Pocket Budget App

Some of the self help books that I like to read are books on achieving financial freedom. I like to read and reread books like Richard Clason's " Richest Man in Babylon" and books by Robert Kiyosaki. These are not get rich quick books, but books that teach us how to comtrol expenditure thus obtaining financial freedom. Most of the books teaches that in order to be financial free we need to track our expenses daily. I have been doing that for the past few years. I was shocked when I found out that I was spending unnessarily on things that I could have gotten. You can read one such example here Book Review- Richest Man in Babylon. I normaly use an excel worksheet which I put into my smartphone and keyin my expenditures. But using excel has some limitations. You need to export at the end of each month which can be some work. I came across Pocket Budget from an article in the Star newspaper. Downloaded this app and love it. Pocket Budget is an easy way to manage your finances by tracking of your expenses and incomes. After installing Pocket Budget, you need to put your income either in salary or gift categories. When you have an expense just click on the expense button. Put it in what category. If you want to add some pre set categories, just click add category. Add a description if you want and save. The app automatically calculate your balance. By doing this you know what you have to use until your next salary. This app even generates reports that you can easily view at the end of the month to see where your money went. You can download this app at Google Store just type Pocket Budget.

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How to Market your Menu

How to Market your New Menu

So you have created your restaurant menu, now you have to market it. You have to let people out there know about your menu and your chef. You need to create a buzz and you need to keep advertising even though you have been long in the market. You might think that you are already well known but with all the new products flooding the market these days, customers might miss you out. That's why big brands like KFC, McDonalds and other fast food chains spend millions on advertisements yearly. Eventhough people know them. Below are some ways that I use to promote my menu. Hope its of some help.

1. Advertise your menu

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The first and important thing you have to do is to advertise in the mainstream media that you have a new menu.You may need to fork out some money but this will help to create awareness to your restaurant. As mentioned earlier even big restaurants do it.These will include advertisements in newspapers, flyers, banners and brochures. You can also seek help from your staff to help you hand out the flyers around town. My staff was happy to do it for me. If you have a higher budget you can advertise on the radio or tv. Make sure you write something interesting or use an eye catching pictures. Try to go away from the norm, otherwise people will pass it by cause its just another advertisement.

2. Invite the local media to taste your new menu

You can advertise in the newspaper or magazines as mentioned above. You can also go a step further by inviting some reporters to sample your menu. It is always well worth considering inviting the media to your restaurant. To do this you must be really sure that you are ready. You wouldn't want to make a fool of yourself to the people who is going to write about you. You need to put your best foot forward. I suggest you run your menu for one month to work out any hiccups that might occur before calling the press. When you are ready, then only call the press. If you are inviting only a few media people then call up some friends to dine at your place, so the place will look good not like a haunted restaurant.

3. Invite your local bloggers

These days it’s not only the professional food critics that people listen to for advice. Consumers search the internet on information on your place. A recent survey that was done by the hotel I work of how people got to know about our hotel was 45% said that they knew about us from the internet, 40 % was from friends and 4% from the newspaper and magazines. These will show you the power of the internet. Bloggers have their own set of followers and these followers listen to them. Look around at websites of local bloggers. A good way to start is to search for blogs about your competitors, follow them and see what they write. Whether it suits your style. Also note how many folllowers they have. But a word of caution most bloggers write the truth because they have a reputation to uphold to their followers. If your item is not good, don't feature it or you might get some nasty reviews. Once you get a positive review, you can share it with your customers, post it on your site and on your blog and Twitter and Facebook pages.

4. Pictures sell.

In my former hotel where I worked, we created menus with pictures in it. After printing the menus, I used the pictures and created posters of individual food items. Each food item had a catchy tag line like "Sinful Pleasures" for desserts, "What a Hunk of Beef " for beef burgers and "Get Curried Away"for curry dishes. We noticed that customers is more likely to order a dish when he or she sees a picture. So when we needed to clear a slow moving item, we just put a poster of the item. But you need to take mouthwatering shots of your food. Search the net for ideas on mouthwatering images. Follow suit.

5. Upload on your Facebook, Twitter or othe social sites.
Nowadays most business are using the social media like Facebook or Twitter to promote their company or products. If you don't have a Facebook sites its best to create one. Its really easy. You must put important information under the Info tab which includes your restaurant's location, directions, hours of operation and Web address. You can even put your menu in your facebook site. You also need to let your customers know that you have a Facebook site that they can be friends with. This is done by giving out cards with your Facebook address out to everyone. Apart from that you need to also keep your site updated and attractive. Here is when you can get more creative, with the help of the pictures. You can upload the pictures on your site every two days. Do this after you have uploaded your menu. You can feature not just pictures of your dishes, but also the recipe or a video of the chef demostrating how to cook the dish. You can also feature interviews with your customers. Constantly add interesting things, not only trying to sell your product. If you have interesting article on your Facebook page, people will be interested to be friends with.

6.Email
Even though emailing out newsletters or product update is nothing new within the internet world, it is still a great way to build awareness of your new menu to existing and new customers. You won't have to worry about spamming if your customers give you their email address. Normally when someone has given you their email, they are already interested in your place. This gives you a chance to entice them with special offers or highlight to them your new menu. I have wrote in my post "Restaurant Promo Ideas #6- Collect Mailing Address " on ways to get email address from your customers.

7. Create Videos

The use of videos in marketing is still largely underestimated. There is a huge audience on sites like YouTube. Imagine nowadays an aspiring singer can land a huge contract by just a music video on You Tube. But video marketing can also be used as a restaurant marketing tool. You can post your Chef in action, a tutorial on how to set a table or prepare a cocktail. Don't forget to add your link at the bottom. If you video is good and it might go viral and then alot of people will know about your restaurant.

These are some of the ways of promoting your menu. If you located at a busy intersection you can hand out sample of your food for people walking by. Do dropby for more Restaurant Promo Ideas.








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CLASSIC restaurant management suite was put together by Andreas Breitfuss and his team to help those people in the restaurant industry. It is a selection of restaurant management tools that when used in combination can help you streamline your restaurant, café or hotel. These pre-designed forms, templates and spreadsheets save you time to concentrate on other areas of the business. There is beverage costing sheet, restaurant requisition sheets, purchase order forms, blank stock take sheets, stock take spreadsheet, stock take financial analysis spreadsheet, wastage sheets, standard food recipe templates, standard beverage recipe. Beverage engineering spreadsheet, menu placement card, menu advertising elements and sample restaurant menus

Personal Financing with Robert Kiyosaki (cont'd)

Cashflow Quadrant
This book is a continuation of the Rich Dad Poor Dad book. In this book Robert Kiyosaki explains that there are four quadrants. It shows which quadrant we are in and which one we ought to be in.

The four quadrants are

E QUADRANT is for employee
These are people who are mainly afraid to take risk. They look for job security and benefits. Thus looking for jobs that offer job security and benefit. They may be highly paid but their financial status is only defined by the employers.

S QUADRANT for self-employed
The people in the S quadrant are self employed. They are specialist in their area. They want to do their own thing. They believe that if they work hard, they will be paid better. They are normally perfectionist and is hesitant on hiring staff. So they will work very hard cause if they don't work , they won't get paid. They are also not able to take leave for long as they are not able to lose any customers.

This is followed by the two Quadrant that we are advised to be in, in order to be financially free. That is

B QUADRANT for business owner
A business owner owns a business that generates money.

I QUADRANT for investor
Investors earn money from their various investments-in other words, money generating more money.

The CASHFLOW QUADRANT is also not a get rich quick book, its only a guide to financial freedom.

Rich Dad's CASHFLOW Quadrant is perfect for employees or self-employed individuals interested in finding new ways to generate cash flow. One of thing that is good about this book is the author tells us to start slow and small, gaining experience first. If you're already a business owner or real estate investor, this book delivers tools for even greater success.


Rich Dad's Guide to Investing.
This is the third book in the Rich Dad Poor Dad Series. One of the things that I have found useful in this book is that in come in short chapters of 3-4 pages each, so I usually read a chapter a night before I sleep to digest and ponder each chapter. In this book, Robert shows how to get started and how it does not take money to make money. As with the first two books, this is not a book for those who want hot tips and quick fixes.

What I like about this book, is that Kiyosaki says that if we look properly we can create our wealth out of nothing. Before finding out about Internet Marketing, I thought that this was a lot of bull. I always thought you need money to make money. But with the internet, it has never been easier to create wealth out of nothing. Take Squidoo for instance, you can write about your favourite topic and make money from it. He also says you should make a plan to be financially secure, a plan to be financially comfortable, and a plan to be rich.
As in all his other books, Kiyosaki's book is worth reading again and again.
This book is a must for those who want to be Financially Independent
One final recommendation I have is to buy his Cashflow Games. Cashflow 101 is a board game that will teach you how to get out of the rat race whatever your status is.
I have a computer version of the game and found it really interesting. It really depicts real life, once you start playing.

I came across this book after reading Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad" books. Its one of his recommendations for a must read for people who want to be financial free. As with most books in My Little Inspirational & Self Help Books lense, this book is small, in story form and simple to understand. Below is a short review of this book.

The Man Who Desired Gold
The book starts with Bansir, the chariot builder of Babylon, who was thoroughly discouraged, sitting on the fence thinking. He was deep in thought, not caring about the hustle and bustle of the city around him. He was interrupted by the smiling face of his best friend—Kobbi, the musician. Then they discussed how their lives have evolved. How they took the trouble to learn their skills, hoping that if they increased their knowledge, their richest will increase too. But this is not always the case, their skills improve but their richest didn't increase in value. Then they remembered their friend Arkad who was wealthy. They planned to meet up with him and ask what his secret to building wealth is. I too had the same mindset like Bansir and Kobbi, thinking that if I improved my knowledge then my wealth will follow suit but now I have found that this is not the case.

The Richest Man in Babylon
In old Babylon there lived a certain very rich man named Arkad who was famed for his liberality, his generosity to charities and his family. And each year his wealth increased more rapidly than he could spend it. Because of this, his friends came to see him to learn how they can increase their wealth. Arked then told them a story on how he met Algamish, the money lender. Algamish taught him the first step to financial freedom. It is to pay oneself first. What this means is to save a tenth of your salary. I have found that if we set our mind to it we can live on 90% of our income. That's why most Personal Finance books, blogs or guru's say in order to build wealth; we need to have some sort of savings. Reason being when an opportunity comes, you have the resources to invest. This brings us to the next lesson by Algamish, which investing your savings. Algamish suggest that we invest with people who know how to invest. People who are successful in investing.

Seven Cures for a Lean Purse
After defeating the Elamites, King Sargon returned to Babylon to be confronted by another problem. The people of Babylon were no longer able to support themselves. His chancellor reported that the wealth of the people was accumulated by only a few men. This is due to their knowledge on the workings of wealth. The king asked the chancellor to search for such a person, so as he is able to teach the people. The chancellor then selected Arkad, who was then summoned to see the king. To which Arkad agreed to teach a few people so as they can teach others. He taught them the "Seven Cures for A Lean Purse"

THE FIRST CURE
Start thy purse to fattening.
What this means is that we need to save, a minimum of 10% of your income. This is so when the opportunity comes, you have the money to invest.

THE SECOND CURE
Control thy expenditures
The second cure is a continuation of the first. It is to budget yourself so as to spend within 90% of your income. You can save the other 10% as advised in the first cure. Now I am listing down my daily expenditure. I have found that there are expenditures that I really don’t need. As my company provides lunch what’s the use of having lunch outside. Take it from someone who is going to be financially free. List down daily what little things you spend and you will be surprised as where your money goes. I do it on my PDA but if you don’t have a PDA then do what one of Orpah`s guest suggested. Write on a piece of paper and put it in a box or basket. Later you can review what you spend either daily or weekly.

THE THIRD CURE
Make thy gold multiply
After saving your 10%, of your earnings and seeing it grow. But by just keeping savings in a safe place, your wealth will not increase. You need to invest to let it grow. What you should do is look for the right advisors as to what and where to invest.

THE FOURTH CURE
Guard thy treasures from loss
When your money increases, make sure you do investment that is safe. Investment that doesn't have any risk to your principal. Consult with wise men. Secure the advice of those experienced in the profitable handling of gold so as their wisdom can protect your savings from unsafe investment.

THE FIFTH CURE
Make of thy dwelling a profitable investment
To buy property or your own house. This I found to be true. When were growing up, we always stayed in a rented house which we had to shift once the owner needed the house or sold it. So for about three decades we were paying for a house that we didn’t own. So imagine that if we took a loan to purchase a house, after three decades the house would be ours. And after we pass on our children would have a place to stay. We only need to worry about paying property tax. And if we don’t want to stay there, we can rent it out. Let another person pay our loan for us, like what we did when we were young.

THE SIXTH CURE
Insure a future income
The sixth cure for a lean purse is to prepare for the day when we are not able to work. The day when we are old, sick and unable to work. In some countries they have saving program like the 401K and the Employee Providence Fund, that your employee and you contribute a percentage of your income monthly to a saving fund. You can take out your savings when you reach the retirement age. But as what Robert Kiyosaki said with the ever increase in inflation this call may not be enough. So we need to look at other avenues. We also need to plan for the day when leave this world, so as our loved ones are provided for.

THE SEVENTH CURE
Increase thy ability to earn
This is the same thing highlighted by Robert Kiyosaki in the Rich Dad Poor Dad Series. In order to be financial free, we need to have another source of income. What he suggested that works for him was real estate. There is alot of other avenues to make money, choose one that suits you. There is the Multi Level Marketing or what I am trying out now is Internet Marketing. Its hard work but people have succeeded in it, so I intend to be one of them.

Meet the Goddess of Good Luck
In old Babylon, there is an important building called Temple of Learning where people came to discuss on any matter no matter what levels they were. One such person who had his own special hall was Arkad. He came here frequently to discuss to ways to improve them. Tonight they were discussing on how they can attract good luck. What they have found out that betting on the gaming tables doesn't attract the Goddess of Fortune. They continued to discuss on missed opportunity. How opportunity comes in a few seconds only and how they were not grabbed fast enough. So what this means is good luck follows those who grabs opportunity fast.

The Five Laws of Gold
Around a campsite Kalabab tells his slaves the story of Arkad the richest man in Babylon as told him by Nomasir, Arkad's son. He tells the story of Arkad wanting his son to proof to him that he is capable of handling the estate that his father will leave him. How he send Nomasir out with a bag of gold and a clay tablet, asking him to return after 10 years. When Nomasir returns he gives an account of what he did. How he lost the bag of gold to a scam. He then tells the tale how he used what was written on it. On it was written the Five Laws of Gold.

The five laws of gold were

THE FIVE LAWS OF GOLD
1. Gold cometh gladly and in increasing quantity to any man who will put by not less than one - tenth or his earnings to create an estate for his future and that or his family.
2. Gold laboureth diligently and contentedly for the wise owner who finds for it profitable employment, multiplying even as the flocks of the field.
3. Gold clingeth to the protection of the cautious owner who invests it under the advice of men wise in its handling.
4. Gold slip peth away from the man who invests it in businesses or purposes with which he is not familiar or which are not approved by those skilled in its keep.
5. Gold flees the man who would force it to impossible earnings or who followeth the alluring advice of tricksters and schemers or who trusts it to his own inexperience and romantic desires in investment.

Then Nomasir goes on to tell how he used the wisdom of the Five Laws of Gold

The Gold Lender of Babylon
This chapter starts with Rodan, the spearmaker walking towards Mathon, the moneylender. He just had received a large sum of money for his work, now he asking Mathon should he lend to his sister's husband to invest and whether it’s a good idea. Then advises him, that he can lend the money if it doesn't burden him. Then Mathon goes on to show Rodan his token chest and explains the contents, so as Rodan understands the importance of lending money to a person who can pay back.

The Walls of Babylon
The story continues with Old Banzar, a grim warrior guarding the passageway leading to the top of the ancient walls of Babylon. The city is under attack but there are only few defenders. Banzar from his vantage point gets first hand news on the fight below. One by one the citizens come to him for reassurance that the wall will hold against the attack. He reassures them not to worry. The walls of Babylon again protected the citizens as the enemies retreated. The moral of this story in life we should also build some protection with insurance, savings to be used for a rainy day.

The Camel Trader of Babylon
Tarkad, the son of Azure was very hungry because he had only eaten only two figs in two days. He was looking for someone who could spare him some food. But he meets the person who he has been avoiding, Dabasir, the camel trader. Dabasir invites him to join him for dinner in a restaurant but only orders water for Tarkad. While he eats his meal in front of starving Tarkad, Dabasir tells of tale how he conquered his enemy- debts.

The Clay Tablets from Babylon
The story starts Alfred H. Shrewsbury from the Department of Archaeology writing to Professor Franklin Caldwell. He says he has translated the five tablets the Professor sent to him. He says that he found it interesting; it’s about the story of how Dabasir clears his debts. Dabasir writes on the tablet how he lived on 70% of his earnings, saved 10% and he used the last 20% to clear off his debts. So the Professor tries it with his wife. By following the writings of Dabasir, he created a plan as to get out of debt. Which he did. And later the Professor wrote to Shrewsbury that's he is financial free by following Dabasir's plan.

The Luckiest Man in Babylon
In this chapter you will hear how Sharru Nada on a camel caravan journey tells of a tale how he came out of slavery. He was telling Hadan Gula, grandson of Arad Gula how his grandfather also got himself out of slavery. Hadan Gula didn't believe it at first. Then Sharru Nada continued his tale. Relating how Arad Gula brought helped him to get out slavery. He also related what happened to his friends that was sold wih him in the slave market and how he worked hard to save some money. Then only did Hadan Gula believe and promised to follow the success of his grandfather.

An Historical Sketch of Babylon
The last chapter is a historical account on the city of Babylon.

It is hard to believe that this book was first published way back in 1926. Reason being the ideas in this book can still be used in today's world. This is also a great book given as gift to young person.

For more Inspirational Book reviews, please go to my Little Inspirational & Self Help Books lense