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Tips on Hiring a Handyman

2008-03-07T12:02:00.004-05:00

When ‘reminding your spouse repeatedly about the list that needs to be done around the house’ is now a pointless exercise or when some home repair, maintenance or improvement requires technical expertise, it’s time to call a handyman professional.

Here are 5 tips on making the hiring of a handyman a positive experience for you:

1. Do your Honey-Do List. Do a walk-through of your house, inside and out and make a list of repairs that need to be done. Group the tasks together ie minor and major tasks, one-time work and those that require ‘come-backs’ to complete and a list of materials needed. This way, your handyman will be able to organize the order of tasks, saving time and reducing the cost of repairs.

2. Do a Reality Check. Choosing a handyman from the yellow pages or online is not enough. Talk to friends and neighbors and gather recommendations. Find out the kind of repair or maintenance work that was done for them. Depending on the type and amount of work or home projects that needs to be done in your home, weigh the pros and cons of using a reputable local independent handyman and an established home repair company in terms of affordability, convenience and quality.

3. Ask Questions. Start asking questions. Know what’s included in the price – any hidden fees, trip charges to your home and the hardware store? Will you supply the materials? Is the handyman licensed, insured, bonded? How many years have they been in business? Is the work priced per hour or per job? Free estimates? Ask for references and follow-through with phone calls to check on previous or current customers’ experience with the handyman or home repair service company.

4. Get a Contract in Writing. Protect yourself and your home. Ask for a contract. A trustworthy handyman or service company will provide a written proposal for work to be done. This ensures they will deliver what they have promised to do. You will have peace of mind knowing you are protected against any liability while the handyman is working in your premises. Just remember: Do not pay the full amount until all work has been completed.

5. Keep a Relationship. Great home repair service is hard to find these days so once you have found the dream one, stick with it. You never know when you will be needing a handyman again.

Join the hundreds of home and commercial property owners who have discovered House Doctors of Northern Virginia. They don’t just patch things up. They fix it, change it, repair it or build it! They’re not called House Doctors for nothing! Quick response, excellent craftsmanship, affordable rates and great customer service!

Loudoun Rewards members get 10% discount on any work over $200 and $25 off maintenance contracts.

House Doctors of Northern Virginia

Handyman Professionals/Home Improvement

20771 Ashburn Rd. Ashburn, VA 20147

(703) 286-5388

www.housedoctors.com/santucci/home
hd485@housedoctors.com

8 Tips on Stretching Your Dining Dollars

2008-01-08T09:21:00.000-05:00

Frugal eat-outs does not always mean looking for cheap eats. One can still enjoy dining in a decent restaurant that will not necessarily put a hole in your pocket.

If you follow these simple tips, you’ll save a lot of money but the dining experience will still be the same:

1. Check restaurants online.
Find good restaurants through your local online community sites and read through food reviews. Most restaurants post their menus in their websites. Check their hours and prices for lunch and dinner and the days and times when they have a special offering.

2. Share your meal.
If you’re familiar with the restaurant’s food portions, share large entrees. China Way in Sterling, specializing in seafood dishes aside from the usual Chinese fare, offers dinner entrees good for 2 persons. La Chocita Grill along Loudoun St. in Leesburg has huge entrée portions which can also be shared. Be sure to ask the restaurant about their policy in terms of sharing meals.

3. Small Portions, Small Prices
Order small portions, just enough to fill you up, not out. The difference in price can cover your drinks. Some restaurants offer 2 size meals. Xuan Saigon in Leesburg offers. Pho Soup in 2 size bowls and Asia Café in Ashburn offers small, combo or large servings all day.

4. Order Starters
Order appetizers instead of an entrée meal if you’re into eating small meals throughout the day. A Taste of Burma in Sterling has 10 meat and vegetable appetizers to choose from. Café Opera in Broadlands has 16 choices of Shanghai, Beijing, Thai, Vietnamese, Hongkong and Indonesian appetizers.

5. Go to a same price lunch & dinner menu restaurant
We already know it’s cheaper to eat out for lunch than dinner but sometimes, after a hard day’s work is when we want to relax and enjoy a good meal with friends and loved ones. There are still some good restaurants offering same price meals for lunch and dinner. Check out Xuan Saigon and La Chocita Grill in Leesburg and A Taste of Burma in Sterling.

6. Get your money’s worth at a lunch buffet
Help yourself to as much food in an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet if you want to get the best value from a meal. (Just eat light at dinnertime. It’s good to avoid large meals at night, anyway.) Banjara Indian Cuisine in Ashburn has a large selection of meat and vegetarian dishes daily from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm; up to 3pm on weekends.

7. Brown-bag it
Don’t be embarrassed about brown-bagging your leftover food even from a fine, classy restaurant. It’s yours. You paid for the whole thing. Enjoy your whole meal and savor each course. You will not only experience good dining but will be able to stretch one meal into two.

8. Get your Loudoun Rewards Savings Card Now and SAVE.
With your Loudoun Rewards Savings Card, you can get the following discounts from these local restaurants:

2 for 1 on 1st visit:
Xuan Saigon, JW Bistro (Oriental Kitchen), Vocelli Pizza, Caribou Coffee, Milwaukee Frozen Custard

50% off 2nd entrée on 1st visit:
Banjara Indian Cuisine, China Way, Countryside Café & Pizzeria, Desi Grocery & Kabob, GG Café, JP’s Deli, Rangoli Indian Restaurant, Spicetown, Spicy Pickle

15% off, on every visit:
La Chocita Grill

10% off, on every visit:
Asia Café, Asia Palace, Courthouse Deli & Grill, Oriental Express, Red, Hot & Blue,

Robek’s Fruit Smoothies & Healthy Eats, Xuan Saigon, JW Bistro (Oriental Kitchen), Vocelli Pizza, Caribou Coffee, Milwaukee Frozen Custard, Panda West, Banjara Indian Cuisine, China Way, Countryside Café & Pizzeria, Desi Grocery & Kabob, GG Café, Rangoli Indian Restaurant, Spicetown, Spicy Pickle

FREE food items or drinks, on every visit:
A Taste of Burma, Baskin-Robbins, Café Opera, Panda West, RJ’s Deli & Store, JP’s Deli

Other Discounts:
Mezza Grill, Domani Ristorante, La Chocita Grill, JP’s Deli, Dunkin Donuts

10 Fundraising Tips

2008-01-06T13:05:00.000-05:00

Brought to you by Loudoun Rewards Savings Club

1. Create your mission statement. Describe exactly who or what will benefit from your event. Include a brief description of the organization's needs, and explain how a fundraising event will help meet them.

2. Set definite goals. Decide how much money is needed and how long it will take to raise the needed funds. Create a schedule and stick to it. Setting clear dates and a deadline to close will create a sense of urgency and motivate your group to sell more in a shorter period of time.

3. Get the right people to do it. The best people to do a fundraising drive are charming, friendly, outgoing and sincere & passionate about the cause. They never get tired of making new friends and inspiring potential donors to give to their cause.

4. Select your target well. Find the right place to fundraise that will be appropriate for the activity you are planning. Choose a date and time that will have a big traffic flow targeting the right kind of crowd who will believe in your need.

5. Get help from family and friends. If you use sponsorship forms, get your loved ones to sign on first. Have them donate more to set the bar for others to follow. If prospects see the previous donors gave so much, they’re more likely to give the same, if not more.

6. Cash only. As much as possible, get people to give you money instantly. And bring change with you in case they don’t have any.

7. Use Media and Technology. Write a short piece about your activity. Utilize your website, blog and free community postings in other sites and invite your patrons to your activity or event. Contact the community calendar editors of local papers to get your event listed for free and gain more exposure.

8. Keep track of the paperwork. Wherever forms and orders are involved, keep an eye on it to make sure it’s all organized and well-coordinated.

9. Get your pet to help. If you’ve ever taken your pet out on activities, you’ll know how positively people respond to animals. Get your pet dog involved in your fundraising activity. You’d be surprised at how quickly people will come up to you and be friendly, thanks to your companion!

10. Launch a savings card fundraiser. If you live in Loudoun County, Virginia, sell the Loudoun Rewards Savings Cards and make up to $15 per savings card sold! Packed with discounts from over 100 local merchants, cardholders may obtain 10% to 50% off on everything from restaurants to auto repair, beauty shops, home & business services and more! It’s a win-win situation for you and your supporters. They save money while supporting your cause!

The Loudoun Rewards Savings Card & Guidebook is the ideal fundraising product. It can be sold by support groups for the underprivileged, animal rescue & rehabilitation centers, faith-based missions, health awareness campaign and natural calamity assistance groups. You can also sell the savings cards & guidebooks to raise funds for sports groups like baseball, basketball, soccer and hockey, or to gather funds for PTAs, environmental groups, moms’ clubs, veterans groups and others.

10 Tips to Start Your Own Business

2008-01-06T12:59:00.000-05:00

Brought to you by Loudoun Rewards Savings Club

1. Ask yourself if you have what it takes. Some people just don’t have a mind for business. If you feel this isn’t your cup of tea, don’t read past this sentence. If you feel it is for you, go for it!

2. Do what you love. Your passion is what will drive you to succeed. Focus on what you love and what you do best and find ways to make money out of it.

3. State your plan. Write things down – from small notes to the business plan. This will help you define and clarify your short and long term goals as you go along.

4. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Don’t start from scratch. Look at others who have come before you. Find out how others in your business category succeeded, and how you can adopt their methods for your own benefit.

5. Do your homework. Analyze the market situation for your product, including the economy, competition, advertising costs, legal issues, supply & demand, future prospects, the amount of work and money you need to put in, and other issues.

6. Make a unique product that will sell. Study the competition in your area and look for what’s missing. What can you offer that no one else has? Concentrate on that as you develop your product.

7. Turn to family and friends. Invite them to test your product/service. If they like it, ask for help to spread the word!

8. Plan your budget. Set a realistic sales revenue target and subtract production costs from it. Don’t forget taxes, commissions, variable factors, etc. Consider if you will be making steady or fluctuating income depending on the season and the nature of your product or service.

9. Open a web site. It doesn’t have to be big. But a web site would be an important channel of communication between you and your clients. Update your site often and invite people to join your mailing list.

10. Join a merchant membership savings club. Outsource the creation of your loyalty and rewards program. Give discounts to savings club members like the Loudoun Rewards cardholders. It’s less costly and more effective when you join a community rewards program.

Loudoun Rewards is a savings card company that makes buying, selling and giving easier! With just one savings card, the company brings together merchants, customers and local groups to create a community rewards network. Merchants offer exclusive discounts and great deals, local groups sell the savings cards and local residents patronize the local businesses in the area. It’s a win-win-win situation for everyone!

Restaurants, beauty salons, clinics, photo shops, children’s toys, pet accessories, arts & crafts stores, gift stores, bakeries, coffee shops, electrical services, automotive repair, car rentals, event planning services, legal consultation, insurance, real estate, or other businesses can gain an increased and loyal patronage with the Loudoun Rewards Savings Card & Guidebook! Enjoy the benefits of low-cost advertising and increased sales. Join now and be a member merchant!

10 Simple Ways to Save Money

2008-01-06T12:54:00.000-05:00

Brought to you by the Loudoun Rewards Savings Club

1. Save energy. Turn off your computer before you go to bed at night. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs especially on outside lights that are on all night.

2. Conserve water. Turn off the faucet while you’re brushing your teeth. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway, patio or deck. Fill one side of the sink with soapy water and the other side with rinse water to wash your dishes.

3. Get your gas when it’s coolest. Gas expands in the heat increasing its volume which ends up being more costly than when you pump gas at night.

4. Re-use. Pack your sandwich in a plastic container. Buy big jugs of drinks and put in thermos or sports bottles. Use a lunch bag, not a brown bag.

5. Get rid of subscriptions. Stop magazine subscriptions if you don’t read every issue.

6. Don’t throw away good food. Make an omelette from leftover deli, cheese and vegetable platters. Boil chicken or turkey carcass, add bouillon cubes, chopped veggies and pasta and turn into a delicious thrifty soup of the day.

7. Read the fine print. A lot of people get into debt for not reading the details of a financial agreement. Don’t make the mistake of not getting those reading glasses.

8. Keep EVERYTHING in good condition. House, car, hardware, electronics and appliances. Everything that you use now must be well-maintained to avoid costly repairs and to prolong its life.

9. Make money from your hobby. Find ways to make extra money doing something you love.

10. Join a savings club like Loudoun Rewards. Use the card for your everyday spending so you can always save.

Loudoun Rewards is a savings club that makes buying easier! With the One Card, you save money year-round from your favorite local merchants

If you want the best deals on restaurants, beauty salons, clinics, photo shops, children’s education & entertainment, pet accessories, arts & crafts stores, gift stores, bakeries, coffee shops, electrical services, automotive repair, car rentals, event planning services, legal consultation, insurance, real estate, and more, get a Loudoun Rewards Savings Card & Guidebook now!

The Perfect Fundraiser Discount Card in Loudoun County

2008-01-05T13:06:00.000-05:00

Raise funds for your group the fast and easy way. With a discount card, your supporters can save money and spend for a good cause at the same time.

Does fundraising leave you stomped? Are your fundraising campaigns often exhausting, difficult and in the end unsuccessful? You’re not alone. We live in hard times and even the most charitable spirits are less inclined to give nowadays. But this does not mean fundraisers must always fail. The key is to find the right means to generate funds.

We offer you a solution: The Loudoun Rewards Savings Card. It is a discount card that you can sell to raise funds for cause or activity.

The Loudoun Rewards Savings Card is the perfect fundraiser for your group:

1. True and Added Value. With over a hundred merchants listed offering 10% to 50% discounts from restaurants to beauty shops, automotive, family entertainment and home & business services, potential donors will more than likely purchase the discount card not only once but year after year as they have more options for their everyday savings. Valid for 13 months, cardholders can register their cards and receive additional discounts from new partner merchants throughout the year giving that added value on their discount card.

2. Huge Profits, No Risk. You can profit as much as $15 on every sale. That’s an easy $1500 selling 100 cards in a day’s fundraising blitz! Or if sellers are given just 5 discount cards each for selling, that’s $75 you’re raising from each group member! You have the option of purchasing the cards for re-sale for a higher profit margin or pay nothing up front and retain 50% of the sales.

3. Hassle-Free, Healthful Choice. This fundraising product does not require forms to fill out, thus expediting the selling process. Relieve yourselves of the grueling, time-consuming fundraising activities that only raise less funds. With a discount card fundraiser, you can raise funds with less effort. Plus, it’s a ‘fat-free’ product, so your health-conscious supporters have nothing to worry about.

4. Beneficial Rewards to Our Community. The Loudoun Rewards Savings Card encourages customers to support local businesses that in turn support the community. At the same time, it provides schools, churches, sports teams and civic groups with a more profitable fundraising program.

5. A Truly Excellent Product. An excellent product is one that sells quickly and yields exceptional profits to its seller while also giving real benefits to the buyer. The Loudoun Rewards Savings Card is just that. It is a fundraising product that brings real, tangible benefits to those who use them. People spend and they spend everyday. By offering them a product that makes such an inevitable part of their lives much easier, you have higher chances of selling your product. Additionally, it is much better than the one-sided method of asking for donations. When you sell our discount card, you show you are not only asking for help, you also have something good to offer in return to your supporters!

The Loudoun Rewards Savings Card and Guidebook can be sold by any group or organization fundraising in Sterling, Potomac Falls, Cascades, Ashburn, South Riding, Leesburg, Lansdowne, Purcellville, Lovettsville and other areas in Loudoun County, VA.

For Inquiries:

Loudoun Rewards, LLC

525-K East Market Street #253

Leesburg, VA 20176

(703) 348-4420

(800) 655-1863 E-Fax

Website: http://www.loudounrewards.com/

E-Mail: info@loudounrewards.com