezing. Then leave the cocktail stick in the hole and store the lemon for use another day.

Haddock is very salty so poach it in milk, trout goes well with balsamic vinegar and bacon laid over white fillets helps them to stay moist.

Add celery to the pot when cooking fish to help reduce the odour. Use vinegar in the wash or soak them in a little tea when cleaning the pots and pans it will stop them coming out as smelly as they went in.

 

Today's Secret's - 3/03/14 - House buying and selling - hints and tips to get the best bargain possible

Firstly Selling - Clean, clean, clean. Repaint areas that are very grubby, tidy away everything non essential and wash down anything like sofa's etc. They may not be buying those things but you need to show your house at it's best. NO clutter!

Ask a friend round to have a look and give you a brutally honest review. Take on board what they say and try to change the things they didn't like. It is all about pleasing the public not yourself. Fix any little annoying jobs like a dripping tap or a squeaky door.
Clean your windows and remove nets to let in light.
Don't use strong air fresheners or brew coffee as it makes buyers suspicious.
Keep pets out of the way and do not have too many people in the house as it can be intimidating.

Research estate agents - register as a buyer and see what sort of service you get. If you go with an estate agent get a friend to register as a buyer and see if they get told about your property. Make sure any pictures taken are in colour.
Never say you want a quick sale.

To see what sort of price you will get look at four properties near by for sale and work out their average price, remove 5% to get a realistic selling price. (Aim to put yours on the market for about 10% more than you actually want at least)

If the house you are selling is empty get the mail cleared regularly and air the property.

When a potential buyer turns up make them welcome and offer a drink, turn off the telly and be nice.
Give them an information pack about building plans, utility costs, local transport and a map showing the area.

Solicitors? Don't go with the agents recommendation look for yourself and ask friends. Get a solicitor in place as soon as you put your house up for sale to save time. Keep a record of everything your solicitor does and all contact just to cover yourself.

Buying - If you find an area you like check local papers for any information like flooding, crime or plans for new runways!
Go to the area as much as you can to look around and get to know the streets and people also look for new for sale signs then get in first for a viewing.

Look at the rooms and not the furniture. Would your large sofa fit? Would there be room for your huge TV or would the room be dwarfed?

Check cupboards and under stairs for signs of damp and be suspicious of strong fragrances as these could be being used to cover a damp smell.

Look for a new home over C
hristmas or the holidays as this is a quiet time and you can get a good deal.

View the house at different times and different days and if you don't feel too silly doing it go at night and sit nearby in your car. You can see if the neighbours party all weekend or have a large dog that barks into the night.

Willow trees near by could mean an underground water supply but this could mean damp. Check the property well before making a decision. Bulging walls can mean the roots of the tree's are interfering with the property structure so get this checked out. Think about the leaves you will have to tidy up and how the house will look at different times of year. With no leaves on the trees will the house be overlooked?

Try out a tap upstairs to make sure the water pressure is good.

Always change the locks in a house when you move in to be sure no one else has access.