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In Business & Blogging, General, MoneySaving

Classic Cars and Investments

Nicki CawoodMarch 27, 2014

Recently we’ve been looking at our finances with a different eye. We’ve been pondering pensions (being self-employed I need to sort this out!), savings and even investments. Finding your way through all of the information out there is like play hop-scotch in a minefield and so we’ve decided that at some point we will be looking at getting professional help to advise us.

A while ago I was asked to work on a project all about classic cars and how they make a great choice for investments. I absolutely LOVED the idea, especially when reading through my research at the return rates and besides, how sexy are classic cars??!

Up here in North Yorkshire we have access to some amazing events which feature classic cars and regularly see collectors and enthusiasts travelling through the town (my oldest used to shout “It’s BRUM!”) regularly. I’m not much of an expert when it comes to classic cars however I am more definitely a fan.

My oldest, Kieran next to an absolutely fab classic car

For those who are interested, I’ll share some of what I found when looking at classic cars as a possible investment option.

Basically, experts are telling us that the when investing your money in classic cars that you are pretty much guaranteed a good return. “Pretty much” is the best anyone may offer you these days as of course with any investment there is an element of risk. That said, over the past ten years or so the value of some classic cars has risen as much as 400%. That is a return hard to beat. Generally speaking fine wine, jewellery, watches and the other more common investment pieces are known to give a return of anywhere between 78% and 216% , impressive but £400 AND the opportunity to have your own classic car to stroke?

One case study I came across about investing in classic cars was about TV presenter / radio presenter Chris Evans. He bought in 2010 a Ferrari 250 GTO for (it was reported) ELEVEN POINT FIVE MILLION. Anyone would think spending that on a single car was insane to say the least until he sold in on two years later and netted an impressive £6.5million profit.

You don’t have to have millions of course to invest in classic cars as some models start out rather reasonably. Some people have a number of cars, polished daily and put away so as to protect their money as best they can, while others organise specialist classic car insurance and enjoy their investment piece. We’d probably be the latter and knowing our luck scratch or dent the car to the extent that we’d lose out however the option is there and down the road we’ll definitely consider it.

Fact and figures aside what would you love to invest in? Google seems a safe bet, classic cars a very good bet even; what about something quirkier? Let me know (I’m nosy!).

In Business & Blogging

Fabulous Home Office Supplies

Nicki CawoodMarch 24, 2014

The fact that I am a stationery tart will come as no surprise to regular readers, or indeed anyone who has dared venture into my office. When the lovelies from http://www.paperstone.co.uk/ got in touch and asked (obviously having heard about my need for a well-stocked home office) if they could send me some goodies I decided it would be rude to refuse.

Now I know I get easily excited but LOOK!

This came as part of the package and as well as being great fun to look at, it makes grabbing tape quick and easy (and reduces wasted time spent breaking nails and swearing while trying to find the end of a sellotape roll). My 7 year old has his eyes on this and has been told in no uncertain terms the answer is no.

Roy has his eye on my new Sharpies and has been told he may borrow them as and when needed provided that they are returned to their rightful place in the pen caddy. I’m not sure what he meant when he saluted me but I assume it was a show of respect for my authority over all things stationery.

This gorgeous brown Silvine notebook, with lined pages and a ribbon marker is described on the website as an executive ruled notebook and therefore this is clearly just for me. I tend to use cheap and cheerful scribble pads for paper notes however there are some projects and tasks that deserve a little more.

Needless to say I am quite tickled by this bonus package of home office items, not simply because of the fact that I have new shiny stationery items to fawn over but also because I have found a retailer who will offer quality items at a reasonable price. Up until recently I had bought my work supplies at a local copy shop however the shop has now closed up and moved out of town so is no longer convenient for me.

Having done a comparison search on items I use for work I was pleased to find that Paperstone did offer competitive pricing, an easy to use website and now I know they offer free gifts when you spend certain amounts, they have become my business supplier of choice.

This decision had nothing to do with the fact that the final item in my goodie parcel were these…

All joking aside, as a small business owner working out of my home it is essential that I don’t waste money on items that are “cheap” as opposed to affordable. Keeping my overheads and expenses to a minimum is important and choosing suppliers and service providers carefully is a part of the money saving process.

Now I just need to find someone to help me cut down the cost of my coffee habit during work hours!

*I was sent these stationery goodies for free with no expectation of a positive review. As it happens I am glad I’ve found the company (or they found me) as they have indeed been penned in as my stationery suppliers moving forward, a welcome bonus on top of the Kit Kats!