by Nicole Ouellette | Aug 14, 2009 | Personal Finance Tips
I’ve always wanted to do a series about inexpensive but great weddings and since it’s a busy end of the week, I thought you’d appreciate getting to know a few more cool people. The following three days will feature three couples and how they had the day of their dreams without sticker shock.
The Happy Couple: Cherie and Michael
Location of Wedding: Jordan Pond, reception at Hulls Cove Schoolhouse (on Mount Desert Island, Maine)
Date: October 4, 2003
Total Cost of Wedding: around $3000
Tell us about your wedding day. (How many people were there, what was the ceremony like, overall impressions, etc.) We got married outside on the lawn at the Jordan Pond House, with about 80 people watching. The wedding was officiated by the Deputy Town Clerk using our own twist on a traditional secular ceremony. We chose October with the hopes that we would have good foliage (we were actually a little early for it that year, but it was still pretty). We didn’t have a wedding party, so we picked our witnesses by drawing random numbers (we had numbered everyone’s programs). We purposefully kept the ceremony short and personal. I wore a simple blue silk dress; Michael actually agreed to wear a suit–which we had to buy because he didn’t own one. That was actually the second most expensive part of the wedding.
by Nicole Ouellette | Aug 12, 2009 | This Week In Business
This week felt for some reason like it was going in a million different directions. It could be that a lot of projects are taking off and in addition, I am trying to keep working on my two big projects for my business itself (the video and the business plan).
Here’s what happened:
I got two new clients to sign on the dotted line, and three I’m waiting on.
I think every business gets to the point where you are growing (finally!) but need to adjust to the growth (darn it!) I am happy to be finally tackling this issue.
I was counseled by SCORE and realized a fun way to get my marketing research done accurately.
As I’ve been writing my business plan, the market research portion has somewhat eluded me. Sure, I know about how many businesses are in the Downeast Area thanks to directories and can get some demographics from the US Census but what is actually useful to me? Anyone can throw a bunch of numbers into a report and look smart.
Thing is I’m not filling space on a ten page college paper here; I am going to use this document to make decisions, both now and down the road.
by Nicole Ouellette | Aug 11, 2009 | Too Cute Tuesday
The owners at the inn were cleaning out their kitchen when they found 6 beer mugs they never use, and offered them to me.
Yeah, one more piece of glassware in my three cabinet kitchen, right? That’s what I also thought… initially.
But then immediately after, I realized oh what fun we could have at Too Cute Tuesday with our own personalized mugs!
A quick internet search proved that etching is actually relatively easy, you know, if you do it the lazy way!
by Nicole Ouellette | Aug 11, 2009 | Good For You
Lately, I’ve been going on some really long bike rides. Maybe not long for a cyclist but definitely long for the average person, which is what I consider myself, athleticwise anyway.
I’ve been training for a 50 mile ‘race’ I’ll be doing this coming Sunday. The Tour de la Vallée is held every year in my hometown and others in the Saint John Valley to raise money for the Guy Paradis Memorial Cancer Fund.
by Nicole Ouellette | Aug 10, 2009 | Personal Finance Tips
Why I’m Keeping My Old Car
In the middle of this winter, on a sad day, I looked down at my odometer which was at roughly 95,000 miles. I vowed to myself I would be in a really interesting place when it turned 100,000. That event should be happening sometime in the next month.
I have the quintessential Maine car: a 2002 Subaru Forrester. It has taken me up mountains and through snow storms. It is an unassuming silver color, a great hider of dirt. And when you open the door, it smells slightly like a mixture of slightly stale coffee and my dog. It is not beautiful but certainly functional.
I would like to say I am not particularly attached to this car. I bought it after the car I actually loved plowed into a moose about four years ago. I still haven’t forgotten what it’s like to plow into 700 pounds of massive animal going 60 miles per hour. My car was of course totalled.
I was moving the week after the accident though and if I wasn’t going to buy a car before I moved, it would take me awhile to get one after. The nearest car dealerships were over an hour from my new island home and as anyone who visits Maine knows, there is almost no mass transit here. In short, to be independent outside of Portlant, you need a car.
I’ve considered Cash for Clunkers (CARS as the acronym for the Car Allowance Refund Program). I’ve ultimately decided against it. Here’s a few reasons why:
I’ve always wanted to do a series about inexpensive but great weddings and since it’s a busy end of the week, I thought you’d appreciate getting to know a few more cool people. The following three days will feature three couples and how they had the day of their dreams without sticker shock. 
